The Stanford professor and Google researcher helped pioneer so-called massive open online courses, or MOOCs, that can reach tens of thousands of students at a time.

He told Ohio educators Wednesday at the 2013 Educational Technology Conference that the format resembles film or television in their infancy, and with the same potential.

Gov. John Kasich has said he's consulting with Thrun on state education policy.

The Ohio Department of Education's new executive director, Susan Zelman, also attended Thrun's talk. Zelman is a former Ohio superintendent recently rehired to oversee research and development related to Kasich's school funding proposal and to help districts manage resources.