aviola
Instructional Designer. Mom. Runner. Gardener. Adventurer.
A3 Submission – BLEND
By aviola on August 1, 2014
Good Morning. I hope that you all enjoy my elevator pitch (video) and venture pitch (infographic). Angela
Cities of Learning
By aviola on July 26, 2014
Cities of Learning is an interesting movement that is based on the connected learning approach. I thought that it might be an interesting tidbit as the movement is utilizing Open Badges as well as Makerspaces. They are providing a webinar on Monday hosted by a MOOC about professional credentials.
Finger Count App Review
By aviola on June 17, 2014
I have young children who are using many of these apps, so I used the criteria provided by team 06 and reflected on some of the apps that my 3 and 5 year old play with. Many have great songs, visuals, original ideas. Some are almost ‘digital worksheets’, which my children seem to love. However, the […]
David Blake, Founder and CEO, Degreed
By aviola on June 6, 2014
David Blake is the founder of Degreed, a platform that allows students to earn and digitally display accreditation. He was the founding product manager at Zinch, a social networking site geared specifically to college student, which was acquired by Chegg. He is also a Stanford dSchool EdTech Entrepreneur.He has a Bachelors degree in Economics from […]
Hello from LA
By aviola on May 15, 2014
Lethbridge, Alberta that is… I am so excited to be here! This is my third course, although I took my first through AU, and I am thrilled to be trying something new. I was a Jr./Sr. High School science teacher up until the birth of my second son three years ago. When it came time […]

As noted below, you are speaking quite quickly which made it hard to understand the whole video. I certainly think that it is a viable venture and your credentials seem to meet the pain point very well. There is a market for e-training, and your video was excellent. You differentiated your solution well from the current solutions in the market, which I found intriguing as an investor.
As noted below, you are speaking quite quickly which made it hard to understand the whole video. I certainly think that it is a viable venture and your credentials seem to meet the pain point very well. There is a market for e-training, and your video was excellent. You differentiated your solution well from the current solutions in the market, which I found intriguing as an investor.
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- in reply to Venture Pitch

Feedback: This pitch was really 'out there' compared to the others, but I think that you did an excellent job selling it. The theme of IMAGINE was very powerful and prompted me to think about what would be possible with a device like this. The thing is, I did not really know what the specifics of the device were. It seems to have a multitude of capabilities and I agree with Bobbi that as a consumer this is exciting. I can see personal and educational uses for it, which makes the market size huge. As an investor, it looks a little scary. I found myself wondering if it could really be done and how high the costs for research, production and then resale would be. Kudos for really going out on a limb!
Feedback: This pitch was really 'out there' compared to the others, but I think that you did an excellent job selling it. The theme of IMAGINE was very powerful and prompted me to think about what would be possible with a device like this. The thing is, I did not really know what the specifics of the device were. It seems to have a multitude of capabilities and I agree with Bobbi that as a consumer this is exciting. I can see personal and educational uses for it, which makes the market size huge. As an investor, it looks a little scary. I found myself wondering if it could really be done and how high the costs for research, production and then resale would be. Kudos for really going out on a limb!
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- in reply to A3: Venture Pitch

REVIEW: I think that this is more than a media rich resume platform like Aaron has suggested, it is an application which allows the pre-screening process to happen in layers saving time for both the district and the applicant. Although specific costs were not in the scope of this assignment, it would have been good to know who pays for the service (or perhaps it was mentioned and I missed it). Is it just the school boards or applicants as well? The pain point was very well described and application was well suited to the needs. We did not hear much about you in the presentation. Your qualifications make you very well suited as a CEO for this company, as an investor, I would have liked to see you 'toot your own horn' a little. The idea is very well developed, the video is very well done. In order for me to invest, I would need a little more information about how the application itself will make me money. It could also be marketed to a market outside of education. You did an excellent job showing how this process is currently done, are there other HR solutions out there that are used in education or other sectors for narrowing down the applicant pool? Great job, I did have a few questions, but would consider investing in your company.
REVIEW: I think that this is more than a media rich resume platform like Aaron has suggested, it is an application which allows the pre-screening process to happen in layers saving time for both the district and the applicant. Although specific costs were not in the scope of this assignment, it would have been good to know who pays for the service (or perhaps it was mentioned and I missed it). Is it just the school boards or applicants as well? The pain point was very well described and application was well suited to the needs. We did not hear much about you in the presentation. Your qualifications make you very well suited as a CEO for this company, as an investor, I would have liked to see you 'toot your own horn' a little. The idea is very well developed, the video is very well done. In order for me to invest, I would need a little more information about how the application itself will make me money. It could also be marketed to a market outside of education. You did an excellent job showing how this process is currently done, are there other HR solutions out there that are used in education or other sectors for narrowing down the applicant pool? Great job, I did have a few questions, but would consider investing in your company.
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- in reply to A3 – By Danielle

Great video. I actually enjoyed that it was not narrated. I think that you could have elaborated on some additional uses for this app though; cataloguing your personal record collection or a resource collection at work. I can think of many more places than a classroom library where this would be useful. Great job!
Great video. I actually enjoyed that it was not narrated. I think that you could have elaborated on some additional uses for this app though; cataloguing your personal record collection or a resource collection at work. I can think of many more places than a classroom library where this would be useful. Great job!
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- in reply to Classroom Library Catalog App

REVIEW: Wow! Absolutely love this! The pain point is clear and I love how it is presented as a personal story, really well done. The fact that you are supporting a provincial initiative makes the venture very low risk for investors because essentially, I only need to be convinced that your product is quality. The market has been formed already! I really enjoyed the presentation as a website. I did almost miss the venture pitch on the home page though as you have to scroll down and my instinct is to use the menu. The revenue generation was clear and the cost is not prohibitive for a school or school district. I wonder if you considered pitching the idea to your Minister of Education? It seems to me a pitch that could be made for provincial funding rather than personal investors. Your credentials were well presented and an asset to the project. Aaron has a good point about salaries, but perhaps provincial funding could solve that problem by paying teacher's salaries for a year to take a leave and work on this project. This would also ensure that you are getting high quality teachers who are currently employed within the market that you are targeting. I think that this has huge potential! 5/5 stars.
REVIEW: Wow! Absolutely love this! The pain point is clear and I love how it is presented as a personal story, really well done. The fact that you are supporting a provincial initiative makes the venture very low risk for investors because essentially, I only need to be convinced that your product is quality. The market has been formed already! I really enjoyed the presentation as a website. I did almost miss the venture pitch on the home page though as you have to scroll down and my instinct is to use the menu. The revenue generation was clear and the cost is not prohibitive for a school or school district. I wonder if you considered pitching the idea to your Minister of Education? It seems to me a pitch that could be made for provincial funding rather than personal investors. Your credentials were well presented and an asset to the project. Aaron has a good point about salaries, but perhaps provincial funding could solve that problem by paying teacher's salaries for a year to take a leave and work on this project. This would also ensure that you are getting high quality teachers who are currently employed within the market that you are targeting. I think that this has huge potential! 5/5 stars.
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- in reply to Assignment 3 : ConstructWithUs – a new venture!

FEEDBACK: Great video. Your speaking was clear and concise. You described well what the application would do for teachers, but I was unsure how it was a new venture idea? What distinguishes it from other online polling apps? The video had a nice mix of text and visuals, which was helpful and engaging.
FEEDBACK: Great video. Your speaking was clear and concise. You described well what the application would do for teachers, but I was unsure how it was a new venture idea? What distinguishes it from other online polling apps? The video had a nice mix of text and visuals, which was helpful and engaging.
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- in reply to A3 – Venture Pitch

REVIEW:Firstly, I loved your platform for presentation. It was clean and simple and I was able to skim through it quickly finding the answers that I needed. I can see the market need very clearly and would certainly invest in Pro-T provided that the company consider a few small tweaks. The market size is very large. I am not sure that this is a disadvantage, but as an investor, I would probably want to test in a smaller market size first before expanding to a larger market. Also, the paid certification and bulk purchasing made sense. The amounts per course made sense and would be an affordable option to off-site PD. I felt like perhaps the recruitment was a bit awkward. I can see the revenue value in it, but am not sure that it would fit well with the platform. Teachers generally have an account for spending on professional development, I think that if marketed correctly, the per course amount could be even higher provided that teachers can claim the professional development on their PD accounts. Your presentation was excellent. I loved the idea of a website as opposed to videos. It give investors a better chance to look for the answers that are important to them! Great work!!
REVIEW:Firstly, I loved your platform for presentation. It was clean and simple and I was able to skim through it quickly finding the answers that I needed. I can see the market need very clearly and would certainly invest in Pro-T provided that the company consider a few small tweaks. The market size is very large. I am not sure that this is a disadvantage, but as an investor, I would probably want to test in a smaller market size first before expanding to a larger market. Also, the paid certification and bulk purchasing made sense. The amounts per course made sense and would be an affordable option to off-site PD. I felt like perhaps the recruitment was a bit awkward. I can see the revenue value in it, but am not sure that it would fit well with the platform. Teachers generally have an account for spending on professional development, I think that if marketed correctly, the per course amount could be even higher provided that teachers can claim the professional development on their PD accounts. Your presentation was excellent. I loved the idea of a website as opposed to videos. It give investors a better chance to look for the answers that are important to them! Great work!!
Hi Nidal, I actually spoke with David about the monetary information and he said that it was not an expectation of this assignment. I had thought about including it. Thanks for the feedback.
Hi Nidal, I actually spoke with David about the monetary information and he said that it was not an expectation of this assignment. I had thought about including it. Thanks for the feedback.
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- in reply to A3 Submission – BLEND

FEEDBACK: I did not find your voice flat at all. It was actually quite engaging. The visuals were excellent! MOOCs and other open source education options have a growing market in developing countries where they are seen as an affordable option for certification for students. I wonder if you could have focused on that market in particular to increase the value in your company?
FEEDBACK: I did not find your voice flat at all. It was actually quite engaging. The visuals were excellent! MOOCs and other open source education options have a growing market in developing countries where they are seen as an affordable option for certification for students. I wonder if you could have focused on that market in particular to increase the value in your company?
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- in reply to Venture Pitch: KSeeker

FEEDBACK: Great video. I was wary at first, thinking "this sounds a lot like Diigo" and then you addressed that question! Great presentation and product. I wish that I had thought of an application that combined learning analytics and social bookmarking. As an EVA, I would see the investor benefit, but I wonder if it could have been pointed out a little more clearly.
FEEDBACK: Great video. I was wary at first, thinking "this sounds a lot like Diigo" and then you addressed that question! Great presentation and product. I wish that I had thought of an application that combined learning analytics and social bookmarking. As an EVA, I would see the investor benefit, but I wonder if it could have been pointed out a little more clearly.
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- 0 Replies
- in reply to A3 – HighlightThis
