Learning something from a computer is a very different process than learning something from a teacher or from a textbook. Because the lessons are usually structured as an exploration rather than an explanation, learning is presented and digested in a much more personal way than in the classroom. Right now, i am able to type fluently on an ipad because i was able to easily transition from typing on a physical keyboard -- the system i learned on -- to one that requires slightly different muscle memory but broadly similar keystrokes and thereby similar physical knowledge (of finger positioning and activation). One might argue that growing up with such a possibility is fundamentally different from not, and thereby it is easy to see this ability as unique to people roughly 20-25 years old or younger* ("millennials" as opposed to gen. x-ers).
Thus, it is easy to recognize what may well prove to be a massively disruptive social truth: as people born later and later gradually transition into positions of general social power and status, the norm for analytical ability and learning fluidity will gradually shift towards a higher degree of each, and society can (presumably) only benefit in response. These traits are beneficial because they (presumably) increase tolerance of change, dynamism, and responsiveness to environments. In a world increasingly characterized by change and swift realignments in norms, it can only serve us well to be more accustomed to such things, and the future is bright!
*whether or not this perception is demonstrably true is the purview of social scientists, not your humble editor.
Location:Syracuse
I'm a little unsure of why, necessarily, learning from a computer would naturally lend itself to greater learning fluidity. Isn't there something to be said for verbal communication? What about the ability to learn through pure observation? Can't those be translated as well?
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