It’s been 10 years since Neal Stephenson wrote The Diamond Age – or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer. I happened across my copy while cleaning out my bedroom, and started flipping through it. I’d forgotten about a lot of the themes in it: nano-technology, interactive storytelling, and how such things affect the lives of young children.

In the 10 or so years since I’ve read the book, I’ve learned a lot more about people and interactivity. I find I understand a lot more of the book than I did before. I can empathize with the characters to a deeper level, and I can see the promise of interactive technologies yet to come.

The primer in the book is similar to the game in Ender’s game: it’s adaptive, highly interactive, and tuned toward a single child’s experience. It’s purpose: to create an independent, empowered young woman. As I skimmed, it struck me that we’re still a long way off from being able to deliver a compelling interactive experience because the challenge isn’t technology…it’s being able to translate teaching into effective interactive content. This goes beyond materials, textbooks, and testing methodology. Great teaching is highly personal and adaptive, anchored in principles that are energized by students who have been taught to see. I doubt that organized education could do it either, because the politics behind education would likely undercut any progress. It seems that education is not about seeing as it is administration and control.

But I digress…I have a book to finish.