Wow! It has been a while since I last wrote.
TL;DR:
Why I stopped working on StoryPal
Where I see the world heading (so I’m heading there)
What happens to the Public Lab newsletter (what should you do?)
StoryPal
In May, I shared that I was working on an app to help you craft stories.
I’ve launched it to a group of beta users. I’ve self-tested a ton. And now, I’m shutting down the project.
One reason is that it is just so hard to get a story right. Storytelling is more art than science. StoryPal can be a great guide, but the value it delivers to users is not entirely clear.
How does one judge whether a story is good or bad? It is very subjective. I don’t like this fact for an app. Without a clear value within control, I don't think it can go far.
Also, well, my heart has changed.
The future reimagined
As I use AI more and more in brainstorming, structuring my words, and now even building apps, I keep thinking about what the world will look like in ten years.
I’m someone who follows my heart all the time. When I studied Finance in university, I didn’t go on to get a Finance job. I asked myself - what truly energizes me? It was building things on the web, which I've done since I was 13. And so I learned coding and became a software engineer.
I’ve been reflecting in the same way throughout my entire career - where exactly is my heart? What am I curious about now? What do I feel energized doing?
At this point in my life, I have 2 daughters. I have a math educator wife. I feel alive being with children who are curious and interested (I volunteered at a Summer Camp last month). I take a telescope to look deep into my heart, and everything is pointing me toward exploring children’s growth and learning (under ten years old).
I also know that the future of education will look drastically different with the rise of AI. I read Brave New Words by Salman Khan to check out his views.
I can imagine every student getting a personalized roadmap and a ton more feedback. I can see that teachers being empowered to mentor because they will be less bothered by admin tasks. I can see parents making learning fun and rewarding because it is possible to incorporate what the kid is interested in.
I know that soft skills like critical thinking, emotional intelligence, leadership, and collaborative problem-solving will be the new currency, not technical, hard skills.
When I look at my daughters, I see so many things we parents have to invest time in:
Finding out their strengths, weaknesses, interests, and personalities
Figuring out the right approach to schooling
Filling gaps the school can’t address
Finding ways to develop character
Searching for space so children can be children and play
Self-reflecting on how to run a family
More
So much will and must change in education and learning. Oh, just thinking about all of this energizes me! A lot! If you have friends in this space, please introduce me to them. I’d love to learn about what they do and say hi.
As for how I’m going to build a business around this to make it a sustainable effort? I have no idea!
I have been working on my first project for the last few weeks. I call it FunSheets. It is a worksheet generator that turns one keyword into a full-blown worksheet for kids aged 2-6 with Chinese vocabulary, English sentences, and math problems.
My wife, Lydia, made them manually for our elder daughter, Avery, and she absolutely loves these sheets. So I thought ... why not turn it into an app to let other parents use it with their children?
It is a mini step towards that personalized learning future. I’m quite proud of this creation!
With this new direction, I’m thinking about the future of this newsletter that you’ve subscribed to.
The Public Lab newsletter
FYI: I’m not talking about Substack here.
I appreciate my readers a lot. Some might have been reading my words for years or for a few days. I just feel amazed that the internet can introduce me to people worldwide.
This is also what motivated me to start sharing out loud 5 years ago. I can say that I’m addicted to connecting with people via sharing. These days, I’m trying out different ways to express myself on Instagram.
It’s been fun. It is impossible to know what you enjoy or what your audience likes until you take time to try things out. I recommend not boxing yourself in too early.
Going forward, I imagine myself sharing more about kids’ growth and learning in the AI world, and I still want to talk about my learnings and journey in a casual, irregular way.
I will not write much about audience building, marketing, building in public, running an online business, etc. This chapter has left my heart.
What I think I’ll do is find time to migrate the Public Lab newsletter subscribers to here (Substack) and continue to write when I have important things to share.
I know some people subscribed to me because they were intrigued by audience building, storytelling, building in public, etc., and not by my journey and other expressions, which is why I never mind if they unsubscribe. I’m already grateful that our paths have crossed!
— Kevon
Excited for the content on education!!
It's such a joy to see your evolution. I deeply relate to wanting to switch up the topics so you're definitely not alone in this journey!! Also it's still so cool to me that we're connected from such a great distance!