I have created both an elevator and a venture pitch advocating the use of beacon technology in the creation of a ‘field of education’ at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. This idea will be presented to the Dean of the School of Construction and Environment for funding and will establish the use of beacons in labs and training exercises in areas supported by wifi fields. I have chosen this venture as it is has real world application and if successful, can be developed to incorporate a number of training and awareness initiatives across programs and fields and may have application in public education and engagement campaigns (such as environmental education and urban tree values) across the lower mainland and the province of BC.
Elevator Pitch
Venture Pitch
Reflection
Thank you to everyone who has posted here. I have taken the option in Assignment 3 to submit my reflection at the end of the week and to incorporate the feedback and comments from peer review in this final element of the assignment.
I have taken this idea and made the pitch to my Dean. We are going to conduct a pilot study of beacons at BCIT this fall. If successful and the outcomes are deemed to support the learning objectives and needs of the department, school and institute, the idea will then be expanded to create the ‘field of education’ in the southern portion of the BCIT campus. I valued the input here from peers and my review of the many great presentations in this forum as it has given me a greater understanding of the elements and framework that creates a great pitch and viable product. The changes I would make to this assigment are as follows:
- In order to assist reviewers, I would clearly state in the introduction that the presentation is intended for the administration at BCIT;
- I would add a soundtrack and my voice to the venture pitch;
- I would add a small section that explains how data is collected and user interaction tracked in this system; and
- I would provide a more detailed explanation of how this technology differs from QR technology and how the beacons push messages to anyone within range without requiring students to scan code.
The strengths of this presentation is the clear description of the technology and the cost for both the pilot and the larger field of education in the forested section of the campus. That said, I would adapt the presentation to include the cost of the beacons as they are left out of the second phase costing. The idea and the proposed application for creating an interactive landscape which incorporates both ecological and cultural values from any beacon location are well presented and well recieved though I would like to add an actual demonstration of how the more complex application would interface with the user and this I will do when the presentation of the pilot results are made and the next step of the project is under consideration. Videoscribe provided a consistent and professional presentation of the concept and it is accessible via the internet with no installation or viewer required. The graphics and format are consistent across the elevator and venture pitch and there is an comparison with other technologies and options that provides context for the reviewer in anticipation of such questions and considerations.
As an educator who works for an institution and intends to continue working either as a consultant or instructor within similiar frameworks (at least for the foreseeable future), the value in this exercise for me was identifying a technology that would work for my needs in crafting a pitch for a novel use of technology. BCIT, like many schools, has innovation funds and school grants available for instructors who wish to do this and it requires an application or the presentation of a pitch to the Dean, program heads or administration in order to access approval and funding.
So although I understand and I acknowledge the variance of this presentation from the true venture model involving the creation of a mock company and creation of an investment scheme and cost recovery, I have chosen to do something that is more inline with my focus for this course, MET program and my career. I feel that the value of this course and this assignment provides me with the tools I need to make a successfull pitch for ventures in leanring technology that have the power to support, improve and expand educational outcomes and benefits. For the administrator, the rationale for funding, while still considering the economic realities, is more closely tied to the educational benefits, the mission statement of the institute and the efficiencies and support for staff and students. Should this not also be a key element to consider in any successful pitch within the educational field? In my reflection, I think I would still approach this as I have and focus not on a business model for venture capitalists but on promotion of a venture in learning technologies within the organisation of which I am a part. It was important for me to make this distinction and for this, I am very grateful for this assignment and for the feedback here.
