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On a tangential note: I am still waiting for a philanthropic billionaire to create (sponsor) the ultimate learning digital world for kids of all ages (in 200+ l

On a tangential note: I am still waiting for a philanthropic billionaire to create (sponsor) the ultimate learning digital world for kids of all ages (in 200+ languages please) aka Ready Player One. There are already some high-quality learning apps (reading and counting) for kids but the best ones are paid and they usually cover only a narrow segment in a narrow subject. I wonder if the "authorities of Effective Altruism" would agree with me that this is a good way to spend charity money.

j_s 9y ago
Do you have any pointers to recommended technologies for kids to learn foreign languages?
j-pb 9y ago
Please only in one language but with a really good course for that language as the first material. English would be nice, but I would also accept lojban or hawaiian.
- dandare 9y ago
  When your child is 3-4, you don't necessarily want to start with a foreign language, especially if the parents don't speak English. Think of all the languages supported by your favorite tablet. Or maybe you are right - I am sure learning experts will know what is the right thing to do.
- patrickdavey 9y ago
  I'm really curious as to why you'd only want our mythical billionaire to build it just in one language?
  - j-pb 9y ago
    Computer science is an amazing field to work in because we all communicate and collaborate in english, it makes large scale global project efforts possible. I would like to see that hurdle removed from other disciplines. Same goes for international politics and peace, your neighbour becomes a lot less threatening if you speak the same language. German is my mother tounge but after living in the netherlands for 4 years, I consider english my primary language, its what I write my grocery lists and diary entries in. I think the world would be a much better place if we all spoke the same language. Also f* unicode. That unmaintainable mess of a standard. ASCII4ever!
    - patrickdavey 9y ago
      See... I'm a native English speaker, and while a lot of things would be easier if we all spoke the same language, I think the world would be a poorer place because of it. There's so much more to language than just the words - it seems to alter the way you think too. My partner is Dutch, and I love that there are words like "papegaaiduiker" the word for puffin. Translates as "parrot diver". I think it'd be totally sad if things like that died out. I suspect if our mythical system existed, it would quickly make English the only language about. With you on ASCII ;)
r_singh 9y ago
I hands down agree with you. However, authorities of Effective Altruism on other hand are focused more on what is perceived by the world as efficient damage control on a large scale. The ultimate learning digital world for kids might not be possible considering the diversity in our world. Also, I doubt authorities look at the current learning environment as damaging.
- dandare 9y ago
  You may be overestimating the diversity in our world - consider what percentage of world kids population is exposed to the unifying experience of Bollywood, Nollywood, Hollywood, Pop Music, K-pop, WoW, LoL, memes. I would argue that kids all over the world are very similar these days.

j_s 9y ago

Do you have any pointers to recommended technologies for kids to learn foreign languages?

j-pb 9y ago

Please only in one language but with a really good course for that language as the first material. English would be nice, but I would also accept lojban or hawaiian.

dandare 9y ago
When your child is 3-4, you don't necessarily want to start with a foreign language, especially if the parents don't speak English. Think of all the languages supported by your favorite tablet. Or maybe you are right - I am sure learning experts will know what is the right thing to do.
patrickdavey 9y ago
I'm really curious as to why you'd only want our mythical billionaire to build it just in one language?
- j-pb 9y ago
  Computer science is an amazing field to work in because we all communicate and collaborate in english, it makes large scale global project efforts possible. I would like to see that hurdle removed from other disciplines. Same goes for international politics and peace, your neighbour becomes a lot less threatening if you speak the same language. German is my mother tounge but after living in the netherlands for 4 years, I consider english my primary language, its what I write my grocery lists and diary entries in. I think the world would be a much better place if we all spoke the same language. Also f* unicode. That unmaintainable mess of a standard. ASCII4ever!
  - patrickdavey 9y ago
    See... I'm a native English speaker, and while a lot of things would be easier if we all spoke the same language, I think the world would be a poorer place because of it. There's so much more to language than just the words - it seems to alter the way you think too. My partner is Dutch, and I love that there are words like "papegaaiduiker" the word for puffin. Translates as "parrot diver". I think it'd be totally sad if things like that died out. I suspect if our mythical system existed, it would quickly make English the only language about. With you on ASCII ;)

r_singh 9y ago

I hands down agree with you. However, authorities of Effective Altruism on other hand are focused more on what is perceived by the world as efficient damage control on a large scale. The ultimate learning digital world for kids might not be possible considering the diversity in our world. Also, I doubt authorities look at the current learning environment as damaging.

dandare 9y ago
You may be overestimating the diversity in our world - consider what percentage of world kids population is exposed to the unifying experience of Bollywood, Nollywood, Hollywood, Pop Music, K-pop, WoW, LoL, memes. I would argue that kids all over the world are very similar these days.