Dana Bjornson

Thank you so much for your feedback, JoAnna! I'm glad you pointed out the significance of the Venn Diagram. It's so interesting to me that when I was trying to understand the concept third space, from ETEC 521, I immediately pictured a Venn Diagram. Mathematics is part of my culture, as a mathematics enthusiast and practitioner. By taking the teachings of Dr. Marker (the ETEC 521 prof), and interpreting them in a way that was culturally relevant to me, I understood the concept of the third space on a much deeper level. This perfectly exemplifies the importance of creating culturally responsive learning spaces for our own learners! I am really glad to hear you are planning on 521-ing it.The interviews are very engaging and thought provoking, as are the readings and Dr. Marker. Great course, no question!

Thank you for your vote of confidence, Tanya! Jon, Brian and yourself have mentioned thinking beyond the video stage of this endeavor. I think if I was asking for more money than $20,000, that there would need to be an expectation of what's to come. In the end, I think that if the videos were popular, that I would want to spend more time thinking about the "what's next"? As all three of you are on the same wavelength, it actually is reassuring to me in that you are thinking bigger than I am! If you see the potential, then hopefully others do, as well!

Great question, Brian! I am certain that technology could be utilized to teach how to foster culturally responsive learning spaces. UBC has a MOOC that does this: http://pdce.educ.ubc.ca/reconciliation/ My rationale with the videos was that people could embed them within technology-driven platforms and that Third Space Learning (TSL) would focus on the videos, themselves. The mantra of "keep your eye on the prize" is resonating with me, right now. Other platforms specialize in dissemination of information, whereas TSL would specialize in the learning itself. It seems to me, that many companies start small, excel in one thing, then build off of that success. That is how I envision things would shake down with TSL, at least!

Thank you so much for your feedback, Jon! It is a very big task to take on, that is for sure. My inner voice tells me to not let the size of the task, to prevent starting something of this nature, though. A Provincially dedicated Pro-D day is an interesting idea! I know that my school has at least one Pro-D a year, that is devoted to Indigenous awareness, but perhaps this isn't the case everywhere. I do feel like there is momentum growing, however, in order for more people to have safe entry points, as Gail Higginbottom so eloquently phrased it. More education about the damaging effects of colonization and residential schools need to happen; these are topics that are not easily digested, but from my research and learning, it is the key first step towards being culturally responsive. Do I think that these videos will rise to that challenge on their own? No. But it is something that could act as that safe entry point for a few folks, at least! Now that I am thinking about it more, student teachers could be one of the best markets to look at. Teacher Education programs was one "distribution network" that I hadn't even thought of, until now.

Hi Cassy, Your feedback is incredibly valuable-- thank you! I quoted you in my A3-reflection: "content is great but only if the right eyeballs are on it." So true!!! I will definitely alter things up in this department, should I actually need to shake down people for cash one day. I know I could have shaved some time off my pitch, had I not left things until the end. When I had finished, I was too emotionally attached to the slides, and thus, couldn't see straight. Lesson learned!!! Embrace your inner Twitter! Cheers, Dana

I forgot to mention that your logo is also fabulous!

Feedback: What a fabulous idea, Scott! Starting with your elevator pitch, you had me with the Moby track. You grabbed my attention immediately with your name, logo and pain point. If districts wish to get more folks on board with technology, your idea needs to be part of the process. Non-techies often look at the first step as being way too daunting and will not want to alter approaches. Your software provides a bridge between old and new; we need more of these types of bridges, most definitely. The only thing I think your elevator pitch is missing “the ask” and I think we are supposed to introduce ourselves and credentials; both easy fixes! I also like how your EP funnels us towards your website at the end. I found that your video that demonstrates the program was helpful for me to truly understand the software’s potential. I think that the only bit I would add, would be a few more details to the potential of having this data sorted. Your site mentions e-portfolios, but are there other benefits that non-techies would be attracted to? Since there are a few e-portfolio programs out there, what would be the benefit to using the Step By Step program? I am completely with you when you mention not having the entrepreneurial gene… Sorting out the business side of your plan would need some time and energy. Adding a CFO to your team, to compensate for your lack of business savvy (no insult intended here!), would cover some bases, possibly. Overall, I think you checked almost, if not all, of the Venture Pitch boxes AND the spirit of your idea is fabulous!!! User-friendly, bridge-building platforms are critically important in educational technology. PS. I was just marking in the ferry line-up yesterday; your image made me giggle. I am all about blending old school with new school. I am nearing the end of MET, and I still need my pad of paper!!! 😊

Feedback: Although your venture idea is not something I have direct experience with, my teacher goggles are telling me you have a really great idea here! Your elevator pitch is really spot-on: you established your credibility, the problem, your solution and you didn’t forget “the ask”. It was visually appealing, as well. Perhaps the best part of your idea is that you have taken an emerging market idea (VR) and combined it with an existing technology, making a truly innovative and engaging product. Well done on this idea!!!! I would have like to have known a bit more about your competitors, since I do not have any prior knowledge in your industry: what do your competitors specifically lack that TeachArch provides? Overall, I think you have checked all the Venture Pitch boxes. I like how your site is simple and cleanly presented. On the other hand, I do not think that there is enough detail, for an investor to throw you the amount of coin you are looking for. For flow of your site, I would modify the navigation buttons at the bottom of each page that allow viewers to go in either direction (sometimes the cursor didn’t change to a link when hovered over the word). Your idea and your elevator pitch are incredibly strong. I think that your team is also strong—get some of those folks to put in the details on your pitch, perhaps, should you wish to move forward. Cheers!

Feedback:  You really found put your thumb on a necessary problem, Derek! In Victoria, the unemployment rate in Victoria, BC was the lowest in Canada, as of December 2017, at 3.3% and the National average was only at 5.9%. My husband, who works in the trades industry, has a heck of a time finding people who are reliable and efficient. Every time his employee leaves, or must be let go, it can take over a year to find another suitable person. I like how your elevator pitch kept funneling us back to your website; should this become an actual venture, paying extra to remove the “weebly” would be a thought. I just checked GoDaddy and good news, “worktolearn.ca” is available! I am not a very fast reader, so I didn’t have enough time to read your slides on your elevator pitch. Putting your Twitter-brain into action would shorten up some of the phrases somewhat. You have clearly identified the problem: demand is vastly outweighing the supply of workers. The infographics and graphs are incredibly telling! The Work to Learn solution seems really great from an employer’s viewpoint. The incentives for students would need to be substantial, I would think, since there is such a high demand already. I think your Money section needs some more assurances for investors: what would the safeguards be that lawyers would draw up? Also, companies who invest in apprentices throughout their schooling, would need safeguards established. A system where students paid up-front but were reimbursed by their employer after a successful apprenticeship and minimum 1 year of employment. Future projections, a solid team and current competitors may wish to be elaborated for your pitch, as well. Your strengths here are the problem and the solution; with a little work, a stronger plan towards your solution would nail this venture! (pun intended)

Hi Shannon, Avatist is FREE (music to an educator's ears!!!), although we ran into the authoring issues for the collaborative part. Only 5 editors at a time for "free". One of our back up plans was going to be to just spend the money on having more editors. I think Jessica said that we could go to 10 (?) for only $15. Not too bank-breaking! Zain is who has the Kitaboo experience, as he uses it with his work. We showcased Kitaboo because it is Tesla of e-book creators. Super modern, all the bells and whistles; but comes at a price. As e-books become more ubiquitous, hopefully more free versions will take on the bells, too. Adaptive software is big cost, methinks. The timeline is a beauty program and fully-free. It is from Timeline JS (https://timeline.knightlab.com/) and uses Google Sheets. I've used it in a couple courses: super easy, looks slick. I'm glad you were able to walk away with a couple new tech toys! Cheers, Dana :)