“Read, Write, Code” say CodeHS founders and winners of NBC Innovation challenge
In my last year at Stanford I took a class that made me wish I could start all over called
Helping Children Cope with Technological Change
A recently posted video of a four-year old’s tearful reaction to his father’s upgrade to Apple iOS 7 serves as a reminder that software innovation can affect children psychologically. The 17-second clip leaves much unaddressed: What about the new operating system made it “different” instead of “better”? Could the father have anticipated such a reaction […]
Beyond Data to Insights and Action
“Big Data” has become a buzzword within edtech circles and learning analytics is a Top Edtech Trend driven in part by increased accountability. However, the overwhelming amount of education data can often be inaccessible to those that need it most, educators and school leaders. This may be the reason that only 50% of administrators surveyed by the Center for Digital Education see improved student outcomes from the use of big data.
Book Smarts vs Street Smarts: aka Edtech Founders as Action Researchers
Last week I was in Boston visiting two of our portfolio companies, BetterLesson and Socrative. Spending time with entrepreneurs is, by far, the best part of my job.
I’m always moved by the passion of our entrepreneurs. As always, Ben Berte (Socrative) and Alex Grodd (BetterLesson) left me inspired by their commitment to supporting teachers. However, in this visit, I took away a new appreciation for how technology products are moving beyond just teacher productivity and into deeper issues of instruction and teacher learning.
Announcing Readworks.org: The Best Kept Secret in Reading Comprehension
We are thrilled to welcome Readworks.org to the Seed Fund portfolio. It’s a humble and hardworking nonprofit, with a maniacal focus on quality. They’ve mostly flown under the radar since their founding in 2010, spending zero dollars on marketing. Even so, they’ve grown organically through teacher word of mouth resulting in 3 million reading lessons downloaded and 270 websites linked to their materials.
Curriculum, the Trojan Horse of School Reform
As a country, we’ve vastly under-appreciated the importance of high-quality content as a key lever to improve teaching and learning. One of my mentors Dr. Denise Pope, lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Education, calls curriculum the “Trojan horse of school reform.”
I believe this to be true, now more than ever. The conditions are ripe for a curriculum revolution that has the potential to both improve student achievement and support great teaching.*
Alive in the Swamp
Sir Michael Barber, Michael Fullan and Katelyn Donnelly discus education reform and the impact of learning technologies. They also discuss “Alive in the Swamp: assessing digital innovations in education”, which offers practical advice on how to navigate through digital innovations in education, and suggests where more innovation effort is needed.
Reflections on Digital Inequality, Live from ISTE 2013
Walking the aisles at ISTE reminds me of the Charles Gibson’s quote, “the future is already here, it’s just not very evenly distributed.” Like many of you, I’m drawn to edtech for it’s potential to open up access and increase opportunity for kids previously isolated by social class, geography or other challenges.
K-12 Ed Tech Market Map Refresh
NewSchools is releasing an update to the K-12 Ed Tech Market Map, once again created in collaboration with Education Elements and the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation. This update includes about 50 new companies added, a graphic design refresh (the larger the circle, the more companies in that space!), and revised categorizations in Data and Talent Management. We listened to those of you who emailed us feedback (thanks!) and hope you’ll find your suggestions reflected in the update.
Building a Digital Depository
These are exciting times for education entrepreneurship, technology, and the policy ecosystem that surrounds them both. Whether gauged by new schoo