As the SXSW behemoth slowly awakened, Bill Gates gave the final keynote at SXSWedu. The host introduced Gates as a “modern day Edison,” an apt comparison in more ways than one, but if philanthropy redeems, perhaps we should forgive him.
Gates described the explosion in computing power and the implosion in cost, telling an anecdote of a 13-year-old Bill who stayed up late for a few minutes of time on a mainframe 50 times less powerful than today’s smart phones. He pointed out that in the 1990s it cost $400 to store an hour of video on the internet. Today, that same hour costs $.02, and other forms of data are even smaller and cheaper.
“The tipping point of the availability and the price coming down should mean that the technology is not a big barrier,” said Gates.
After presenting convincing evidence that we have the technology we need, he pointed out that technology has not caused the educational revolution that the world expects. Gates showed an image of a classroom from 75-years-ago next to an image of today’s classroom, and the only differences were the style of clothing and a whiteboard instead of a chalkboard.
“The market for educational technology is difficult,” said Gates, and then asked the question of the day. “What is it we’re trying to achieve with software?”
Gates believes the traditional student teacher model can work fantastically well and referred to the fictional example of Luke and Yoda from the Star Wars universe. Yoda teaches with complete sensitivity to Luke’s individual needs, tailoring his instruction specifically to Luke.
Gates thinks that great teachers can personalize their instruction even in a class of 30, and that to some degree, educational software can achieve personalization. He considers adaptive educational software for students and teachers a critical element of a technology driven educational revolution.
To demonstrate some promising efforts at educational technology innovation, Gates invited three CEO entrepreneurs of educational technology companies to join him on stage and explain what their companies develop:
- Jessie Woolley-Wilson, President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board of DreamBox Learning.
- Diane Tavenner, CEO and co-founder of Summit Public Schools.
- Iwan Streichenberger, CEO of inBloom.
Gates’s concerns about investment in educational technology echo that of many SXSWedu attendees.
“Is the overall investment here commensurate with the importance of education? I’d say absolutely not. You’d think education would be a big R&D sector. It never has been,” said Gates. “Any improvement you make benefits every other sector of the economy.”
If Bill Gates is Edison then Gary Kildall is Tesla.