'In the Knowledge Economy, We Need a Netflix of Education' (techcrunch.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: When we want to acquire useful knowledge, we have to search the web broadly, find experts by word-of-mouth and troll through various poorly designed internal document sharing systems. This method is inefficient. There should be a better solution that helps users find what they need. Such a solution would adapt to the user's needs and learn how to make ongoing customized recommendations and suggestions through a truly interactive and impactful learning experience. Before Netflix, Spotify, Reddit and similar curated content apps, you had to go to numerous sources to find the shows, music, news and other media you wished to view. Now, the entertainment and media you actually want to consume is easily discoverable and personalized to your interests. In many ways the entertainment model is a good framework for knowledge management and learning development applications. The solution for the learning and development industry would be a platform that can make education more accessible and relevant -- something that allows us to absorb and spread knowledge seamlessly. Just as Netflix delivers entertainment we want at our fingertips, the knowledge and learning we need should be delivered where and when we need it.

Comments

We already have it.

[technoid_]

Just look at Coursera, EdX, Code School, and others.

Are they free? No, but neither is Netflix or Hulu.

Re: We already have it.

[PopeRatzo]

Youtube is free, and is the closest to a Netflix of Education.

Ask Youtube how to do anything. There is probably a video.

And hundreds of people who are there to tell you,

A) You're doing it wrong
B) You don't need to learn this, because the Earth is flat and Jews control everything
C) You're a fag for wanting to learn this. And probably a Jew.

Re: We already have it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Videos are one way to learn. Then there are these things called books which I've heard can be quite educational and offerred in quickly downloadable formats.

Re: We already have it.

[Anonymous Coward]

And are also available for free in places called libraries!

Already exists.

[gurps_npc]

Called the Khan Academy.

Great site with lots of topics.

Re:Already exists.

[Rakarra]

LOL. We could have replaced teachers by automated machines years ago.

There's no substitute for a good teacher. Everyone learns differently, and everyone has different places where they can get stuck. There's no better way to get past a mental roadblock than just ASK in person.

Re:Already exists.

[Hognoxious]

Blame teacher's unions

Is it their fault you can't use an apostrophe properly?

probably not the best approach

[Roger Wilcox]

Netflix, Spotify, and Reddit curate in such an oppressive manner that I cannot imagine such a model being good for anyone who likes to direct his own habits. And for one who doesn't like to direct his own habits... education curated in such a manner sounds downright dangerous.

Netflix and Spotify (ostensibly) show you what they think you want to see. The curation is perhaps somewhat accurate but I end up feeling like a browsable index would suit my needs far better than having so much content hidden, even inaccessible, behind what they divine my "tastes" to be. As an example: Netflix no longer displays a category for anime on my account because it has decided I don't like anime. Simply not true! I want that category back! Their curation makes my self-direction more difficult because they have forced me to spend extra effort locating the content I really want to see.

Imagine this applied to education: You want to learn about Japan? Well our AI doesn't think you really do, so we'll present options to learn about how great USA is instead! How is this good?

And Reddit? Well... Reddit is curation by an angry mob. Has OP ever even been to Reddit?

In short: Make educational content easily available? Absolutely. Use some fancy AI or groupthink to do so? Probably not the best approach.

Panels of Experts

[SeattleLawGuy]

Just look at Coursera, EdX, Code School, and others.

Are they free? No, but neither is Netflix or Hulu.

Do any of those have solid expert panel discussions?

The Great Courses

[werld]

I love this "streaming app" on my roku. It's $20's a month which is a little high for my taste but even though I do not really use it as much as i'd like (at least not yet). I have taken some chemistry courses from Georgetown and one of the Photography courses and I really enjoyed both of them. I still pay because its sort of like a donation each month because I think it is a good idea and I want it to succeed.. I also do the same with Curiosity Stream. Cheers

Also from the point of bingeing at our own speed.

[Chas]

This is what frustrated me so terribly about public schooling.
"Hurry up and wait for the slow kids."

Was worst in grade school, got only slightly better in high school, and college was simply more-of-same.

Even afterwards, classes for various forms of certification are just DREADFULLY slow.

As someone with ADD, being told to just stand there and hold my dick COMPLETELY destroys the learning experience, because it becomes so disjointed.

If I'd had something like Netflix to absorb information from, I might have done a lot better in school (blew out testing, but classwork destroyed my GPA).