The 10 most innovative companies in education technology dec 2017

The way of business solutionsThe way of business solutions
DECEMBER 2017
www.insightssuccess.com
Changing the Educational Learning Landscape
through Digital Student Engagement Software
Christopher Revord
Founder & CEO
MENTOR MIND
Popular Technology
Waiting to be Scaled 2 0 1 7
CHALK TALK
Big Data and Analytics
for Education

oday, we can see that education has become more interesting
Tunlike before and a major percentage of credit goes to technology
and its influence. Emerging technologies have totally transformed
the way of learning process by making it more simple, accessible and
effective. Education Technology companies are endlessly introducing
innovative educational tools and programs which are improving every
aspect of the current education system.
Interestingly, online learning programs are becoming more and more
popular with their flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and simplicity as
compared to conventional classrooms. Some companies are integrating
new technological tools with conventional education system and this
combination is resulting in the cost-effectiveness and overall simplicity in
the learning process for students.
M-learning is gaining more momentum as one of the effective tools for
learning. Today, in general, we can see that everyone possesses their own
mobile phones from young children to the elder ones and most of them are
steadily connected with it. This makes too easy to run an educational
program through mobile devices with full flexibility.
Educational Technology Industry is not only making learning interesting,
but also fulfilling the overall conditions of education like financial aid for
education of low-income student and such more. That’s why Education
Technology has now become a vast industry as it is not only limited to
educators for teaching students, but also covering the students, teachers,
institutions, and whole education process.
The Educational Technology industry is steadily expanding in the
educational space with their game changing innovative technologies and
strategies, making education so simple and available to all irrespective of
their age or experience.
In the upcoming future, we will see the more sophisticated solutions from
Educational Technology industry and improved communication networks
like 5G and IoT will add the advantage. So, it will be interesting to see how
Educational Technology industry will reform the education sector by use of
future technologies and make education more simple and interesting again.
Editorial
Education
Technology:
Bringing
Tremendous
Learning
Opportunities
Suhel Mashayak

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December 2017
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YouBthere:
Changing the Educational Learning Landscape
through Digital Student Engagement Software
08
EXPERT’S TALK
The Need To Understand
The Necessity Of Innovation
24
E-LEARNING VIEWPOINT
The Real-Time World-Wide
Learning through the Internet
36
TECHNOLOGY REVISION
Disrupt The Distruptest
Technologies
42
Content

Networld Solutions:
Customizing the Business of K-12
Education with Innovative IT Solutions
26
CampusLogic:
Simplifying Access to College Through
Better Financial Aid Processes
20
ReviewStudio:
A Collaborative Platform for
Creative Review
28
School Software Group:
Revamping the Foundation of
the Education System
38
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Flipped Learning: A
Technological Advancement
That Takes Learning at Ease
16
MENTOR MIND
Popular Technology
Waiting to be Scaled
22
EDITORIAL’S DESK
What Will Dene the Face
of Education?
32
CHALK TALK
Big Data and Analytics
for Education
40

ducation is one of the most important parts of the human life and any physical or economic or mental
Eobstruction for education may generate undesirable complications in the human life. As education plays a
vital role in the overall improvement of a human being, it is highly signiﬁcant to make education easily
available and affordable for all. For that, the Education Technology providers are continuously working to
simplify the education system by riding on advanced technologies. With technical advancement and efforts of
Education Technology providers, today we can see that digital learning processes such as online learning, mobile
learning, virtual classrooms, etc. have become more popular. Whatever you want to know can be easily available
on the web with only need of one search. This increased adoption of digital learning due to its simplicity and
readily availability is making Education Technology companies more valuable. So we have introduced our latest
issue The 10 Most Innovative Companies in Education Technology 2017 to showcase the efforts of Education
Technology industry in transforming our education system.
We have highlighted the cover of this issue with YouBthere, which is changing the Educational Learning
Landscape through Digital Student Engagement Software. YouBthere is a cloud-based student engagement
software application that helps professors and students engage, discuss, and stay connected regardless of a
preferred learning environment. It offers an enhanced classroom or online learning experience by creating an
interactive exchange of ideas and discussion topics all through a click of a button. Its easy setup capabilities and
end-user experience are changing the way instructors and students engage and learn. YouBthere helps students to
better focus on their subject matter via their preferred smart devices.
After doing in-depth research and studies we have enlisted; CampusLogic: Simplifying Access to College
Through Better Financial Aid Processes, Networld Solutions: Customizing the Business of K-12 Education with
Innovative IT Solutions, ReviewStudio: A Collaborative Platform for Creative Review, and School Software
Group: Revamping the Foundation of the Education System.
While going through our magazine, you can also read the masterly written articles by our in-house editors such as
Big Data and Analytics for Education, Flipped Learning: A Technological Advancement That Takes Learning at
Ease, Popular Technology Waiting to be Scaled, and What Will Deﬁne the Face of Education? From the Editor’s
Pick. Disrupt the distruptest technologies, The Need to Understand the Necessity of Innovation and The
Real-Time World-Wide Learning through the Internet from the View of some the Successful Leaders.
Hope this special edition of education from us will create a mark on your mind.
Education Technology:
Redening the Education

Changing the Educational Learning
Landscape through Digital
Student Engagement Software
Weare the
INNOVATIVE
LEADERS
STUDENT
ENGAGEMENT
in

Christopher Revord
Founder & CEO

oday, technological advancement is totally transforming the educational experience from its
Torigins. Students are now learning through their smart devices more easily and effectively than
ever before thanks to companies like YouBthere. The combination of both classroom and on-line
programs within higher education is gaining more popularity due to its flexibility, cost-effectiveness and
overall simplicity. This increasing trend of hybrid or blended learning students as they are called, is
creating tremendous pressure on educational institutions to try and find new value-added digital
technologies. Finding those relevant digital technologies that will help create and deliver a meaningful
impact on improving student educational outcomes is the next wave in education today.
YouBthere is a cloud-based student engagement software application that helps professors and students
engage, discuss, and stay connected regardless of a preferred learning environment. It offers an enhanced
classroom or online learning experience by creating an interactive exchange of ideas and discussion topics
all through a click of a button. Its easy setup capabilities and end-user experience are changing the way
instructors and students engage and learn. YouBthere helps students to better focus on their subject matter
via their preferred smart devices.
Simplifying Learning with Comprehensive Solutions
YouBthere’s core technology is a robust, digital student engagement (SE) solution that works in all three
learning environments: classroom, synchronized and asynchronous online courses. Team YouBthere’s
exclusive approach allows them to combine many applications into one simple software solution which is
fully integrated in real time within a schools Learning Management System (LMS). YouBthere’s proactive
approach addresses the need to match relevant digital technology with the changing learning landscape in a
student’s educational journey.
Architect behind YouBthere
Christopher Revord is the Founder and CEO of YouBthere. Like most CEO’s, Mr. Revord is
responsible for managing the overall direction and execution of the company’s domestic and international
business plans. Prior to YouBthere, Christopher has been a Managing Partner at Chicago Research &
Trading, Managing Director at Bank of America and President of Paragon Global Capital, LLC. His
previous financial sector experience in building relevant software and profit centers has proven to be
extremely helpful in guiding YouBthere’s overall development and direction.
“I believe we have raised the bar of what educational institutions should expect from digital technologies.
Even today the fact that the majority of institutions only use a polling feature, or nothing at all suggests that
there needs to be a more exploratory approach to evaluating new and relevant digital technologies. The
preferred method of pilot trials is certainly understandable, but there also needs to be an easier and quicker
process to test and implement software than most institutions support at this time,” said Mr. Revord.
Limitations of Conventional Education System
Educational institutions that do not adopt new digital technologies to resolve pending issues or feel that
they can wait will be left far behind by their competitors who do. The competitive landscape for higher
education schools is heating up to keep and attract new students. Students research universities that will
help them succeed prior to committing. With tuition fees approaching six figures on a yearly basis, students
want to feel that there is a process in place to help derive a successful outcome.
Technologically filling the Potential Holes in the current Educational System
Through the use of YouBthere’s adaptive features, their software can increase participation and create a
better-connected experience regardless of course implementation method. Their path provides something
for everyone, including increased engagement and communication for students, easier implementation of

course materials for instructors, and real-time
measurement of student comprehension and
progress. In addition, administrators can save
money by combining their multitude of features
into one single digital solution.
“Our unique and exclusive approach lies in our
ability to create new and meaningful features and
to provide those new features in all three learning
environments. By design, we developed a software
that is ﬂexible with very few limitations. When
institutions begin to realize that their current solution
is boxed-in and incapable of expanding as the
schools need change, it is a watershed moment.
Digital solutions should be evaluated not only for a
school’s present needs but also for their future needs as
well,” says Christopher about their technological
approach and distinctive strategies.
Dealing Successfully with Problems
Currently, there are many issues and trends that are shaping
the educational sector. The main issues YouBthere is trying
to positively impact include: the need for increased
engagement within a digital learning setting, meeting or
exceeding standards set by accreditation agencies for state
and federal funding, institutional budgetary concerns and
the increasing rise of hybrid learning programs.
YouBthere addresses these concerns by providing an
affordable, robust interactive digital student engagement
software to be used for today’s higher education students
that doesn’t ignore the needs of blended learning students.
Team YouBthere recognized this growing hybrid trend and
created YouBthere to enable instructors and students to use
one single software solution instead of three or more
applications.
All higher education institutions need to engage students as
this universal and heavily researched component is directly
tied to successful educational outcomes. YouBthere’s
digital solution provides 15 adaptive learning features,
including learning analytics, synchronized digital materials
and interactive discussion boards, all at a signiﬁcant
cost-savings.
Overcoming Challenges with Distinctive Solutions and
Strategies
For all new educational software companies entering this
sector, two main challenges exist: First, the educational
institution’s long evaluation process of new technologies
needs to be shortened and secondly, an LMS’s heavy
reliance on pre-existing relationships narrows an
institutions’ exposure to new ideas. These hurdles create an
unnecessarily long sales-cycle and ultimately reward the
wrong entities.
To directly combat these ongoing hurdles, Team YouBthere
continues to build game-changing new features or elements
that cannot be replicated outside their software. YouBthere
provides 13 more features at a tremendous cost-savings.
Christopher’s Advice for Young Entrepreneurs
Christopher expressed his suggestions to the young
entrepreneurs entering the Education Technology in
two-fold;
“First, entrepreneurs should plan for a long sales cycle.
Secondly, it’s important for new companies to know the
Our proactive approach
creates early alert indicators
that help students who need it
− before it's too late!”
“ “

hurdles within this sector. Here are three external
factors that need to be acknowledged and hopefully
changed to help new education technology
companies penetrate this sector and equally
important entice continued education technology
investment. They are:
• LMS companies need to embrace new
technology companies for their relevancy and
for the problem(s) they resolve, not focus
exclusively on the number of current users
• Institutional LMS administrators and
instructional designers need to embrace new
solution providers.
• Educational institutions need to ﬁnd a way to
shorten their edtech evaluation and
implementation process.
Recognizing these external factors up-front can
help shape your company’s approach and
in-addition hopefully help avoid early pitfalls when
trying to gain traction.”
Future Plans
YouBthere will continue to add new features that
will improve or enhance the everyday learning
experience. YouBthere will focus on the need to
improve the long-ignored asynchronous learning
environment but will serve the changing needs of
educational institutions as well.
“Acknowledging sector-speciﬁc challenges help
shape our product, we are excited about the role
our technology will play in the future of higher
education,” says Christopher.
Our sole
dedication
to enhancing
the everyday
classroom
and on-line
experience through
our robust
features
increases a student's
participation
&
learning ability
“
“
interactive

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ManagementCompany Name
Campus Logic
campuslogic.com
Gregg Scoresby
Founder & CEO
CampusLogic is an Education Technology Solution company,
which provides end-to-end student ﬁnancial services solutions.
Competentum Group
Competentum.com
Natalia Soboleva
Founder & President
Competentum Group is a global industry leader with over
twenty years of experience. Over the years, the company has
proved itself as a turnkey education technology provider.
Networld Solutions
networldsolutions.com
Darryl Vidal
Vice President
PickAtime
pickatime.com
PickAtime provides an award winning online scheduling
solution that is used by schools and organizations, in the United
States and Canada as well as in locations around the globe.
Networld Solutions is a leading provider of value-added
Information Technology solutions. It designs, implements, and
manages complex e-business solutions, and delivers these
systems with quality and customer satisfaction as a
critical-success metric.
Brief
John Taves
Founder
YouBthere
youbthere.com
Christopher Revord
Founder & CEO
YouBthere is a web-based student engagement software
application that helps professors and students connect inside
their classrooms and online learning programs - all in real-time.
School Software Group
schoolsoftwaregroup.com
Chris Trina
Co-founder
School Software Group is a web development and technology
company specializing in education well known for its
award-winning web-based software,
BuildYourOwnCurriculum (BYOC).
ReviewStudio
reviewstudio.com
ReviewStudio develops collaborative services and software
tools for creative teams that need a faster and easier way to
collect and organize feedback and approvals of their digital
media projects.
Martin McKay
Founder & CTO
Texthelp is helping everyone read, write and communicate with
clarity in class, at work and in life
Realityworks
realityworks.com
Timm Boettcher
President & CEO
Realityworks provides comprehensive learning solutions that
pair curriculum with hands-on learning aids, student activities
and assessment tools to create innovative learning
environments.
Sunburst Digital
sunburst.com
Sunburst Digital has connected educators with instructional
technology and digital content solutions for three decades. Their
solutions are found in more than 97% of US school districts.
Stuart Feldman
Co-founder & President
Texthelp
texhelp.com
Ken Leonard
Chairman & CEO

ipped
A Technological
Advancement
That Takes
Learning
at Ease
earning:
Technology is a boon and it’s proving it again and again
in various aspects of human lives. However, one can
still debate on if is it a curse or a boon, but it will be
wrong not to appreciate the technology advancements.
Technology advancements are changing the way business
was taking place and will be doing the same in the coming
years.
While technology is driving a revolution in every ﬁeld, how
education would lag behind? Yes, education combined with technology
is a not a surprising thing anymore, as students are already using it anyway. Flipped
learning is one of the focal advancement, technology has given to the students as well as
educators.
16 DECEMBER 2017

What is the need?
In a conventional system, students generally try to
capture what is being said at the instant speaker
says it. However, they face difficulty in getting
all the information, as they cannot stop the
speaker to reflect upon what is being said.
Contrary to traditional learning, flipped
learning allows students to control the
lecture: they can watch, rewind, and
fast-forward as needed. This ability
allows students to get information at
ease.
What is it?
The days are gone when students
used to attend every lecture being
present physically. The modern era
demands everything at a click away
and that’s where Flipped learning
makes an impact. Short video lectures,
viewed by students at home or
somewhere else, before the class
session, making them devoted to
exercises, discussions or projects in class-
time. Flipped approach is mainly based on
video lectures created by the instructor or
posted online. A podcast can be a good
example of Flipped approach, where
information is at ease and one can get it anytime,
anywhere. Active learning, student engagement,
course podcasting, and hybrid course design can be
achieved through Flipped classrooms.
How does it work?
There is no certain model for the flipped classroom that could
constrain diversity of the concept to the limited use. The term
can be used to describe any class structure that provides
prerecorded lectures followed by in-class exercise. In one model,
students get lectures of five to seven minutes, while in-class they can
solve online quizzes on the topic they have learned or also certain
activities can be performed in-class to know what they have learned,
which can help clarify points of confusion. Instructors also might lead in
class discussions or transform the classroom into a studio where students
can collaborate, create and put into practice what they have learned.
The future of education paints success for those advancements which
aim to transform the traditional system into something better, wider and
easier.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
17DECEMBER 2017

obligation is to increase accessibility,
reduce student borrowing, and drive
down administration costs.”
Founder Scoresby’s Vision Becomes
Successful Reality
Today, Scoresby’s vision has evolved
into a robust, student financial services
platform—the only one of its kind in
higher education. The Arizona-based
SaaS company now helps more than
450 institutions provide easy, mobile,
personalized financial services to 3
million students nationwide.
CampusLogic transforms the way
colleges and universities deliver
student financial services, helping
schools grow enrollment, improve
efficiency, and increase student
engagement by:
• Creating cost and value
transparency in higher education
with ClearCost, the industry’s
leading commercial net price
calculator;
• Improving scholarship
management through
ScholarshipUniverse, which
matches students’ profiles with
scholarship opportunities,
streamlines the review and award
processes, and keeps donors
engaged;
• Delivering digital award letters
G
regg Scoresby founded
CampusLogic in 2011 to
solve a nationwide problem.
In the U.S., more than 85% of college
students receive some form of financial
aid, but the student finance process is
filled with challenges. Inefficient
financial aid processing systems, poor
student communications, and
confusing scholarship processes create
barriers to enrollment and retention.
Helping Schools Change Lives
Many students don’t make it into
school because of these seemingly
insurmountable hurdles—especially
low-income students—with 40%
failing to enroll because of complex
financial processes. “I knew that we
could help colleges and universities
change lives by simplifying the student
financial services journey,” Scoresby
recalls.
“I’ve been in financial aid software and
operations for about 20 years now,” he
adds. “As I’ve met with college
presidents, chancellors, business
officers and other leaders in financial
aid and enrollment over the years, I
often ask the question, ‘What would
the ideal student finance function do?’
The responses almost always include
one or more of what I call the ‘ABC’s
of student finance.’ Leaders know that
part of their social mission and
and all types of student financial
services communications with
AwardLetter;
• Simplifying financial aid forms
and processes through secure,
mobile-optimized submission and
review processes via
StudentForms;
• Driving strategic decision-making
with data derived from
CampusMetrics, which rides
alongside all student financial
services products on the platform
and provides instant insights to
meaningful behind-the-scenes
data.
Students and staff can manage financial
services processes more quickly and
efficiently—supported by text and
email prompts, image capture,
e-signature, and government-grade
security. The cloud-based technology is
scalable to serve schools of all sizes,
integrates with all Student Information
Systems (SIS), and requires little IT
intervention. Regulatory updates are
seamless and automatic, too.
“By making student financial services
more accessible, we’re helping make
CampusLogic:
Simplifying Access to College Through
Better Financial Aid Processes
Gregg Scoresby
Founder & CEO
20 DECEMBER 2017

higher education more accessible,”
Scoresby says. “And, that ties directly
to our purpose, which is to ‘help
schools change lives.’
New Product, ScholarshipUniverse,
Launches in the Spring
Reducing friction across the
scholarship process is up next for
growth-focused CampusLogic.
ScholarshipUniverse launches
commercially in Spring 2018 and is
already gaining overwhelming interest
within the higher education
community. The technology
streamlines scholarship management
for staff and students, simplifies
complex application and review
processes, and improves scholarship
fund utilization. Plus, for the first time
ever, students will be able to match
to—rather than search for—relevant
institutional and vetted external
scholarship opportunities via one
integrated collection. “When students
get scholarships, they borrow less
federal aid—helping to
shrink loan debt while
also helping students stay
in school,” says
Scoresby. “And that
benefits everyone.”
Education
Technology Inspires
‘Hyper-Personalized’ Experience to
Drive Success
Asked about the future of EdTech,
“hyper-personalized,” is Scoresby’s
response. “In every aspect of
life—inside and outside the
classroom—students and
administrators receive a
hyper-personalized experience. Think
television, healthcare, banking,
shopping. Colleges and universities
need to drive personalization
throughout the education experience
for students. In the way classes are
offered and structured, down to how
students can enroll and finance their
education, hyper-personalization is
going to drive success—for students
and institutions.”
Recent Accolades for CampusLogic
In 2017, CampusLogic ranked 1,426
on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing
companies in the U.S., placing
twenty-eighth in Arizona. The
company is also a “Spirit of Enterprise,
Emerging Enterprise” award winner,
and earned third place on the 2017
Phoenix Business Journal “Best Places
to Work” for small businesses.
‘‘
‘‘
We are on a mission to
transform student
financial services
21DECEMBER 2017

Popular Technology
Waiting to be Scaled
he millennials are all born with a keen sense of
Ttechnological acumen. At an age when baby
boomers were being introduced to the concept of
computers, millennials are well versed with the intricate
workings of modern computers. Today’s students are
experimenting with 3D printers and are having full access
to all the books found in a library right from their homes.
So, yes, the internet is a serious revolution if you consider
every sector operating in the world. But, how far have the
solution providers been able to properly harness the full
potential of these latest innovations in the field of
education, is a real concern?
What the millennials want to learn?
With improvised learning tools and some suave gadgets,
students are actually much more engaged in their learning
objectives than ever before. Math is actually turning out to
be fun for many with a dedicated perseverance from many
Math-lovers to increase its fan base. Software modules are
the latest norms that have been implemented with regards to
learners of different levels.
However, these software modules need to be constantly
upgraded with latest updated subject materials and citations
or else they stand to go obsolete. This is where AI and
Machine Learning are being perfected upon. There are few
researches going on and some companies are already
preparing to incorporate both into their learning modules.
According to one ongoing research, Artificial Intelligence is
being developed, so as to be able to understand the learning
patterns of the learner, their grasping power, the kind of
citations they can relate to, the difficulty level of tests, and
the points where the module itself is not capable of
convincing the learner. The modern Artificial Intelligence
systems are being designed to learn about the student while
the student is learning on the modules. This way, the system
learns about the student’s interest in various topics and
hence the lessons can be crafted accordingly, similar to the
way videos are recommended on video hosting sites.
Social Media – The Power of Collaborative Learning
There is no doubt that social media plays a very proactive
role in everyone’s life today. The popularity of various
social media platforms is already being tapped by institutes
in every corner of the world. The only concern, however,
with social media is, keeping them engrossed into the
educational topics and not the usual fun and frolics that
social media attracts.
Social Media could be the most powerful learning tool with
the right, well-focused groups and erudite discussion
sessions. Such groups do exist in most of these platforms,
but like many, they are hardly unbiased and hence, could
not be relied upon for doing complete justice to the
purpose. Once again, Artificial Intelligence comes to the
rescue. Many of the newly developed social media
platforms are investing highly into the power of real-time
Artificial Intelligence-based Analyzing technology to keep
the students engrossed in their learning activities, much like
the current social media platforms.
Virtual Reality – Learning from a Whole New
Perspective
Currently, this technology is popularly being used in the
gaming industry. With the requirement of advanced
processing technologies and sophisticated programming,
Virtual Reality would really take some time to get adopted
22 DECEMBER 2017

for the financially backward learning industry. However,
there are many non-profit organizations that are taking huge
strides in making it a reality as soon as possible. The
cardboard cut-out, smartphone-enabled, budget virtual
reality devices available today are considered too
naïve to be adopted for the current lot of students.
That is, it doesn’t have the ability to keep a
student engaged for a long time. This,
however, is a matter of developing the
content that leverages the complete
potential of the VR Technology.
Holographic Projectors – Making
Classroom Sessions Lively
The science-fiction phenomenon that
has been continuously portrayed as a
thing of the future is soon going to be a
reality. We already have laser projector
keyboards and mouse and other motion-
enabled, holographic-based user interfaces.
The Holographic projectors certainly seem to be
the next frontier in the smartphone era and
inevitably it will be the next best thing to happen in the
education sector. Videos of classes being conducted using
the holographic technology seems very promising and with
an engaging user interface, holograms are going to make
the topics very interesting and easier to grasp.
3D printing – Harboring the Future Designers
This is the most happening tool that has got the entire
research world excited. From printing a prosthetic limb to a
synthetic DNA strand and even a whole building, the
possibilities with 3D printing is endless. This is exactly
what makes it the most demanded tool in almost every
industrial sector in the world.
However, the biggest drawback of a 3D printing equipment
is its cost. It is beyond the reach of most of the research
institutes and its accessories also come at a premium. Yet,
there are some premium schools that are incorporating the
know-hows of 3D printers and making their students
accustomed to the basics of its operation. In the near future,
craft activities using clay and paper are going to be
complemented by the use of 3D printers. Even though it is
shunned by many, there are still some art installations that
are garnering attention around the world, just for being
developed on a 3D printer.
Cloud and IoT – Evaluating Performance on Different
Levels
This technology cannot be termed as the future, but is being
heavily exploited by the present system itself. Students no
longer need to haul heavy books in their backpacks. But
there is more to this technology than just data storage.
There are programs coming up that aims to implement Big
Data Analytics in student's study patterns, their overall
performance in various subjects and consequently, their
scope of creativity.
There has been a long-standing argument regarding the
removal of the present evaluation system where the students
are evaluated based on their scores in various subject
matters. However, there are some revolutions coming up
that consider the performance of an upcoming sportsman, a
scientist, a civil servant and many more. Proposals have
been going around to give equal considerations to every
student showcasing different strata of interest in different
activities. Using the cloud-based performance evaluation
tools, it is possible to evaluate different students on varying
benchmarks and hence, they could be recommended for the
most apt career options. In a way, the world would be
getting the most productive citizens through this program.
As per an undergoing program, students’every little
academic activity will be monitored through smart cameras
installed in every nook and corner of the campus, which
would be equipped with spectral technology, motion
trackers (even for the eye that senses your level of interest
for a particular subject) and other gimmicks. These cameras
and other sensors, won’t be just tracking the students’
academic activity, but also their personality and their social
interactions. The entire information will be processed,
analyzed and evaluated to determine the further course the
students need to follow. The only glitch to this collaborative
technology would be the level of sophistication to acquire
the required level of accuracy.
With the advancements in the timeline of Mankind, the
amount of data and knowledge will only go on increasing
and the upcoming generations are bound to learn many
things in a much shorter amount of time. However, the
latest technologies stand to be the only respite to the
growing concerns of the educational institutes. Be it in
preparing an engaging curriculum or in the smooth
functioning of the institute, students are going to reap the
benefits of the latest advancements in the technology.
23DECEMBER 2017
MENTOR MIND

The Need to
UNDERSTAND
the Necessity of
INNOVATION
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Bagrin is the Founder and Chief
Executive Ofcer of My Digital Shield (MDS),
a leading provider of Security-as-a-Service
(SECaaS) for small businesses. With more than
17 years of experience in the IT security industry,
Andrew started MDS in 2013 to bring
cloud-based, enterprise-level security technology
to small businesses at an affordable price.
Andrew Bagrin
Founder &
Chief Executive Ofcer
24 DECEMBER 2017

Bigger, faster, everywhere! The
measurement of how we rate
technology in general, but
more specifically data
communications. From the days of
spending hundreds of dollars to
upgrade from a 14.4 to a 28.8 modem,
we have always wanted the data to
arrive as fast as possible. More
importantly, we have always wanted
the user experience to keep improving
as we breach new horizons and figure
out how to make it bigger, faster and
everywhere.
It’s in human nature to want to always
make things wildly more impressive
from a performance perspective. The
car engines just kept getting bigger and
bigger to make the cars go faster and
faster. At a certain point, the realists
had to step in and make it clear that an
even bigger engine doesn’t do
anything, because the rest of the car is
not equipped for that power. The
engine itself has to get more efficient
with technology, not just bigger, and
we have to start thinking about other
things, such as stability, safety,
efficiency and longevity. As nostalgic
as some of us can be over the 1960’s
vehicles, the era of the Prius and Tesla
are here. Even the older style muscle
cars are packed with much newer
technology and safety features.
I remember the days of bragging about
the bonded 128k ISDN line and when
my friend got a 500k modem. The
location to live would greatly be
determined by what type of internet is
available. Today, if I ask some of the
savvy network engineers what their
bandwidth is at home, they won’t even
know, and if they check, it’s usually
around the 50-100Mb. Meanwhile the
less savvy will brag about their 300Mb
or 1Gb fiber and will be upset if they
are only testing at 700Mb.
Why is this the case? What changed?
Are we just getting older and not
caring about latest and greatest tech
anymore? After digging a bit deeper
into this question I realized that we are
those realist jumping and saying “do
you seriously think you are using more
than 100Mb at home?” The reason the
internet is crappy is not because of the
speed, but because it’s crappy!
So, what are the important
applications of the internet?
Browsing, Voice, Email/messaging,
Social media, Shopping, Video
streaming (movies),
Payments/banking etc. Of all of these
applications, it seems that security,
privacy, latency, quality and reliability
would be the most important things.
Bandwidth would really only come
into play for streaming video. Netflix
suggests 5Mb/s for every HD stream.
That means at 100Mb, I can have
twenty separate HD Netflix streams at
the same time, and even that I’m sure
never happens in any household or
office. So why do we push for 200Mb,
500mb or 1Gb? Do we just love the
sound of it?
I predict that there will be some
refocus of how connectivity is
provided. The main focus will not be
bandwidth, but will be all the other
parameters with bandwidth being one
of them. Intel finally changed to model
numbers to make it clear that the clock
speed is not the only metric. (I3, I5, I7)
SD-WAN is becoming a reality for all
businesses and it will soon become a
reality for homes as well. SD-WAN
provides reliability, quality, some
privacy and latency/jitter prevention. It
also opens a new way of doing security
and making it more accessible for
everyone. This is the beginning of a
next evolution of how data will be
delivered worldwide. The connection
between LAN and internet has relied
on the wrong metric and poor quality
for long enough and the world is
realizing it now. Along with the
realizations and new technologies,
people will quickly retire the old
metric and start looking at new metrics
as the litmus test of connectivity.
Carriers have been building services
bundled together with their unreliable
connection. They are now starting to
shift to provide those service OTP or at
the top, which mean provide it on the
IP layer and decoupled from the
connection carrier layer. Long time
ago, Nortel made a big bet on services
over layer 2 and they lost, because it
wasn’t decoupled and couldn’t provide
the level of integration that was
needed. Meanwhile, other companies
like Cisco put their services over layer
3 and quickly became the dominant
player in the industry.
Connectivity will decouple from
services to enhance the connectivity
and provide the services separately on
top of the enhanced connection.
Welcome to the future of always
connected with quality, reliability,
performance for its intended uses, not
just making the gauge hit the red line!
25DECEMBER 2017
EXPERT’S TALK

has also published Networld Solutions’
IT strategic planning and project
management methodology called
MAPIT®.
Extraordinary Services from
Networld Solutions
“We like to deal with districts at the
highest possible level, but that is not
always possible, especially at the
larger school districts. In terms of
specialization, it’s really in developing
technology infrastructure. We started
20 years ago writing design guides and
specifications for Local-Area Networks
and classroom audio/video systems.
With the larger initiatives, the more
facilities infrastructure are required,
like data centers, MDF/IDF facilities,
fiber-optic backbones, wide-area
networks, wireless saturation, and
security,” asserts Darryl about their
core consulting services.
Today Networld Solutions’ Education
Technology Strategic Assessment
(ETSA) provides a high-level review
and analysis of any school district by
looking at four strategic technology
areas:
Networld Solutions is a leading
provider of value-added
Information Technology
solutions based in San Diego.
Networld Solutions’ experts realize
there are many choices available when
selecting an IT consulting company,
but with their niche services and
unmatched expertise, they are second
to none. Networld Solutions’ staff can
help any business become more
efficient through automation, business
transformation, e-commerce, website
development and network
infrastructure services.
The Networld Solutions’ K-12 focus is
on technology strategic planning, IT
assessment, and IT project
management. This focus helps K-12
districts develop long-range
technology plans that directly address
LCAP and Board Goals and
Objectives. From these strategic
technology plans, Networld Solutions
defines technology initiatives and they
can plan and manage them through
implementation.
Driving Force of Networld Solutions
Darryl Vidal is the Vice President
and Senior Education Technology
Consultant of Networld Solutions. He
holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business
and a Master’s in Education
Technology and has been managing
Networld Solutions successfully for
over 20 years. Throughout this tenure,
he has consulted with the largest
school districts in Southern California
and helped plan and manage over $500
million in technology programs. He
• Education Technology Initiatives
• Education Technology Standards
• Project Management Office
• Information Technology
Operations
The deliverables from the ETSA
assessment include:
• Education Technology Readiness
score
• Assessment of Ed Tech initiatives
and standards with
Recommendations.
o Including Rough Order
Magnitude (ROM) cost model
• Project and program management
Recommendations
• IT Operations Assessment and
Recommendations
Technologies for Success
“In line with MAPIT® methodologies,
we feel districts must strategically plan
technology initiatives based on LCAP
and Board Goals and Objectives. This
means that all dollars spent on
infrastructure and technology are
identified, standardized and
implemented specifically to address
these goals. Many districts are driven
by technology-based initiatives like
1-to-1 devices and interactive displays.
These programs are not always aligned
Networld Solutions:
Customizing the Business of K-12
Education with Innovative IT Solutions
Darryl Vidal
Vice President
26 DECEMBER 2017

with the needs of each school, class,
and student,” asserts Darryl.
By using MAPIT® methodologies to
first develop a strategic technology
plan that encompasses all technology
and infrastructure at the district level,
each technology initiative is
prioritized, sequenced and funded,
based on the overall plan. Of course,
professional development becomes a
key factor in the success of any
academic initiative, and these types of
the success factors are included in the
MAPIT® methods in the form of Data
Integrity and Quality Assurance plans.
Improved Communications and
Workflow with the Incorporation of
MAPIT®
Networld Solutions utilizes the
MAPIT® methodology to define a
district’s technology strategies. In
order to do this, the district must have
a vision for technology, but this vision
must be based on academic goals and
not technology-centric goals. By
ensuring that technology programs are
based on academic need, the rate of
adoption and success increases.
Districts must look at the form and
function of the instructional model and
develop infrastructure standards based
on that model.
The MAPIT® strategic planning
methodology calls for the definition of
academic and instructionally-based
needs. These needs are then addressed
through systems and technologies. So
if an academic initiative calls for new
technologies, such as 3-D printers,
robotics, makerspaces, and coding
classes, then the implementation plan
will help define the scope and scale of
each initiative.
Objectives and Achievements
Networld Solutions seeks to grow their
consulting services along with their
core networking services
business. In the K-12
space, they’re
continuing to focus on
the ETSA deliverable
because it’s easy for a
school district to
understand and
fund – the deliverables are fully
implementable.
Interestingly, Networld Solutions has
observed a need in the SMB space for
onsite technology support, as opposed
to a remote, MSP-based service. Some
customers in this space have been
burned and become disillusioned with
the promise of the MSP and Service
Level Agreements. These businesses
seek to have a real person who they
can speak with, show things, and get
some hands-on support for local office
technology.
Future Strategies
Networld Solutions is pioneering the
concept of technology independence in
K-12 Education – a concept beyond
1-to-1 Computing and BYOD (Bring
Your Own Device) initiatives.
Technology Independent Model for
Education™ is a trademarked model
that promotes the development of
enterprise systems to proactively
manage all technical aspects of a K-12
school district.
The model uses MAPIT®
methodologies to understand and
define requirements for four areas, and
then develop processes and platforms
for maintaining and supporting them:
• Curriculum
• Technology
• Technology Resource
Management
• Sustainment
The model’s core objective is to ensure
device need is addressed on an “as
needed – just in time” basis. Meaning
that devices are managed and deployed
as opposed to distributed and fixed.
The core tenet being that no single
device is always appropriate for the
curriculum and pedagogy. By planning
and mapping curriculum, the school
should be able to deploy technology
according to need.
Thus the IT Operations organization
moves from being a reactive,
“break-fix” operation, to being a
proactive deployment team. Instead of
fixing broken equipment, the IT
department is deploying fully-charged
and configured equipment as required
by the curriculum plan.
Think of a race car pit crew, versus an
auto repair garage. The pit crew tunes
and readies the car for maximum
performance specific to its purpose.
The repair garage fixes broken cars.
We pride ourselves oncustomization based on need, andcan plan and execute any ITsolution to fit your school or
business
‘‘
‘‘
27DECEMBER 2017

PDF files. Unlike most generic project
management applications, the platform
offers a “media-centric” approach that
presents all project communications
and task management directly in the
context of the media being produced.
In the context of education, Students
and educators around the world use
ReviewStudio to give clear visual
feedback on media assignments and
host live interactive reviews with
individuals or entire classes.
The Architect behind ReviewStudio
Stuart Feldman is a Co-founder and
President of ReviewStudio.With a
background in both architecture and
computer graphics, Stuart started his
career as a Co-founder of Lightscape
Technologies, a 3D visualization
software that provided architects and
designers the ability to visualize,
analyze and present their virtual 3D
projects under accurate lighting
conditions.
After the acquisition of Lightscape by
Autodesk, Stuart became a senior
project manager for design
visualization software at Autodesk and
later managed a project to extend the
availability of 3D tools (“virtual
photography”) to marketing
professionals. His experience with
creative design and production teams
led to the development of
ReviewStudio is an online
proofing and collaboration
tool for marketing, education
and creative teams who need a faster
and easier way to collect and organize
feedback on their digital media
projects. Based in Montreal, Canada,
ReviewStudio offers a visual and
collaborative approach to collecting
and consolidating feedback and
approvals – keeping everyone on the
same page throughout the course of a
project.
When it comes to creative review,
consistency is key. Yet, even today,
some of the largest creative agencies
and production studios use a mixed bag
of solutions to manage team workflows
and organize feedback and approvals.
This can be a nightmare for
project-related communication –
making delays, errors and budget
overruns all too common. As creative
projects become increasingly
constrained by tight deadlines and
budgets, they need a better way to
manage the iterative review and
approval cycles that drive successful
design and production workflows.
ReviewStudio’s real-time,
mobile-friendly application allows
creative project groups to
collaboratively share, markup and
approve multiple forms of digital
content including video, images, and
ReviewStudio as a platform to solve
the unique challenges inherent in the
development of digital media projects.
Journey of ReviewStudio
ReviewStudio began as a project to
help the art production staff of a major
motion picture address their problems
getting timely feedback and approvals
from multiple stakeholders spread
across three continents. Poor
communication and a lack of effective
collaboration was severely impacting
the film’s production schedule and
budget. In response, the ReviewStudio
team developed a simple, web-based
solution for uploading, sharing and
reviewing the digital comps that
significantly streamlined the review
and approval cycles.
Since that initial solution, the
ReviewStudio team has continued
engaging and collaborating closely
with clients, ultimately expanding to
address a much broader range of
creative workflows. “Today, our
customers come from a wide variety of
creative disciplines – marketing, digital
production artists, videographers and
photographers, designers and
ReviewStudio:
A Collaborative Platform for
Creative Review
Stuart Feldman
Co-Founder & President
28 DECEMBER 2017

educators,” explains Stuart. “Our
mission is to provide these creative
professionals and teams with the best
tools possible to help them collaborate
more effectively and realize the full
potential of their creative efforts in
advertising, film and video production,
education and publishing.”
Benefits for Clients
ReviewStudio’s innovative approach to
media-centric project management
helps creative teams deliver their
projects on time and on budget. Some
of its most important features and
benefits include:
■ Simplicity. An easy-to-use
non-technical markup tool lets
collaborators and clients
immediately review, markup and
approve a wide range of digital
media files from any online
computer or mobile device. They
have no need to purchase, install or
learn specialized tools to provide
clear and effective feedback.
■ Agility. Design and production
cycles are faster because all
content display and markups are
centralized. Collaborative threaded
discussions help avoid multiple
iterations by centralizing feedback
from all project collaborators.
Integrated versioning makes it easy
to track and compare the progress
of a project from early design
through finished deliverable.
■ Dialogue. Project team members
can hold live online review
presentations where all
collaborators can view, discuss and
markup content together. This
functionality helps to resolve
issues faster and
avoid
communication
errors.
■ Reference. The
platform
maintains a complete, searchable
record of all content-related
communications and activities that
take place over the course of
project development. This helps
team members stay organized and
avoid conflicts by providing a
verifiable audit trail of all review
activities.
The Distinctive Methodology of
ReviewStudio
ReviewStudio’s distinctive advantage
is that it supports both the independent
and synchronized collaborative review
of digital media.
Independent reviews allow clients or
collaborators in different locations and
time zones to view content and provide
feedback independently at their
convenience.
Synchronized reviews allow teams to
work together from remote locations to
brainstorm or discuss various aspects
of a project in live real-time review
sessions. A team member can
synchronize the playback of a
slide-show or video with any number
of online participants and stop on any
frame to discuss and markup the
content together.
This combination of independent
review and real-time conferencing
makes ReviewStudio particularly
well-suited for the the iterative and
collaborative nature of creative project
workflows.
Achievements and Future Plans
Stuart attributes ReviewStudio’s
success to its team’s extensive
experience in the creative production
environment and its deep
understanding of client workflows.
“We are very engaged with our
clients,” observes Stuart. “We see the
ongoing development of ReviewStudio
itself as a highly engaged and
collaborative effort to meet their needs
and goals.”
In the coming year, ReviewStudio will
be focussing on three primary goals:
▪ Extending project management
workflows to facilitate the tool’s
adoption by larger agencies and
educational institutions.
▪ Extending APIs and integrations
with popular project management
and educational platforms.
▪ Support for emerging media
formats such as immersive VR
images and videos.
‘‘
‘‘
Our unique combination of easy-to-usemarkup tools and advanced real-timecollaboration capabilities helps creativeteams deliver digital media projects on
time and on budget
29DECEMBER 2017

What Will
Denethe Faceof
EDUCATION?
The gusty winds of education due to insufficient funding, advancing technology, and the need of tough jobs in the last
few years has been a thing to think for many thinkers and experts. The economic health and capacity to innovate
largely depend on the improvement in education. While the “how to” improve is still unfolding. But there are some
trends that are aiming to change the face of education in the coming years.
Rethinking How School Works- Need for Change in the Traditional Way
There is a concentrated effort to reinvent the traditional classroom pattern and rearrange the entire school experience. A
trend that is being driven by the impact of innovative learning approaches. Project and challenge based learning methods are
removing the limitations of the traditional bell schedule for schools that allow students to move from one learning activity to
another more easily. The integrative nature of these traditional approaches has popularized the innovative application of
technology and encouraged innovative designs of school models that connect each class and subject matter to one another.
Also, as learning becoming more student-centered and fluid, some administrators and teachers have started to believe that
schedules should be more flexible to allow opportunities for authentic learning. To change the traditional way of learning
that takes place in classrooms is becoming more agile and open to trying new approaches.
Deeper Learning Approaches- Coping up with Advanced Technology
There has been a long-term prominence in the classroom on deeper learning approaches that delivers rich core content to
32 DECEMBER 2017

EDITORIAL’S DESK
students in innovative ways, which allow them to learn and then apply what they have learned. Problem-based learning and
similar methods encourage more active learning experiences. As technologies such as smartphones and tablets are more
willingly accepted in schools, educators are using these tools to connect the syllabus with the real life applications. With the
advanced examples of this trend, students are able to create solutions to press local and global problems and begin to execute
them in their communities.
Collaborative Learning Approaches- Group Learning is the Solution
Collaborative learning, which refers to students or teachers working together in group activities or peer-to-peer, is based on
the view which says learning is a social construct. It involves activities that generally focused on four main things, putting the
learner at the center, highlighting interaction, working in groups, and developing answers to real world problems.
Collaborative learning models are successful, especially for shy students in improving engagement and achievement.
Teachers also get beneﬁts through peer groups as they engage in professional development and teaching opportunities. An
increasing focus on online global collaboration around the world to support curricular objectives and intercultural
understanding is an added dimension to this trend.
Consumers to Creators- Transforming Theory into Reality
A switch is taking place in schools all over the world as students are learning the subject matter through the act of creation
33DECEMBER 2017

rather than the consumption of content. A wide number digital tools are available to help this transformation. Indeed, a
whole new level of comfort is growing due to the accessibility of mobile technologies. Many educators believe that
sharpening these skills in students can lead to engaging learning experiences in which students become the authorities on
subjects through storytelling, investigation, and production. Game making and development that nurtures learners as
inventors and entrepreneurs are other components of this trend. Intellectual property issues will become a key component as
learners will be active producers and publishers of the educational resources.
Blended Learning- Combination of Online and Offline Learning is the Key
Blending learning models are giving favorable experience to students all over the world. Online learning has been the most
active model for students in recent years. Hybrid learning which is a combination of best practices from online and offline
learning is on the rise. Well funded institutes are solidifying this trend all over the world. Blending and hybrid model
embracing schools are finding online method is different but at the same time complementary functions to physical
institutions. Students can achieve mastery of content that too with online learning when designed and implemented correctly.
On the other hand, teachers can focus on small groups less strong students who need support. This trend will continue to
grow towards integrated online learning due to progress in adaptive learning, learning analytics and combination of cutting
edge digital platforms.
STEAM Learning- The Necessity of Art in Prime Education
The movement from STEM to STEAM learning has been taking root over the past few years and is moving forward on a
st
positive note to truly meet the needs of the 21 century. Several key components were missed in STEM learning for many
educators, parents, and employers. Thus, the need for STEAM learning has been essential for the education. STEAM is an
educational method that mainly uses Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics as main points for guiding
student dialogue, inquiry, and critical thinking. The end results learners who take thoughtful risks, persist in problem-
solving, work through the creative process, embrace collaboration, and engage in experimental learning. The innovators,
leaders, and educators are in the making through STEAM learning.
Education is the key to future, and making it advanced will only help mankind in reaching a brighter tomorrow.
34 DECEMBER 2017

The story of the Internet started
in the 1950s with the
development of electronic
computers. The first message was sent
over the internet from computer
science Professor Leonard Kleinroc’s
laboratory at the University of
California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to the
second network node at Stanford
Research Institute (SRI).
Vast researches and inventions made
today’s most sophisticated internet
platform that we are using. Within a
fraction of a second, we can inter-act
with anyone present in any part of the
world. This opens the door for high-
end communication and education.
Pre-Internet Education
Prior to the Internet age, students wrote
with pen and paper, send it by post,
waited for weeks to hear back from
their friends around the world;
Students have been connecting with
pen pals to learn about other countries
and cultures; many have even traveled
to meet in person after decades of
correspondence; Students fully depend
on hard copies of the book and their
school teachers; unlike today. Today’s
extreme architecture of Internet not
only overcomes the communication
issue but also opens the tremendous
opportunity of learning for the
students.
Online Learning Opportunities
One might think that fast and easy
communication through the Internet
would have made pen pal exchanges
even more popular- but in fact, the
opposite has happened. Online
communication through letters, have
fallen out of fashion across the United
States. Why? Teachers now face
intense pressure to use every minute of
classroom time to prepare students for
standardized tests that have
implications for their school’s
reputation and funding. This
heightened focus on testing leaves little
time for activities such as pen pal
exchanges that don’t focus on the skills
that will be tested at the end of the
year.
This decreased the popularity of pen
pals couldn’t come at a worse time.
Due to the rapidly expanding network
of cultural and economic ties between
nations, students are graduating into an
increasingly international workplace.
Whether students pursue careers in
technology, manufacturing,
professional services or almost any
other industry, they will be working
side-by-side and online with colleagues
from China, India, Mexico and dozens
of other countries. In an age when
employers are increasingly setting their
sights overseas, we can’t afford for our
schools to shut themselves off from the
world for the sake of better scores on a
test.
Obstacles in Language Learning
While students in other countries may
not suffer from the same focus on
standardized testing, they face another
challenge that is even more urgent:
learning English. For students around
the world, the ability to understand,
write and speak English can often
mean the difference between a life of
poverty and an opportunity to build a
career. More than 80 percent of the
information stored electronically
around the world is in English.
Schools, governments, businesses and
nonprofits have invested heavily in
English instruction, but despite these
efforts many schools are still
challenged to find qualified teachers.
Even in wealthier schools, many
students struggle to learn English
without every-one having the
opportunity to interact with a native
English speaker.
The Real-Time
WORLD-WIDE
Learning through the Internet
36 DECEMBER 2017

Real Life Awareness and
Consideration
There must be literacy and cultural
awareness within the learning youth of
all around the world. Students further
aware of the issues like, environmental
sustainability, gender equality, human
rights and other subjects in addition to
world religions, international trade and
politics, literature, cooking, athletics
and many other subjects. Voluntarily
teachers are also needed for schools
and adult learners to avoid the barrier
for the poor who can’t pay, so that
everyone should get educated. All
learners require a common online
platform that connects them, to learn
together, which helps to build the
foundation for a more peaceful and
collaborative planet, regardless of their
age or topic of conversation.
Pen pals may have gone out of style for
a few years, but that’s quickly
changing thanks to rapidly expanding
access to the internet throughout the
developing world and the universal
desire to connect, learn, and share the
experience.
About Joe Troyen
Joe Troyen has founded PenPal Schools, an organization that
connects over 100,000 students from more than 170 countries to
learn together. PenPal provides a common online platform for all
learners from all around the world for overall improvement in all
elds. Before starting PenPal Schools Joe worked for 5 years
designing software for Education and other industries, taught
English in Spain, and researched the effectiveness of after-
school programs in the Bronx. He holds a bachelor’s degree in
International Relations from Pomona College and is passionate
about connecting learners and expanding educational
opportunities around the world.
Joe Troyen
Founder, PenPal Schools
37DECEMBER 2017
E-LEARNING VIEWPOINT

BuildYourOwnCurriculum (BYOC),
was created as a collaborative effort
working directly with districts and
teachers to implement the basic vision
of a curriculum-driven educational
system that most districts and
educational leaders have long
expounded on, but seldom realized.
BYOC is focused on the basic task of
educational planning and coordination.
This product is utilized by teachers and
school administrators to plan and
execute daily instruction more
effectively. Students use their system
to view and submit classroom work
and also to take online assessments.
Principal Duo of School Software
Group
School Software Group has two
co-founders, Chris Trina and John
Pranica. Chris is a software engineer
by trade having worked for a variety of
large software organizations in his 30+
year career. During his career, Chris’
responsibilities have focused on tools
and practices to promote developer
productivity and consistency, which he
has applied to how he works with
educators and district leadership teams.
“Our offerings for schools strongly
reflect this ongoing pursuit of
proactively driving consistency and
efficiency,” says Chris.
There appears to be a renewed
commitment to openness and
integration in the education
technology industry, and this is
exciting. Education is so diverse that
one company cannot do everything
alone. As a result, districts have always
been faced with the challenge of
implementing an overwhelming
number of diverse, leading edge,
solutions and struggling with
integration or choosing one large
company which offered
well-integrated, but inadequate
solutions. With the emergence of
industry initiatives, such as OneRoster,
districts can be in a position to
leverage the best tools available in a
fashion where they easily work
together.
School Software Group has always
been committed to working with other
educational products; however, this has
often been limited to custom data
exports and imports. With the
emergence of the industry initiative,
OneRoster, School Software Group is
committed to moving towards an
ecosystem of tools that allow districts
to easily integrate and prosper. School
Software Group’s goal has always been
to position districts to accomplish key,
basic, functions that most have
struggled to truly accomplish. Their
core offering,
John is a CPA by trade, having held a
variety of roles for organizations
including Chief Financial Officer and
President throughout is 30+ year
career. John has consistently provided
School Software Group with a strong
infrastructure and financial stability.
Combined, Chris and John have
created a solid organization that
continually reinvests in its products.
They have taken a conservative
approach that has led to controlled but
steady growth while maintaining their
commitment to providing schools with
the best tools possible in a
cost-effective fashion. As a testament,
BuildYourOwnCurriculum price has
never changed since its initial release
over 12 years ago!
Overcoming Limitations of Current
Education System
“The basic concept behind everything
we do is that school districts need a
consistent, documented plan of agreed
upon, student-friendly goals and
School Software Group:
Revamping the Foundation of
the Education System
Chris Trina
Co-founder
38 DECEMBER 2017

pacing for each grade and subject
area. This intentional plan can be
evolved over time for continual,
ongoing, student performance growth.
Furthermore, that plan needs to be the
basis for all activities across the
district, including lesson planning,
assessments, grading, and teacher
observations. Please understand that
the goal of this plan is not, in anyway,
to lessen or stifle teacher innovation,
but merely to focus and direct it onto a
consistent set of shared goals and time
constraints. One prominent
educational author has stated that
teacher creativity comes to the
forefront when constraints regarding
content and durations are applied,”
says Chris.
Distinctive Strategies
“Honestly, our goal is to make the
basic foundations of education work
better. Without an effective, intentional
plan, schools have little to no hope of
ongoing success for their students.
Districts who
continually apply the
“latest and greatest”
tools, regardless of
their quality, are
doomed to
long-term failure without a plan that
defines consistent goals and directions.
Implementing tools without this
underlying plan simply results in a
continual cycle of successes and
failures. Our goal is to provide that
underlying plan, driving the selection
and implementation of tools and
professional development that support
it,” says Chris.
Customer Oriented Approach
School Software Group is totally client
driven. They constantly interface with
clients during customer support
engagements, training opportunities,
and state-specific user’s groups.
Additionally, they partner with
educational service agencies across the
country to better understand the needs
of their clients. Feedback and
suggestions from these encounters
drive everything they do. These
schools and agencies are the frontline
experts who truly know what tools and
services they need to succeed.
Future Plans
School Software Group strongly
believes that openness is the key to the
future. Product integrations are too
time-consuming and one provider
solutions are too limiting. For districts
to thrive, education tool providers, as
an industry, need to fulfill the promise
of delivering easily integrated, best of
breed solutions to educators.
We are committed to movingtowards an ecosystem of tools thatallow districts to easily integrate
and prosper
‘‘
‘‘
39DECEMBER 2017

BigData&
Analytics for
Educationig Data is having an influence everywhere and education is not an exemption. Big data is becoming a fruitful tool
Bin the education system. In the last decade, learning has changed its phase from a passive to an active experience.
The traditional education system requires classrooms, textbooks, reference books, teachers, and all institutional
management which are now drastically changing. Institutions are no longer required to continue education in a
conventional way. From homeschooling programs that has become highly effective to the online colleges, to the efficient
online educational tools to boost professional career, the opportunities to expand intelligence of learner from their desk
are abundant.
Big Data is Making Education More Interesting, Affordable and Available
Big Data is assisting educational institutions and companies to understand things they could not have previously. For
student enrollments, Big Data and predictive analytics have the ability to prepare analytical databases which can cater to
college administrators with fast, actionable information. This information helps them to take smart enrollment decisions
and allocate both staff time and financial resources to raise enrollment from current markets while constructing new ones.
Companies like edX are using Big Data to determine what kinds of classes can be conducted online and which are best
suited to a classroom culture.
From a student’s viewpoint, Big Data and predictive analytics can assist the candidate to shortlist colleges that best fit for
their profile. These conclusions based on thousands of data points that can guide the applicants towards those colleges
and universities which will be the best match to their profile. College students are increasingly using social media to
guide and influence their college choice.
Reshaping Learning Through Big Data
While considering modern day educational learning, there’s no doubt that students are having more options than ever
before. They can learn at their convenience from home, the coffee shop, or the classroom with the assistance of Big Data
as a tool which is more powerful than conventional learning.
40 DECEMBER 2017

Digitized Textbooks
Future Textbooks will be not likely to anyone who carried
around heavy backpacks in their high schools and colleges.
The transformation from a backpack that’s
full of books to a slim smartphone has been
an ongoing phenomena for some time, but
the future textbooks will be increasingly
interactive, collaborative, and updated for
accuracy in real-time.
Greg Fenton, CEO of Redshelf (the
digital textbook company) says, “There
is a plenty of information available on
students’ habits of reading and the
amount of time they spend for
studying. With online textbooks,
publishers and professors now have
access to information that shows
exactly how, when, how often and
why the students use textbooks.”
This data, assists publishers with
insights that inform the editorial
process and also gives teachers
access to information that can
help them to improve as the
instructions based on student’s
learning habits. With the digital
textbook, updates can be
automated in real time
whenever required, homework
sections in the book also can be graded
in real time, video files and audio files can be
installed, and much more.
Internet of Things (IoT)
The IoT market is continuously expanding, from consumer
electronics, manufacturing, e-commerce, autonomous
vehicles, drones and education. IoT integration is much
beneficial for higher education because its cloud
capabilities reduce hardware costs. Most of the students
have Internet-connected devices which create an academic
infrastructure that is no longer restricted by traditional
barriers, such as geographical location, language,
specialized learning needs. It makes the campus without a
physical library. All books can be digitized and readily
available for every student at the same time, independent of
the number of copies of physical books unlike before.
Personalization
Plenty of data and analytics tools available to give an
opportunity to create a high level of personalization. Every
single learner isn’t the same, thus teachers can become
much more effective when equipped with the tools to
evaluate the student’s abilities and challenges. Most of the
students get bored while studying in a textual format so
now, textbooks are not only coming with just a digital copy,
but also they have web-based sites that include
animations, videos, and sample
quizzes. Digital
textbooks have
benefited with an
active feedback
loop in which
students and
teachers can note
areas of confusion
also they can
highlight the tools that
are helpful. Changes
and improvement made
in real time can actually
be profitable for the
students and teachers
immediately, instead of
semesters or years later
unlike before.
Big Data for e-learning:
From Classroom to
Corporate World
Now e-learning is not only
limited to classrooms for
studies, but it also benefits to
the corporate world for the
improv ement of employee skills within
least time span. Also, the e-learning is becoming more
useful for physically handicapped and ill students who can’t
attend classes, it helps them to overcome the losses they
suffer due to unavailability in the classrooms. The
conventional classrooms are also becoming e-classrooms
which provide e-learning, helps students to easily grasp
knowledge as it is available in pictorial forms. Big Data is
fruitful in e-learning as learning material is analyzed based
on usefulness and acceptability to make it readily available
for all at the same time.
Generally, the goal of any invention is to make the life of
human being easy and comfortable. The Big Data also
altered the way of learning by making it easy, simple and
interesting. The traditional classroom environment is no
longer necessary for learning. Technology will continuously
make learning easy for the convenience of students, no
matter someone likes it or not.
CHALK TALK
41DECEMBER 2017

oday we are surrounded with many buzzwords: AI,
TVR, AR, Blockchain, Bitcoin, Machine learning,
etc. That may be very stressful, especially if you
lead a company and choose which way to turn the wheel.
CEOs and top managers are under big pressure and afraid to
make mistakes. No one knows which is the best direction
or whether you should make a raise on a flop or 3-bet on a
turn hoping to catch a full-house.
In “From Good to Great” Jim Collins states that
technologies can’t the only key to build a Great company,
sametime technologies accelerate growth or failure.
Here, at VironIT we believe, that companies should focus
on 3 key points:
Ÿ Your passion. What you really take care of.
Ÿ What you believe you can be the best at.
Ÿ The appropriate business model you live on.
Many companies, who failed had many CEOs with
“outstanding innovations programs” which were
inconsistent with the previous steps the company had made.
So, consistency and perseverance often wins (as Chinese
turture). By the way, my college-mate was trying to make a
pass at the most beautiful girl at our class and got many
denials, but in the end, after 5 years of attempts they got
married.
Let’s come closer to the point:
If you already have a viable product which brings profit,
you should think which new technology can enrich your
software or business to make “learning curve” higher for
your competition.
For instance, if you have software which teaches how to
drive tractors or excavators, you should definitely apply VR
to your existent software.
If you are in the middle and want to make a pivot: I
advise you to make an experiment and allocate the amount
of budget you can for a side research. One of the key
success of Israel startups is that the country invests heavily
in RD (4.25% of GDP
https://www.ft.com/content/546af0b2-ede5-11e6-930f-
061b01e23655?mhq5j=e3).
- I get your point, I don’t have the right people on
board.
Technical talent is a big issue everywhere. As Collin says in
his “Good to Great”, “a company can grow as fast as its
ability to hire the right people”.
What do we hear about looking for technical talent?
Ÿ Hire a good HR agency
Ÿ Ask among friends
Ÿ Do LinkedIN research
Ÿ Try outsourcing to India, get burned and try to outsource
Eastern Europe
I will share our VironIT’s secret (we never published it
online) on hiring savvy technical talent. “It is plain and
evident, repeatable anywhere in the world.” We hire
developers, who took part in programming contests:
topcoder, international competitions, Olympiads, etc.
Why does it work?
As you don’t know the plot of your tomorrow’s day, you
don’t know which tasks you have to cope with.
Programming contests have non-trivial tasks to be solved
within a short period of time. Programmers who are the best
at such competitions can easily crack 95% of other “real-
world” programming. They are usually smarter than
average developer, used to work under stressful conditions,
fast-learners and self-confident.
For such developers, even if they are still undergraduates,
within 1-2 weeks of diving into technology they outperform
those who had been several years in the industry. Ofc, if
you want to build a next MSQRD (the app created at
hackathon and sold to Facebook within 3 months after its
creation) that approach won’t work. MSQRD’s success
story was based on 10 years of experience of one team
members in facial recognition.
So, hiring some undergraduates with appropriate minds is:
Ÿ faster
Ÿ cheaper
Ÿ doable
We used that approach several times and never missed the
target.
42 DECEMBER 2017

If you just have a raw unique idea: Where should you
go? AI, VR, AR, Blockchain, Bitcoin, Machine learning, or
maybe IOT? As Jobs said, “Do what you love”. As Collins
says: “Do what you are passionate with”. I think all that
buzz will bring your ship to some shore. You have to make
the right answer to yourself: “Can you be the best at
XXX”? where XXX is not only technology, it is more about
market industry or vertical market.
This year I attended Nassim Taleb’s speech,
where he shared his thoughts on antifragile
world. I liked the thought “making a bet
on unknown”. You never know 100%
percent the shore your reach with that ﬂow.
Making a bet on unknown can bring you
either to positive “Black Swan” or you
get nothing. A good try is better than
regretting passing by on a deathbed.
But here is a trick.
The step you take should be
consistent with the “core” of your
business (unless you choose to open
a new branch). It is quite easy to
lose focus. “Great” companies also
had “non-todo” lists and
“immediately-stop-doing” lists.
That is very important to say
“no” to many good ideas to
choose one “great” idea.
So, AI, VR, AR, Blockchain,
Bitcoin, Machine learning
what’s next big thing?
I think the next Big Thing is the
right combination of well-known
things in the right order,
implemented by right people at the right
time backed by right investors at the right
market.
TECHNOLOGIES
Author: Alexey Grakov
Co-owner Chief Marketing
Ofcer VironIT
43DECEMBER 2017
TECHNOLOGY REVISION

The 10 most innovative companies in education technology dec 2017

The 10 most innovative companies in education technology dec 2017

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