http://www.goknow.com/ The Venture: GoKnow Mobile Learning is a $20 million dollar software company that utilizes smartphones and other portable devices geared for k-12 educational purposes-school work (GoKnow). It allows students and teachers to engage in classroom assignments through the use of their mobile phones, as well as provides 1-1 computing. It also provides the necessary […]
Continue reading http://www.goknow.com/ The Venture: GoKn… Posted in: UncategorizedUncategorized Page 7RSS Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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jenaca
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Alice
Edufire: Object lesson in the necessity of focus
As an EVA, I found the Edufire pitch intriguing, but lacking sufficient focus to effectively differentiate it in the marketplace. As a learner, I gained new appreciation for the importance of focus for a pitch’s persuasiveness. The key differentiators of Edufire’s venture – live video learning and online language education (the venture’s current focus) – […]
Continue reading Edufire: Object lesson in the necessity of focus Posted in: Uncategorized -
ifeoma
I can’t view /read replies
Hi all, Does anyone know why I have not been able to view replies to posts? I keep getting the 404 error page each time I click on a reply to a post, including replies to my own posts. It seems to be working intermittently, or am I the only one it’s happening to? Ifeoma
Continue reading I can’t view /read replies Posted in: Uncategorized-
Everton Walker
It’s fine with me. Have you tried other browsers?
Everton
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ifeoma
Good thinking Everton, I will try other browsers. i use Chrome now, which I find more stable than IE or Firefox these days but I did find a work around which is going through “recent posts” link under “Home”.
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Jim
Try clicking on your browser’s “refresh” button after the page loads. Perhaps that will help? Otherwise, be sure to try different browsers as Everton suggests… one of these should work: IE, Firefox or Chrome…
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ifeoma
Thanks Jim, I tried that but it didn’t work. going through, “recent posts” link under Home seems to do it for now.
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mcquaid
Mine was a little glitchy last night as well, but in a different way – posts would show up in duplicate, and when I would use the browser’s scroll bar, the page title at the top would have (NaN) repeating on both ends, more and more as I scrolled. Weird.
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ifeoma
Well, I am glad, I am not the only who noticed. As a work around, I clicked on the “Recent Posts” link under “home” and selected the post I want and I can see the comments. I hope that helps for a while at least. In your case if you are using IE, you may want to shut it down and restart it.
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David Vogt
There have been some intermittent issues from different locations globally – if the symptoms persists take two aspirins and call the doctor in the morning. No, seriously, check with the weblog support folks – they’re pretty awesome usually, and get back to me if it isn’t resolved.
David
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ifeoma
Thanks for your prompt response David. Some good advice there(made me laugh out loud). I found a way around it hopefully, by going through “Recent posts” link, I see the entire list of posts and clicked the one I want and I can see my replies. I will definitely contact the weblog support if this work around proves ineffective eventually.
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Tamara Wong
WEbooks – a democratic publishing company
The CEO of WEbooks stood confidently in front of her company logo and gave a convincing elevator pitch about her company. She clearly outlined that there was no place for people inspiring to become writers and her solution is to create a program much like you tube where the merit of the writing (instead of […]
Continue reading WEbooks – a democratic publishing company Posted in: Uncategorized-
khenry
Hi Tamara,
I agree that information such as partnerships and affiliations are vital to a pitch. If expectations seem high and unattainable then this would definitely detract investors.Kerry-Ann
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Doug Smith
Hi Tamara,
What is your take on the $50B industry reference? I’m not entirely sure that I know what WeBook’s intention is. Are they hoping to take a large chunk of the market? Or are they wanting to take a large chunk of market share at a reduced selling price (ie offering a cheaper product)? When I think of WeBook I think of Wikipedia. Wikipedia upended the encyclopedia market and took market share, but they don’t really make money, at least not that I know of. Linux is similar, since it is released under an open license. However, Linux allows for corporations to take linux and package it into a retail product. Like
Wikipedia, I’m not sure the Linux developers get a cut from corporate revenues and sales.I would have liked to hear even a quick little sound bite on what WeBook wanted out of the market, rather than just to upend it.
cheers
Doug
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hall
The next generation Publisher “Webook” Elevator Pitch WEbook.com Elevator Pitch for Techcrunch It was remarkable to see a very detail presentation in 56 seconds . The presenter skillfully and carefully showcased her product and the benefits to consumers in a concise and effective way. The presentation was very appealing to me because I could automatically see […]
Continue reading The next generation Publisher “Webook” Elevator Pitch Posted in: Uncategorized-
Doug Smith
I thought the pitch was good too. However, the biggest question to me is whether they can actually sell books. It is very easy for a person to go to Wikipedia and quickly see if they like the product: they either get the information they are looking for, or they don’t. Likewise with Ebay. However, for a person to catch on to WeBook, they need to invest money (ie buy the books) and then spend days or weeks reading the book to see if they quality is there. I imagine that WeBook would have to use very aggressive pricing in the final product to sell their books.
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David William Price
Wikipedia and Linux rely on community development, building on existing work, curating the product, forking when there are disagreements, and sharing freely. I really didn’t get how rebook compares to those at all.
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Angela Novoa
It seems that in the future, relying on the development of creative commons and the existence of the tools you mentioned, authoring will be shared and free. Something similar happens with music industry. Today, bands are presenting shows in every part of the world because of the existence of online networks were you can hear free music and the decrease in record sales.
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Keisha Edwards-Hamilton
Edufire promotes online interactive video learning. Problems many students experience with traditional teaching methods and some online solutions were identified from the onset of this pitch. The solution is very clear. The presenter offered edufire, an interactive live video learning technology that is clear, convenient and high service quality which is what the market really […]
Continue reading https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4yvnSAoT… Posted in: Uncategorized-
Karen Jones
I agree that this pitch is clearly presented, and I had a good idea of what Edufire was about after the first viewing. However, the presenter’s resemblance to the character of Ryan (B. J. Novak) on the U. S. version of the t.v. show, “The Office”, distracted me somewhat, along with feeling that he was going to start guffawing at certain points during the presentation. The concept of “renting”teaching space online is interesting, along with the creation of online learner communities, but I wonder who is responsible for bringing the students together with the teacher, and how well that works.
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Keisha Edwards-Hamilton
Karen,
The concept seems current and many online students and teachers will welcome learning environments of this type.
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kstooshnov
Wow, Karen,
I’ve watched this pitch a couple time, but now that you mention the Ryan Howard connection, I can’t take it seriously anymore. Guess he can’t help bearing a slight resemblance to the mischievous Office temp, but on the other hand, why not play up on this questionable advantage if he does?
I’d also like to question him, were I the EVA, on why he feels he has the first-mover advantage, keeping in mind David Shore’s advice on “no competition” being a potential deal-breaker. Why would students want to go one-on-one on-line when they stand a better chance of learning a language from other classmates who don’t seem to be present in eduFire?
Kyle
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David William Price
He makes a lot of vague claims but doesn’t back it up with details on costs, profits etc. How does his solution work better than existing solutions?
What would attract “world class experts”? What do I get out of teaching? THis sounds similar to a website for renting gurus that was out awhile back… and it died out when LinkedIn came in. Why not just use LinkedIn to connect with experts then hire them directly? Why should anyone take a cut?
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Keisha Edwards-Hamilton
Good questions David, however, I am yet to see how one would create an elevator pitch that would provide answers to questions like these.
Keisha
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Keisha Edwards-Hamilton
Learning Coach: 2011 Top Trends
I chose to look at the learning coach “Learning Technology Trends To Watch In 2011” since we are in the midst of a technological revolution. The world of education is being revolutionised as a result of the influx of digital technologies. This article introduces readers to new digital technologies for teaching and learning such as […]
Continue reading Learning Coach: 2011 Top Trends Posted in: Uncategorized-
Everton Walker
Very much so. Technology has unleashed the tightened grip on learning and is now providing learners with many choices. I can use this experience with UBC as the perfect example. Through technology, I am not confined to any classroom or any set environment; but can now learn at my convenience.
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Keisha Edwards-Hamilton
Quite so Everton!
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mcquaid
Hi, Keisha.
You are right about how these new technologies can move technology to places where people want them (and sometimes when they want them, too). I was less impressed with the article than you, though, I think. I wanted more from the author in terms of information, suggestions, and sources.
Cheers,
Stephen
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Alice
ZDnet’s uneven 2011 predictions
Christopher Dawson and Adam Garry each offer 5 predictions to make up the ZDNet Top 10 EdTech predictions for 2011. Dawson is the ZDNet education blogger and vice-president of marketing for WizIQ, an online learning platform, while Garry is manager of global professional learning for Dell. While Dawson interviewed Garry for his predictions, Dawson remains […]
Continue reading ZDnet’s uneven 2011 predictions Posted in: Uncategorized, Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace-
David William Price
Nice work. It seems a common problem that some people are gadget focused. I suppose in the Ed Tech realm this is similar to people who are “solution focused” meaning they don’t do a proper needs analysis to determine what the problems are and what root causes should be addressed.
I suspect the issue that “solutions-focused” people miss is the prerequisites of the community. Until a community has the required foundations in place (comfort level, supports, awareness of the problems that can be solved, willingness to take the risks required by the solution, etc.), a technology is not going to have much effect. With the proper foundations, a very basic technology can have huge effects. Without the proper foundations, an advanced technology can be a huge waste of resources.
The disconnect between futurists and users is the failure to develop the necessary community.
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Everton Walker
You are so right about persons being gadget focused. It is just frightening sometimes at the way we focus on the end product and ignore the process. Persons of that nature ignore the natural power of the brain and think that a piece of gadget must be involved in every task. There must always be a balance in the learning situation where we go beyond the gadget and even try and get more from it than its prescribed use.
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Jay
Might this ‘community’ be better developed with more inclusion of learner’s in the needs assessment process? While this likely less possible in child education it is a key principle in adult education. I think in the case of some of the new technologies, the learners are left out of the needs assessment and developing process which can lead to missing root causes of the problems. As David mentions if a community of learners does not feel safe, supported or willing to take required risk, new technology is unlikely to solve the problem that stems from these deeper foundations.
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Allie
Hi David and Jay,
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments on my post! I’m in full agreement with you that the absence of a needs-assessment – or in this case the notion that needs assessment is paramount – is a real issue with the gadget or solutions-focused crowd. Thanks for hitting that one on the head :). I do find that Garry, whose predictions focus on shifts in education, is quite different from Dawson in this regard.
I wonder if somehow doing needs assessment *for* the gadget crowd could be a venture in and of itself?
Something that I like in both of your honing in on the idea of the community is that learning communities are diverse (amongst themselves, never mind within a given community), and no single technology will fit all. I suppose that’s why I feel a little uncomfortable with some of the overwhelming tablet enthusiasm.
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Jay
Good observation. The diversity of learners in a given learning community presents a problem with the one-size fits all approach and requires educators to consider multi-faceted technologies that attempt to encompass different styles of learning…and teaching!
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Jim
Wow! You said it all when you wrote “I’ll have to do a lot of legwork to see their applicability to educational practice.” Exactly and well put. I think this is the challenge for all teachers who wish to effectively use the avalanche of technology currently being purchased for schools. I wish a larger portion of the budgets would go towards paying for ongoing, long term support and professional development so teachers can wield these tools in precise and purposeful ways in their classrooms.
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Can a "gadget guy" also be an "education guy"? | ZDNet
[…] read a very interesting critique of one of my articles the other day. A student at the University of British Columbia reviewed my “Top 10 Ed Tech predictions for 2011″ and concluded that the piece, a […]
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Christopher Dawson
Just wanted to share my roundabout response to your post:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/education/can-a-gadget-guy-also-be-an-education-guy/4692Your points are well-taken and I especially like the idea you noted in the comments above about a business model around educational technology needs assessments. I often go back to the good old SDLC (and mention it in the presentation I embedded in my response) – but how many technical project managers make it into education? Not many, meaning there is a large, unmet need for people to handle at least the early parts of the lifecycle around defining problems and requirements.
Thanks again for your great post. While the blog format (and time constraints) don’t often allow for as much background or on-the-ground perspectives as I’d like, I’ll try to keep your critique in mind and include more “how does this impact student achievement and educational practice?” sorts of information in my posts.
Best,
Chris -
Can a "gadget guy" also be an "education guy"?
[…] read a very interesting critique of one of my articles the other day. A student at the University of British Columbia reviewed my “Top 10 Ed Tech predictions for 2011″ and concluded that the piece, a combination […]
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Can a “gadget guy” also be an “education guy”? – ZDNet (blog) | News In world
[…] read a very interesting critique of one of my articles the other day. A student at the University of British Columbia reviewed my “Top 10 Ed Tech predictions for 2011″ and concluded that the piece, a combination […]
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Adam Garry
I agree with Chris about the blog format because we talked for a while about my predictions and he showed a deep understanding for how the learning conversation must come first. In regards to a needs assessment, I believe it is critical in the process of determining what problem the technologies can help to solve. We actually engage in visioning days with school districts to help them determine what they want learning to look like and then begin to figure out if technology is a good fit to help them achieve their vision. The best part about this process is that we involve students in the conversation and their voice is very powerful. Thanks for keeping the conversation alive.
AG
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Everton Walker
Posted in: Uncategorized, Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace -
David Vogt
A Good Crowd
Well, our first week is nearly done and almost everyone is aboard! Thanks everyone for your introductions and conviviality. It looks like we`ll be a fine mob. It also seems that everyone has revved up on our blog workspace without any trouble, but if you have any problems or questions, don`t hesitate to ask. Tonight […]
Continue reading A Good Crowd Posted in: Announcements, Uncategorized, Week 01: Introductions
Adam Garry, 
verenanz 7:42 am on September 27, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Jenaca!
Great work. I still can’t quite figure out what the founders want to “do” with their product, so I will go and check out the website. Both of these founders have a solid educational and tech base. It sounds like a “safe” product for teachers who are intimidated by technology or those who question privacy and security issues…I’m curious and want to know more….Good job!
Juliana 8:56 am on September 27, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Jeneca,
Great analysis. I also was wondering how cost-effective it would be to implement this into the classroom. The public school system is already tapped for funds and this sounds like an expensive option. I think it is interesting that one of the founders was actually a school teacher. I don’t think you find that a lot. Also, I was wondering about what the digital divide was like with respect to mobile technologies. I know that most students have a computer, but do they all have phones, iPads, Blackberry etc. to support this technology? I am out of the classroom right now, so I am not sure if all students have access to such mobile technologies.
Juliana.
schiong 11:34 am on September 27, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
“From increased test scores to improved classroom behavior, GoKnow Advanced Mobile Learning offers a myriad of benefits that will propel your school district to new levels of academic achievement. Plus, students will be excited to jump into the curriculum because they can access it through the technology they already use and love! ” (http://www.goknow.com/index.html?pg=about)
I speculate that what the company is offering is more on supplements. .. something like Enopi and Kumon. But, what makes this different is that it is done through mobile.
$20M is a lot of money. I am curious about how they would position the product/service considering that what they offer is not entirely unique or can easily be duplicated.
bcourey 4:00 pm on September 27, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Amazingly, my school board was involved in a project with GoKnow and we had the founder, Elliot fly to our board and work with us in our Pocket PC project using the old (but not that many years ago) Palm Pilots for mobile learning…they are so outdated now!! Elliot’s company was extremely supportive and helpful. We purchased a software/tools package for the project and Elliot was just a phone call away for any of our questions. Their PD for our teachers was excellent and was followed by several video-conferences and 2 support staff from his team flew to Ontario to visit our schools later in the year. Not sure what they offer today compared to the product and service back then ( about 7 years ago).
Angela Novoa 4:20 pm on September 27, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Brenda, thanks for sharing your experience. I also wanted to know more how GoKnow works out. I imagine that the tools that they now offer are different from the software you received but, from your description we can have an idea about it.
Angela.
jenaca 5:56 am on September 28, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hey Brenda, that sounds very interesting! Thanks for sharing! I wasn’t sure how the program would work in classrooms but it sounds like it was a great experience for you!! I will definitely read more up on it and find out more about their software!!
David William Price 5:22 pm on September 29, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I watched a few minutes of his pitch video on the homepage and have to say I was not impressed. Within 2:15 his basic pitch was that every kid will have a cell phone and kids think anything without “interactivity” is boring. To me, this raises the classic Clark vs Kozma debate. “Boring” comes from poor pedagogy, not from the lack of technology. If an entrepreneur is unable to quickly get to the point and describe the problem they are solving, I don’t give much credit to their pitch. I’m not keen on raising generations of kids who are unable to practice anxiety management skills to learn how to learn and work their way through problems using their minds. Gadgets are great tools, but tools are about efficiency and do not replace effective problem-solving heuristics. Part of problem-solving is the requirement to manage anxiety well enough to work through a proper thinking process and identify areas that require effort to learn.