You want to date an entrepreneur? Go West. Want to get a dance partner who makes sure your EdTech product doesn't fall flat on its face? Go to a classroom.
Some folks in Silicon Valley want to do some matchmaking.
The future of educational reform will likely be similar to that of the past. And everyone knows (but few people say it out loud): no other engine has driven ed reform more than entrepreneurship.
Whether it's textbooks (hello, Houghton Mifflin), testing (ever hear of ETS?), or evaluation tools (Pearson is a little company to keep an eye on), private sector product development has been the dynamo of ed reform for decades. You want to change education? Hire a company-- or, at least, sell their stuff to school boards, states, or the fed.
Has all private sector ed innovation been good? Hell, no. Frankly, a lot of it has been lousy. But when teachers have had a chance to use and improve products, these products have had enduring impacts on schools.
Interested in improving ed innovation? Bring in great teachers on the front end, to co-create and, ultimately, lead your product development.
This isn't a moral or political issue: this is an issue of logic and efficiency. And while most innovation in EdTech is driven by non-teachers, looks like Silicon Valley is ready to try dancing with classroom educators.
We love to see a EdTech and classroom teachers mixing it up in Silicon Valley-- and we hope those entrepreneurs will be smart enough to let teachers call the innovation shots.
Or, at least, take the lead on a slow dance or two.
Read more in this cool article from EdSurge.com.
Some folks in Silicon Valley want to do some matchmaking.
The future of educational reform will likely be similar to that of the past. And everyone knows (but few people say it out loud): no other engine has driven ed reform more than entrepreneurship.
Whether it's textbooks (hello, Houghton Mifflin), testing (ever hear of ETS?), or evaluation tools (Pearson is a little company to keep an eye on), private sector product development has been the dynamo of ed reform for decades. You want to change education? Hire a company-- or, at least, sell their stuff to school boards, states, or the fed.
Has all private sector ed innovation been good? Hell, no. Frankly, a lot of it has been lousy. But when teachers have had a chance to use and improve products, these products have had enduring impacts on schools.
Interested in improving ed innovation? Bring in great teachers on the front end, to co-create and, ultimately, lead your product development.
This isn't a moral or political issue: this is an issue of logic and efficiency. And while most innovation in EdTech is driven by non-teachers, looks like Silicon Valley is ready to try dancing with classroom educators.
We love to see a EdTech and classroom teachers mixing it up in Silicon Valley-- and we hope those entrepreneurs will be smart enough to let teachers call the innovation shots.
Or, at least, take the lead on a slow dance or two.
Read more in this cool article from EdSurge.com.
https://www.edsurge.com/n/2014-02-04-silicon-valley-launches-new-innovation-zone
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