Chat bout – a mobile language learning app
Hello all,
Chat bout is a mobile and internet language learning app that delivers specified instruction to speakers of two languages, the main objective being to transpose between dual languages that exist within a country. In Jamaica the focus will be how to transpose between Standard English and Patois (the native language of Jamaica), the inability of which has been linked to reduced chances at success at passes or excelling in exams that are needed to access tertiary level education for example CSEC and CAPE examinations.
Please follow the link below to view my elevator pitch.
To view my venture pitch view
KHenry Assignment 3 Venture Pitch (97-2003)
Kerry-Ann
Posted in: Week 13: Venture Forum
Juliana 11:32 am on November 28, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Kerry-Ann,
I am afraid I had some issues opening up your venture pitch. Can you please email it to me at sjc.met@gmail.com?
Thanks,
Juliana.
kstooshnov 1:25 pm on November 28, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Kerry-Ann
Me too, but it is more to do with my old-fashioned laptop (only came out in 2006!) not being able to read .docx files. I will be able to download it off the school’s computer when I go there on Tuesday.
Looking forward to reading more about chat bout,
Kyle
khenry 8:35 am on November 30, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hey Juliana and Kyle,
Juliana I sent you an email with a new (97-2003) format. I also changed the version in my post to reflect this new format. Hopes this helps. If you still have problems please let me know.
Kerry-Ann
Kristopher 11:48 am on November 28, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Kerry-Ann,
Very interesting venture! I have always found it so interesting how different forms of English develop into their own, without considering the repercussions of being outside of the mainstream. To improve on your pitch, I would have liked to have seen some mock-ups of how you imagine the product looking/feeling. It would be helpful to envision people using the product.
Cheers,
Kristopher
khenry 2:16 pm on November 30, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks for your comments Kristopher. This is indeed valuable and I did try to get screen shots for a few examples but they proved problematic. Perhaps in lieu of that, apart from the email contact, I could also have provided a link to view examples since the shots were not apparent. However, given the knowledge of context of the app, I played on the confidence that targeted investors and partners would have enough cultural knowledge and would have been piqued enough to request a meeting or further info.
Kerry-Ann
Jim 5:17 pm on November 28, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Kerry-Ann!
I learned something from your elevator pitch! I was not aware of the difficulties that some Jamaicans have learning standard English… I think your idea is great. In the elevator pitch, which I thought was very well produced, sometimes there is not enough time to read everything on the screen. But, then I thought, instead of lengthening the video why not cut out some of the information in the elevator pitch? The info about the CEOs is great but perhaps better for the longer Venture Pitch? I think if you briefly describe how it would work, how it would help (which you do) and how it would be a valuable investment, then I think you are good.
khenry 2:34 pm on November 30, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Jim,
Thanks for your comments.
I agree with you and did think of that when I ran it but here was my philosophy: I watched quite a few pitches and thought, ‘if i’ve never heard of you/your credibility why would I even give you a second thought’. So I gambled that the pitch would have been engaging enough and that all information would have there so if they wanted they could go back and perhaps freeze frame if they really, really, needed to (had to keep it in one minute). Does that seem plausible? I debated with it for a long time. I went over it a few times after viewing your comments and I will try another option.
Kerry-Ann
Everton Walker 8:06 pm on November 28, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Kerry,
Loving the chat bout concept. I am ready to invest as our students are failing to make the distinction between the two languages. I think like seriously, we need to come up with more innovative ideas to combat this problem as it is prevalent at the tertiary level too.
Everton
khenry 2:35 pm on November 30, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks Everton. So true. It’s something I have been thinking about for a while now and it is something that needs to be addressed in a new way indeed.
Kerry-Ann
Allie 5:23 pm on November 29, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hey Kerry-Ann!
Awesome. What a terrific concept, narrowly defined and eminently doable. I’m wondering who might be buying the app? school boards? schools? national level? individuals? Like Jim, I had a little problem reading all of the text; I think he’s right that maybe some of the info could also be reserved for the VP?
cheers, A
khenry 2:39 pm on November 30, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Allie,
Thanks for your comments. You can scroll up too see my comments to Jim (rather than repeat here). I did also include in the VP. Thanks.
That’s the great think about the App. It will be accessed and purchased by both individuals and schools. It has the potential to be a national initiative indeed. Thanks.
Kerry-Ann
Tamara Wong 8:33 pm on November 29, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Kerry-Ann,
I really like the Chat bout concept! Like Jim I had no clue that some Jamaicans had difficulties learning standard English. Your elevator pitch was enticing and made me want to learn more but as others said there is a little too much information and not enough time to read it in your video. It could be eliminated from your elevator pitch and put into your venture pitch. In your venture pitch I really appreciated how you explained your reasons for using cell phones and the various plans you created for your app. It seems as if you thought of everything in making this accessible to your market, including partnering with cell phone companies to help with texting costs. I think your usage of text messages is brilliant, it has the potential to provide students with authentic materials every day. Your approach lends itself to constructivism. After I finished reading your venture pitch I realized that you could expand this market from Jamaicans to all English users with some changes! Your market size would grow exponentially and from an ESL teacher perspective would provide an opportunity for students to use English everyday! I love you concept and would like to know more about it!
Tamara
khenry 2:43 pm on November 30, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Tamara,
Thanks for your comments. I agree with the wordiness of the CEO slide, the philosophy of which I shared in my reply to Jim above, please scroll up. I would like to hear what you think about it.
I did think of the expanded market indeed. Thanks for adding the theoretical and contextual concepts and applications.
Kerry-Ann
carmen 12:08 pm on November 30, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Great job on the pitches, Kerry-Ann!
Interesting idea to go into the non-smart phone market to target at risk groups, where improving their education can improve their quality of life . Going mobile allows learners to review short lessons on the go. It sounds like you will have to first convince a mobile provider to be your partner. I wonder if there are similar existing business partnership models that we could refer to.
khenry 2:49 pm on November 30, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Carmen,
Thanks for your comments.
The 60/40 share revenue split is part of my ‘pulling factor’ for the mobile partners. While there hasn’t been anything of the nature of what I am proposing, they have engaged in partnerships in which they typically use a 65/35 share revenue scheme. However, I have and will continue to search to see if I find anything reflective of the desired partnership.
Kerry-Ann
verenanz 10:31 pm on November 30, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Kerry-Ann!
Well done – I couldn’t see the Elevator Pitch as I am in China…but your analysis was very well done. I question what makes it different form any ohter translating App…but it seems to be its educational focus on “strict” language? Good job.
khenry 4:50 am on December 3, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thank you Verena. Great job yourself! Good luck with your venture. Hope it is going well.
Thank you for your question. The app is different from a translating app. A translating app says the meaning in one language to another. This app indeed looks at strict language but also identifies common mistakes and corrective mechanisms through understanding the difference between uses and contexts within the two languages.
Does this provide further clarity?
Kerry-Ann
Juliana 6:49 pm on December 1, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Kerry-Ann,
I had a look at your venture pitch and I thought it was pretty thorough. I also liked the fact that you chose a medium that would work well in Jamaica and the Caribbean. I thought that was a great idea. So many times software or ventures have been created without thinking about the audience. In addition, you also have some numbers to back up your venture too. I also like the fact that you were looking to fit all the different phones out there. That is my biggest pet peeve with having a BlackBerry. Everyone goes on and on about how apps are the greatest thing in the world, but there is nothing really made for BlackBerry. It looks like you have thought of this and are making efforts to make sure that your venture will fit the different mobile phones out there.
Thanks,
Juliana.
khenry 4:54 am on December 3, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Juliana,
Thank you for your comments. Interoperability is indeed an essential consideration in the venture. I also have a BlackBerry and I feel the same as you :-). There are also users who do not have smartphones who are even more out of the loop in accessing such products and services.
Kerry-Ann
Allie 5:21 pm on December 2, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
After reading your venture pitch, I remain convinced that Chat Bout is an original and wonderful idea. if it can effectively improve language performance in English, I’m certain that many people will want to use it – and that many schools and government and corporate training programs will also want it for students (in the case of schools) and professional development. Your figures on mobile use in Jamaica convince me that the potential market is vast – and that this is the ideal technology to deliver learning to them. You have me convinced on the three crucial things…
is there a need? yes
is there a want? yes
is this the right technology for the context? yes
Fantastic! In my investor role, I say, let’s make this happen.
As an investor/reviewer, I find I’m wanting to know more about the content of the lessons – my sense from your pitch is that the problem isn’t the amount of lessons the students already get, it’s that their delivery and design perhaps needs to be re-thought to work more effectively. I want to know how these lessons on chat bout might work – what are the language learning and instructional design principles that you’re drawing on; how do they best take advantage of the affordances of mobile technology?
As an investor/reviewer, I’m also wondering – are there any models we can built off of? Are there successful similar technologies that we might emulate features of – or things we might want to avoid?
As a Canadian investor/reviewer, I’m wondering if maybe you could use US dollar figures throughout? (I say USD because it seems to operate as a kind of gold standard, and is perhaps the most easily grasped by international audiences).
Lastly, there was a book published a few years ago titled something like ‘the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid’. the title sounds pretty exploitative, but I think that the overall idea has to do with developing ventures that genuinely enhance life for the 80% who make up the bottom of the global economic pyramid; this is a viable market to cater to. That work may be useful for case studies, strategy development, or interesting reading.
best regards, Allie
khenry 4:58 am on December 3, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Allie,
Thank you for your comments and questions which will add further weight to my proposal. Great questions. These will definitely be answered in a longer proposal. I will definitely include converted figures but my initial pitch was aimed locally.
Kerry-Ann
David Berljawsky 7:55 am on December 3, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Kerry-Ann,
Great, great idea and pitch.
Things that stood out for me: Your research was excellent. It was obvious that you had a passion for the product. Your paper was organized in a way that was easy to read, and easy to find the relevant information. I liked the fact that you included media in the paper, this made the venture easier to understand and by providing a visual it made it seem more real to me.
Your elevator pitch was well designed with a great voice over and music. My only critique was that there was too much information in there, I did the same thing for my pitch. It’s really tough to narrow things down.
I thought that it was a great idea to target Jamaica, and concentrate on the needs of students there. It provided me with more of an understanding of the project this way. It seemed to be more influencial this way.
Excellent project!
David;
khenry 8:37 pm on December 3, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi David,
Thanks for your comments. I agree that the elevator pitch had a lot of information. I battled with how best to include ‘the essential’ elements and the best way to present in the given time. In the end I gave in and hoped that there was enough hook that persons would either watch again and freeze frame or contact anyway. I wanted to be safe rather than sorry and at least have ‘everything’. After such great analysis and comments and watching everyone’s pitches I have some new ideas on how to improve this.
Thanks for taking the time to review it.
Kerry-Ann
themusicwoman 7:52 pm on December 3, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Dear Kerry-Ann,
Wow. Great concept. Like it. As others have mentioned, had no idea about the issues Jamaican people would have with English language. Your elevator pitch was very rich with information and I was a little overwhelmed with it but my engagement level was high so I simply watched it again! You certainly had my attention.
As for your venture pitch, what a fabulous professional document. It was easy to find sections as they were clearly laid out. You have identified a product, explained it, and laid out the niche that it is to fit into. You’ve identified the need and it is clear for me as an investor, that there would be a demand for it. Of course, that would be if I were a Jamaican investor! As it is, I bet there would be some North American companies that would be interested 🙂
I enjoyed the visuals employed in your venture outline. Again, the clearly organized sections are to be commended. I think you’ve hit it bang on in three areas: great application with a clear solution to a problem, a very clearly organized pitch and the fact that the technology that is available here and now to implement it.
Thanks.
michelle
khenry 8:43 pm on December 3, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Michelle,
Thank you for your comments and taking the time to review my project. And thank you for rewatching the pitch and letting me know that it had a hook that encouraged you to look at it again to recap anything you had missed. As I said to David, I battled with how best to include ‘the essential’ elements and the best way to present in the given time. I did think it may have been too much information but hoped there was enough hook that persons would either watch again and freeze frame or contact anyway if it was too quick or too much. I really appreciate your comments as they and others (along with viewing other pitches) have given me more thoughts and insight on how to improve it.
Thanks
Kerry-Ann