Rosetta Stone  is a second-language learning software which pairs a combination of images, text, and sound with new language vocabulary. This removes the ‘translation’ step and allows the learner to attach the new language to real objects rather than their native language words.  This approach more closely mimics how people learn their first language as children. The projected total revenue of $245.0 to $248.0 million of 2009 includes their recent (April 15, 2009) IPO on the NYSE under the symbol RST. (from www.RosettaStone.com)

Face 1 – Market Focus

Rosetta Stone claims to be “a leading provider of technology-based language learning solutions”. A large portion of their sales is to retail outlets for consumer training but they offer online versions and various bundling options for schools and corporations.

Face 2 –  Types of Offerings

Rosetta Stone offers pre-packaged content for second language learners starting with beginner levels up to common conversational.

Face 3 – Who is the Buyer?

Retail buyers are purchasing the products directly for their own use.  Schools and corporations purchase licenses for their students or employees.

Face 4 – Global Markets

Rosetta Stone’s products are sold in 150 countries, teaching over 30 languages.  It has an international focus and fills wired Anglophone countries, European countries with English language skills, European countries requiring translation, and Asian countries with quality internet.

Face 5 – Development of the Market

In the case of Rosetta Stone the “Market Supports Export Oriented Learning Technologies and Substitution of Imports” is the most representative.  Other companies can (and do) make language-learning software but Rosetta Stone is a leader in many markets.

Face 6 – Learning Technology Competing with Other Forms of Learning

As a prepackaged product, Rosetta Stone products are often a substitute for other forms of learning. In a school or corporate setting the technology may be used to support other systems of learning.

Team Help Cubed

Face One:  Market Focus

Distance learners, remote learners and students who need more assistance at home.  The software that is developed is utilized by students who have access to a computer and their assistance is from teachers online.  These students are being home schooled but online.  At any point in time, the teacher can take over the computer of the student and guide the student in what or how to solve any problems.

Face Two:  Type of Offerings

This type of offering is definitely a support system for the students.  They can provide guidance and direction when students are confused.  It is a stepping stone for the students so that they can move onto the next stage.

Face Three:  The Buyer

The buyers are school districts.  The purchasers within that district can access how many hours of this help line they would like to purchase.  They should also decide how many teachers per subject should be hired.

Face Four:  Global Markets

The software and hardware is available for Personal Computers and Macintoshes’.  For now, the project is in its’ preliminary stages and therefore is closed to Alberta right now.  Once the program has been working fine and the bugs have been ironed out, there will be availability to other provinces and even other countries.  We must look at hiring teachers who can speak French and other languages of school boards that are interested in the program.

Face Five:  Development of the Market

Roll out for such a program will begin in the rural areas.  In addition, it is also being offered for students wanting to study other languages because many students would like to enter University (or post secondary education) with a second language.  Often it is difficult to find teachers that can speak other language.

Face Six:  Integration of the Program

It will be easy to introduce this program into the homes of students who need help.  It would save the parents from having to hire a tutor.  It would be available for students in the evening hours and weekends.  Students would not have to leave their homes and have a larger success factor in all their courses.

http://www.lynda.com/
Lynda.com is a major provider of online training. They offer prepackaged video and interactive tutorials for nearly all of the popular software applications that are used in the design and development environments. This ranges from basic lessons in writing a Word document, to complex and intricate lessons on texture and lighting in 3-D modeling applications.

Face 1: Market Focus
Because Lynda.com has so many resources that cover so many applications, they have a very broad market focus. They mainly differentiate the markets based on pricing and access to their resources. For instance, public schools would most likely invest in a few lessons for the applications that they use, but at a multi-user price point. Higher education and corporations may look at larger site licenses, or they may opt to have the end users purchase only what they need.

Face 2: Types of Offerings
Lynda’s offerings are mainly pre-packaged content, either available online subscription or by purchasing hard copies of the software or videos.

Face 3: Who is the Buyer?
Again, because of the large market focus, there are many types of buyers. Single package licenses are available for individual learners, right up to large corporate site licenses, where all employees have access to all of the available resources on company computers.

Face 4 – Global Markets
As they are produced in English, the main users of Lynda’s resources would be wired Anglophone countries, European countries with language skills, and possibly, thanks to the closed captioning, European countries requiring translation.

Face 5 – Development of the Market
Lynda would fall under the category of “Market Supports Export Oriented Learning Technologies and Substitution of Imports.”  It is assumed with this sort of resource that the market is always ready to accept the newest technologies, and that end-users will need training to run them effectively, or more importantly, competitively.

Face 6 – Learning Technology Competing with Other Forms of Learning
Because of its prepackaged nature, the resources that Lynda provides would be a substitute for other forms of learning. These tutorials and videos could be used in addition to other forms of instruction, but there would likely be a lot of redundancy. That being said, these resources may not meet the learning needs of everyone using them, so having a proficient instructor would be important for success, especially in that K-12 environment.

Froguts is an interactive simulation program offering 3D virtual dissections and biology lessons.

See the demo.

Market Focus

This program would be beneficial for middle schools, high schools and higher education. It could be used in schools, for home schooled students, or any student wanting an additional, alternative method of learning.

Types of Offerings

The main offering of this program is content. Lessons are system based and integrate anatomy, physiology and ecology through interactive simulations. The online dissections can eliminate the need for actual animal dissections.

Who is the buyer?

The buyer could include School Districts, Principals, Technology Coordinators, Curriculum Coordinators, teachers, students, and/or parents. In CUBE terms: “learning bought centrally”, “learning bought for learner”, or “learner buys personally”.

Global Markets

The software requires a computer (PC or Mac) and requires the internet for the inital activation. As far as I could see it is only offered in English so the market for this product are wired anglophone countries such as Canada, USA, Australia, UK, Ireland, and NZ.

Devlopment of the Market

The market imports content and infrastructure and supports export oriented learning technologies and substitution of imports.

Learning Technology Competing with Other Forms of Learning

This program works with a well-developed learning system but also can be viewed as a substitute to dissections for reasons of costs, animal rights, and the environment.

Skillsoft (NASDAQ: SKIL) provides e-learning content and software to global enterprises, government, education and small-to-medium sized businesses.

Face 1: Market Focus
Skillsoft’s market focus is on providing e-learning solutions for businesses; although, some universities and government organizations have used Skillsoft products to provide support and training to their employees..

Face 2: Types of Offerings
Skillsoft offers services, content and infrastructure.

Services
Some of the services include consulting services, technical services, solution services, custom development services, and customer support. These services intend to help organizations meet their e-learning objectives. Another service the company offers includes IT certification solutions.

Content
Skillsoft provides companies with the tools and services to author and develop custom content. They have a custom solutions group that creates courseware and they also have tools such as Dialogue, for web collaboration, and SkillStudio, to customize and create courses. Other content offered by the company include book collections or resources, like Books 24×7, and course collections.

Infrastructure
Open Learning Services is another service offered by Skillsoft to address Learning Management System (LMS) and Portal Integration.

Face 3: The Buyer
Buyers will be typical of training since the products and services are targeted mostly towards corporations and small-to-medium businesses where learning is bought for the learner with the option of the learner buying for one’s self – say a learner paying fees for one of the Skillsoft certification courses for example. Other buyers may include the government, where learning is bought nationally.

Face 4: Global Markets
Skillsoft’s presence is global and its services appear to be available mainly for countries and clients with excellent internet Infrastructure.

Face 5: Development of the Market
The market supports the import of content and infrastructure and supports export oriented learning technologies and substitution of imports.

Face 6: Learning Technology Competing with Other Forms of Learning
Skillsoft offers a variety of products and services which enable them to compete with existing learning systems. Some of their products handle upgrading credentials of employees as well as help support more effective training and development. A blended learning approach to courses helps Skillsoft provide more effective, customized learning and training solutions that respond to the needs of the client.

Elluminate As a BC offshore school in China, our institution needs to obtain information from the Ministry of Education regarding important updates and information. Currently, the month of September is a very busy time for our secondary school. There are new dates and processes to acquire and document for the upcoming school year. In order for BC offshore schools to obtain information, Elluminate is used to bring together different schools across the globe.

Face 1: Market Focus Elluminate targets a market that is both academic and business inclined.

It is not restricted to simply a high school or a post-secondary institution because the service and product itself is a very open-ended tool. The ability to get support regarding audio, chat and video is simply too hard to resist for any company who have different communication needs. Regardless of the situation, if there is an opportunity for communication Elluminate provides a method that is appropriate for the situation. It does not restrict the target group by context but it keeps the product flexible. As long as communication over distances are required, Elluminate offers a well-equipped online space to do so.

Face 2: Types of Offerings

Elluminate’s flexibility arises from the types of offers it gives to its consumers. Not only does it focus on a service but it also provides the infrastructure to deliver content. Rather than limiting the product to one type of offering, Elluminate is capable of others as well. Users can use the different abilities embedded in Elluminate and shape it according to their needs. Within my current context, the function of Elluminate is to deliver vital information from the Ministry to train local administration regarding the important elements of being an offshore school. All the strengths of Elluminate can provide a very powerful piece of infrastructure to transmit and present information. Not only can Elluminate be used for students but it can also be used to train fellow educators and provide for that communication need.

Face 3: Who is the Buyer?

Elluminate within my current situation would probably fall under the “Learning Bought for Learner”. The use of Elluminate was decided by the ministry representatives rather than the educators or the learners. The buyer is the Ministry of Education who decides if this is what we need to improve the educational quality of our program. Therefore, when it comes time to pitch Elluminate, the buyer is not as simple as it may look. The explanation of Elluminates’ needs to be customized in order to reach the people who would pay the money for this venture. The multipurpose function of this tool really generates genuine interest for investment especially in this field of education.

Face 4 – Global Markets

Asian markets with a quality internet connection

The Elluminate meetings are scheduled in advance with a direct link via email to access the site. As a backup to different quality internet connections across China, the Ministry has offered a powerpoint presentation to go along with the meeting. A version of the meeting with only the audio is also available to accommodate the varying connectivity options. As the Cube describes, the quality of internet connectivity varies from the interior of China to the exterior. This makes it very important for the ministry to provide its users with a range of delivery methods. With the growing number of offshore school appearing around the globe, the Asian market is just one of the many global markets interested in a different educational philosophy and system.

Face 5 – Development of the Market

Market Supports Import of Content and Infrastructure Category

There are no similar local options and the development of the market will truly influence Elluminate to thrive. As the need for more communication to happen for our offshore program, Elluminate has made it possible to faciliate and create a space for everyone to get together even across time zones and distance.

Face 6 – Learning Technology Works With a Well-Developed Learning System

Ellluminate is working well with a well-developed learning system. It is used not only with the learners but also with the training of administrators for offshore schools. The tool is flexible enough to be used to educate content but also to educate key players in the system. From Elluminate’s own website, there are many examples where Elluminate does not intrude on the current technologies being used but it works with different platforms. The tool itself is used to create new methods of distribution but it also enhances the existing systems and curriculum.

Second Life (SL),  owned by Linden Lab, is an online 3D world created and maintained by its users (residents).  Click here for a short video. Although not originally intended to be, the Second Life platform is emerging as a learning technology.

Face 1 – Market Focus

The SL platform offers opportunities to all three market sectors on the cube. Higher education institutes like colleges and universities have raced to establish themselves on the SL grid to offer distance/blended course offerings and to create virtual learning spaces. The corporate world serves as another market because companies, both private and government, can establish a presence in SL and use the platform for training and development. To a lesser extent, the K-12 sector represents another market focus. Although the potential is there for profit from the K-12 markets, growth has been slower due to several restrictions and barriers.

Face 2 – Types of Offerings

As a learning technology, SL offers infrastructure as a mechanism for providing online learning opportunities. Although general membership and participation in SL is free, those wanting to create learning opportunities must purchase land and pay other service fees.  Content and subject matter is the responsibility of the users/clients. Varying levels of technical support only is offered by SL to its paying customers.

Face 3 – Who is the Buyer?

Typically, SL as a learning technology is purchased by corporations, school districts, and higher education institutes. According to the cube, I suppose it is either “learning bought for learner” or “learning bought centrally” depending on how the purchaser intends the technology will be used and whether the use of SL is imposed on learners and institutions. Interestingly, there is an opportunity for revenue from individual learners once immersed in the learning technology because SL has its own currency system and market that entices users to make purchases, sometimes costing real world funds.

Face 4 – Global Markets

The SL platform is best suited for regions with excellent Internet infrastructure. Regions where Internet and bandwidth is limited or restricted will experience far too many problems using SL as learning technology. In fact, broadband Internet and above average computer hardware are minimum recommendations for using SL. Regarding the issue of language, the SL platform is available in English, French, German, and Chinese. This could be viewed as a restriction, however, because SL is created and maintained by its users creative ways to translate the interface have been used including an in-world translator.

Face 5 – Development of the Market

I’m hoping this face of the cube allows for some blurring of the boundaries because I’m not exactly sure where SL as a learning technology fits in regarding development of the market. As previously stated, poor Internet infrastructure, potential language barriers and poverty creates unfavourable market conditions for selling SL as a learning technology in some regions. It simply is not a good fit in some countries. However, generally speaking, the global market freely imports  and exports learning technologies. Potential buyers are free to consider using SL. While SL does face a small number of competitors in the virtual world market, its popularity gives it a slight edge.

Face 6 – Learning Technology Competing with Other Forms of Learning

SL is a learning technology that “works with a well developed learning system”. SL is likely going to be used to enhance teaching and learning by those who have chosen to explore the benefits of the engaging environment of 3D virtual worlds. In some cases, however, I could see that the use of SL as a learning technology could be imposed on a system as a cost and time saving means of delivering instruction and training. Corporations, for example, might make it mandatory for employees to enroll in professional development delivered in SL as opposed to the more traditional means of expensive face to face training sessions and conferences. In this case, drawing from the cube, the technology is “imposed and competes with existing learning systems”.

Welcome to Module 3 – which takes up weeks 3 & 4 of the course.

We’ve given this module more time than the others because it begins a shift in thinking to the perspective of the entrepreneur – which is more daunting than that of the analyst.   It’s so much easier being a critic than an innovator!   What entrepreneurs need most is focus, and identifying a customer is obviously a critical part of that.  Identifying a market is also critical, and the CUBE is one good tool for creating an understanding of the global marketplace.

I really appreciate all the great global resources that have already been offered forward by 522 students, and I’m looking forward to more!

DavidV

Amazon Kindle or Sony eBook

The product I have chosen to discuss is the e-book reader—such as the Amazon Kindle and the Sony eBook ( an interesting link: http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix)  The market potential for this type of product, especially if it were to expand available content and provide a user-friendly interface and better office software for note-taking and word-processing, seems strong.

Market focus: K-12, higher education, and corporate training needs.

Type of offering:  content and infrastructure.

Whose the buyer: learner buys personally and bought for learner.

Where: best suited to markets with internet services.

The technology works well with a well-developed e-learning system.