michael de angelis

REVIEW: Matt, i think your pitch was very professional and well done. I appreciated the organization of the clear, concise and informative video. In just over 6 minutes, you were able to pitch a very interesting idea. A service like MeLearn is something that I've never thought of in education. As your pitch explains, the education system has not really changed since the industrial revolution. However, I think there is a good reason why it hasn't ever changed over the years. There is a certain sense of belonging and community when you attend a traditional school. Students wake up everyday, to go to school. There are support systems in schools to help students that are struggling. How will MeLearn hold students accountable? What if students simply choose not to use this service. Just like, some people still choose to stay at a hotel over an air bnb? Although I think you delivered a very good presentation, I think it would serve as a great tutoring service rather than replacing the format of our education systems all together. I completely understand the great costs that are involved and there is definitely bureaucracy and MeLearn cuts down on those costs at a substantial level. However, parents currently send their kids to public school for free. As a consumer, I would want to continue this trend. Yes, we pay out of our tax dollars, however the general public will not be getting taxed less due to this service. Unfortunately, the current system is the only way to ensure consistency of learning amongst students. Again, I thought you delivered one of the best presentations however, I would not invest in a replacement for the current system just yet, however would consider if there were less unknowns. Thanks Matt!

Hi Jessica, I think this is a strong venture pitch. Your pitch was very well laid out and I was engaged the whole time I was reviewing your website. Mainly being, you kept building up to the abilities of your final product. At first, I was thinking...Google already has google classroom for class orginization. Google already has hangouts for video calling. At first I was doubtful. However, when you explained all the capabilities of G-Interact, such as why it would serve as a good investment, and how it ties together with other google applications makes this a powerful product. Google is already a popular name and having users access this additional application makes google even more of a favourite. The only problem I see foresee (if this were real) is being able to use google as an educational tool with Canadian students. I'm not sure about Newfoundland however, in BC we are unable to use google classroom due to student privacy concerns as data is stored in the USA. I've heard there are ways around it, however using a similar product under a different name may sit better with Canadian school districts as they would be the top market audience. Nonetheless, the pitch was excellent and I would invest!

REVIEW: Hi James. I think this is very well done! You highlighted the problem, and explained how The Algebra App is the solution. I like the way you were able to show a demonstration of the app working as if a user were to try it out for themselves. There is a HUGE market for your product. Also, the simplicity of purchasing a mobile app makes your pitch very strong. Everyone has access to a device. There are students that struggle with mathematics all over the world and math is a universal language. Learning mathematics correctly is so essential due to the previous grade level serving as building blocks for the next grade level. If a student struggles with math 8, it is almost guaranteed that math 9 will also be a struggle. Where was this tool when I was a math student!? I would invest.

Feedback: Thanks for sharing Greg! I think business ed and entrepreneurship are valuable skills to learn. The whole framework you've highlighted, having students learn how to build and eventually sell a product is a great idea. However, the Business-Ed department in my school does exactly what you are promoting. I still think it is a great idea. I teach at a 9-12 high school, so students have the opportunity to take business-ed as an elective. Your pitch allows students to get a taste of the basics at a younger age which can eventually shape their elective interests when they reach high school. I would have to agree with our peers. I did think your elevator pitch was the venture pitch. I was confused at first. At around Christmas time the business-Ed classes hosted a fair every lunch hour for a week. They set up their booths in attempt to sell their products. Teenagers in their case were the target audience. The most successful candidates sold some form of food, which complemented the lunch hour fair. Some weren't as successful. They had cool ideas, but the market and price point of their product failed to generate them any revenue. Both situations were great learning experiences!

Thank you, team! I enjoyed your OER and enjoyed the comparison between Khan Academy and IXL in activity 2. I've heard of Khan academy before. I would say it's pretty popular, but I never actually had a use for it based on my teachable area. However, I never knew about IXL and did some more research after completing activity two. Thanks for sharing! For whatever reason, mentimeter was not working out for me and couldn't really participate in activity 3. I tried a using a different browser, clearing Cache and still nothing. Either way I thought you all shared a lot of useful information in your OER and did a great job! Thanks!

Thank you all for a great OER! I thought your weebly website design was very well laid out and I greatly enjoyed the topics you highlighted. I especially appreciated the page on K-12 special education and the use of Virtual Reality. VR is something I never actually thought about incorporating in my practice, however after watching some of the videos that you posted and doing some of my own research, I can see how it can be beneficial if set up in a meaningful and reliable way. Thanks again!

Thanks for sharing team! I think mobility and having appropriate uses for mobile devices have become beneficial in today's classroom. Students of today are a lot more tech-savvy and have so many useful capabilities on their smartphone. Having a well designed educational app/mobile friendly interface that allows students to take pictures, video record, send messages and post videos in collaboration with their teachers is very effective if done right. This week I reviewed FreshGrade and was impressed by it's features and how it can be easily accessed from a mobile device with specific apps for teachers, parents and students. This was one of the things that came to mind when reviewing your OER. Great work, I enjoyed the format, was very user friendly and straightforward.

Thank you Aziza, Ram and James! To answer your questions above: Personalized learning is a great model that allows students to learn at their own pace based on their own general interest. They strive for achieving new personal goals and are self motivated. The teacher plays the role of a facilitator and gives students various learning opportunities that they can take advantage of. One question I do have is if this type of learning model can be applied to all types of subject areas? Can this work just as well in a math class as it would in a P.E class? Home economics class? Will it work best with a certain age group? In terms of how personalized learning can change the roles of classroom stakeholders: as mentioned, the teacher plays more of a facilitator role is is no longer the bearer of all information. This model allows for students to invest in their own learning based on their curiosities. The teacher is there to support them and assist them. Problem solving, retrieving information and being resourceful are important skills in life and a personalized learning model can sharpen these vital skills no matter the subject area. (in my own opinion of course). If I were to use a piece of technology for learning and teaching purposes, it must be reliable and effective. What makes a reliable and effective learning tool? Does it rely on an internet connection? What if the internet is temporarily out of service? Do students have access to hardware and software? At the end of the day I am all for embracing new technology as long as it is effective and reliable. The technology should enhance learning, in other word have a unique ability that non technology related resources lack.