The iPad Simplified the Computer. This Will Simplify Education…

Last week Susan and I attended an 80/20 seminar put on by Richard Koch and Perry Marshall. Richard Koch is the modern day expert on the 80/20 principle (for more info on 80/20 principle click HERE). There we learned more about the power of 80/20 and the power of simplification.

The 80/20 Principle is the secret to the power of simplification.

In the 1960s some of the smartest men in the world built a computer that took up the space of an entire room to process the complex calculations necessary to put a man on the moon. In 2011 my two-and-a-half year old daughter accessed a computer with even more computing power that operates with the swipe of a finger.

How is this possible? Through simplification. Sure, the development process to create the iPad is complex, and the inner workings are complex, but the user’s experience on the iPad is a greatly simplified experience as compared to working on a PC, Mac, or other electronic device.

That’s why my daughter had an experience on a complex computer at age two-and-a-half, where as my first experience on a computer wasn’t until age 8 (and that was after an introductory explanation of DOS).

Many of our students find the education experience as a complex one as well. To keep with our analogy, its like all of our students are trying to perform a complex calculation on a computer. But some are using a PC with Microsoft Windows, some are using a Mac, some are using a DOS based computer, and even yet some are limited to a handheld calculator.

So why can’t this learning experience be simplified to something like an iPad experience? Well it can. And it has. The iPad experience of simplification in education is found in Learning & Soft Skills. Learning & Soft Skills work behind the scenes to make the learning process easier and more productive for the student.

Just like when we use the iPad, we don’t notice the advanced code in the background. We notice the ease of use and the effortless output of accomplishments. Whether you are playing a game, reading a book, or doing work on the tablet, it is easy for you to complete the task.

Similarly, with Learning & Soft Skills, students don’t notice the use of the skills. But they do notice the joys of the learning process and the output results in the form of learning.

In 1960, many believed a man on the moon was an impossible dream until it was achieved in 1969. Likewise, in 1985, the thought of a two-and-a-half year old using a computer was impossible until the iPad arrived in 2010.

Now, today, the education process has been simplified to be more accessible to all, thanks to Learning & Soft Skills.

To learn more about Learning & Soft Skills curriculum, click HERE.

Sincerely,

Brian Winter, M.Ed.

COO, SOAR Learning, Inc.