Diamond Age

I've been thinking of The Diamond Age and at this point, I think technology has almost caught up to what Neal Stephenson envisioned.  I keep imagining how I'm going to create A Young Students Illustrated Primer as a download off the Google Android App Store.  I think the technology is there.  No, not for an exact copy.  But for a non-living, second half of the book, army of little girls copy.  I can understand why it hasn't been created.  But... it would be totally awesome if someone would.

I flipped through some of the Ubuntu options for education.  GCompris came to mind, but it just wasn't what I was looking for.  It's all games based a different approach.  With GCompris, someone else teaches the subject.  Then GCompris takes over and helps with enforcing the concept through games.  It doesn't do a good job of replacing the teacher.  And that's what I want to do.

Sorry unions, but the teacher has got to go.  And the technology is probably there.  But is there a will and a desire?  Because we're talking something beyond complex.  About breaking concepts down into teachable, repeatable sections where if you can't do what is going on, then you can't move on.  No pass, no advancement.   But like a real teacher, the program has to be able to teach the same subject in dozens of different ways to finally get the point across.   

I think my major desire is because I don't believe the US school system is worth a damn.  I grew up in the public school system.  I found it completely lacking.  The public school system teaches to the middle.  If you are exceptional in either direction in any subject, you get left behind and chewed apart.  I can't complain about class size, because mine were no more than 30 in any class.  I grew up with the same 30 or so people.  I was 9th of a class of 32?  38?  Somewhere in there.  

But I made it through without major effort.  I had problems that became huge during college.  Because I was on both ends.  English was a joke.  By eighth grade, I had learned everything they had to teach me.  But math... that was a different story.  I wish I was better at math.  But I wasn't.  I barely passed.  It crippled me.  

But because I had small class sizes...  they passed me.  And they crippled me.  Algebra didn't seem important, and my teachers wouldn't put in the effort.  Now, I wish they had.  Because what I love to do requires math.  Because math is a universal truth.  And English is open to interpretation.  

And now you get where the failing is.  Or maybe you do.  

English: many interpretations.  None is absolutely correct.  

Math: One interpretation.  One answer.  

If the education system refuses to accept there is one correct answer, then they will teach to failure.