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  • admin 6:56 pm on July 29, 2012
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    I have put all of my work together at http://www.mrmckinnon.com/ossltonthego1. The elevator pitch is on the first page and the subsequent webpages flesh out the venture. For those of you that are not familiar with Ontario’s curriculum, all students in Grade 10 must write the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). It is written in […]

    Continue reading I have put all of my work together at ht… Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • dmcinnes 12:33 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Great job Jody!
      I thought your pitches were clear, concise, engaging and realistic. Both appeared well researched very professional. I had some questions about “assigned teachers” to provide feedback. Is that something that already exists, or a service your company would provide?
      At this point, I’d be a little on the fence, but might be willing to invest. Well done!

      David McInnes

    • Jody McKinnon 4:23 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi there. Thanks for your comments. IN many schools, a teacher or group of teachers has the responsibility for preparing students for the test. In my school, it has been the core English teacher. So in this case, he/she would be the ‘assigned’ teacher. This way no teacher is responsible for no more than 22 students (the class size cap for Applied courses in my board). I hope this clarifies it for you. Thanks!

    • Yves Mainville 10:47 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Yes, I would invest.
      Your presentation was dynamic and engaging and pretty much grapped you by the eyeballs from the start. 🙂
      I much enjoyed the format of your presentation – simple to navigate, concise and to the point. I would like to hear more about the market expectations and before actually signing on the dotted line, would like to hear more about motives behind the users (as it is the MEO that wants high grades in this case, and not necessarily the students, no?).
      regardless, this holds potential for me.

      well done.

    • Brian H 11:11 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Jody,
      Jody,

      I really like the app and service but I would not invest under the current fee structure. If all approx. 900 Ontario High Schools purchased a licence for $50 you would have a total revenue of $45 000 minus app store and processing fees. You would have to bank that a major amount of parents would purchase this app at $5 price point.

      I would be interested in this venture if the app could be sold directly to the Ministry to provide the services to all stakeholders free of costs. Otherwise, the market is too small to cover the overhead costs to properly deliver the services promised (staff, hardware, network, development, support ect.)

      Thanks,
      Brian Hotovy

      • Jody McKinnon 12:32 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thanks for your comments. The purpose of this app was to not make money. The fee was nominal on purpose. If this were a real venture, my hope is that the government would have invested in it and provided the differences in costs.

    • Ronna Hoglund 11:47 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Jody,
      Thank you for sharing your elevator pitch with me. I do think that you presented a compelling pitch, however, as a parent of a 17 y/o boy in the Ontario public school system, I would be very grumpy having to purchase “extra” help in any format for him to succeed. That said, my children (I also have a 19y/o daughter) were both successful with the test and I am sure there are other parents and teens who might appreciate it.
      Ronna

      • Jody McKinnon 12:33 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        I hear that Ronna. IN theory, if this were a real app and the province paid for it, parents would pay nothing. Because in theory, this app is free for the user…only more if the parents want to receive the reports and controls.. Thanks for your comments.

    • shawn harris 11:50 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Jody,

      Great job on your pitch!

      I think that your focus on this new educational app to help risk learners is very fitting for the current educational technology market! I would surely invest. This is certainly an area with potential for growth in the next several years not just in Ontario but in the Caribbean and other developing countries. I thought that the tone of your pitch was very professional, clear and to the point. This venture seems convincing compared to others I might add.

      I think “No student should be left behind” could be your company’s slogan. What do you think?

      Jody I notice you did not talk about the global market or did I missed that? Is this new app only for Ontario? Are you planning to go global? We have literacy exams here in the Caribbean too. Your team seems credibility and look highly spirited.

      By the way, loved the video about you receiving the Olympic Torch in Dec 06. That must have been an awesome experience. Thanks for sharing with us!

      Overall, I do think your venture has a good market that is increasingly growing overtime. You have provided a detailed venture pitch with information about the market and the product. The concept is a good one… again, thanks for sharing it with us and all the best!

      ~ Shawn

      • Jody McKinnon 12:34 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thanks for your comments. My market is local and I have no interest in going global at this time. I don’t know much or anything about the structure of tests around the world, However, if this were a real venture and it worked well here, it could easily be adapted for export to other jurisdictions. Thanks!

    • Jody McKinnon 8:10 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Colin. Thanks for your response. You are correct in that it is a niche market and that is what I wanted all along to begin. Should it prove worthwhile in the real world, it could easily be available for all learners preparing for the test. I had thought about the tax break thing for investing, but I wasn’t sure about how that would work or if it would be realistic or legal. I’m not a marketing expert, entrepreneur or a business person. I’m just an English teacher that wants to see boys be more successful on the literacy test. Thanks again!

    • Hussain Luaibi 10:55 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Jody
      Neat work! Everything was done nicely. I think your venture will find its place in the market easily especially you mentioned that you prefer it to be in the local market. With the statistics you provided in regard to failing percentage of the exam takers specifically among boys, I presume the market welcomes such education-oriented business initiative because it is simply needed. What helps here is the fact that it is a unique attempt.
      However there is one thing that makes me a bit hesitant which is the profit. You are driving at moving the investors to put their capitals in such a project but you don’t promise them with a good financial repay. Jody, you are addressing and dealing with investors not philanthropists!
      Good job!
      Hussain

      • Jody McKinnon 3:47 am on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Hussain. Thanks for your comments. The purpose of my venture was never to make a profit. You’ll notice that I’ve positioned this as a way to fit a corporate social responsibility model…i.e. a way for the company to give something back to the community. Thanks again!

    • Dave Horn 11:39 am on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Jody

      I thought this was a very well done venture both in presentation and in concept. You were very clear in you elevator pitch and I think that you have hit on a market which does exist. Working in a school with students who are often disengaged and who struggle to study I could see the use for a mobile review tool with extrinsic rewards. I know in BC there is a slow removal of some of the standardized testing and I wonder how this trend could affect the OSST?
      As an investor I would be interested in seeing the full venture plan and implementation scheme, as even if the OSST were to be removed this tool could be adapted for other testing needs.

      Very well done

      Dave

    • mariefrancehetu 7:17 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Jody,

      I was impressed with both your elevator pitch and venture pitch. Both looked quite professional and offered a good balance of visuals and text. As CEO you inspired me confidence that you know your stuff.

      Your venture pitch and entire website was well researched and you really covered all possible questions a possible investor might have. Just one little thing, some of your lines on your web site overlap near the bottom and make it difficult to decipher those last few lines. Otherwise the whole look of the web site is appealing and as an investor I would certainly consider investing in your venture!

      Congrats on your hard work . . . it really paid off!

      Marie-France

    • Sherman Lee 12:26 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Jody,

      Just as an aside, I can see your care for your students through your venture, and I think that is a great thing as an instructor myself. Putting my investor cap back on, your OSSLT on the go has potential. Your elevator and venture pitches were effective. The elevator pitch was efficient and effective. One personal pet-peeve of mine is dragged on and slow-paced elevator pitches. I see them almost like a commercial for investors – too slow and you killed the budding interest. Your venture pitch was well presented, and has your elevator pitch nicely embedded in it for easy referral. Overall, it was a great job!

      CEO & Team: You left the best till last. I think you had a great structure that you introduced what your product was attempting to address and how it brings value to investors before reinforcing that trust with the introduction of you as the CEO and your highly capable team. By doing so, you gave a reason for me to remember you and your team by!

      Venture Concept: I think this is a plausible concept. Being very familiar with the tutoring industry, I know how product that is driven by a standardized exam could draw a lot of interest. This is not only interest coming from the students, but more so from the parents. And what’s better than an app that you can easily take anywhere with you. This definitely beat those phone-book size study guides!

      Marketability: I like it that the users get to use this for free. It is often easier to manage by schools if the students don’t have to pay. That is a big draw in for this market. Do you have any plans on expanding your market beyond who you have identified? I see that the at risk and also the re-write as more of a niche market. Since this standardized exam is for Ontario, I can see that it is of your best interest to reach as much of Ontario as you can. Another suggestion would be a global market. Yes… although your product was created for a niche, it doesn’t need to stay in it. Again, from my tutoring experience, there are parents who are thinking of immigrating to Ontario who might be interested in this as well. This would, of course, be a great marketing feat to reach deeper into the immigration population. There’s lots of potential, so make sure you plan things out!

      Venture Plan: I would like to know a bit more about your plans for kick-off. How are you going to promote this product? What is your plan for dominating the market and keeping your product unique?

      With such a great pitch, I would like to invest in your venture. Prior to committing a solid amount, I would like to further discuss with you in regards to the OSSLT on the go business model and marketing plans.

      Thank you and great job!

      Sherman

    • Kenton Hemsing 8:13 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Jody,

      I would invest for the greater good of the students, the ask is not much and the outcome makes it worthy of an initial investment. However, I do have a concern and that is with the government’s reaction to more students being successful on the exams, will they respond by increasing the standards and making the exam harder if future sessions? I know that some provincial exams I have had experience in administering have a set expectation that a certain percentage of students fail.

      I think that a venture like this could also be expanded to include apps for other provincial or standardized exams, (I am not very familiar with the Ontario system), but in Alberta something like this would be useful for all other provincial achievement and diploma exams.

      You pitch is excellent and very well constructed. Great work.

      Kenton

    • Jody McKinnon 1:54 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Greetings all from Iceland..I”m still up after 36 hours, so I apologize if this post isn’t that coherent. Thanks for all of your comments since yesterday. I appreciate the feedback and do see that something like this could work in not only Ontario, but abroad. Re: the test getting easier? I’m not sure I buy that, but there will always be kids that don’t pass. We just need to make that a lower number. Anyway thanks again for all the excellent feedback. I’m not likely to post again. A pleasure working with y’all!

    • mackenzie 4:56 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Great job! You presented the problem well and introduced the solution clearly. Your visuals enhanced the message I was intrigued to know more about your product. I would not invest in your product since I am not a big believer in teaching to a test, sorry. Great presentation though.

  • admin 2:57 pm on July 7, 2012
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    HI there. Sorry about the late post, but I’ve been away all week in Vegas… I’ve been using mind maps in the classroom for as long as I can recall. I find them a very useful activity at a variety of points along the learning process. I’ve used them to activate prior knowledge, to acquire […]

    Continue reading Mind Maps Posted in: Week 09: Visual-Intensive Learning
     

  • admin 2:47 pm on June 3, 2012
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    HI everyone. Sorry about the lateness of this post, but I’ve been out of the country for a few days. I originally had intended to do John Baker of D2L, but someone had done that already so I chose to do Stephen Baker. Please see below for my introduction.   Jody   PS ***Full disclosure: […]

    Continue reading HI everyone. Sorry about the lateness of… Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
     

    • Deborah S 4:29 pm on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Jody,
      A very informative post! My daughter took a course through VHS to help her accelerate her high school education (she graduated more than a semester early and gained early admission to university). She and I really liked the self-paced nature of the course and the flexible start dates.

      Deborah

      • Jody McKinnon 1:20 am on June 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        I’m glad to hear that you both enjoyed the course and the school! I have had so many positive experiences since being a part of the school in 2009.

    • Sherman Lee 11:35 pm on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Jody,
      I completely understand your challenges. I am trying really hard to push it so that I am not posting last minute, but my week simply would not allow it now that my tutoring students are getting closer to their final exams. Hopefully we will both find our balance soon!

      It is cool that you are working for VHS right now! I have heard much about this program, and has been quite interested in it as some of my tutoring students have a very difficult time in traditional schooling, which I think would definitely be a great thing for them to gain that flexibility in VHS. (as well, Deborah’s comment about her daughter is really helping to push me towards looking into this type of schooling further as a possibility and recommendation to my own students).

      I think the thing that I find most interesting from your post is how this venture started off rather slowly. In terms of entrepreneurship (which I have none of, at least I do not really believe so quite yet and is hoping to gain more of) I think patience was the key learning here. VHS started rather slowly. It surprised me how long it took for the program to pick up.

      If you do not mind, how do you feel working for VHS right now?

      Sherman

      • Jody McKinnon 1:22 am on June 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        I really enjoy working with VHS. Not only does it supplement my income, it gives me an opportunity to meet and work with students from all over the world. For example, many of my students are at the Canadian School in Singapore. Since one of my courses was designed by me, it gives me an opportunity to tweak my lessons for day school too. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

        • Sherman Lee 8:36 am on June 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

          That’s great to hear that you are enjoying your work at VHS. I think this experience through working with students from other parts of the world also create a more global view of how learning is established and viewed. It is interesting how this venture is bringing the worlds together not just for students but also for teachers.

          Thank you for sharing your story 🙂

          Sherman

    • karonw 12:49 pm on June 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Great post Jody!

      In your post you mentioned that Stephen Baker believes that “not all kids do well in a traditional classroom setting. ” And I agree on this, I find that online learning can be more beneficial to students who are less assertive, as in a traditional classroom setting they may be too shy to raise their own voice or question feeling pressured by those who are more assertive and aggressive. Hence, through virtual classroom settings, they will feel less pressured and intimidated to post, comment and question.

      Karon

    • mariefrancehetu 6:17 pm on June 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Jody!

      What a success story! We need more inovative teachers like Stephen Baker who believe there are many ways to learn . . . particularly in high school I think it is important to offer different learning options!
      Kudos on your post Jody – it shows that you are enthusiastic about and proud of VHS and rightly so!

      Marie-France

    • Allan 11:12 pm on June 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks Jody for this wonderful posting. i really enjoyed learning more about Virtual High School. I had no idea that such an institution had existed, and more importantly, offer such high quality instruction. From the look of the syllabi, this is an exceptionally well organized institution. What I find most impressive is that VHS is moving back from the digital to the physical by renovating an old hotel to create a presence in the community. This is an important step to realizing its place as an educational institution. Well done VHS!

      Allan

    • Leonora Zefi 5:14 pm on June 6, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      What an interesting experience for you Jody. It was so interesting to read the genesis of this venture – impressive growth which to me demonstrates the forward thinking of Stephen Baker to establish something that addresses such a demand for alternative ways to learn and teach.
      I am assuming that d2l will perfect the media environment for VHS’s version 2.0 🙂
      Thanks for sharing your experience.
      Leonora

  • admin 5:10 am on May 21, 2012
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    I’m sorry about the last minute post here, but I’ve had a long week. My parents have retired and packed up and sold just about everything from their home in Winnipeg and have now relocated to Langley, BC. I had to fly to Winnipeg for a whole 1.5 hours to pick up the gift they […]

    Continue reading My thoughts Posted in: Uncategorized
     

    • Dennis Pratt 8:20 am on May 21, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Jody;

      That is quite the drive. One I have never been too excited to do myself but when my kids are older I think we have to do a trip across Canada. There is so much to do and see.

      I liked the idea of 7 as well. I have heard that we can remember 7 things at once, like a 7 digit phone number, but start to drop off when numbers become larger than that.

      The flipped classroom is very intriguing and can see it working quite well at higher levels. The concern I have as a junior high teacher is the ability and focus of students to do the reading/viewing on their own and being prepared for class. I think there would have to be an adjustment period with lots of review in class before it really takes hold but the class time would then be used very effectively.

      I would prefer to learn in a flipped classroom as I could learn as much as I could at home and then take questions to class, in stead of the other way around.

      Dennis

    • jtpatry 3:46 pm on May 21, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      HI Jody, ,

      That sounds like a bonkers of a week! One of the perks of online learning, being able to contribute where ever you are (well, mostly…still haven’t figured out Cuba yet…Ha!) The Flipped Classroom is definitely something that is making a huge push, and has sparked the attention of many. My partner and I teach in a Grade 4/5 classroom and are looking into many aspects of this concept. We started blogging this year, and this engaged them ten-fold! We, dabbled a bit in posting some pre-teaching videos on the blog to see what would happen, and many of the students came in the next day with great questions!
      I know there is a Flipped Classroom conference in Kelowna at the end of June, unfortunately, that time isn’t ideal to attend.

      Cheers

      jon

    • Jody McKinnon 3:49 pm on May 21, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi there. Oh I wish I could have a blog! Our board, in their infinite wisdom, have passed a policy that requires any school related social media (Facebook, Twitter or blogging even) be available to anyone in the board. Meaning, that for me to have any of these tools, I must provide my password and user name to the admin! I am not comfortable with that at all! So needless to say, I gave up on my Twitter account….

    • jtpatry 4:00 pm on May 21, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      There were some hoops to jump through for sure, but it was something that I really felt that the students would use and find real purpose and meaning for it. It has been a great journey so far, and one that will for sure start right up in the fall. As for twitter, it is one area that I think has great purpose, but under twitter law, you must be 18 to have an account. My students are far from that age demographic.

      In regards to the blog, yes, admin at the school need to have access (the get their own account) so they can see what is being posted. Take a look at kidblog, it is by far the most secure blog site I have used. Here is the link to my classroom blog as well (we are totally public on this one) http://kidblog.org/Room1617Blogzone/

      Jon

    • mariefrancehetu 6:00 pm on May 21, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Jody,

      Thanks for personalizing your post . . . a reminder that life goes on while we take online courses and that sharing part of our lives makes the learning experience more ‘human’.
      After reading many of the reviews about the Educause 7 things you should know – I am convinced I too will visit it more often . . .

  • admin 2:59 pm on May 7, 2012
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    Hello. My name is Jody McKinnon and this is only my third course in this program. I’ve been teaching since 1996 when I graduated from the University of Manitoba. Since 2002, I have called Ontario my home. For the past 10 years, I’ve mostly been a Media teacher at a high school to the east […]

    Continue reading Greetings From Toronto! Posted in: Uncategorized
     

    • Leonora Zefi 5:51 pm on May 7, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Jody. Nice to see a fellow Torontonian in the course. This geography resource you are working on sounds interesting. Good luck with it. Enjoy the course and your Euro trip – a great reward for all the hard work during this course.
      Looking forward to learning with you.
      Leonora

    • Donna Forward 8:52 pm on May 7, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      What a rush to carry the Olympic torch Jody! It also Llooks like you have a great trip planned for this summer. I’ll be in Switzerland and France in August since my daughter is currently in the Swiss Army. I also love musical theatre like you but haven’t been on stage yet, I am the piano accompanist. Looking forward to working with you in this course.

    • HJDeW 8:11 pm on May 8, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Jody, from a fellow Ontarion. I’m located north of the city in the Orillia area. Just made the trek down for a Forum at OISE/UofT and managed to negotiate the Bloor Street rush hour traffic (something I don’t usually experience!!!) to get home today.
      Helen

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