cunnian
Here is my elevator pitch describing forEvernote (please click beside the yellow arrows for audio!) and my forEvernote venture pitch. forEvernote is a new vision for and extension of the popular Evernote program to allow teachers to create portfolios that follow students though their education from kindergarten to grade 12. I hope that you enjoy! […]
Continue reading forEvernote perpetual portfolios Posted in: Venture Forum Co-Founders: Nicholas Borg and Jeff O’Hara Venture: Edmodo Photo source: Xconomy Edmodo is an educational microblogging site which affords students and teachers to collaborate in a private environment. It was co-founded in 2008 by Nic Borg (CEO) and Jeff O’Hara (Co-owner) as a means to incorporate a social media element to mainstream education, while nonetheless […]
Continue reading Edmodo Posted in: General, Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
I have personally used Edmodo for years in my class, and love the mobile app as well. I am aware that Edmodo provides more sophisticated services for a fee, but was unaware that they are a for-profit venture.
With that in mind, I also wonder how the potential inclusion of a more sophisticated fee structure, or advertising might influence those 8 million plus users…
Thoughts?
Edmodo seems to be right on the button of taking Social Media into schools and using it as a driving vehicle to leverage technology to provide education for the 21st century classroom.
In fact, I am curious as to whether our class, or for that matter any class could be taught through the use of Edmodo as the underlying technological platform facilitating online content delivery, social interaction, and tracking.
Tom, do you think that for example, you could use Edmodo to deliver a financial literacy module for your class, using content that is already available online? Any shortcomings to using such an approach, and suggestions on how they could be overcome?
My two risk concerns for this venture are 1) Whether social media moguls such as FB or Google Plus could create spinoffs to outcompete Edmodo, if Edmodo’s success grabs their attention and they decide to enter education technology. 2) I’m dubious about marketing/advertisement as revenue sources for educational products. Mainly because learning requires focus, and advertising disrupts it.
As for the founders Jeff and Nicholas, they’re clearly doing somethings right as their venture is gaining in prestige and popularity. Whether they have the right stuff to go from entrepreneur to CEO remains to be seen.
So far, so good..
I also wonder if Google+ has the potential to steal Edmodo’s userbase. Apparently, Google Apps has 40 million active users and is used in 61 of the top 100 schools (I just plucked that off the Internet, it came from a report in US News & World Report) but they only rolled Google+ into it less than a year ago. With tons more schools preparing to move over to GApps (like mine) it seems silly not to use it. While Edmodo does include all sorts of assessment and tracking tools, for example, you can make your own quizzes and so on, you can do a lot of the same things without much more difficulty using google forms. I believe there is a lot of potential for social networks in the classroom for sure. I set up a social network for our grade 5 classes about 5 years ago using an open source product called Elgg. Even after the novelty wore off, the kids were still on there all the time and using it for things I had never imagined–creating discussion groups to share their passions for horses and LEGO and all sorts of stuff. But today, the kids ant my school are divided between a whole punch of overlapping software, Weebly, the school blogging platform, Managebac, the school unit planner, WCBS, the school gradebook, FirstClass, the school email system and then their own stuff on Facebook and all the rest. A move to a single platform like Google Apps will reduce the hassle of multiple sign-ons in a big way and make it way easier for them to keep track of their online world. I could never sell Edmodo in a situation like this and I bet that’s the same in a lot of places.
Interesting inquiry. Our school actually uses many of the embedded features within Edmodo to instruct our students in Information Technology, through the use of this social platform, we instruct students how to be proper within online environments, as well as managing an entire class with no physical paper. We have been quite successful with this approach.
Currently, our school is looking at many options for an online learning environment. I have recently posted about Schoology as another one of these LMS’s that seems to have grown out of necessity to have ‘one stop shopping’. Teachers are looking for it all when it comes to online class management and collaboration tools, and the ability to not only view paperless student work but to comment on it, grade it and access it anywhere.
The Facebook feel of both Edmodo and Schoology is what concerns me the most, as many parents have voiced concerns in our school over the use of Facebook and sharing student files in the cloud.
It is all a learning opportunity, and as Tom put it, we can embed information into these platforms to help alleviate the concern and proactively promote positive online behaviours.
Hi there,
I personally loved using Edmodo. I had tried Twiducate before that and like most of it…but it was incredibly slow. I was cautioned though through discussion with the Department of Education in my province. They were concerned about the content being hosted outside of our own servers. They said that we could continue to use it as long as there was no identifiable information anywhere on the site. Not even the school’s or my name. They were also concerned about the intellectual content stored there. Reading through the information it seemed as though the authors would be protected. However, the concern was if the company was bought out or shut down…what would then happen with those resources. Good questions to consider.
Ken
The privacy issue is indeed a sensitive one. It is interesting that working in the public system last year I would not have been able to use Edmodo, but now being in the private system it is permitted with some stipulations (close reading and disclosure of the terms of service is a big part of the solution). I wonder how many schools are currently looking for LMSs and running into this problem… does this favour the use of Moodle and others which can be stored locally? There’s a segment of the market that Edmodo can’t tap into.
Hello, My name is John Cunnian and I am a science and French teacher at an independent IB school on Vancouver Island. This is my 8th course in the MET program and I plan on finishing by August of next year. Between teaching and my Masters program, I am also into running and rock climbing. […]
Continue reading Hello from the island! Posted in: Week 01: Introductions
Hey John,
I would love to pick your brain about IB schools. I’ve been interested in them for some time. I’m currently working in a public school in bc, but have always wanted to do more teaching internationally and have heard good things about IB schools in general.
Cheers,
Rebecca
Hi Rebecca,
I just made the move to this school after teaching in the public system for the last 7 years. So far the learning curve (whatever that is) is quite steep, but I can already see the value of it. Please feel free to pick my brain, but maybe wait a couple moths for things to ‘congeal’ in my mind a little more.
John
Hi John,
As a parent of two kids myself, I was wondering if you could share some advice on how you have handled your previous MET classes. Last year I spent one or two nights doing my readings and then on the weekend I attended my six hour Masters class every other Saturday (if you read my intro you will see I wasn’t in MET but another department). The “off” Saturday I would do my Master’s work and spent Sunday with my family. Understanding that this online platform is quite different than attending a class, do you find it is better to do some work each night? Or can I check in each night and then do the majority of work/study/readings on the weekends? I am just a bit worried as this week once I have put my kids to bed and completed necessary work for my daytime job, I have not had much time left. Any advice would be appreciated… Thanks, Jen
I have no real method… I work on it when I have any spare time; usually after the kids are in bed. I usually check in on some postings during the day and kind of mull them over until the evening. The asynchronous nature of this program, to me, makes it much more manageable. That said, there have been many late night along the way. You’ll find a rhythm soon.
Hope that helps!
John
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jenbarker 8:20 pm on November 25, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
John ~ Not sure if you saw my fictional venture but it is very similar. Maybe this speaks to the market need, eh?
cunnian 8:55 pm on November 25, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Jen,
I just saw yours and, yes, I do think that the market is speaking! There are a few others who are also pitching portfolio-related ventures as well. Funny how that happened!
John
jenbarker 11:14 am on November 26, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi John,
I liked your Elevator Pitch. I felt it caught my attention and I was interested to hear more. I might suggest taking out the statement “Who cares?’ and instead write something more positive like “the key to best assessment”. You Venture pitch covered most of the crucial tenets of a pitch. I felt you could have expanded on the credibility and championship of the CEO and team. In terms of Marketing I don’t think you would need “buy-in” from every teacher. I think each teacher, school or district could choose to use the program and then their thoughts would spread whether or not it was worthy to use. I was unsure of your plan. What were you specifically asking of the investors? Money or ? I liked how you said why they should invest but what would they get in return. Overall, a great venture concept. Thanks for sharing, Jen
avninder 2:36 pm on November 26, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
cunnian,
Your elevator pitch did a great job of suggesting that we leverage existing technology for an educationally sound reason. I think there is a lot of potential in your proposal.
joeltremblay 4:06 pm on November 26, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I really like the presentation that you used in Prezi. In fact, some of my students use it for their portfolio’s because of the unique way the visuals are presented.
joeltremblay 4:08 pm on November 26, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
The venture was complete and informative as well. It felt well thought out. Good work.
Jonathan 9:05 pm on November 26, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
John –
Love the idea of extending an existing idea and turning it into something more. You hit the nail on the head in your “Why Invest In Us” section by mentioning that Evernote already has a large user base and could benefit from this idea moving forward. Great venture concept — and well presented in both your Prezi and your webpage. You should bring this one forward. I’m starting to like the idea of portfolios more and more…
— Jonathan
tomwhyte1 9:25 am on November 27, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
To facilitate and objectively review the venture pitch you have put forward, I will be utilizing the guidelines provided within our course, Section 2.7 – Deconstructing a Pitch.
CEO & Team:
After having gone through the elevator pitch, including the formal venture pitch used to introduce forEvernote, I am confident of the CEO, based upon his ability to effectively and efficiently convey the overall and specific ideas of this venture. As for the rest of the management team, there is not specific information regarding individuals or positions tied to this venture. Without this information, it is hard to determine, beyond the CEO, if this product will be successfully launched, or if key elements/positions have been overlooked, dooming this interesting product to failure.
Venture Concept:
The overall concept of forEvernote is not an original idea, but a natural extension of educational theories and Internet applications, a product that attempts to positively merge each to create a meaningful assessment tool for todays modern classroom. Furthermore, it is clear that the CEO for this venture, clearly researched and understands the need of this product. Especially considering the fact that this tool, like all other tools, are only as effective as the person who wields it. As evidenced in recent research focusing on ePortfolios:
If students do not accept the e-portfolio as a holistic means with which to document their learning in different contexts and more importantly, agree or wish to use the e-portfolio as an integral part of their educational experience, then the potential impact the e-portfolio will have on learning will not be realised. (http://www.cjlt.ca/index.php/cjlt/article/view/97)
An issue that forEvernote overcomes with the recognition that professional development is necessary for this tool to become successful. Overall, I find this venture interesting and would pursue further research into this area.
Marketability:
The actual marketability of this venture was not provided, leaving potential investors wondering about this ventures true market size, potential share, and overall need within the K-12 educational system. Secondly, from the information provided, forEvernote will be applying an innovative approach to the market, which if found successful, they will have a momentary lead on their competitors, however over the long run, these innovations will be easily duplicated, reducing their market share and revenue. Especially considering the fact that Evernote themselves are exploring this reality themselves, as evidenced here: http://evernotefolios.wordpress.com/
Venture Plan:
At this time, no specific market readiness timeline has been provided, creating concerns about their ability to enter the market before or after other competitors, which will influence greatly their overall market share. Secondly, it is important to note that Evernote follows a freemium model to generate revenue to keep the company running, however, at this time, forEvernote has not provided any information regarding their companies economic model, a key piece of information that would need to be looked into at a later date.
Overall though, this venture shows promise, and should be further reviewed.
visramn 12:23 pm on November 28, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hello,
Great idea. There is definitely a Market for this product. I think you made good use of the means you used for presenting your ideas. They were both visually and aesthetic. I also really like the titles you used in your Prezi. this product is to be used with kids. Hence, the terminology you used was reflective of your market.. Good strategy.
I have used Evernote and am a fan. I felt that your extension to this product was portrayed well and that it is a good idea. I thought you could have expanded a but on the actual market and how you envision this product being introduced into the marker. Other than that, you did well.
Thank you for sharing.
Nureen
sophiabb 11:37 am on November 29, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi John,
Great idea to expand on a current product. Your problem and solution were clearly outlined. I would have liked to see more/some information on marketing, the specific ask in monetary terms and investor returns. Overall a good presentation of your idea.
Sophia
Pat A Son 4:55 pm on November 29, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Your pitches were quite an eye opener for me. I wish I had an extended portfolio of my years at school from k-12 to the tertiary level.
Great idea.
Patason
kstackhouse 10:06 pm on November 29, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Interesting idea. I feel that there is a market for this in some format. I have found that the e-portfolios that many MET courses have been much more meaningful for me than the boring hard version I have on my shelf. I am interested to know how teachers would respond to this format. I know that at the high school level we groan when the middle school portfolios make their way to our school. As you mentioned, this is not necessarily the best method to monitor growth and view the collection of work a student has accomplished.
Your prezis was well laid out. You moved the viewer along nicely. The audio was a little low, but was a good addition over the basic text. The website, was informative and easy to navigate. I might not be ready to invest, but know Evernote and the need for a portfolio solution I would want to sit and have another meeting with you.
melissaayers 2:14 pm on November 30, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi John,
Overall I think it’s a great idea, professional presentation and I love evernote as a tool. I agree and echo like many others in the courses that student portfolio’s can easily add authenticity to education for students.
However as an EVA I am not sure I would invest in this venture for the following reasons. I do not get an idea of how this is different to other products on the market (if they exist?). Nor do I understand who or how this solution is going to be implemented/created. And finally as an investor I am not sure what you are not asking for nor what returns I might expect to receive for it.
Thanks
Melissa
frank 12:18 am on December 1, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi John,
I liked your Prezi, ominous clouds notwithstanding 😉
I think where as Jen’s presentation focused on Evernote’s competitive needs, yours did a good job at showing how a portfolio would be a good and natural need of students in today and in the future. Good paper link by TomWhyte1 about the perception and network externality dimensions of this venture idea. I think you have a good target market with students and if they become too difficult to reach (school /provincial resistance etc), you can market it to other groups still and be successful. I think you have something good here, merge with Jen et al. and more importantly, go for it!
Scott 1:35 pm on December 2, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
John your pitch is fine work. As I reviewed your website, which is among the preferred mediums I find for venture pitches, each of the questions I had in mind, such as the all important issue of privacy, were all answered. I even found myself filling in other concerns you noted, for example in many cases the camera phones most students have in their pocket would lessen the need for in school scanners.
Your choice of Prezi for the elevator was sound in my opinion, though from a purely design point of view, I found some of the colored type challenging to read and I felt the background did not serve the topic well – in the end these are minor tweaks which could be accomplished in minutes.
As we move to ever technology infused classrooms and schools with BYOD programs, I think you have a very valid concept here which is certainly worth perusing.