MET Course Weblog

Now that we’ve finished our ventures, consider the following early October perspective from the point of view of Sequoia Capital, a venture capital company re: new ventures

What has happened, what is happening, what may happen

Hi everyone,

My pitch was for Userful Company, for a new proposal called Pengiun Friends. I apologize for it’s being so late, I was talking with the president of the company, Tim Griffin, about the proposal and Userful.

No one has to look at my proposal (for reviewing), but if you’d like to take a look and let me know what you think, it’s available here: http://www.ccpullman.ca/userful.html

Thanks!

Crystal

Or is it a hive?

As we begin to wind down, I just wanted to express my thanks to everyone for a very stimulating and worthwhile learning adventure.

I’d hoped to have your A3’s marked by now, but that’s an impressive and daunting set of work – I’ll need another few days.

As you venture forward please remember that the best opportunity to make any start-up work is to bounce it off lots of smart people first, so keep your connections with the swarm (and your humble instructors) active.  You all qualify as “sophisticated” investors now….

Warm regards,

DavidV

Hi everyone – Several of my assessors have had difficulty accessing my files, so I’ve uploaded it to YouTube (I’ll just take it down next week, easing my paranoid privacy concerns). I’m most anxious for feedback, so, with apologies for the length of time this has taken, here’s the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_oQOiHRHy4

I’m enjoying all the pitches!

Laura

After much frustration and hours and hours of trying to get this up, it is finally ready for your viewing!! It is a bit slow to show up, but once it gets started it works well. I had a lot of problems with sound and transition, so there are a few awkward moments, so please be patient with it.

I look forward to hearing your feedback,

Melissa

Here is my pitch for Reading Right, a new sight word reading software. There are many students who have difficulty reading phonetically and although there are sight word reading software available, this program integrates many different learning activities that can be customized to fit each student’s need. The activites are fun and engaging and allow each student to take ownership over their own learning. This program can be used as a teacher tool or as extra reading help and will hopefully become a staple in every classroom and home.

Please click on this link to watch my pitch.

http://www.inspirednetworks.ca/clients/vtt/assignment3.mov

Here are two great posts from Brian Lamb and Stephen Downes

http://halfanhour.blogspot.com/2008/11/future-of-online-learning-ten-years-on_16.html

http://weblogs.elearning.ubc.ca/brian/archives/049497.php

About the future and how mobile learning looks in it!

JB

I’m pleased to see the level of activity within the Venture Forum so far.

One of the potentially less-obvious learning objectives of module 12 is also one of the most important for the whole course, so I’m taking this opportunity to highlight it.

Right after handing in your A3, which I’m sure each of you feels is brilliant (that goes with the entrepreneur/intrapreneur territory), you step into the shoes of an investor or executive who sees so many proposals that they’re numb.  Any set of venture proposals will seem like a dog’s breakfast to every potential investor or decision maker.  The only thing that can make yours stand out is you: you have to inspire them with confidence that you can actually do this thing you’re talking about, and you have to make sure that nothing in your pitch diminishes that confidence.
Simple, isn’t it?
DavidV

Hi everyone –

I just read an interesting review of a new book by a cognitive neuroscientist about multitasking and I thought, given our discussions earlier in the term, that others may find it of interest as well.

http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2008/11/26/mclemee

Just don’t read it while assessing the venture proposals!

Laura

Sorry for the uploading false starts, I moved my video to vimeo.

As I was late in posting and even later with some technical glitches, my project has not been assigned to any one. If you have some extra time to have a look, I would sincerely appreciate your EVA input.

Many thanks,

Cheryl M.

http://www.vimeo.com/233847

Hello Class,

First off I would like to apologize for posting this so late.

I dealt with one inconvenience after another!  as so many of you have as well!

I hope some of you have the opportunity to review my work.  looking forward to hearing from you,

Fetya

Recommendation for Teachstreet: http://sites.google.com/site/tsassignment3/Home

Sorry for the uploading false starts, I moved my video to vimeo.

As I was late in posting and even later with some technical glitches, my project has not been assigned to any one. If you have some extra time to have a look, I would appreciate your EVA input.

Many thanks,

Cheryl M.

OK EVA’s, this is the real thing. Odijoo will slice and dice your content and put it on a really cheap LMS. For more information have a look at [youtube]http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=iMupn-rbkGA[/youtube] 

Looking forward to hearing from you and my making any and all introductions.

cmilnerattelus.net

I read the due date wrong and was only able to upload today. If there are any of you willing to give me a review, I would sincerely appreciate it.

Many thanks and Good luck to all of you!

Cheryl

Link: http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=iMupn-rbkGA

Just a note that I’ll be sending out your individual review assignments for the Venture Forum over the next hour to your email addresses, so if you don’t receive yours please let me know ASAP.  Thanks,

DavidV

I wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate the module discussion teams on a job well done.

The activities you all created for class participation over the past eight weeks were an excellent representation of the creative abilities of ETEC students. The sites, resources, activities and discussions were engaging and invited lots of high-level discussion and debate on the topics presented. The self-evaluation papers were consistently positive about the intent of the A2 activity, and in many cases forthright about what worked, didn’t work, or could be done better in a future iteration of the module team process.

I thought you all did a great job. Bravo!

d.

Here it is finally! I have managed to convert the pptx to ppt, upload to Google Docs as well publish it. Please visit http://docs.google.com/Present?docid=dfcnd2mn_0gxc4xrgd to view my pitch presentation. The executive summary is embedded in the ppt.

Cheers!

Deepika

Life is full of surprises…just when you dont want them. After a trying week at a conference in Seoul, I returned home early Sunday morning, started to finalise my pitch document (pptx) only to realise that there was a problem with my broadband connectivity – helpdesk said it would be restored monday afternoon. Did not want to wait till Monday afternoon, so this morning I got myself a wireless modem – atleast I am connected although it is quite slow! Started to upload my pptx via Google docs and what do I find – Google Doc does not support pptx …so now I am having to download the compatibility pack so I can open my pptx as a ppt and upload to Google Docs. Surely there was an easier way to do this! So if you do not see my assignment on Monday morning Vancouver you’ll know I have been struggling and please post me a couple alternatives. Slideshare does not support pptx either!

Till then…

Deepika

Here is my venture pitch for a real company (Castle Rock Research Corp) and one of their most recent projects.  This is the “what I would do if i was running the company” proposals for the Computer Adaptive Assessment system that was recently developed and piloted in Alberta.  The executive summary is a MS Publisher document converted to PDF and the Pitch is a presentation in Google Docs.  It was to have a link to a 10 minute video pitch but I have been away from home for the past week and much to my frustration unable to get my tablet to do what I need it to do.  I’ll be home on the 25th so I will add the video to the presentation and to this post at that time.

Executive Summary

Venture Pitch Presentation

 Venture Pitch Video Part 1

Venture Pitch Video Part 2

You can view this assignment by clicking on the appropriate link of my ETEC 522 ePortfolio page.

MALTS – mobile android language training system

Unfortunately, you will need to login.

User: misscastonguay

Pass: homepage

Sorry, but it’s a PPT, I had planed on recording it using Camtasia Studio 6 but after 5 attempts, I gave up. It would appear that CS6 does not take too kindly to embedded media? In any case, I’m just glad it’s done! Please keep in mind that some elements of this presentation are fictive and that regrettably did not land a job at Robot-Hosting!

Hi all,

My pitch and executive summary can be viewed at the following address:

http://voicethread.com/share/256062/

Good luck to us all!

Jim

Hi All,

A web site I have been developing for Shop Teachers is the basis for my project.  My pitch can be seen at YouTube and will be in 3 sections.  An introduction, a demonstration and conclusion.  Type into the YouTube window, the 3 parts below or click on each.

De Pieri ETEC 522 Part 1

De Pieri ETEC 522 Part 2

De Pieri ETEC 522 Part 3

My old site can be seen at, www.theShopTeacher.com but will be put to rest once my new site comes on line.  http://shopteacher.webmastercms.com/

Thank you, look forward to your critiques.

Dave

You’ll find the links below to the executive summary and the full pitch proposal.

This proposal is about a venture possibility, we call classconnections, involving the development of innovative, classroom ready online assignment marking and discussion tools.   The concept of classconnections is based on our years of experience integrating and observing teachers using technololgy in the classroom setting. We’ve currently developed our own successful online school community system we call xspression.  And, classconnections is the next iteration of classroom software for teachers in our ongoing development process.  Check it out.  Its quite interesting.

Both videos may be found at the same location.

Executive Summary…

Full Pitch ……..

Greetings, ETEC522 Venture Forum –

As promised, here’s a real live venture that I’m leading.  You were introduced to an early CrowdTrust pitch in the course – the reason we didn’t explore it further or use it more was that, behind the scenes, I was rebuilding the product for commercialization.  We have a Beta release this week, so I’m very excited!  Anyway, the executive summary is below.   The full pitch isn’t “public” yet, so if you want to review the details or try our Beta release I’d be delighted for your critical response – please email me directly and I’ll send you the document and link details.

DavidV

CrowdTrust :: Network What You Know

Executive Summary
CrowdTrust is a web service enabling individuals to harness their web presence (their browser history, interests, ideas, expertise, networks, feeds, audiences, etc.) with unprecedented ease and impact.

We will become a $100M company as the dominant player in web presence and search personalization.

Vision
CrowdTrust believes that the “social web” is about to get very personal – that the technologies and demand for personal web services, autonomy, and advantage are rapidly emerging and will soon dominate Internet culture and commerce.

Market Problem
We address two core, coupled Internet problems: 1) Industry Pain: better service isn’t possible without exploiting identity; and 2) User Friction: online social networking and reputation management are simply too much work.

Our Solution
CrowdTrust does for people what Google did for web pages.   Google applied the PageRank algorithm to integrate individual web pages with the Internet. CrowdTrust’s proprietary personal index technologies integrate your personal contexts with the web, effortlessly offering better service and amplified presence. PageRank has reached it’s limit – this is the next wave.

Value Proposition
Your every click has value. So do your ideas, the people you connect with, the content you read, and the resources you use. We make it easy for you to concentrate and channel this value.

Business Model
We make money by managing and brokering data in our clients’ interest, with no loss to personal privacy or security.  Our clients own and control all their data.

CrowdTrust is therefore a trusted broker – a very fresh and timely Internet business model.

Target Markets
Web-savvy, reputation-driven professionals and post-secondary students.

Revenue Model
We will obtain third-party transaction fees related to brokered index contexts.  One example is smart advertising, where we enable significantly more relevant ads without identity loss.  Other revenue streams include non-exploitive aggregate datamining, OEM & channel partner licensing of core technology and services, and premium client services (our basic client accounts are free).

Path to Profit
The beta release of CrowdTrust’s flagship service (code-named “CrowdTrust”) occurs on November 26, 2008 following 2 years of prototyping & market research.

CrowdTrust seeks $1M angel & early VC funding to reach profitability in 2009Q4.

Well after several tries I think I have got it. To view my power point presentation you will need to go to this site http://avan22.wordpress.com/etec-522/ and just click on the ETEC 522 tab and you will find the power point link there. The word files might not work so just incase I will post them up here so you can check them out.

assignment-3

executive-summary

Thank you

Amber

I seem to be having considerable difficulty posting this thing.  I’m going to paste my assignment in the post because I did it in Word and cannot seem to figure out how to attach it.  If anyone has any suggestions I’ll gladly repost it.

Cheers,

Ken

Venture Pitch:

Guided Online Aboriginal Learning (GOAL) Program:

Student Success Through a Community Centred Approach

Ken Heales

Ventures in Learning Technology

ETEC 522

Submitted to: Dr. David Vogt

November 23, 2008

Introduction

There is a market for a distance education program for First Nations students that will allow them to complete their high school education in their home community instead of having to move to a larger community where they do not have the social and family support networks in place to facilitate a greater level of academic success.  First Nations students in B.C. have a much lower high school completion rate as is evidenced by the B.C. Ministry of Education report on Aboriginal education titled, “Aboriginal Report 2002/03 – 2006/07: How Are We Doing?“.  This report shows that in the 2006-2007 school year, only 49% of First Nations students completed high school compared to 83% of non-First Nations students.  These numbers have remained consistent over the past five years of the report going from a low of 47% in 2002/2003 to a high of 50% in 2004/2005 and 2005/2006.  The graduation rates of non-First Nations students have also remained consistent over the same period, ranging from 82% to 84% (B.C. Ministry of Education, 2007).  There is clearly a gap in the educational needs being met by the public education system between First Nations and non-First Nations students.

The Guided Online Aboriginal Learning (GOAL) program presented here is designed to improve the graduation rates for First Nations students so that they would be able to experience more success academically and continue on to higher education, allowing many to improve their socioeconomic status.  Leaving their home communities has often had a detrimental effect on First Nations students.  Cora Voyageur’s (2001) observation about First Nations post-secondary students could easily be applied to First Nations secondary school students, “Students who were forced to leave the community to attend postsecondary institutions often dropped out before completion for many reasons including loneliness, intimidation, and an alien, competitive environment.” (p. 104).  Our program will allow these students to remain at home where they can maintain the support network that they have grown up with.

There have been many distance education courses offered to First Nations communities in the past, but most have failed for a variety of reasons.  As McMullen and Rohrbach (2003) point out:

We have been continually told that our students have failed distance education courses. We contend that in many cases distance education courses have consistently failed the student. Too many distance education courses that did not consider the needs of the student or the environment in which the course was delivered have been sold to communities. (p. 6)

Most distance education courses have been developed with a one size fits all attitude.  The reality is that the educational needs of First Nations students are very diverse and require cultural and environmental considerations.  There are several barriers to be addressed to allow for success with any distance education program targeting First Nations students.  These include:

…the costs of delivery, the effects of politics and the perception that distance education is a second-rate option compared to face-to-face delivery. Barriers encountered also included the continued lack of access to reliable technology in remote communities and the failure to research and adapt the course material and delivery methods to the unique needs of remote Aboriginal students. (McMullen and Rohrbach, 2003, p. 8)

The GOAL program presented here would address these issues so that there is a greater opportunity for student success in remote First Nations communities.  By tailoring our product to the needs of First Nations students and their communities, we feel that we can improve First Nation student success in completing secondary school.

What is GOAL?

GOAL refers to Guided Online Aboriginal Learning.  The idea behind this product is that too often in the past, any attempt at educating First Nations students by distance education was defeated by the very design of the product.  There was little, if any, consultation with the community that the product was being marketed to.  Often, the lack of success experienced by students was blamed upon the students themselves without any real attempt being made to look into why those students were not experiencing success.  There is a need to restructure the education system where it is applied to First Nations students so that there is more relevant content delivered in a more meaningful manner for, as Wotherspoon and Butler (1999) point out, “…the conventional education system remains ill-equipped to overcome high rates of Aboriginal failure and dropout due to the lack of Aboriginal content, cultural curricula, and personnel” (p. 4).  GOAL proposes to start with consultation with each individual community to find out what the needs and expectations of the community are.  Once that information is obtained, GOAL will develop the curricular program which will best suit the needs of the individual communities.

GOAL is an educational program that will be delivered online and meet the requirements of the B.C. Ministry of Education.  Within those requirements there is enough flexibility to allow for First Nations content.  For example, the B.C. Ministry of Education has just recently introduced an alternative to English 12 called English 12 First Peoples.  They also have developed the course, B.C. First Nations Studies 12, which can take the place of Social Studies 11.   As well, where possible, First Nations content will be included in course materials so that First Nations students experience learning relevant to their context rather than learning material with which they cannot identify.

Who Will Benefit From the GOAL Program?

The GOAL program will be best suited for those communities that have benefitted from Industry Canada’s implementation of broadband internet access in remote communities. This is provided via satellite connection and has been in place for several years in communities such as Nemiah Valley in B.C.’s Chilcotin region.  Nemiah Valley is an excellent example of how the implementation of a broadband satellite connection can open up new opportunities for a remote community, even one like Nemiah Valley where the only power available is individual generators.  Nemiah Valley currently is home to about 200 people and their children have to travel three hours to Williams Lake in order to complete grades 10-12.  During the week, these students must live in a dormitory in a city where they have not grown up, usually without any sort of support network in place that they are familiar with.  It is not surprising then, to find out that many of these students do not experience success at the secondary school level.

With the access to a broadband satellite connection, GOAL can provide quality, relevant educational programs to the students of the community so that they can remain in their home community and complete their secondary education.  The lack of educational success of their children is a very real concern for the members of these communities.  GOAL can provide them with the opportunity to have their children remain with them for the duration of their secondary school education.  This way, they will be able to provide their children with the support and care that they find sorely lacking when they are shipped off to an unfamiliar community setting.

Another factor that will make GOAL appealing to First Nations communities is the ability of the communities to have input into the format and content of the GOAL program.  This will make the community a stakeholder in the success of the GOAL program as they will have a vested interest in that success.  The opportunity to collaborate in the development of the content of the curriculum gives the community and, by extension, the students, ownership of the program.  Too often in the past, First Nations communities have had various educational programs imposed upon them with little or no input allowed or expected.  The GOAL program will not operate successfully without that collaborative element between the company and the community.

How Will the GOAL Program Work?

The GOAL program will offer courses in an online format.  The GOAL program will work in conjunction with the individual Band education committee and/or the local School District to put the proper support network in place in terms of instructors and IT support.  Where possible, tutors on site will be preferable to tutors residing in another community.  Instructors are contracted out, either from a school board or in conjunction with a school board.  It is important that the availability of the instructors be made very clear to both the students and the instructors from the outset.  The ability to access their instructors will be important to the students as they do not want to feel like they are not being heard.

One of the larger issues in regards to First Nations education is the imposition of deadlines on assignments and course completions.  Too often, in the traditional school setting, First Nations students get behind in their work and then feel helpless when they feel that they cannot catch up.  The reality for many of these students is that the pace they learn at is not necessarily governed by the calendar.  Many Aboriginal communities place great importance on familial and cultural events, some of which can take up a considerable amount of time.  McMullen and Rohrbach (2003) argue that programs which do not allow for this type of flexibility will only prevent student success in Aboriginal communities, “…adhering to strict course delivery schedules that do not allow for community ceremonies such as funerals and cultural events does not allow for the dynamics of remote Aboriginal communities” (p. 63).  To this end, the GOAL program would allow for flexibility in course completion.  If a student does not complete a course within an allotted time frame like a semester, they will not be punished with a failing grade and then face the reality of starting a course over the next year.  Instead, they will be allowed to continue on from where they left off.  This way, they will be able to see themselves successfully completing courses and, ultimately, graduating from high school.

Who Will Pay for GOAL?

There are potentially three partners that could be interested in providing funding for the GOAL program.  First, the individual Band councils will have an interest in providing this service for their children so that they can experience an increased rate of success.  At the moment, they are watching their children being sent off to schools away from their community and seeing only roughly half of their children experiencing success.  Another potential partner is the individual school districts who are currently providing education programs for First Nations students.  Many school districts are making the success rates of their First Nations students a priority.  The GOAL program would offer them that opportunity.  Finally, the federal government would probably be interested as well as they also have an interest through Indian Affairs in seeing student success rates increase for First Nations students.

The cost benefit of the GOAL program will make it attractive for all parties involved.  The band will have a greater say in how their children are educated and will have a greater opportunity for their children to remain in their home community as adults with credentials that they can then use to contribute in their home community.  The individual school districts can combine greater success rates with a lower cost of service delivery as they will not have to transport and house these students for several years of their schooling.  The federal government will hopefully see more First Nations students becoming successful adults, thus requiring less social care from the federal government over the long term.  The long term cost benefit of the GOAL program is not only measured in dollars but in long term community development as well.

How Will the GOAL Program Measure Success?

There will obviously be a transitional phase for students as the GOAL program is implemented in their home community.  The program would be best implemented with a cohort of grade 10 students first and then add grades 11 and 12 in each of the following years.  The goal is to take those students who are enrolled in the GOAL program and have them graduate at a rate higher than is presently occurring with First Nations students who have been shipped out of their home community to complete their high school education.  If the GOAL program can improve First Nation student high school graduation rates by 20-25%, then it will be considered a success with the intention of improving even further on those numbers over the long term.  The ultimate target is to have First Nations students graduating from high school at a rate that is comparable to non-First Nations students.

EVA Analysis of the GOAL Program

From an EVA perspective there are several questions that need to be addressed before the GOAL program can be considered for implementation.  One of the most important factors to consider will be the reliability of the broadband network in each community.  It will be important to make sure that the network that has been installed will be able to consistently deliver service so that the First Nations students are not left without a connection to their courses and instructors.  If the broadband connection can be shown to be reliable then the issue of provision of service can be considered adequately addressed.  Another issue will be IT support for the actual computers to be used by the students in their home community.  Will they be operating from home or will the computers be provided for them in a central location within the community?  If they will be operating from a central location, will IT support be on site or will a technician need to be sent out from another location?  The continued reliable operation of the computers on site will be as important as the reliability of the broadband connection.

The actual curriculum provided by the GOAL program would have to be in line with the standards set out by the B.C. Ministry of Education so that the students would be receiving an equivalent level of education as those students attending public schools in other communities.  Also, the First Nations content included within the curriculum package of the GOAL program needs to be relevant to specific cultural groups as there is a great deal of cultural diversity between First Nations groups.

Probably most importantly, the GOAL program will have to demonstrate that the result will justify the investment.  There will have to be appreciable positive change in the number of First Nations students achieving graduation.  This will have to be tracked and reported back to the stakeholders so that they can consider whether or not to continue.  There is not just a financial investment at stake with the implementation of the GOAL program; there is also the education of First Nations youth at stake.  The GOAL program will have to prove that it is providing a better educational alternative to having students leave home to attend school.

Conclusion

The GOAL program offers First Nations students living in remote communities the opportunity to complete their high school education without having to leave home and attend school in unfamiliar surroundings.  It is the belief of the GOAL program that First Nations high school completion rates can be dramatically improved through the use of GOAL.  The obvious need for an improved form of educational delivery to these students means that there will be a receptive market for this product.  The inclusion of the First Nations communities in the development of the curricular material will help to promote ready acceptance of the GOAL program by these communities. With the successful implementation of the GOAL program in select remote First Nations communities, others will then be solicited for the option of implementing the GOAL program.  The large number of remote First Nations communities combined with the increasing availability of broadband internet access through Industry Canada creates a rapidly growing market that is not currently being serviced.

The GOAL program has the potential to grow over several years as more students are enrolled in the program and experience a greater degree of success.  The expansion of the GOAL program to more remote First Nations communities will allow the company to grow and expand to possibly offer an educational program for other groups outside of British Columbia and Canada.  The GOAL program, if implemented properly, can provide both financial benefit for the company as well as social and educational benefit for the students and communities involved.

References

British Columbia Ministry of Education, Aboriginal Report 2002/03 – 2006/07: How are we doing? (2007). Retrieved November 16, 200, from http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/abed/performance.htm.

First Nations Education Council, School District 73 (Kamloops/Thompson), British Columbia (n.d.). Improving school success for First Nations students. Retrieved November 15, 2008 from  http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/abed/readings/iss/toc.htm.

McMullen, Bill & Rohrbach, Andreas.  (2003).  Distance education in remote Aboriginal communities:  Barriers, learning styles and best practices.  Prince George, British Columbia: College of New Caledonia Press.

Perley, S.  & O’Donnell, S. (2006). “Broadband video communication research in First Nation communities,” presented at the Canadian Communication Association Annual Conference, York University, Toronto.  National Research Council of Canada.  Retrieved October 01, 2008 from, http://www.iit-iti.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/iit-publications-iti/docs/NRC-48745.pdf

Voyageur, Cora J. (2001). Ready, Willing and Able: Prospects for Distance Learning in Canada’s First Nations Community; Journal of Distance Education, 16(1), 102-112.

Wotherspoon, T. & J. Butler. (1999) Informal learning: Cultural experiences and entrepreneurship among Aboriginal people, NALL Working Paper #04 -1999. Retrieved November 15, 2008 from, http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/depts/sese/csew/nall/res/04informallearning.pdf

Hi everyone,

Please review my A3 submission.

Alex

After many, many… reiterations of this assignment, here is my A3.  This is a mock company, but a real project that is in development.  It is scheduled to be operational September 2009 with our class of 2013.  I hope this gets to the proper place as I have a history of some creative and unintentional mischief when uploading

ETEC 522 assignment #3

Hi all,

My pitch is intrepreneurial and it’s real – I’m meeting with the AVPs Academic and Research as well as a bunch of others next week. The goal of my pitch is get people on board with the idea of Royal Roads beginning to share course content and ultimately joining the OpenCourseWare Consortium.  My rationale is that sharing could help us in a number of ways, some that would benefit us, and some that would benefit education generally and enable us to have a positive impact on learning in a global sense.

Please view my pitch on Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1avzWv3_JDw

Looking forward to your feedback!

Mary

Hello everyone,

My submission has three components; a website , an informational brochure (you may also use the link on the “About Physics Connections page) and, most importantly, the transcript of my interview with an EVA (division superintendent).

I chose to do an intrepreneurial venture so I am pitching to my ficticious Superintendent.  In your evaluations of my pitch, please decide whether you would, as the Board of Education, accept my proposal to allow the implementation of Physics Connections in your school division and pay for summer training for three pilot teachers.

 ** Just a note.  I tried repeatedly to do a Picture in Picture recording of Powerpoint and webcam in Camtasia but lost pieces of data in the publishing or uploading of the Flash file.  Anyone had a similar experience?  Advice?

Susan

Hi all:

Here (http://webfiles.bcit.ca/jdabell/www) is my pitch/proposal for an intrapreneurial venture – a mock technology/educational research project, for a mock polytechnic institute.  All the mocks aside, I’m wondering about finding aspects to maybe pursue when I go back to work, so am looking forward to feedback.

There are two short video clips as part of the pitch. The movies have been uploaded to Google Video and linked into the website. An introductory summary is also provided as a PDF document. The videos didn’t come up for one of my “site testers”. (Their system was older and their browser plug-ins are very limited). If anyone here encounters difficulty with any of the media, or accessing the website (on my work server), please let me know: joeyMET AT gmail DOT com.  And I’ll do my best to address it.

Best,
Joey

Here is my executive summary and pitch.

It is an intrapreneurial pitch to a school district Superintendant.

Note: the pitch is linked to the executive summary and takes time to load. It’s a PowerPoint presentation converted to flash.

WARNING: I had great difficulty with a borrowed camera so I only managed to salvage one small piece where I was practicing to deliver the pitch; it’s not great, and the sound is low for the first slide. After the first slide, I used PowerPoint narration – the volume increases greatly. So get ready to turn the volume down 49 seconds into the pitch!

Gillian

*** Ack! Disaster, well not totally… my servers logic board went down today… I’ve had to repost at http://www.eagle.prn.bc.ca/eportfolio/?p=48

My original should be back up and running tomorrow evening (Thursday) with all my original Executive Summary and Analysis

***

I’ve posted my executive summary and analysis along with several different video formats and sizes at

http://www.prn.bc.ca/wwp/

I’ve taken the opportunity this assignment and the course has provided to double dip and build resources for my work. This is an intrapreneurial venture pitch that focuses on the continuation of our 1:1 wireless writing project. I would greatly appreciate comments and suggestions as I will be presenting this to the Board in the winter or early spring of 2009.

Thanks all!

Jarrod

Hi everyone,

My pitch, a PowerPoint presentation of the executive summary as well as a written executive summary can be found in the Word document below.

Ellen’s Pitch

Thanks!

Ellen

I’ve created a file sharing website for teachers to upload and share their digital resources called Pedagogle.com.

My venture pitch for this resource is accessible from http://davidwees.com/content/join-pedagogle-today

Update: Video now available on Youtube at greatly decreased quality.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q3eKbB2uWo[/youtube]

Now to go finish my venture analysis so I can email it in!  Good luck everyone!

Hi Everyone,

I’ve put my pitch and executive summary on a Google sites page.  The link to the pitch on Youtube and the summary (see the bottom of the page as an attachment) are found there.  It’s my first time with Google Sites, so hopefully things work.  The “Interactive Feedback Machine” is presented for your consideration, and even has a brief cameo (sort of) of Dr. Vogt.  Enjoy!

See http://sites.google.com/site/interactivefeedback/Home

Joe

Hi Everyone,

I had a difficult time uploading my Executive Summary into a viewable and presentable format.  While I looked at a bunch of options, I settled with Publisher as I thought it would be the easiest in designing a visually appealing publication.

I did not forsee the challenges in uploading the file to a google site or wordpress.  In the end, I took a screen shot of my Executive Summary and pasted it into MS Word to upload below.  The links do work, but you have to press CTRL & Click using your mouse.  I hope you find it informative and enjoyable.  If you would like the direct publisher or html file, please email me and I will gladly attach it for you.

email:  uppal_jagpal(at)sd36.bc.ca

tps-executive-summary 

Enjoy!

Jag Uppal

Hello Everyone

Because of where I work, I am unable to use YouTube as access to this site is restricted. I’ve had to resort to a PowerPoint Presentation instead.

I tried loading a .htm as well as a .mht file to demonstrate my pitch but this site would not allow me to load these files. I switched it over to a PDF file which is a shame because it looks and works so much better in a browser.

The PowerPoint (Pitch) is best viewed either in a new window or in a seperate tab. Double click on the picture to activate the presentation.

Pitch     Sound for Pitch

The website (Collide) is below

Collide

Cheers all!

Bruce

Hey folks,

Don’t forget to vote in our polls at http://www.davidwees.com/etec522/polls.  So far almost everyone has voted in the most recent poll, but only 6 or 7 of you have voted in the other polls.  We’d like your input!

Thanks,

The Module 11 team.

Such as it is!  Here’s where you can find the business info and the pitch!  Be nice.

etec-522-a3-m12-wx

This study was released yesterday – it is one of the largest studies done to date of teens and their use of digital media.

http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.4773437/

I’ve watched the intro video and it looks like it contains some very interesting findings.

Laura

ALERT: BC is facing a critical shortage of doctors in rural areas.  Find out how Mediasite by SonicFoundry can be part of the solution.
 

The link to my YouTube pitch is found in my executive summary:

wood_summary

Enjoy!

Hello Cohort:

For your consideration – Mahara.

Regards, Marc

Hi everyone and welcome to the final week of group presentations!

We invite you to join us on our Drupal site where we will participate in a learning community environment as we discuss learning community environments!

We have broken down the week by assigning different readings and discussions per day – hopefully this will help keep everyone organized and on track. You can find each days task list by clicking on the date in the calendar on the right hand side.  Since we’re all working hard to finish up our venture pitches, we’ve left the end of the week relatively free to continue the discussions that come about in our forums.

We have given you 2 ways to access the site.  You can navigate to http://www.davidwees.com/etec522/user/register and create a new account for our site.  Once you do this, you should receive an email with how to verify your account and change your password.  Your other option is to use an OpenID to access the site and navigate to http://www.davidwees.com/etec522/user/login to login.

We look forward to sharing with you.

Module 11 team – David, Nancy, Laura, Zilong and Melissa

http://www.davidwees.com/etec522/

I came across this blog while looking through Stephen Downes and George Siemens open course on Connectivism and Connective Knowledge.  I thought some might find it informative:

http://bradleyshoebottom.wordpress.com/2008/11/14/cck08-how-to-profit-off-of-open-source-or-at-least-pay-the-bills/

Summary

Informal Learning technologies are a valuable market segment within the e-learning venture environment.  As apart of the ETEC 522 course, an online discussion took place during the week of Nov10th to November 16^th.  The discussion was hosted and moderated by Group 10 members Alexandra (Alex) Marsh, Cheryl Milner, Michael Peterson and Jagpal (Jag) Uppal.

The purpose of this summary is to provide a qualitative assessment of the success of this hosting and moderation experience.  What follows are a description of the experience and an analysis of the entire process from set-up and design to findings and reflections.

Set-up & Approach

Our group decided on using Freewebs as a platform for our presentation.  We decided on Freewebs for a variety of factors, including a simple and friendly user interface.  On our homepage we have clearly stated objectives of what we wanted our classmates to walk away with by the end of the week.  Links are clearly visible on the side of the page, and under the “Getting Started” page we provided information on the definition, history, motivation and value proposition of informal learning.  These resources provided a knowledge base for our classmates as a foundation and further resources and readings were provided under the “Resources” section.  Under the “Territory” section, we provide a visual mindmap of our interpretation of Informal Learning and than we provide a series of examples and case studies of where Informal Learning occurs.  From the case studies, students are invited to share their comments and experiences with a few guiding questions.

Collaboration Tools

Our group used a variety of software applications to facilitate collaboration.  Google Groups was used to upload files and common documents that we could all access.  We also used Google Talk and telephone to facilitate discussions.  Some of the challenges we experienced for trouble logging in and for all members to connect into a teleconference.  On some frustrating occasions, we spent considerable time on technical components and trying to get everyone together in the chat.  We missed one of our group members for the first chat, as there was some confusion in terms of meeting times and time zones.

While we were able to perform online meetings using Google Talk, we often had trouble staying focused and articulating ideas.  While we had many excellent ideas and brainstorms, the function of instant messaging was not as productive as an actual phone call.  We held a group teleconference and found that this was more productive than any of the previous online chats.  Two of our group members met face to face outside the group discussions.

Presentation Platform

Our group spent a considerable amount of time and effort in discussing the pros and cons of various presentation platforms.  While any platform could have been used, the process of discussing and evaluating these platforms was a great informal learning opportunity.

Originally our group created a PB wiki shell and we discussed some of the pros and cons related to PB wiki.  In particular we discussed the idea of surveys, discussion posts, and the difference between a paid licensed version and the free version.  In terms of discussion forums, we considered the option of referring back to the course website for discussions, as we felt that students would participate more on the course website, than if required to sign in and register on a different domain.

Other than PB wiki, the group tried using WordPress, but was not prepared to develop neither the wiki nor the blog collaboratively.  The group then decided to move on to creating web pages appointing one of the members to be responsible for uploading and formatting information on the website.

Ultimately, after analyzing other group’s presentation and discussing layouts, we decided on using Freewebs. Including Zoho wiki which was created at the very start, we developed 5 websites, 3 forum sites and 2 chat sites.

Discussion FORMS

There were many interesting and lively discussions.  Here is a short summary:

WEB 2.0

 1 original post with 14 replies and a total of 82 views.

Informal learning is a process that is highly individual and unique.  As Carolann wrote, “As soon as you structure learning, it is not informal any more….Motivation is the key.”  These sentiments were echoed by most participants, and the issue became differentiating formal versus informal learning.  Is it still possible to have formal aspects within informal learning?  One of the keys in identifying informal versus formal learning is evaluation and instructions.  From his perspective, DavidP articulates, “the difference is between instruction and learning, not necessarily the formal and informal aspects.”  In terms of evaluation, MikeA wrote, “informal learning is highly constructivist and leads to unique experiences and understandings.  You cannot evaluate this type of learning as it is, by its very nature, going to be different in every individual.”

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

 sub topics of e-portfolios,

2 posts with 22 replies, and 117 views

From no e-portfolios to facebook and flicker pages, this was a very insightful discussion into the development and purpose of an e-portfolio.  Many students are creating e-portfolios due to the MET course requirements; others are still contemplating their portfolios and the various platforms and hosting sites to use.  Motivation continues to be a factor as Marc writes, “I have an e-Portfolio in accordance with a MET course requirement however am finding that having to create one is not as useful and wanting to create one…”  In this case, the e-portfolio is apart of a formal learning process.  Outside of motivation, other issues regarding the creation of e-portfolios are privacy and time.  While it is possible to restrict who can view your portfolio, db asks, “How many people are willing to click on a ‘mailto’ link and then wait to gain access to a portfolio? Some won’t and opportunities for contact and new connections will be lost.”

Resources for professional development,

3 posts with  45 replies, and 215 views.

While formal learning opportunities offer students the ability to learn in a credited environment and add to their personal resumes.  Formal opportunities are excellent for one’s resume, however informal learning is often more useful to our students.  Informal learning involves using the Internet and peers as resources.  Mary mentions “an instructional design community of practice. Those of us who work in the field get together once a month to talk about tools, articles we’ve read, specific problems we need to solve in a course or with an instructor. It’s a great way to share knowledge in a relatively informal setting.”  Thus, your network can be a valuable resource.

While informal learning is extremely valuable it doesn’t fit on a resume and pay grades are not adjusted for informal learning.  Often a motivation for formal learning is professional and career development.  Carolann articulates the views of many in her post, “I am taking part in MET only because the education system will not recognize any kind of informal learning, including years of industry experience, not for jobs and not for pay.  It is an archaic system in which we work.” 

Using informal learning ICT technologies at the workplace

1 post with 13 replies, and 54 views. 

We live in a digital world and are constantly multi-tasking.  Everyone in the discussion agreed that Information Communication Technologies can be used for informal purposes at the workplace, provided it does not interfere with the user’s work obligations.  Many point out that they perform work related activities at home, and this could potentially stop if their employer would restrict them from checking the odd personal email, or interests during work hours.  

GAMES 

Games – your experiences

2 posts with 3 replies, and 54 views

One can get a sense of learning from some games but not from all  computer games. The kinds of games which can be educational are: simulators and text adventures. The educational values one can develop by playing  computer games include: reading skills and mapping skills. 

We found that Freewebs have difficulties handling widgets unlike many other platforms and the Games page, which was made for a WordPress was dysfunctional in some browsers most of the time.

NATURE

3 topics, 37 posts, and 78 views

Learning about nature by being directly in contact with it is an emotional experience, whereas reading/watching a video about nature is intellectual. Experiences in nature initiate an interest in finding more information, but learning through experience is time consuming and unpractical, and many of us prefer to obtain information indirectly. In light of learning giving perspectives and adding dimensions to one’s understanding, direct observation/experience adds a unique layer of learning. Though there is undeniable merit in informal learning, formal learning is required to cover the wider and deeper aspects of education. Informal learning and formal learning complement each other for deepening knowledge and interests. Reading and researching before coming into contact with nature can make the experience more productive and memorable. We have to note that there are definite dangers and safety issues associated with nature: This is a serious limiting factor of informal learning in this area. It is always difficult to decide to what degree one needs to explore nature without endangering oneself, yet while still maximizing valuable contact. Through social networking with children who live in the country, we can provide city kids with extra informal learning opportunities.

MUSEUMS

3 topics, 20 posts, and 92 views

Visiting museums provides connections between the past and the present: going over artifacts has much greater emotional and intellectual impact than learning at a distance or by reading about them. Museums play a major role in raising awareness, fostering interest in a particular field, or simply providing intellectual stimulation.  What one learns in museums informally can make subsequent learning – formal or informal- more meaningful and productive.

Museums can increase their popularity by providing competitive and current appeal of the contexts. If museums maintain the delivery/presentation method and keep their content attractive, they can increase the number of visitors and become competitive/profitable. We must also consider the success of museums in terms of their quality. Even the most unprofitable museums may have deeply inspired or affected a significant population. They are part of the informal/formal learning system; they are part of “learning and discovery”, and hence, are part of everybody’s life.

SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

 1 topic, 4 posts, and 33 views

 The discussion for Sports & Entertainment was limited.  While there were many viewers, there was little discussion.  This may have been the result of poor questions that were unclear and unrelated to professional development.    Sports Franchises are using web2.0 applications to allow their fans to network and post questions, videos and support their favourite team.  Perhaps a better question could have been, “do you learn to play a sport formally or informally?”  As a coach, I notice a major difference between players that have played the sport on a formal team versus pick-up play.  Those with formal training have a better understanding of the game in terms of positioning.

TELEVISION & MEDIA

1 topic, 2 posts, and 9 views

The media can be a valuable resource in informal learning.  Stations such as PBS, BBC, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic’s offer many interesting documentaries that provide “edutainment”. Early education programs such as Sesame Street and Mr.DressUp are also prime examples of informal learning.

OTHER POSTS

 3 topics,  27 replies, and 136 views

 This lively discussion was user-based and delved into the topics of parenting, pets, and dealing with tragedy.  All three topics provide an opportunity to learn informally and all can be considered “apart of life”. While it might be helpful to have a parenting manual or a formal course for parents, Gillian points out, “There really isn’t any way to learn everything, whether it be about becoming a dentist or teacher or CEO.  Formal only goes so far and then the rest gets “filled in” with informal.”  In terms of informal learning for parents, support groups and networks are important resources.  Having a pet or considering having a pet also provides for valuable informal learning experiences.  Children learn responsibility, provide affection, and often grow as a person from having a pet.  Experiencing the loss of a pet or loved one is a tragedy that reminds us that we are all human.  Often in times of tragedy we learn and grow the most…yet this is entirely an informal learning process.  It is not possible to replicate a ‘real’ tragedy within a formal learning environment and achieve the same level of personal reflection and growth.  Db points out, ” students pass away (for real) because of (avoidable) accidents/incidents or illness. Those closest to the victim may mourn and learn, but in big schools (1500+)… the air of normalcy on account most students not knowing the victim can also be quite disconcerting.”  Informal learning is life learning.

Reflections & Thoughts on Moderating Process

Informal learning is integrated with life long learning.  As facilitators of the discussion, all group members tried to respond to peer comments and provide interesting resources and questions to further the discussions. Upon reflection, it is evident that not all posts were of interest to the class.  This may have been due to a variety of factors: poor questions, a lack of correlation to the learning objectives and possibly redundancy in topics.  Many users including the group members had occasional difficulties in uploading their posts, and this unforeseen frustration may have prevented more posts from being posted.  As our group contemplated many different presentation platforms, some of the resources that were posted on some of the shells, did not appear on our final presentation.  In the future it would be nice to include some videos that help visual and auditory learners understand key concepts in addition to readings. It would also be helpful to include some surveys and polls to encourage participation and gauge the class on issues regarding informal learning. Overall, this was an enjoyable experience and Group 10 thanks all participants for their contributions and efforts! 

Here we go again, I just spend I don’t know how long responding to this post, hit ‘submit’, but my post has miraculously disappeared! Moral of the story: alway copy your work before submitting!

The gist of it was that I liked the article; I agree that our students often seem incapable of working at their grade level. But I wondered how much had to do with technology overdose and how much had to do with the education system. Students arrive in grade 9, many, reading at a grade 4-5 level, if that. Nevertheless, they have been promoted for 8 years even though they could not read. I think students no longer read because they don’t know how and have never been held accountable for much. They are overly babied, resulting in them perceiving their failures as someone else’s fault. It’s almost always ‘the teacher failed me’, and almost never, ‘I failed’. It seems that we have lowered standards across the board to accommodate illiterate students; even colleges and universities in France are admitting that they must ‘dumb’ down their instruction because many students cannot read and write at the required level.
http://www.histoire.presse.fr/content/recherche/article?id=45

My copy of last week’s Macleans arrived today, and it has an interesting article with a lot of relevance to the MET program and this course. The article “Dumbed Down: The troubling science of how technology is rewiring kids’ brains” can be found online at:

http://blog.macleans.ca/2008/11/07/dumbed-down/

In essence it discusses the pros and cons of overexposure to technology – in and out of the classroom – on childrens’ brains.

Hi.  Saw book recommendations here and there through the modules, perhaps we can create a thread here with titles, authors, subject, and reason for recommendation (in time for the dark of winter).

When completed, and anytime before end of day November 23rd, please post your Assignment #3 submission here as a response to this post, or as a new post in the category “Module 12”, with the tags “A3”, “M12” along with any additional relevant tags, and with any pertinent links or attachments.

Thanks!