Welcome to the LightningLearn blog and inaugural post! I’m Alex and I’m building a platform for people to learn anything fast using the LightningLearn method: a medley of research-backed techniques in a convenient, user-friendly interface and supercharging it with AI. This method is unlike anything available today, and will address a major shortcoming in education.
Current learning modalities such as school, online courses, videos and self-study will continue to be valuable. The goal is to enrich these in an agnostic way. If you choose, you can also use these tools as a standalone way to acquire a breadth of knowledge quickly or dive deep on any subject.
A strong vocabulary is a fundamental advantage for success in life, career, and family. Much of learning is about building the necessary vocabulary. Textbooks, tutorials, and videos are filled with specialized terms and concepts that separate the experts from the novice. And this is only one facet, because vocabulary is part of everyday life from financial literacy to social interactions.
vo·cab·u·lar·y
noun
- the body of words known to an individual person.
- a list of difficult or unfamiliar words with an explanation of their meanings.
I think I can speed up the vocabulary building process – the LightningLearn way!
Origin
Our world is rapidly changing before our eyes.
The Third Industrial Revolution, which brought personal computers and the internet, only began about 70 years ago, yet by some accounts we’ve already crossed over the threshold of the Fourth Industrial Revolution by way of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and biotechnology.
Knowledge is freely available, but costly and time-consuming to acquire.
In the quest to find the most effective way to keep up with the pace of growth, I discovered our natural learning ability that we’ve had since birth but as adults we’ve generally lost. The same way in early childhood we learned to walk and talk by absorbing information from our environment subconsciously, we can tap into this same ability as adults.
Research indicated an opportunity to create a new, specialized learning method for today’s world that uses a decades-old, proven technique to subconsciously imprint information on the learner’s mind. In a future blog post, more details will be shared about this technique including the research and science behind it.
I wanted to build this system for myself to use – and in fact I do use during development, a process known as dogfooding. So, the origin of LightningLearn is a personal journey to fulfill an unmet need and then to share it with the world.
Vision
The journey is just beginning. LightningLearn is being built for everyone – young and old, beginner and advanced, believers and skeptics. This platform will be an all-in-one lexical studio for individuals and teams, authors and readers, academics and autodidacts.
A few of the useful tools being developed include:
Dictionary
AI-powered, full-spectrum and unbiased definitions.
The system will use the latest LLM technology to generate definitions to terms beyond the scope of what traditional dictionaries are capable of. It will strive to define all sides of words, including opposing views, so that you can decide for yourself the ultimate truth of disputed or controversial terms.
Lightning Lists
Vocabulary word lists generated on demand.
At the heart of the platform is the ability to find the all-important vocabulary. Using AI, the system can create these lists for any specialty, interest or grade level. In under a minute, you can quickly build confidence on any new subject so that you have a solid foundation upon which to stand.
Tachistoscope
A rare technology from the 1960s to accelerate word recognition.
Perhaps one of the more exciting pieces of technology in development is a tachistoscope – a device that uses Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) to accelerate the recognition of words subconsciously. This technology is being brought back into the 21st century as part of a well-rounded learning experience.
And more
- Thesaurus
- Etymology
- Encyclopedia
- Comprehension Tools
- Retention & Recall Tools
- Speed Reading Trainer
- Progress Reports
Conclusion
LightningLearn is entirely built by me – a software engineer and solo dev founder. I am building and learning in public. The journey has only just begun.
Check back soon for the latest developments, insights, and news along the way. I may “hard pivot” at some point or even learn some things “the hard way”.
The excitement of one day being able to share this extraordinary learning method with you drives the project forward.