George Siemens at the University of Manitoba suggests 3 stages of using technology in university level courses. They are;
Augmented (use of blogs,wikis,podcasts,email,webCT & discussion forums to extend in-classroom participation) Classes are still held face to face at this stage.
Blended (use of alternative presentation and collaborative technologies) Here he suggests online sessions replace some, but not all face to face sessions
Online (entirely delivered online, using LMS or a combination of tools to evaluate, collaborate, converse & present)
The challenge is finding ways to support learners in moving from one stage to the next.
Learning 
I really like the idea that technology can allow learners to take control and direct their own learning. How can we persuade teachers to provide these oppotunities for children?
A good starting point could be trying out and learning about the range of tools & products that are available in order to experience the benefits first hand. This may be of interest http://www.21classes.com/
George, it would be nice to see this to works its way to the K – 12 world so that students are better able to drive their learning when they reach the stage of going to secondary institutes. It might also make for a greater challenge for institutions as these students demand that there be more equitable transfer of grades across institutions. With that, people will be able to build a program that is suited more to what they want to do. I know I would have preferred this to what I had in university.