A3 – Looking at the cloud
Hi All,
For my Assignment # 3 I have examined cloud computing in schools, concentrating mainly on a small independant venture by a small company nobody has every head of, the Apple iCloud. The reason I chose this is that I am not a proponent of cloud computing and wanted to put myself into another pair of shoes, so to speak and see if I could sell this. As I wrote my paper, I started to understand the benefits of the cloud in education, there are certainly some, although I still have my concerns.
Here is my elevator pitch, a mixture of powerpoint, sound editing, movie maker and basic research.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xv36pr6-1k&feature=youtu.be
Attached is my venture pitch/report on the iCloud and cloud computing the schools.
Thanks and have a great week.
David.
Posted in: Week 13: Venture Forum
jarvise 10:21 am on November 29, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
your icloud pitch doesn’t feel like a pitch; it feels like a well-researched background document from a consultant who has been asked to look into it. I don’t know whether this is a good or a bad thing. You have provided a description of the pain and solution, as well as barriers and financial ramifications; it is all there. You didn’t seem overly passionate about this solution, but you did give the disclaimer that you were trying to convince yourself of the merits. You are right to point out that iCloud has its weakness in being stuck with macs. This in and of itself does not support school and district-wide adoption. Especially if students are bringing in their own devices. Cloud-based networking that is available to more than macs seems to make a lot more sense. Good overview!
Emily
ashleyross 4:14 pm on November 29, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Nice elevator pitch David! You managed to include a lot of facts into one minute, and it seemed very well researched. One suggestion I would make is to reduce the amount of text on your slides. Some of them are really text-heavy and it takes away from your narration since the listener is trying to read as opposed to listening to your explanation (which is really good!). Instead, I would suggest using a graphic or just having the slide say “For Students”, “For Teachers”, etc. while you’re explaining.
andrea 8:13 pm on November 29, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hello David,
I agree with Emily’s comments about your pitches, but after reading your full venture pitch document I was definitely convince of the value of switching to cloud computing. However, I still have a lot of questions about how this would be done – what steps would school or district administrators, support staff, and teachers need to take to make this happen? What is the initial investment of time required to make this switch? What are the costs associated with this time, and would staff training be required? I think there’s an interesting venture in helping schools make the transition to cloud computing – become the guru who works out all the details and supports the local team to make the changes.
Thanks for presenting such an informative piece on cloud computer. You’ve convinced me of it’s value!
Andrea
mcquaid 2:15 am on November 30, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi, David.
I liked the music, graphics, and voice in your pitch. For reasons similar to Ashley, I found it frustrating to watch – the timing of the voice and slides with text didn’t match. I found myself either closing my eyes to listen or watching it while trying to ignore what you said.
You’re right in that assessments in the cloud reduces student excuses, but there are still students (at least in my school) with no computer, a broken computer, limited Internet access, or no access at all. Also, when you mentioned the lack of need for powerful computers, I assume you meant just within schools? With my EVA hat on, I was looking more for original / new ideas to invest in. You pitched the idea well, though – there are clear benefits. Some may still have questions about where to go from “here”, though / how to implement it.
Cheers!
Stephen
Angela Novoa 10:55 am on November 30, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi David,
As Stephen mentions, your pitch has a good combination of music, graphics and voice. Your pitch certainly has a market to cover. Maybe I am wrong, but I feel that it is more a rich and detailed research about the product than a pitch. I do agree that we are at a changing phase regarding to technologies and education. I also agree with your idea that we must go with the flow of technological innovation. Your venture offers an innovative concept and your market will increasingly grow over time.
Cheers,
Angela.
David William Price 10:58 am on November 30, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Elevator pitch assessment
Dbertjaw – iCloud
First Impression: no face, voiceover and music with slides, too fast to read slides, appears to be a sales pitch rather than an investment pitch
CEO Credibility: The CEO does not appear as an image or video although there is a voiceover all the way through. I have the voiceover to judge CEO credibility. The voice has no passion. I might take a negative inference based on the fact the CEO is unwilling to appear.
Management Team: No team is mentioned, so I have no way to judge. I might take a negative inference based on the fact the CEO is unwilling to talk about the team.
Venture Concept: Apparently the icloud is about collaborative writing, realtime communication, anywhere access, marking, getting assignments, e-portoflios, and saves money. There’s no description of what icloud is or how it works.
Opportunity Space: There’s no description of the intended market although the first slide mentions school boards, or what the market size is, or the target market or revenue this venture can capture.
Market Readiness: No description of how this will be marketed or distributed, how to enter the market or how to grow presence.
Competitive Edge: Claims to save money but doesn’t explain how. Doesn’t explain current costs of existing systems or projected costs of cloud systems. Doesn’t explain how it is different from other cloud approaches. Doesn’t explain what the venture does. Is iCloud the Apple offering? Who is behind this venture?
Exit Strategy: No indication of their target market, its size, or how they will capture it. No indication of what investment is wanted or how it will be repaid.
Overall Investment Status: I don’t see the CEO or the team, I don’t know who the targeted market is. I don’t know how my investment will be repaid. I don’t know how this will be marketed. I consider this high risk and would not pursue.
Jay 9:26 pm on November 30, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi David,
I liked that you chose to critique an existing technology (icloud) and its benefits schools. What I find more interesting is your approach to the assignment; taking something you have never supported, further assessing it and that you “grudgingly” observed that the benefits outweigh the costs. 🙂
I too am often worry about privacy and while Apple may argue this is wholly overstated (though have a slight bias in their opinion) I find the idea of being tracked and monitored a little unnerving. But your argument about the ability to remove potentially privacy-invading software such as back-ups put this to ease for those that worry about this.
I share the concern with Stephen that while the cloud allows access from any location there are many students that do not have access to computers from home.
Thanks for providing this venture critique and the benefits that potentials it has for schools.
Jay
Deb Kim 11:19 pm on December 1, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi David,
You did an excellent job on catching people’s attention (or at least mine). Your elevator pitch had clear explanation on what your venture is. I especially liked how you used a point form to explain why iCloud is working for teachers, students, and school boards. Graphics were great and your voice was also clear.
As for the venture pitch, it would’ve been a lot easier for me to read if you could divide your paragraphs into sub-sections (e.g. What is iCloud?, Marketing, How it works, etc.). Adding some images could also help catching readers’ attention.
iCloud is a venture that I’d like to know more about as I was recently introduced to iCloud but still have no idea when and how to use it. You did a good job explaining how teachers can implement it to teaching.
Deb
David Berljawsky 7:20 am on December 3, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I’d just like to thank eveyone for the comments. I am aware that this may be seen as more of a research pitch then a venture pitch (if that is possible). My reasoning for completing the project this way is that, quite frankly I do not particularly like cloud computing and wanted to convince myself. I almost did.
Criticisms accepted, I am always guilty of trying to cram as much information as possible into anything, including pitches. This may come across as confusing, agreed. Although trying to fit what you want into a pitch is tough. I had to cut down on what I wanted to include.
However, I do need to comment on not using my face, or likeness in the video. This is me defending my project. I am aware that this is an elevator pitch, and we only have a short amount of time to promote our product. I am not comfortable using my likeness on screen, and on the internet. This is my choice, and I respectfully understand that perhaps some people do not agree with this choice and thus do not consider this an proper elevator pitch. However, the course description clearly states that we are required to “Create a short, media-rich “elevator pitch” (1 minute maximum, using any medium or tools that most persuasively conveys the essence of your venture)”. This is my medium of choice, and one that I believe conveys the essence of my venture. I can accept and respect criticisms of my content. However I respectfully disagre with those that are criticising my pitch because I chose a different medium that is percieved as untrustworthy and improper. I chose this medium because I believe that it best conveys the approach of a large (now) faceless corporation.
Thank you all for a great semester.
David Berljawsky