The Future Normal · Part 1
Stealth Learning
What if you could educate yourself using the very videos and games that are typically written off as a waste of time?
What if you could educate yourself using the very videos and games that are typically written off as a waste of time?
The Trend
Education is escaping the classroom and hiding inside the games, videos and platforms usually dismissed as time wasted. Researchers at Georgia Tech have taught people to read braille in hours and play piano songs in under 30 minutes using gloves that send electrical impulses to the fingers, a technique called passive haptic learning. In the future normal, people will acquire skills faster and more happily, often without noticing they are studying at all.
The Instigator
The user-generated game platform hosts more than 40 million games and over 58 million daily players, most of them under 13, and three in four American children aged nine to twelve are on it. Creators earn a cut of in-game purchases, which built a virtual economy strong enough to carry Roblox to a $42 billion valuation at its 2021 listing. In late 2021 the company put $10 million into a Community Fund backing developers who build educational experiences, including a virtual robotics game designed to pull players into science and engineering.
Imagining The Future Normal
How will we respond to being constantly coached?
Wearable devices with real-time metrics will make it possible for education to be ever-present. The optimistic case is continuous, just-in-time learning, but many people won’t appreciate being constantly nudged in everything they do. The future of learning will need a more balanced approach.
How do we prevent attention exploitation?
The same mechanisms that make stealth learning effective (habit-forming design, reward loops, and personalization) can also be used to exploit attention. Effective implementation will need to distinguish between ethical engagement and addictive manipulation.
Could your fellow learners also become your teachers?
Whether in games or on social platforms, it is people and human connections that result in true engagement. The bottom line? Embracing and fostering community will be as important as AI in the race for personal and collective growth through learning.
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