In the 54 hours of the NYC Startup Weekend Education, over 100 participants attacked several of the most persistent problems in the global educational ecosystem.
Of the 20 startup proposals that were submitted, most fell into two general categories:
- Improvements to curriculum and teacher preparation in the classroom
- Improvements to personal development of students for professional opportunities
Among the problems the 20 startup proposals sought to solve, there were three that stood out for harnessing technological innovation and the power of interconnectedness via the internet towards practical solutions.
Gametamed attacks the lack of interest of students to learn in and outside the classroom.
Gametamed aims to create a platform for teachers to build on students’ interest in video games where they spend hours and hours, (such as the famous World of Warcraft), to advance the learning process inside and outside the classroom. The idea is to integrate the curriculum requirements (qualitative and quantitative) into the designated game. Students could find math problems and verbal reasoning in the context of the game, encouraging them to learn while they play. Gametamed plans on a business model that could well be nonprofit or subscription-based.
Learning Unbound is a promising solution to the lack of preparation of teachers in the classroom.
Unbound is a platform that would allow teachers to share curated and recommended material and tools for teaching specific subjects and topics. The platform would connect teachers from other regions focused on a same course topic, and reward them for creating and uploading quality content. Needless to say, the market of eager teachers looking to decrease class preparation time – with the added bonus of having access to improved learning tools – is quite big. Learning Unbound will have a freemium business model that creates incentives for members to upload content teachers, solving the problem many teachers face of spending more than 20 hours per week preparing for the next class.
Let’s Intervene wants to break the tradition of punishing erroneous youth with behavior problems.
The online managed service is based on providing proactive alternatives to connect young people with social activities remplazen punishment with community volunteer hours that are more relevant to the student and their situation. The service would connect schools with local organizations and other resources to create a proper fit between the student, their needs, and an actor expert on the subject that can engage the student with significant experience. Let’s Intervene addresses the problems that still exist handling students with behavioral and social difficulties rooted in the home and neighborhood. The business model would charge for the service to interested schools.
More information about NYC Education Startup Weekend
The 54-hour event helps launch startups and transform the educational landscape through technology. More than 100 participants – software developers, educators, designers and entrepreneurs – present their models and ideas and create a sustainability plan with a prototype.
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