Donna Forward
Hello everyone, I’ve really enjoyed the Venture Forums this week and I’m amazed at the innovation of so many great ideas from eveyone. For our participation portfolio, we have the option of giving constructive ideas on how participation could be improved in future ETEC 522 courses. One thing that I would add is to have even more […]
Continue reading Participation improvement potential Posted in: Blog Café Rendez-vous is an on-line French Learning Management System and live communication company that is available 24/7 from any handheld device. Rendez-vous is an emerging market venture that will be the first of its kind, allowing French students access to mother tongue speakers around the clock. Here is the link for the Elevator Pitch included with my Venture […]
Continue reading RENDEZ-VOUS – The Company For You Posted in: Venture Forum
Good day Donna.
Great job on your pitches, they were both engaging and well presented. I think your idea has potential not just in the education market but also in the private sector. There are any folks who are now not in the work-force anymore and are looking for things to do to occupy time. I know my mother has began taking second language coures and has really enjoyed them, but something like this takes it to the next level! By actually having real-time conversations with other French speakers just makes the experience that much more engaging and meaningful! When French becomes a success with this program, the potential to target other languages is endless! Investment made!
Thanks,
Jon
Hello Jon,
Thank you very much for your comments on my Venture Pitch.
I hadn’t thought of the private sector as an option for Rendez-vous, so that’s worth looking into.
I hope that your mother is enjoying learning her second language.
Have a good week,
Donna
Hi Donna,
I really like the idea behind Rendez-Vous, but there were a few questions that came to mind that would keep me from investing at this point. I really like the focus on mobile devices, as this is a strong approach to encouraging youth to become active language learners and there is no doubt that learning from native speakers is the best approach! I did wonder, however, about the student teacher ratio, as you mentioned aiming for 25,000 students, but hiring only 16 instructors…is each instructor really going to be able to have meaningful conversations with over 1500 students? As well, what does Rendez-vous do that makes writing in the target language on Facebook or Twitter any different? I can sign in and write in any language I choose without a program – does it have specific pages or links where conversations are going on? I wasn’t sure about that part, but you’ve definitely got my interest!
My only other comment is that I felt somewhat disconnected from your elevator pitch as the static image of an elevator seemed unrelated and lacked excitement. I understand why you chose it, but some variation might spark more interest!
Nice work, I would love to see where this idea takes you!
-Meggan
Hello Meggan,
Thanks so much for your comments.
I had thought about the teacher-student ratio at first and came to the conclusion that at first, the novelty of phoning would probably put the strain on the teachers but would then peter out later on and eventually, only those really eager students would call more often which would balance out for the instructors. It would definitely by something to seriously plan if the company is to take off.
For Facebook and Twitter, I know that my students don’t choose now to write in French. However, if the francophone instructors from Rendez-vous and the other students in their cohort are on special groups on Facebook, they will only be writing in French. Also, the teachers can recommend people to follow on Twitter as well.
For my elevator pitch, I was trying to set up the atmosphere of stepping into an elevator and having to listen to what was being said. However it didn’t come across as I had hoped. Next time I will definitely do things differently.
Thanks again and have a good week.
Donna
Great idea, Donna. I really like this pitch. Even the name of the company, Rendez-vous strikes me as very catchy. I like that this company is a French on-line Learning Management System and live communication company that is available 24/7 from any handheld device.
It’s also unique that Rendez-Vous that will be the first of its kind, allowing French students access to mother tongue speakers around the clock. I don’t think there’s quite a product like this.
As a mobile user myself, I think what catches my attention is your thorough analysis about the telecommunications media companies involved. I find your analysis of Telus as an example of thinking ahead and allaying my concerns about how this intensive use of mobile technology will cost for those who will require larger smartphone/cell phone data plans since there will be constant use of text and data. Great job over all, and I look forward to seeing how this venture will progress!
Allan
Hello Allan,
Thank you so much for your comments.
My analysis for the telecommunications media companies involved may only work for B.C. However, I would need to do more of an investigation with other companies such as Bell Canada in order to see about package deals with the rest of Canada.
I do think that this is a unique product that provides acces to native speakers 24/7, so I believe that there is a market for Rendez-vous!
Thanks again,
Donna
Hi Donna,
Great job with your pitches. I think this is an incredible completive market you are entering and if you are successful the reward could be immense. Outside of the public education system there are many individuals who are interested in learning French from native speakers and so there is the opportunity to expand into other markets which I like as an investor. Additionally, if you are successful you could consider expanding to include other languages (spanish, chinese, etc) I am concerned about the ratio of students to teachers (25,000 to 16?) and not sure how that will work especially if you are operating 24/7. Your management team seems to have the necessary background to make this venture work, however, after much consideration I am going to pass on the investment.
Greg
Hello Greg,
Thank you very much for your feedback. I also questioned myself about the student-teacher ratio. Meggan also had the same concerns so if you read my comments to her above, then it will explain a little about how I was thinking out my plan.
I believe that this company could work and also expand to other languages such as Chinese and Spanish as you mentioned. When I was learning my second, third and fourth languages, I discovered that the hardest thing to do was to talk on the phone, since you don’t have the face or lips of the person speaking in front of you.
I’m sorry that I can’t count on your $500,000. A bit of a disappointment:)
Cheers,
Donna
Hi Donna,
I think you have a great idea for a venture. There is certainly a huge market for second language learning and providing students with an opportunity to converse in another language outside of class would be a huge selling point.
One suggestion for your elevator pitch, though. The enthusiasm in your voice is compelling, but a few images other than the elevator would have made it a little more engaging. Something like VoiceThread where your narration could have been accompanied by changing images might work well.
All the best on your venture,
Janet
Hello Janet,
Thank you so much for your feedback.
I agree that my elevator pitch was weak. I had originally wanted to give the listener the impression that they were riding the elevator and listening to my pitch. However, it does need some more images and a bit more pizzazz!
Thanks again and have a great week.
Donn
Hi Donna,
Your venture certainly addresses a need for French language learners to use the language they’re learning. The ability to access French speakers 24/7 is a definite bonus. I’m not clear on how options to converse on Facebook and Twitter are unique to Rendez-vous. My main concern though is the teacher to student ratio of 1:1562. This ratio means that in a 40 hour work week each teacher will have approximately 1.5 minutes to speak with each student. In order to be of value there should be sufficient time for teachers to get to know the students and encourage meaningful dialogue. A ratio of 1:80 would allow for 30 minute weekly conversations.
Claire
Hello Claire,
Thank you so much for your feedback,
The teacher-student ratio has been a common concern of others too. I agree that 30 minutes weekly would be best. I first planned that at the beginning, many students would phone teachers but then when the novelty wore off, things would settle down and there would be less students calling in general. It is definitely a major point in my venture that would have to be re-visited if it is to come to fruition!
Thanks again and have a great week.
Donna
Donna, I love the connection and thought of ‘teachers without borders’. Perhaps, in this time of fiscal restraint and union unrest, it’s an idea that will take off. Second language learning is certainly on the upswing, but the demand for French would be a limiting factor to the potential growth of your venture. I struggled to see how you would make money on this venture, but then saw the data on the slides, outlining potential return on investments.
You outlined a plan for moving from the BC environment into other provinces, but since education is a provincial mandate, did you consider how you would make contacts and customer base in provincial environments that may not be as open to the opportunities you would provide to their students? I know that Ontario has a program of instruction for french language learning that may close the door for potential profits in this province.
Your elevator pitch provides passion in your tone but this is lost in the absence of engaging images or personal ‘presence’ of the CEO. The details in your venture pitch are extensive and compelling. There is potential in the concept, but the market potential beyond BC borders (for teachers without borders) may hamper the business goals.
Helen
Hello Helen,
Thank you so much for your comments.
Yes, moving into the other provinces would be a challenge and I would need to do more homework to see if other programs of instruction such as in Ontario would be open to a program like this. Maybe I would need to takes Jon’s advice and move to the private sector.
I agree that my elevator pitch needs my presence and a few more engaging images. My first plan of giving the listener the impression that they were riding an elevator didn’t come across as I had planned.
Thanks again for your comments and have a great week.
Donna
Hello Donna,
Indeed our two ventures are similar . . . it never occurred to me anyone would have anything close to the same idea as my Converse-A-Long idea. The type of enterprise you propose however is more ‘course’ oriented, offering clients the possibility to learn French through your program, focussing on writing and speaking.
I found that you covered all the important point san investor would want to know concerning your venture. You elaborated your plan for short-term and long-term goals well, but felt that for investors they might think the endeavour a bit risky at an international level. Perhaps once your enterprise is well established in B.C. and can show some steady growth, then it might be a good idea to propose to future investors the idea of extending it to Europe.
The information you provided for your venture pitch was quite complete, but perhaps your powerpoint presentation could have been a bit more engaging visually, it felt more like a slide show.
Does this enterprise really exist or like me is it fictive? It certainly shows that you have researched the idea very well, thinking of every last detail. If it doesn’t exist yet, perhaps this is something you are truly thinking of starting up?
Marie-France
Bonjour Marie-France,
Thanks you so much for your comments,
Rendez-vous is indeed fictive. However, the idea of running a company is fun so it will be an idea at the back of my mind. There are so many things to think about in order to make a venture become a reality, it’s crazy!
I agree that my presentation came off as a slide show. That was my biggest challenge with this project, choosing the best type of media to use. I need to work on this aspect in the future.
Hope that you have a great summer.
Donna
Hi Donna,
I really like the concept of your venture, I think its a great idea and very practical. It’s clear that you’re an expert in this field, which is attractive as an investor – you “know what you’re doing” here.
I wonder though, because there are so many language learning products on the market, how does render-vous compare? Is this technology more expensive than what is currently used today – or ? More information on the competition and how you plan to dissolve the competition would have been good to include in your pitch.
Cheers,
Lisa
Hello Lisa,
Thank you for your comments.
You asked a very pertinent question about how Rendez-vous would compare to other language learning products in price. I would have to do some further research on this since when I was originally looking up the competition, I was concentrating on the quality of the products and not the $$$.
Have a great week.
Yours,
Donna
Elevator Pitch: Wonderful idea, compelling elevator pitch and I love your slogan! I love how you’ve covered all elements in this brief pitch. As a bilingual student and teacher, I’ve always found languages, accents and language learning to be very interesting. Your venture provides a real and useful service and you present it well. Having more than one image to depict the venture might have enhanced the presentation, but since the narration was excellent, it was not an issue for me. My only concern is that the venture is in its incubation/idea stage and already the valuation is $2M. While this valuation might be reasonable after the business has made some sales, it is a gamble for investors at this point. However, because of the usefulness of the product, especially in Canada, I would still consider investing in this venture.
Venture Pitch: The Rendez-Vous concept is impressive, comprehensive and the proposed language learning tools are excellent and interesting. I particularly like the idea of allowing students to recognize accents, as I have met many FSL students who attempt to speak Parisian French in Quebec, or students who disregard the need to work on accent altogether. One of the points that is somewhat concerning, however, is the idea that instructors must be available 7 days a week. While being “on call” 6 hours a day might not be incredibly demanding (since these instructors arguably wouldn’t be interacting with learners during those 42 hours a week), routinely working without a single day off would most likely be problematic for most individuals.
I really appreciated your inclusion of the Telus package, since it gives a good idea of how much the technological costs might be (though it might be possible for Rendez-Vous to negotiate a deal with a service provider because of high volume). An honest description of Rendez-Vous’ potential obstacles was also an excellent addition to your pitch, as well as an idea of the return on investment.
I did wonder, however, about the statement that Quebec does not have French Immersion, as I have worked as a student teacher in a French Immersion classroom (see http://www.rsb.qc.ca/?C61913D1-512F-4C81-B3EA-94B479D68D81) in the Montreal area a few years ago, though perhaps the schooling structure has changed since Bill 104 and national French Immersion and Quebec French Immersion are not equivalent programs.
Overall I love this idea, and with a bit of restructuring for employees’ sake, I believe this would be a very useful and potentially lucrative venture. Great work!
May
Hello May,
I’m glad to see that you would be interested in investing in Rendez-vous.
It is interesting your comment about French Immersion in Quebec. I had questioned it when I first read it on a site which told me that there wasn’t any in Quebec. However, I realized that I should have done further research because after you mentioned it, I looked it up and found the same “incorrect” site but also found out that it does, indeed exist on other sites. Shame on me for not researching into more depth! That’s what happens when I live in lotus land for so long and Eastern Canada seems far and disconnected.
I appreciate all of your comments, thank you.
Cheers,
Donna
As french is not my forte, I do appreciate your potential venture as a unique and worthy en-devour. I liked how you narrated the presentation for it added a degree of authenticity. To make this more powerful, I would have liked to see more of the dialogue included in point form, for I am a highly visual learner. At times, I found myself pausing and replaying the video so that I was able to gain an understanding of the details. Features such as a table to outline the features of the competition would have been of benefit. In addition, the inclusion of theory on achievement and social interaction in language learning would have persuaded potential investors. Also, referencing the BYOD movement and increases in access to mobile technologies would help support the need for your creation. Overall, a very good, engaging presentation!
All the best,
Danielle
Hello Danielle,
I appreciate your comments.
I agree that now when I look back at my Venture Pitch, I should have put some more dialogue in my slides. However, I was trying to avoid the typical Point Point presentations of reading exactly what was on the slides. Maybe I went a bit too far the other way:
I also could have incorporated more of the BYOD movement into my presentation, especially since I was involved in the BYOD week 10 group presentation!
Thanks again and have a great week.
Donna
Hello Group 9. Well done this week. As for me, a great mind map is full of colour and has to be fun. Also, once it starts to look too technical with too much information I lose interest right away. I would rather see more mind maps with less items than one that has too many. […]
Continue reading Great mind maps Posted in: Week 09: Visual-Intensive Learning
Hello Donna
Thanks for the note. I think one of the important aspects of Mind mapping is that its structure varies according to what and how the user looks at things. It does reflect a personal point of view when it comes to reflecting one’s mind map. Sometimes I feel that that mind mapping is like writing a poem, readers can, in away, understand or try to understand its meaning but the real mean lurks in the heart of the poet. But again this kind of speculation depends upon how clear and informative the the technique used in the mind mapping process.
Hussain
Curt Richardson is the founder and CEO of Otterbox, a company that creates special cases for every type of mobile device. (I tried for half an hour to load the photo onto to the blog but it just won’t work, sorry). If it helps, Richardson is a handsome man in his 50’s that looks outgoing and motivated:) […]
Continue reading Curt Richardson is the founder and CEO o… Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
Hi Donna,
It’s interesting to see the man behind the company we see around us on a day to day basis! Although I have had my issues with Otterbox, I respect Mr. Richardson’s entrepreneurial background and it seems clear that he has always been an individual driven to create a successful business.
I do wonder somewhat at the motivation behind these ventures – the variety within their topics seems to suggest that financial benefit was the main driving force. Do you think that Mr. Richardson would have been as successful if mobile devices had not become as predominant?
Thanks for the detail!
-Meggan
Hello Meggan,
I’m sure that the predominance of mobile devices definitely helped Mr. Richardson’s venture immensely!
Cheers,
Donna
I took the entrepreneur self-assessment survey and I’m definitely not an entrepreneur. However, the questions they ask are interesting. Time to become innovators! Donna:)
Continue reading I took the entrepreneur self-assessment … Posted in: Uncategorized
Hi Donna,
I took it too and was just at the average for some and way below for others! Maybe a bit risk averse….
Denise
After viewing Pattie Maes’ TED presentation it really is easy to be drawn into the interesting new ideas that she and her student have created. However, taking an EVA approach from the angle of a school principal, her idea really doesn’t seem to uncomplicate things, which I believe is the original goal of her invention. […]
Continue reading After viewing Pattie Maes’ TED presenta… Posted in: Uncategorized After reading about the buyers, end users and learners, I really like the image that was portrayed to compare the three: Buyers (customers) “open their wallets”, End Users (teachers) “open the packages” and the Learners (students) “open their minds”. It really got me thinking…who are the true buyers in my school district? Also, the best […]
Continue reading After reading about the buyers, end user… Posted in: Uncategorized This article talks about how Del is trying to find solutions for schools that can support their learning platforms of choice and the things that they would like to do with educational technology. When I took ETEC 500, I did a paper on using ipods in the classroom to help my French Immersion students improve […]
Continue reading This article talks about how Del is tryi… Posted in: Uncategorized
These 2011 Top Ten Ed Tech Trends article is very useful for educators as well as learning tech specialists and ventures since Dell is predicting that this will be the year of the platform. This is a very important goal for teachers and tech people alike since everyone will be able to be on the same page when it comes to which hardware and applications to use.
Future reports on this topic would be very beneficial since many schools are adapting the BYOD theme and it will be essential that schools, as well as tech specialists and venturers, be offered a common platform for all of the different applications that teachers and companies want to use. If there is no common platform, it will be a nightmare to try to work the system out and make everyone happy.
Hello everyone, My name is Donna Forward-Houriet and I am a French Immersion, Spanish and Music teacher in the only senior high school in 100 Mile House, B.C. I also teach piano and accompany our local choir. I love languages, travelling and performing on piano and singing. I also like to spend time with my […]
Continue reading Hello everyone, My name is Donna Forward… Posted in: Uncategorized
Hi Donna,
Bienvenida!! You are very talented. They’re lucky to have you at your school (four teachers in one)!
I look forward to working with you.
Adriana
PS – I just looked up some pictures of 100 Mile House; it looks amazing!
Hi Donna,
I am chuckling because as big as it is, it is a SMALL world. I live in Quesnel and my brother and his wife (Geoff and Melody) both work at PSO! You probably taught my niece, Hannah, and/or nephew, Keenan.
Looking forward to getting to know you!
Janet Barker
Hi Donna …
Everyone needs a little crazy now and then. I am sure you will do fine. How is 100 Mile House these days – I haven’t been up there in a few years.
gillian
Hello Janet,
Yes it is a small world. In fact, Geoff was one of my references to get into the MET program. And yes, I have taught Spanish to both Hannah and Keenan!
Have a great day,
Donna
Before you publish your posting, please make sure that you select a category (eg. Introductions) as well as assign some meaningful tags (keywords).
maybacon 1:22 pm on August 2, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Donna,
I like the suggestions you made, particularly the one to review pitches in advance with a small group. Along the same line of thinking, I would have liked the option to create our ventures in small groups, partnering with peers for more expertise, to bounce off ideas and *perhaps* to create a BETA or prototype of the product/service we want to offer. I’ve enjoyed seeing everyone’s ideas, but it might be nice to begin implementing them, which could be possible if we worked in small teams. I realize this could make some programming-intensive ventures impossible to create, but it would be wonderful to be able to move forward and get our ventures to a real marketing stage rather than role-playing one.
May
Donna Forward 4:30 pm on August 2, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hello May,
I like your idea of creating our ventures in small groups and then moving forward to getting them on a real marketing stage! That would be an entire degree program in itself. Perhaps a new doctorat program we should propose:)
Cheers,
Donna
vawells 2:02 pm on August 2, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Donna
I was thinking along the same lines as you. Peer editing /feedback on assignments would promote participation and learning.
I have enjoyed working with you and reading your contributions.
Valerie
Donna Forward 4:31 pm on August 2, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hello Valerie,
I’ve enjoyed working with your too. Our BYOD group was a great one!
Cheers,
Donna
gillian 10:40 am on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
May,
I was thinking along the same lines as you in regards to giving and receiving peer feedback prior to the due date of A3. I have always had very positive experiences in courses that have done similar exercises in the past. I think such activities really go a long way in contributing to an active and engaging community of practice.
gillian
Donna Forward 11:56 am on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hello Gillian,
I’m glad that we’re thinking along the same lines. Peer support is a must!
Have a great summer,
Donna
toddpowell 10:54 am on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I agree with the opportunity to seek out peer feedback in advance of handing in the venture pitch. I feel as though we should be using each others’ comments to strengthen our pitches. Very astute comment, I feel.
Todd
Donna Forward 11:58 am on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hello Todd,
Thanks for your comments.
I know that I learned so much from the others’ critiques of my Venture Pitch and would have loved to have had another week to clean my presentation up a bit.
Enjoy your summer,
Donna
sheza 10:16 pm on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Donna,
It was a pleasure working with you again on another MET course and I was great being your group member for A2. I agree we have all learned so much from each other in this course and peer collaboration and group collaboration opportunities are always great for this!
Thanks for your insightful input, great work ethic and for sharing your contagious desire to learn with the cohort!
Hope to see you in some of my courses in the fall 🙂
Sheza
Donna Forward 6:04 pm on August 5, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hello Sheza,
Like I said in my other course posting, I was a pleasure being in 511, 522 and 532 with you this term.
Looking forward to working with you again.
Have a great summer.
Donna
dmcinnes 10:51 am on August 5, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Donna,
I really like the idea of reviewing and critiquing Elevator and Venture Pitches prior to submitting. Having never done one, nor seen one before, it would have been very beneficial. Also the feedback I received from colleagues could have helped immensely.
David McInnes
Donna Forward 6:04 pm on August 5, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hello David,
Thanks for your comments and have a fabulous summer
Donna