molly

Henna, I was very impressed with your pitch! Thanks for addressing such an important issue and coming up with a potentially viable way forward. I disagree with Ryan about the length of the elevator pitch being an issue. I think the whole idea of your venture is that women need to be seen, heard and finally occupy some space, and I feel your elevator pitch served that purpose while being informative and engaging. You come across as having the skills, experience and passion to be an ideal founder for this venture. I found the slide deck accessible and well organized. I think it would be helpful to provide more info about the competitors and further differentiate your venture.

Beyond Reading sounds like it could be a great and flexible resource for students with a variety of learning disabilities. After listening to your pitch, I understand the need for more supportive technology. It’s clear how your product could help meet this need and how your product differs from others on the market. I was particularly interested in the audiobook function and assistive technology functions you mentioned. I think case studies demonstrating the impact of this system on teachers, students and school systems at large would strengthen your pitch. I’d also like to get a better understanding of the logistics of the teacher-created library of resources. What kind of review process or rating system would be in place to ensure high quality and appropriately tagged resources? Expanding on this element would be helpful and might further distinguish it from the competition. More specific details about the intended roll out of the product would also be useful from an investor’s standpoint.

Very compelling pitch that I could instantly relate to. You’ve clearly articulated the pain point and come up with a well-thought-out solution. You come across as very professional, competent, trustworthy and also very passionate about this endeavor. You did a great job of illustrating how your service would directly impact the lives of both buyers and end users. I agree with Henna that more detailed info about how $500,000 would be used would further strengthen the pitch. Excellent job!

I think this report is an invaluable resource for anyone trying to better understand the current state of the digital English language market around the world and trends and predictions going forward. The top five revenue generating learning technologies are presented and explored in relation to regions and countries with the highest growth rates and buying power. From the report, it is evident that self-paced e-learning products are losing out to mobile products, particularly English language apps. Also interestingly, there is a strong market for Mobile Learning VAS around the world. According to the report, “By 2020, Mobile education apps and Mobile Learning VAS products combined will account for 63% of all global digital English language learning revenues” (p.37). Mobile Learning VAS (value-added service) is subscription-based mobile content provided through a mobile network. Related to my professional context, the report discusses the rise of online English for Academic Purposes programs being offered by universities and colleges in Canada and the US for a fraction of the cost of classroom-based courses. If successful completion of an online prep course is recognized by the school in the same manner as intensive face-to-face bridging programs, this could potentially disrupt higher education in Canada that tends to rely on these bridging programs as cash cows.

I think there is great potential for the use of a game-based approach to language teaching. Gamification in the form of interactive and mobile compatible quizzes such as Kahoot! and Quizlet have definitely made their way into the ESL classroom, but these digital version of traditional methods are very limiting. I think there is a lot of room for more sustained immersive group engagement through complex games that could help build competencies in all skill areas.

Adaptive learning technologies can be an effective way to create personalized learning experiences. They can give extra support to student struggling in a target skill area and prevent boredom from unnecessary repetition for those students already proficient in that skill area. It helps ensure that all students are suitably challenged and supported. Adaptive learning software would be very useful in my professional context of language teaching with students from diverse backgrounds, linguistic groups and previous language exposure. In the area of pronunciation, it would help ensure that students spent time on specific pronunciation challenges that they struggle with. I have recently used readtheory.org with students. It is an adaptive reading program that selects texts and comprehension questions based on a student’s past performance. A useful feature of this and other adaptive learning software is the tracking feature that enables teachers and students (if desired) to monitor progress and identify specific challenges students have. Read Theory measures and displays progress, lexical range scores, and specific types of questions students struggle with.

I see the potential for the use of chatbots in language training and improving a learner’s understanding of a target culture through pragmatics training. A well-designed chatbot could potentially fill in as a language partner or tutor. However, I think that they can only be effective and engaging if the interaction feels more like an authentic conversation with quick bot response time and a bot that is adaptive to a learner’s strengths and weaknesses. I think voice chatbots offer more potential for language training than text-based bots. With Mondly’s voice chatbot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1ilOmG7qA) users have the ability to record their responses, but the conversation still comes across as feeling very stilted and slow. I think there is a lot of room for growth in this area.

Hi Philip, I read "Red Rising" series a few months ago and really enjoyed it. I also share your interest in how learning technologies can be used most effectively for reading and writing skill development for higher levels. Look forward to working with you in this course.

I also am very interested in comparing our unsuccessful pronunciation training programs. :)

Hi Sarah! That's a great video. Despite embracing some new learning technologies, I am also still very much an Emma in many ways. I'm interested in hearing more about your Adult Learning and Global Change program. Look forward to working with you!