Digital Discourse / Education

SIIA Seeks Education Technology Innovators

August 15, 2013 By

Innovation Incubator logoSIIA’s Education Division is now accepting applicants for its Innovation Incubator program. Selected developers of promising technologies in the K-12 and postsecondary markets will be invited to participate in the program during this year’s SIIA Education Business Forum, December 10-11, at McGraw-Hill Conference Center in New York. The deadline to apply is                                                 October 4.

The SIIA Innovation Incubator program identifies and supports entrepreneurs in the development and launch of innovative learning technologies. The program began in 2006, and has helped dozens of companies enrich education through the use of software, digital content, and related technologies. The Innovation Incubator program employs a peer-review process to identify the most promising digital education products. Successful industry leaders and peers also provide one-on-one mentorship to support the growth and success of identified innovators.

All education technology companies are encouraged to apply – from start-ups to established innovators. A panel of SIIA member judges, consisting of prominent education technology industry professionals, will review and score each innovation, and collective scores will determine finalists and an alternate. Finalists will be asked to give webinar presentations to educators and administrators nationwide for the Educators’ Choice Award. Finalists will also present their products live for Education Business Forum attendees. One winner will be honored with the Educators’ Choice Award based on educator scores. An additional winner and one runner-up will be chosen for the “Most Innovative” and “Most Likely to Succeed” categories based on the scores submitted by Forum attendees.

For more information about the Innovation Incubator program, or to apply, go to siia.net/ebf/2013/incubator.asp or contact me at Lportorreal@siia.net.

Liderby Portorreal is Program Manager for the SIIA Education Division. Follow the SIIA Education Team on Twitter at @SIIAEducation and LinkedIn.

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Filed Under: Ed Tech Business Forum, Education, Education Events, Events, Mobile: Education, Personalized Learning, Postsecondary

SIIA to Hold Education Business Forum Dec 10-11 in New York

August 12, 2013 By

SIIA today announced that it will hold the Education Business Forum (EBF), the leading business and finance conference for the K-12 and postsecondary education technology markets, Dec. 10-11 at McGraw-Hill Conference Center in New York.

The 12th annual conference will bring together senior management teams of education software companies, platform technology firms, financial analysts, solution providers and distributors, publishers, financial analysts, private equity firms, and venture capitalists. Participants will discuss new business models and how to leverage shifts in the digital learning space, in addition to sharing knowledge about new markets, growth in financial investment, and new paths to revenue.

Topics will include:

  • Capitalizing Your Business for the Long Term
  • Making that Build or Buy Decision to Grow Your Product line
  • Leveraging a Market Map
  • Getting to that $10M Mark in Revenue
  • Going Global Where Opportunities Are Greatest
  • Emerging Development Trends
  • Case Studies of the Best and Brightest Companies Destined for Success
  • Successful Entrepreneurial Strategies Within Growing Markets
  • Partnering Strategies for Growth

The Education Business Forum will also feature:

  • Innovation Incubator. SIIA’s Innovation Incubator program identifies and supports entrepreneurs in the development and distribution of innovative learning technologies. The program began in 2006, and has provided mentorship for dozens of successful products and companies in their efforts to improve education through the use of software, digital content, and related technologies.
  • One-to-One Business Connections. One-to-One Business Connections meetings will be scheduled during designated times throughout the conference by SIIA staff, with the support of its partner Educational Systemics. SIIA will select companies to meet with participants based on the preferences they described in their respective surveys. These fast-paced exchanges will help pave the way for increased capital, revenue, and strategic alliances between participants.

Online registration is available at the Education Business Forum Media Center.

Karen BillingsKaren Billings is Vice President for the Education Division at SIIA. Follow the SIIA Education Team on Twitter at @SIIAEducation

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Filed Under: Ed Tech Business Forum, Education, Education Events

Nominations Now Open for the 29th Annual SIIA CODiE Awards

August 7, 2013 By

Today SIIA opened nominations for the 2014 SIIA CODiE Awards. The 2014 CODiE Awards feature 28 new and updated categories, reflecting the dramatic changes in technology and business models impacting the software and information industries.

The CODiE Awards have been the premier award for the software and information industries for 28 years. The awards program has three tracks organized by industry focus: Content, Education and Software.

Content: The SIIA Content CODiE Awards showcase the information industry’s finest products, technology and services created by, or for, media, publishers and information services providers.

The Content CODiE Awards will be presented on January 29-30, 2014 during the Content Divisions annual conference for Information Industry leaders, the Information Industry Summit.

Education: The SIIA Education CODiE Awards showcase applications, products and services from developers of educational software, digital content, online learning services, and related technologies across the K-20 sector.

Education winners will be announced in San Francisco on May 12-14, 2014 during the Ed Tech Industry Summit.

Software: The SIIA Software CODiE Awards showcase applications, products and services that are developed by independent software vendors (ISVs) for use in business, government, academic, or other organizational settings.

Software winners will be announced in San Francisco on May 20-22, 2014 during the software industry’s premier ISV conference, Maximize.

For more information about the SIIA CODiE Awards, visit http://www.siia.net/codies.

Angel Scott Angel Scott is Awards Program Coordinator at SIIA. Follow the SIIA CODiE Awards on twitter at @CODiEAwards.

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Filed Under: CODiEs, Content, Education, Software

July: What’s New in Common Core State Standards?

August 6, 2013 By

In Common Core states educators and administrators are moving forward with the planned 2014-2015 school year implementation, but not without difficulties.  This month’s SIIA members-only update includes reports showing progress towards implementation and some setbacks.

This month, some of the biggest news came from States shifting against the CCSS. Both Pennsylvania and Indiana had movements on the legislative front that would either delay or cancel CCSS Implementation. Indiana passed a bill that required a further study of Common Core implementation that will most likely cause an implementation delay. In Pennsylvania legislation was introduced that if passed, would require Pennsylvania to drop out of the common core within 60 days.

While there are offensives against common core in some states, others are moving forward with strong support. North Dakota selected SBAC to conduct tests within the state.  In addition to North Dakota’s move forward toward CCSS implementation, other states have signed on to participate in PARCC’s field testing of assessments in 2014. PARCC also announced its pricing structure, which has caused some concern among member states as they evaluate future assessment budgets.

SIIA members may download the latest “What’s New in Common Core?” document and see more details on what happened in July and archives of past months.  SIIA members can also review past SIIA webinars on CCSS.  Look for more updates by SIIA next month!

Lindsay HarmanLindsay Harman is Market and Policy Analyst for the SIIA Education Division.

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Filed Under: Education, Education Policy, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Education Business Forum: Save the Date, December 10-12, 2013!

August 1, 2013 By

The Education Business Forum is SIIA’s key event for executives interested in raising capital, revenue, and profitability for their companies in the digital learning space.  Attendance at this Forum has been growing each year and in recent years, attracted over 250 key execs from ed tech companies, private equity and venture capital firms, and investment banks.

It will be at the McGraw-Hill Conference Center again: it has the space we needed after selling out in years past!  It’s a very focused meeting, designed to produce results for the companies focused on growing capital, revenue, and/or profitability.

While speakers and sponsors are closely involved in the conference planning and implementation, everyone who attends will gain value from the presentations by the Innovation Incubator Finalists, plenary and keynote speakers, and break-out panelists.  And, as in years past, are many opportunities to connect with key people there – from the always popular Speed Networking and One-to-One Business Connections to the informal networking breaks during the Forum.  A schedule of events is available online and will be updated as we receive speaker applications.

What’s different this year?  The timing of the Forum.  After 10 years, we moved it to a week later than usual so that attendees don’t have to travel that Sunday or Monday after Thanksgiving.  And we’re pleased to say that several other education events held during this ‘education week’ in New York have also moved so you can attend even more events that week, hosted not only by SIIA, but our colleagues in other organizations.

If you are new to the ed tech space, this will be like a 1 ½ day mini MBA.  If you are a start-up, you will meet everyone you need to know in that time.  And if you are an investor looking to build your portfolio, you will find the right companies here to invest in.  And if you are a successful company looking to expand your product line, enter a new market, or find capital for your growth, the Education Business Forum is the place to be.

Register early to take advantage of the best rates.  Your company, large or small, will appreciate the money you save.  Early-Bird registration is available until November 4, but register now. And to strengthen your brand image in front of a targeted audience, take advantage of our moderately-priced sponsorship opportunities.  To learn more, please check out the sponsorship packages.

Karen BillingsKaren Billings is Vice President for the Education Division at SIIA. Follow the SIIA Education Team on Twitter at @SIIAEducation

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Filed Under: Ed Tech Business Forum, Education, Education Events

SIIA Applauds the FCC for its Vote Today to Modernize the E-Rate

July 19, 2013 By

SIIA today commended the Federal Communications Commission for its vote to open a new rulemaking aimed at updating and enhancing the E-Rate. The vote follows President Obama’s ConnectEd proposal last month to enhance highspeed broadband connectivity for the nation’s schools and libraries.

SIIA President Ken Wasch commented:

“The E-Rate program has been a critical means for the nation’s schools and students to access the digital learning opportunities necessary for their success. SIIA applauds Acting Commissioner Clyburn and the Commission for their vote today to modernize and enhance the E-Rate program to better meet today’s needs and to better support our nation’s educational and economic competitiveness. SIIA looks forward to reviewing and responding as appropriate to the proposed rules to improve program efficiency and impact.”

The E-Rate program provides discounts to public and private schools and public libraries for the purchase of telecommunications services, Internet access, and related networking equipment. The President’s ConnectEd proposal calls for leveraging the E-Rate universal service program to within five years connect 99 percent of America’s students through next-generation broadband (at speeds no less than 100Mbps and with a target of 1Gbps) to, and high-speed wireless within, their schools and libraries. E-Rate funding has been relatively flat at $2.25 billion since its creation in 1996, while the need for, and the demand for connectivity has grown dramatically.

Mark SchneidermanMark Schneiderman is Senior Director of Education Policy at SIIA.

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Filed Under: Education, Education Policy, Policy Tagged With: , , , ,

What’s New in Common Core Standards & Assessments? June edition

July 10, 2013 By

With all of the recent uncertainty surrounding Common Core, SIIA sees it as vital that our members are aware of the latest data and resources related to Common Core. The SIIA monthly updates from this year have been compiled into one easy to read document. This allows members to access the latest data and archives in one easy step.

June was not as busy or as controversial as May for common core, but some new developments and resources did pop up.  In response to the increased anti-common core sentiments, Secretary Duncan published an open letter indicating an increased awareness of the need for flexibility in implementation deadlines.  Pushback on the common core deadlines continued, with Michigan blocking any funds to be used for preparing or implementing common core. Other highlights from June include a new PARCC field test scheduled to begin next spring. A new report on the next generation science standards was also published. While the standards are not strictly a part of the Common Core curriculum they could have a similarly large impact on state curricula.

SIIA members can review past SIIA webinars on CCSS and view session summaries from SIIA’s Ed Tech Government Forum in Washington, DC. Look for more updates by SIIA next month!

Lindsay HarmanLindsay Harman is Market and Policy Analyst for the SIIA Education Division.

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Filed Under: Education, Education Policy, Policy, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,
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