Doug Connery
Rather than being a Venture Capitalist, I need you to imagine being a member of Deans’ Council of a Post-secondary institute. The two are really much the same as Dean’s, along with Vice Presidents are accountable for spending Tax Payers’ dollars wisely. The friend with $1 million to invest in this scenario therefore is Deans’ […]
Continue reading Hey There Business Pro Posted in: Venture Forum I tried uploading a video to this post using the instructions given in 4.1 Venture Forum Resources and I am having trouble. The instructions state to use the upload video icon from the menu, however I can’t see this specific icon. I tried to use the general Upload/Insert feature (the only option) but that only […]
Continue reading Help – Uploading a Video Posted in: General
Hi Doug,
I am having the same problem! Hopefully we will have an answer soon.
Julie
Hi Doug, Julie
One alternative could be to upload it to YouTube and then embed this in the post instead.
Thanks
Melissa
Hey Doug and Julie,
I uploaded to Vimeo, (similar to youtube), and then posted the links. You can choose to embed them if you wish, but it’s up to you. Hope this helps.
Joel
Thanks, I went with the You Tube option.
Doug.
Here is my avatar; it is so amazing it looks just like me! In fact it is me in my real world environment. After reading many of the experiences people have had: improper loading pages, slow response, funny colours, wrong graphics card, paying for risqué clothing, slow internet, old computer, addiction to the program, I […]
Continue reading Doug’s Realistic Avatar Posted in: Week 12:
HI Doug,
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on creating avatar’s, though I would like to add that I am not sure that making or using an avatar is necessarily about hiding who a person is and more about having fun with creating a different persona.
As for second life, I think that like many other online programs and application the possibility for glitches or slow Internet access is always a potential issue but once accessed it does open you up to an amazing and exciting world (at least that’s how I felt when I started to experiment with it).
Julie
Hi Doug —
I did give avatar building a try and I’m going to have to concur with many of our colleague’s comments and your own about the difficulties of building an avatar. I think it’s probably important to point out that it is difficult because there are so many possible customizations that you can go through when designing your character.
Our students would probably be better equipped to deal with a lot of the imperfections in the process. I wasn’t very proud of any of my creations either, but I did sit through the process and create two different avatars. I can say that I have a grasp of the idea now. It is definitely avatar customization to a high degree. The more customization that you can do — the more complicated the process it is.
I can definitely see that a student or individual that is drawn to Second Life could spend additional time “getting their character” right.
Perhaps it just isn’t for us 😉 I’m glad that I had a chance to see it though.
— Jonathan
Paula Young is the founder and President of Governet. Paula founded Nevada Contractors Registry, the predecessor company to Governet in 1986. Her original idea was to pioneer the concept of distributing aggregated databases from many local and state government agencies through a single point of access on a network. The success of this idea […]
Continue reading Paula Young, Founder and President of Governet Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
This is an interesting concept. I have participated in the writing of two course curricula over the past two years. I just completed piloting one last spring and presented in the summer to new teachers. As I was an active participant I am not sure if the upper-ups were using anything like this to coordinate and manage the work being done by those of us that were working on the courses. It seems that this would be of benefit…what are the costs?
Hi Ken:
I am not sure of the costs, it is managed at the institutional level. We have been using it for 5 years. The service was acquired to replace to two outdated in-house systems: one to manage curriculum changes and one to house course outlines. We now have a reliable archive of old course outlines and we can track exactly what changes have been made by who and over the years that follow our curriculum change processes and procedures.
Doug.
Very interesting. Thanks for responding. I wonder if this would be a benefit for the projects I was working on. Who knows maybe the coordinators were using something like this and we weren’t aware of it? I am curious to find out now.
Ken
Quick question David in regards to the pitch pool ratings. Do we rate all pitches or just the ones that we will do an analysis of? Doug.
Continue reading Pitch Pool ratings Posted in: Questions & Answers
Thanks, Doug –
You’re welcome to review, analyse and rate as many Elevator Pitches as your attention and interest will permit, but the activity only requests you to analyse and rate two (2) of them. The rest are there primarily to give you choice and recreation.
Cheers,
David
Hi David: Just skimming through the week 3 material and it refers to a Pitch Pool, but I can’t see it. Will you be adding it soon? Doug.
Continue reading Pitch Pool Posted in: Questions & Answers
Hi Doug –
I was just trying to follow my own protocols by not publishing all of the Week 3 materials before Week 2 was essentially complete, and thereby upsetting our continuity. The Pitch Pool posts are now in place – click on the “Pitch Pool” category to the right to access them.
David
Thanks David, I see them now, sorry for jumping the gun.
Doug.
I reviewed the New Media Consortium 2012 Horizon Report for Higher Education. At first glance of the website, I was impressed as they have the report not only in English but also in four other languages: Catalan, German, Japanese and Spanish. Also, they have two shorter documents: The Project Preview and The Project Short List. […]
Continue reading Opportunity Horizon: Perhaps the Horizon reports are overly optimistic ….. Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
Hi Doug,
You’ve done a very thorough job, and it was a great idea to go back to previous reports to see if their predictions come about. They do actually say it is “not a predictive tool”, but rather it is meant to “highlight emerging technologies” (p.7). However, when I read predictions thrashing the Kindle Fire and writing wonder of Ipads, I knew there was something more. I checked them out, and though the NMC is a non for profit organization, it was nevertheless founded by Adobe, Apple, Macromedia and Sony, because the realized that “realized that the ultimate success of their multimedia-capable products depended upon their widespread acceptance by the higher education community ” (NMC.org). They concluded “that a community of innovators embedded in leading colleges and universities would amplify the impact of their tools in a wide range of disciplines” (NMC.org).h They went on to identify institutions and schools where their investment could “bear fruit”. So are these predictions of what the market or educators will need or what they hope they will buy? Either way, there is some truth in what they write. Like the OECD, they recognize a changing world of work and roles. People work anywhere and collaboratively, opening way for the need for clouds and collaborative communication tools. And I think the other thing they may be right with is the growth in tablet computing and Apps. We’ll have to wait and see.
Adriana
I was also interested to see that they were a bit optimistic in their reports about what would be in use down the road. I think that the report is helpful in looking at what might be a resource to watch for. I also don’t blame them if their predictions were a little off. The technologies have been in place for say Mobile Apps long enough to have been “adopted”. Adoption though is up to the institutions and policy makers. I’m sure that the learners and many educators have been waiting for some of these tools to be adopted.
I also found that the timelines to adoption may be a little ambitious, but I focused more on the ideas than the time to adoption. The technologies and ideas provided are get at inspiring thoughts about future technologies and potential technologies to follow and keep an eye on. Several of these technologies have popped up here and there over the years, but have yet to become a staple in every institution. ‘Adoption’ is hard to pinpoint, but it is interesting to observe the examples and see which institutions have adopted various technologies with success and failure.
My name is Doug Connery; this is my 9th MET course. I started in the MET program three years ago in September 2009. To enable me to balance work, life and lifelong learning, I take one course at a time; thus I am on the scenic route through the program! However the end is in […]
Continue reading Greetings from Calgary Posted in: Week 01: Introductions
Congrats on being almost through the program! It looks like you live a very active life. Great to see that you and your family share the same passions. I look forward to working with you this term!
Ken
Thanks Ken, should be a challenging and engaging course.
Doug.
Hi Doug,
I enjoyed your story very much. I think the SAIT has a very complete view of what ‘curriculum’ is; however, it must be very hard to put and keep all the pieces together. I am very much looking forward to learning from you as you have clearly have a lot to share.
Adriana
Hi Adriana:
Yes it makes each day unique and interesting keeping track all of the pieces and demands. This is what keeps me at SAIT though.
Doug.
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kstackhouse 1:43 pm on November 25, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Doug. I tried to watch your Venture Pitch video but the youtube video is private. You will need to adjust the privacy settings.
Ken
Doug Connery 3:32 pm on November 25, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks Ken. Should be go to go now.
Doug.
avninder 3:29 pm on November 26, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I enjoyed watching your elevator pitch. If I were an executive I would support this proposal as the more an administrative assistant can do the better. It seems like this program will ensure the development of skills that are necessary to keep up with the ever changing work environment and be attractive to recruiters in the industry. Coming from a union environment though, I am curious if higher level tasks may affect the job descriptions of the employees. Thanks for sharing.
jenbarker 3:54 pm on November 26, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Doug,
I found both your elevator and venture pitch caught my attention. I think you have proven a pain point and solution for the market. Overall I felt your Venture Pitch was well research and thoughtful. You passion for the venture was evident. My only suggestion might be to further detail the background of the CEO (which I assume is you) and your executive team so that we can feel confident that you have what it takes to make this program successful. Overall, excellent pitches. Thanks for sharing!
Best, Jen
joeltremblay 4:00 pm on November 26, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Doug,
I enjoyed your elevator pitch as well and share the concerns of above with regards to outsourcing existing jobs by allowing the admin assistants to multitask. Good work.
Jonathan 4:47 pm on November 26, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hey Doug —
That was an exciting pitch to watch. You have clearly highlighted an area of concern that is unique to the market (at least you convinced me of that!). This looks like a very sound proposal that you are submitting. I’d definitely be interested in the idea if I were part of the Dean Council.
Thanks for this one!
tomwhyte1 9:31 pm on November 26, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
To facilitate and objectively review the venture pitch you have put forward, I will be utilizing the guidelines provided within our course, Section 2.7 – Deconstructing a Pitch.
CEO & Team:
After having watched the elevator pitch and read the venture proposal, I feel the CEO of this venture does appear credible, in that he is able to confidently discuss the issue and the approach in which they will take to solve the concern. As for the team provided to accomplish this task, I am less clear, as the proposal states the School of Business will be responsible for the development of the required elements to make this venture a success. I assume, that members of this faculty are credible, but would want to view credentials before moving forward.
Venture Concept:
Based upon the information provided, this venture does appear to be innovating while other similar institutions are cutting back, which may either mean this is a highly innovative approach, or else in the long run there are limiting factors which will reduce the effectiveness or viability of this venture, that at this time we are unaware of. Regardless, the “story” was very effective, which left me wanting to know more about the company and their approach.
Marketability:
The actual marketability of this venture was not provided, yet it was eluded to that enrollment for initial years would be lower, as requirements would be higher, but over time, more qualified graduates would emerge, leveling out this implementation dip. Regardless, not knowing this ventures true market size, potential share, and revenue makes this a risky proposition, therefore more specific research into this area is required. Secondly, from the information provided, the venture will be applying an innovative approach, if this is found successful, they will have a momentary lead on their competitors, however over the long run, these innovations will be easily duplicated, reducing their market share and revenue.
Venture Plan:
From the information provided, this venture feels that they would be operational within 2-3 years, which after that time, a full 2 year degree program (with practicum) would be made available for potential clients. As with any new program, there most likely will be tinkering after those three years to deal with unexpected issues, or advances in methodology or technology to enhance the delivery of the venture.
Overall though, this venture plane knows what success looks like, and what overall steps need to be completed. As well, before investing, specific information on the type of venture, not-for-profit, for-profit, or social enterprise would need to be provided to ensure the right type of investor is exploring this venture.
Doug Connery 10:44 pm on November 27, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Great comments and points from everyone so far, thank you. The fact that interest was generated and more information is needed indicates several Deans would be interested in moving forward with this proposal. As this would be presented live at Deans’ Council then the questions could be answered on the spot.
There is one assumption that I forgot to mention around the credibility of the CEO and the team. As this is a small to medium post-secondary institution, and everyone knows each other on a first name basis, I felt there was no need to expand on introducing myself in the video and the Dean of Business in the preamble. However point well taken as it would have been easy to quickly provide some info on the team for credibility sake.
Doug.
sophiabb 12:27 pm on November 28, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Doug,
I really enjoyed your elevator pitch. You came across as passionate and credible. Your pain point is very real – I would love to have an Administrative Assistant who could “to drive the work and provide solutions to your business problems.” I agree with the other post that more information on the CEO and team would improve the credibility factor. As an investor I would want to learn more
Sophia
visramn 12:41 pm on November 28, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Excellent work. Your passion is evident and makes this a strong pitch. I was definitely drawn to this product and would be very interested as a venture. As others have highlighted, more information on the CEO would strengthen your venture.
Thank you for sharing. You did an excellent job.
Nureen
jenniferschubertubc 10:05 am on November 30, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
As a former clinic business manager who was not trained in basic administrative skills but luckily got by on ingenuity, I would have loved to have attended such a program! I feel that all too often, administrative assistants are expected to have general office knowledge but are not pushed to do more. In many cases, those who work in the field may have ideas of their own to bring to the table (without training) but feel it is out of the scope of their position to present such ideas to those in higher ranking positions. Navigating those waters would be a great integral piece to your proposed program.
I like that you have taken what seems to be an ordinary position and developed it further, redefining positions and titles. I do feel that people function much better in their profession when given respect, authority and drive to do more and to BE more. I think it is definitely a worthwhile venture and as a Dean (in any one of the departments you listed above), would surely give my stamp of approval.
frank 2:44 am on December 1, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
What do we have here.. a private Joker 😉
Doug, I liked how you played with this, and yet, brought it back to something you have much exposure with from an academic and professional setting.
Certainly, I think most business leaders would want to have assistants with better critical thinking and business technology skills – we don’t have to pay them more do we? No? Okay, great!
My main recommendation is that you not entirely focus this program on the established needs of big organizations and corporations. If I am right – economists are NOT usually right – then the world of the future will be more bottom up driven, with smaller units that connect together in networks that allow them to remain innovative and nimble, instead of the safety and stability centered leviathan institutions of the past.
These units will need their business solutions technologists to be exactly that; to provide real support to business and technology issues of the future, and I’m guessing here, but those challenges may not center primarily of another aging dinosaur platform, that of of Microsoft Office.
Just a thought.
Good luck with the Deans!
Pat A Son 9:29 am on December 1, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Doug,
You have a great elevator pitch and I think I got spoiled to it so I had a hard time switching from it to read the venture pitch. I never would have thought of an academic program as venture and this makes your venture special for me. Ideas like this would certainly keep education up to date with the times.
Cheers
Patason
Scott 4:49 pm on December 2, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Kudos to you Doug, for taking such a creative interpretation of the assignment to best fit the challenges and opportunities present in your field of work. Though I have no background in business training or post secondary educational programming, in general the premise of your concept makes good sense to me, thanks to your clear pitch and presentation of the idea.