Hey everyone.
For our forecasting project, I wanted to try my hand at a kind of “marketing pitch” project for an app I think would fit well into the ecosystem of educational tools, particularly for students at the middle to high school age.
I’ve noticed lately that amidst all the hype and deluge of new and shiny educational apps and software, very few have been developed with the express intent of helping students “see the forest for the trees,” so to speak. Many new AI-assisted apps can be used for learning particular subject-matter content, or to help you perform editing tasks, ideation, and so on, but we haven’t seen many educational tools that help students generate meaning from the knowledge and experiences they are interacting with.
So, I present to you in “scrolly telling” format, my LifeOS marketing pitch, which I created in a web software called Shorthand. It’s primarily visual and is viewable on both large-screen and small-screen formats, though in the spirit of more “mobile” technologies, I’ll only be sharing the QR code to access it through your mobile for now. Let me know if that’s a barrier for you and I can post the URL as well.
Please let me know what you think; whether we really need another app in our students’ lives right now, reservations you may have about privacy, and the “uploading” of meaning-making to an AI agent, or anything else that comes to mind.
Cheers,
Jake
This is a very creative concept. I like how you treat narrative continuity as something that helps young learners connect ideas across time. That is often a challenge for early learners, and your design provides a scaffold for linking their experiences. Your attention to the emotional layer is also valuable. Kids remember stories much more easily than checklists, and you use that strength well. This feels both imaginative and grounded.
Your LifeOS idea really hits a spot that a lot of educational apps miss: helping students actually make sense of what they’re learning instead of just getting through information. I like how you point out that many apps focus on content or tasks but don’t support deeper thinking. The “scrolly telling” format is a cool way to show off your app, and it works well for mobile users. I’m curious about how LifeOS will encourage students to think for themselves while still using AI to help with reflection without doing the thinking for them. Your questions about privacy and meaning-making are really important as we figure out how AI fits in education. Overall, it feels like a useful and thoughtful tool that could really help students connect with their learning.
Interesting concept Jake!
Even as a teacher, I am haunted by the emails lost to outlook, the activities lost to my embarrassingly extensive list of unorganized files, and the courses I’ve been locked out of since changing districts. I can see this tool be an example of a student portfolio or even an archive. Learners would have a collection of their work to refer back to and reflect on overtime. Projects wouldn’t just done thrown out or deleted, but they will be a landmark of student learning and progress.
One of my eventual goals is to create an LMS for BC education and one of my biggest annoyances is how educational tools are so dispersed across so many different websites, apps, and logins with most requiring personal information or paywalls. As the pressure for privacy and cutting finances continues, these barriers prevent their use in educational settings. Therefore, I agree that we need something universal, a one-stop-shop if you will.
The way you presented your idea is really cool! I also think the concepts you’re addressing here are really important, especially identity-building, meaning-making, and helping students understand themselves over time. That part really resonated with me, because a lot of students today do feel fragmented or overwhelmed, and tools that support reflection are valuable.
At the same time, I’m still unsure about the boundaries. LifeOS connects so many parts of a student’s life like academic data, memories, reflections, even potentially wearable/health data, and that made me wonder how much AI should be involved in something as sensitive as identity formation. Turning scattered memories into a “coherent personal storyline” is interesting, but I’m curious how we make sure the AI isn’t actually shaping the identity for the student. Especially since real identity work often comes from human experiences and offline connections.
I don’t mean this as a criticism and maybe I’m not fully understanding all the features, but more just a question about where the healthy limits should be. I can see LifeOS being really helpful as a reflection guide, as long as students still do the meaning-making themselves. Thanks!
I really like the way you presented your idea, it’s visually engaging and very appealing. I also like the concept of being able to revisit my own stories/ articulate my ideas and experience through an app, story is attractive!
However, since this proposal is still a new concept for me, I’m still trying to understand how it directly enhances educational outcomes. I would love to know more about whether there is a guided learning process embedded in the app and how it supports users in meaning-making. Thanks!
This format is very intriguing Jake. And as always well done.
The is the central paradox of your proposal: You’re offering a technological solution to a problem partly caused by too much technology. The answer depends on whether LifeOS genuinely fills a gap or simply adds to digital overload. Which is perhaps the question all app-developers should be asking.
So my honest opinion after reading through is a resounding MAYBE – purely coming from my pessimistic view on current tech. It would be critical that LifeOS can give students sovereignty and not surveillance; open-source; and non-profit to ensure it doesn’t cannibalize itself with revenue-centric practices. Lately I have been asking the question to myself:
Does this app make us more human, or more dependent on technology to understand our humanity?
I really enjoyed looking through your LifeOS project. The scrolling format pulled me in right away—it felt almost like reading an Instagram or TikTok story, but with a stronger message behind it. Using that style makes sense, because students already move through their lives in scrolls, and you turned that habit into something that helps them reflect.
What I liked most was your focus on helping students understand their own experiences, not just collect more information. A lot of mobile AI tools focus on doing tasks faster, but not many help students think about who they are, what matters to them, or how their daily moments connect. Others in the comments mentioned privacy, and that’s definitely important, but the core idea of building meaning and self-awareness feels valuable.
You also raised a good point about whether students really need another app. The way you framed it makes the app feel more like a simple guide rather than an extra burden. If designed well, it could support well-being, reflection, and even stronger group work in class.
Overall, the idea is creative, thoughtful, and presented in a way that’s fun to explore.
Interesting idea and a well-executed presentation! It’s a great concept – people manage so many apps and so much personal information today that it can definitely feel overwhelming. As someone who needs to visualize things to fully understand them, I found myself trying to picture what the layout of this technology might look like. Are there any existing tools or platforms that you think would be similar to what you’re envisioning here?
I think your choice of medium is a good and the platform you chose seems to do a good job of supporting what you are trying to accomplish. It reminds of the software ‘Pebble’ which is akin to an educational scrapbook/learning journal but without the AI and mobile tools. It would be much better with such tools. You mention circles of people but there’s no mention of social media. I find this interesting. I think the world might be a better place without social media but I also wonder if a social aspect might help a tool like this. Especially if students are doing group projects or joining study groups. It’s an interesting project with a unique presentation. Nice!
Hey Mike,
Part of me thinks linking social media could be beneficial, but as safety goes, I’m dubious about how personal information from the proposed app could leak into the servers of the “magnificent seven,” making the user less sovereign over their data.
I haven’t heard of Pebble yet, I’ll have to give it a look.
Thanks for your feedback.
Hi Jake,
I loved looking through your project and found the format genuinely engaging. The concept encourages meaningful reflection that connects to students’ lives and helps them build a deeper sense of who they are and how they relate to others. The structure you created is clear, visually inviting, and easy to follow, making the experience feel accessible to a wide range of learners. I can see this working well in many classroom settings, supporting students as they form connections, feel part of a community, and share moments that matter to them. It also has real potential to strengthen classroom culture by giving students a space to express themselves in thoughtful and personal ways.
One area to keep in mind is privacy, especially if students will be sharing photos, personal experiences, or identifying information. Building in options for anonymity or guidelines for safe sharing can help ensure that everyone feels comfortable participating and that their information remains protected.
Overall, a great concept!
Hey mmeshi,
Couldn’t agree more, and I considered, as I authored this pitch, that safety would be of utmost concern. I am not a SecOps developer or anything of the sort so I don’t know how to enact the proper security protocols in practice, but I would certainly consider the level of security required and have my developers implement them properly.
The way I thought about it was, there could be a “back-end” section that is only visible to the individual user, and a public-facing front-end that would function somewhat like a social media feed. Perhaps having parental access would be required for any student to make their “front-end” publicly visible?
Definitely things to consider there but I could see the benefits outweighing the extra work necessary.
Hi Jakedepo, thank you for sharing this! It sounds like a really interesting idea. Although the app has many benefits, the amount of data it could potentially collect from students makes me think that strong onboarding is important. In particular, students should receive some digital literacy training (for example, around privacy, and how to opt in or opt out of sharing certain information, or how to interpret the data) before they start using the app.
Hey Rie,
Couldn’t agree more. See my response to mmeshi for more of my thoughts. Perhaps this app could be piloted purely as a self-contained/private timeline instead of a shareable one, but I didn’t want to preclude any possiblities.
Thanks for the feedback 🙂