Industry Summit News

Ed-Tech Innovators: We want you!

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:01

SIIA’s Education Division is now seeking applications for its Innovation Incubator program. Developers of innovative K-12 and postsecondary, technology-based educational products or services will be reviewed, and ten participants (along with one alternate) will be selected to participate in the annual Ed Tech Industry Summit this spring. The deadline for applications is March 9, 2012.

The Innovation Incubator Program connects developers of promising new technologies with industry leaders, potential investors, and established companies seeking partnerships or acquisition candidates. The program is open to applicants from academic and non-profit institutions, pre-revenue and early-stage companies, and long- standing companies with newly developed educational technologies.

While prototypes and very early-stage innovations will be considered, products or services submitted must be past the conceptual phase. Applicants will be assessed on a broad range of selection criteria.

Participants selected for the program will present their innovations during the Business Profiles Presentations that open the Ed Tech Industry Summit in San Francisco on May 6. Immediately following these presentations, they will be on hand to provide product demonstrations during the Innovation Showcase & Welcome Reception. Throughout the Summit, Innovation Incubator participants will receive recognition, peer-to-peer mentorship, and access to hand- selected prospects for partnership, acquisition, financing, and veteran advice.

SIIA is again partnering with Blackboard Inc., lead Innovation Incubator sponsor, to give elevated visibility and support to the finalist that best exemplifies technology innovation in service to education. One Innovation Incubator participant will be selected by Blackboard to receive a year-long membership as a Blackboard Building Blocks partner in the Blackboard Partnerships program, subject to additional terms and conditions.

The program is also sponsored by Texthelp Systems.

Karen Billings is Vice President for the Education Division at SIIA.

SIIA Education Division Calls for Participants in 2012 Vision K-20 Survey

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:14

The fifth annual Vision K-20 Survey is open today! The survey, sponsored by the SIIA Education Division, gives educators, administrators, and faculty members from K-12 and postsecondary educational institutions the opportunity to evaluate their current technology use. This year, a new addition to the survey asks respondents to identify what they judge to be the “ideal” scenario for technology use.

Focusing on goals outlined in our K-20 Vision roadmap—21st Century tools, accessibility, differentiated learning, assessment tools, and enterprise support—schools, districts, two-year colleges, four-year colleges, and universities will be able to use the Vision’s benchmarks to document their progress. Survey takers can return to the survey periodically to evaluate their progress toward the Vision for K-20 education.

Our member organizations worked together to develop the Vision K-20 initiative as a guide for educational institutions to implement technology district-wide and campus-wide. This survey aims to collect additional data that will broadly assist educators in taking this important project to the next level of knowledge and success.

We’ve developed a vision for K-20 education to ensure all students have access to a learning environment that prepares them to compete globally and lead the world in innovation. This year, in addition to reporting progress over the last 5 years, for the first time we will add the dimension of what educators across the country think of as the ‘ideal’ scenario.

The survey closes May 24, 2012. Initial aggregated results will be released at ISTE 2012 in San Diego, with a final report available late summer 2012.

We value the support of our partners and their commitment to improving students’ preparedness for an innovative and global economy. Partners committed to supporting the Vision K-20 initiative and survey include: 1105 Media, the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), edWeb.net, and eSchool Media. The project’s lead partner was MMS Education. MMS Education provides market research, marketing, sales, and technology solutions for a wide range of education technology companies.

Ed Tech Industry Summit: Bridging K12 and Postsecondary

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:00

Selecting a program focus for the Ed Tech Industry Summit is one of the most valuable, yet most difficult, part of the planning process.

However, given the trends we see occurring within the education institutions and the ed tech companies, this year’s program focus “Bridging K12 and Postsecondary,” was relatively easy.

Closing the Chasm
Historically, there has been a major divide between K-12 and Postsecondary institutions. Years ago, there was little articulation or communication between high schools and colleges. Students in high school chose courses within a college or vocational track, graduated with the required credits and grades, then went off to a two-year or four year school where you started at ground zero with their course requirements.

Nowadays, students are earning college credits while in still high school – either to remain challenged, save money or both. For educational and economic reasons, high schools are becoming more ‘linked’ through:

• The tremendous growth of Advanced Placement courses and exams, where students can earn college credit while in high school
• The focus by US Dept of Ed and the current Administration on having high school students “college and career-ready”
• The development of state and local programs, like:
  1) Jump Start to College and Concurrent Enrollment, where students take courses at their high school AND in nearby 2 year or 4 year institutions in the same semester.
  2) Early College High School where, in one program, the students take courses that meet high school graduation requirements and provide credit for the courses normally taken during the first two years of college.

The Industry Parallel
The vehicles for acceleration, exam credits and dual enrollments have paved the way for ed tech companies to transition their products and services from one market into an adjacent market.

For some companies, it’s:

• Selling course materials originally designed for postsecondary into the high school market (i.e. changing sales and distribution strategies and sending sales teams into high schools or district administration).
• Repurposing high school content and context to fit postsecondary course needs (i.e. Transitioning Algebra I and II courses into Developmental Math courses).
• Discovering that their professional development programs and assets fit faculty needs, whether it be elementary, secondary or postsecondary levels (i.e. providing video PD segments about pedagogy to pre-service as well as practicing teachers or selling “how to” segments for using a software application to faculty at any level).

In conclusion, we are confident that this year’s theme, “Bridging K12 and Postsecondary”, will:

• help distinguish the program content from previous years.
• provide a basis for selecting the best speakers and contributors.
• exemplify a trend in the education institutions and the industry.
• highlight successful strategies for growing an Ed tech business.

Join us this year on May 6-8 and find bridging strategies that grow your business and customer relationships.

See you in San Francisco!
Karen Billings
VP Education, SIIA
202-789-4487

Karen Billings is Vice President for the Education Division at SIIA.