ScrollEd wants to turn textbooks into TikTok

ScrollEd 想要把教科书变成 TikTok

Society has spent a lot of time bemoaning our digitally addled minds and goldfish-like attention spans, pointing the finger of blame at doomscrolling as the reason we can’t just sit down and read a book or study for exams. But what if the solution isn’t to stop scrolling, but to rethink what we’re scrolling through? That’s the bet startup ScrollEd is making.

社会花了大量时间哀叹我们被数字技术搞得混乱的大脑和金鱼般的注意力，并将“末日刷屏”（doomscrolling）归咎为我们无法静下心来读书或备考的原因。但如果解决方案不是停止刷屏，而是重新思考我们刷的内容呢？这正是初创公司 ScrollEd 正在押注的方向。

The Palo Alto-based startup is pitching in the TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield 200 competition with the novel idea that if students won’t open a textbook, the textbook should open itself up to them — as a scroll. ScrollEd has built an app that allows the user to turn any text file — including dry PDFs or text books — into a feed that feels a lot like Instagram Reels or TikTok.

这家位于帕洛阿尔托的初创公司正在参加 TechCrunch Disrupt 的“创业战场 200”（Startup Battlefield 200）竞赛，其新颖的理念是：如果学生不愿打开教科书，那么教科书就应该以“滚动流”的形式向他们敞开。ScrollEd 开发了一款应用程序，允许用户将任何文本文件（包括枯燥的 PDF 或教科书）转换为一种感觉非常像 Instagram Reels 或 TikTok 的信息流。

As you scroll, the content shows up as AI-generated video, audio, text, or even interactive quizzes. Swiping up surfaces a new topic, while swiping sideways lets you go deeper into the one you’re on, with a quiz waiting for you at the end.

当你滚动时，内容会以人工智能生成的视频、音频、文本甚至互动测验的形式呈现。向上滑动会出现一个新主题，而向侧面滑动则可以让你深入了解当前的主题，并在最后为你准备了一个测验。

“The younger generation is increasingly going short form, vertical feed only (especially the 18 year olds we’ve spoken to!), and this poses challenges for any kind of media that requires depth,” Utsav Gupta, ScrollEd’s co-founder, told TechCrunch in an email. “We want to meet them where they are…We just have to be deliberate about how we use it and choose not to maximize engagement on the platform.”

“年轻一代越来越倾向于短格式、垂直信息流（尤其是我们交流过的 18 岁人群！），这对任何需要深度的媒体形式都构成了挑战，”ScrollEd 的联合创始人 Utsav Gupta 在给 TechCrunch 的电子邮件中表示。“我们希望在他们所在的地方与他们相遇……我们只需要谨慎地使用它，并选择不以最大化平台参与度为目标。”

“A short video can make you curious; following that curiosity can mean searching for another explanation or leaving the app,” Gupta continued. “We wanted going deeper to be as easy as moving to the next video.”

“短视频可以激发你的好奇心；追随这种好奇心可能意味着去搜索另一种解释，或者离开应用程序，”Gupta 继续说道。“我们希望让‘深入学习’变得像切换到下一个视频一样简单。”

Gupta bootstrapped ScrollEd this year alongside his co-founder and wife Rebecca Neff after the two both noticed feeling dissatisfied after doomscrolling before bed. Both are students — Gupta studies AI and human purpose at Stanford, and Neff studies computer science at the University of Pennsylvania.

Gupta 和他的联合创始人兼妻子 Rebecca Neff 在今年共同创办了 ScrollEd。此前，两人都注意到自己在睡前“末日刷屏”后感到不满。他们两人都是学生——Gupta 在斯坦福大学研究人工智能与人类目标，而 Neff 在宾夕法尼亚大学攻读计算机科学。

The startup is targeting educational institutions, corporate training programs, and individuals who “just want something better to scroll on,” according to Gupta. The company will launch its consumer business at Disrupt. (“We’re hoping to ‘disrupt’ social media and short form!” Gupta joked.)

据 Gupta 称，该初创公司的目标客户是教育机构、企业培训项目以及那些“只是想刷点更有意义内容”的个人。该公司将在 Disrupt 大会上推出其消费者业务。（“我们希望‘颠覆’社交媒体和短视频形式！”Gupta 开玩笑说。）

ScrollEd is following a freemium model, combining a free consumer feed with a paid ScrollEd Pro subscription and annual institutional licenses. Institutions pay to deliver educational material through the platform, in exchange for reports about engagement, lesson progress, and other data.

ScrollEd 采用免费增值模式，将免费的消费者信息流与付费的 ScrollEd Pro 订阅及年度机构许可相结合。机构付费通过该平台发布教育材料，以换取有关参与度、课程进度和其他数据的报告。

In the coming months, ScrollEd intends to focus on its consumer launch, building its lesson library and source-checking workflow, and developing pilots for institutions. The startup is also building infrastructure that will one day allow educators to assess individual learners and adapt to their needs. “The ambition is a social network that’s better for you,” Gupta said.

在接下来的几个月里，ScrollEd 打算专注于消费者业务的发布，建立课程库和来源核查工作流程，并为机构开发试点项目。该初创公司还在构建基础设施，未来将允许教育工作者评估个体学习者并适应他们的需求。“我们的目标是打造一个对你更有益的社交网络，”Gupta 说。