Nolan Bushnell, Speed to Learn
Serial entrepreneur Nolan Bushnell (founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese restaurants) offered a large crowd at Maker Faire a sneak peek at his latest venture: A high-school curriculum based on creativity, making, and metrics. Students will learn a variety of skills in a module-based environment, which offers regular feedback on their progress that parents can check in on, too. They'll earn "zeta" points they can spend on anything from taking a nap to time on a laser cutter.
"The whole idea," said Bushnell, "is to give rewards that real kids want to have, and to have school be as chaotic as possible."
The school will hire expert mentors for the students, prepare the syllabus and testing, and crowd-source the learning modules. "I believe that all of us are smarter than any of us," said Bushnell. "I want some of these mentors and module writers to make a million dollars a year." The school, called Speed to Learn, will probably launch in Van Nuys, Calif., and a website will go live soon.
