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For the business-type folks in the class, McGraw-Hill just sold its Education division to a private equity company. They think that education will continue to be a good investment.

Yeah, I thought it was weird. I looked into that--I think the sale is to a different "Apollo" group. UPhoenix is something like "Apollo Group" whereas McGraw Hill sold their division to "Apollo Global Management". I think they are different entities, but it is hard to tell. If they are the same organization, it is definitely a weird sign of shifting investments.

Cole, you're absolutely right, I missed that Apollo Global Mgmt is a VC firm.

From the UK, but in keeping with a theme we have often explored: the way the teacher uses the technology has much to do with its effectiveness.  

Article on how the government and philanthropies can support innovation in education.

What's the big barrier (besides government reluctance to spend money on education) to this? Historically, I thought that education funding was left to states as "states rights", hence the fact that the Federal government has even put up any money should be a step forward. I would be interested in hearing what people think are the levers for getting the Federal government to invest more...should education research be treated like NSF or NIH "basic research" and get core government support?

I believe that the federal government used to spend more dollars for basic research in education, but that number has been reduced dramatically over the years. I agree 100% that we need to increase this type of investment, and the federal government is the natural source. These social innovation funds are a separate type of investment, distinct from basic research. These grants are "translational" in that they seek to help commercialize promising research, but are not intended to fund the basic research. For a healthy and dynamic ecosystem of innovation in education, we need both.

10 Recommendations before investing in digital teaching resources

Seems like it's written by an IBM publicist, but still interesting to see private sector investment following Race to the Top funding.

I've always wondered what drives VC investments in ed tech firms. Today, Union Square Ventures, a New York-based VC firm, began sharing its internal market research. Scroll down and click on "online education" to see what's caught their attention in the sector. It's very interesting to consider what is included--and excluded!

Building on Maria's link from GeekWire, here is another article about a bubble forming in ed tech...and building on Jason's comment about not wanting to investmenting in ed tech, it seems like a lot of wealthy people aren't worried about it! This article goes into the numbers a little more on trying to show the bubble effect, such as the number of investment rounds and startups. It also talks a bit about Christensen's "innovator" profile and how a lot of the ed tech folks now are mission-driven people who are innovating like Christensen describes. Not sure if what they are doing will work, but trying because they are passionate about it

Can Ed tech start-ups be classified into those driven by a desire to improve education and children's lives or those simply seeking to make a lot of money? Or are motives and intentions always impossible to judge and inextricable from behavior.

Thanks for sharing. I liked the last message of this article. "But as long as we remember that it takes both the tool and the teacher to create success, the mission-driven innovators will outnumber the market-driven copycats. And innovation will outshine the bubbles.". EdSurge is one of my favorite source too. One of my former client at Hedge Fund in HK messaged me earlier this month ''btw u might be spot on on this education stuff. this should offer a sizable business opportunity in coming years u should go grab some" - def. he is one of those guys out there who might contribute to the bubble in the future...

Alas, NASA has almost no funding for the multiplayer game, and there is substantial opposition from internal leadership

The article highlighted the different agendas of the administrator (who brings the budget), educator (who is concerned with lesson objectives), and game designer (who wants to create an engaging game). I think that if students are not sufficiently engaged by the game, the educational objectives would probably not be delivered successfully either. If budget cuts ended up taking the fun out of an educational game, perhaps it might be worth rethinking if it should still be a game?

Matthew, you raise a good point. Users should be seen as stakeholders who can help improve the game in terms of both engagement and learning.

A good snapshot of the conversation at the school board level. How informed are the high-stakes decision makers.

The amount of money they are spekaing about to scale their schools into the 21st century is the reason the BYOD option is so attractive. If schools focus on wireless infrastructure then families might be able to forgo soem back to school supplies and video games to get a tablet.

Is anyone familiar with Dreambox Learning? Looks like it's getting touted as yet another means of boosting test scores.

5% growth? Not astounding but maybe they'll have the secret sauce one day.

Meeting Hope In the next few decades, hundreds of millions of young, poor families will migrate to cities in the developing world in search of work and opportunity. Education provides them with a shared sense of hope. Many will be the first generation in their families to go to school. It is vital that the hopes they invest are not disappointed.

ROI on social media. I find it interesting that when measuring a social market there are no social indicators that are valued. Does it make sense to slice social media into dollars and sense? I understand why you would need to justify it, but I am not sure that the greatest value of social media is driving traffic.

This report highlights key issues to facilitate understanding of how a systemic approach to technology-based school innovations can contribute to quality education for all while promoting a more equal and effective education system. It focuses on the novel concept of systemic innovation, as well as presenting the emerging opportunities to generate innovations that stem from Web 2.0 and the important investments and efforts that have gone into the development and promotion of digital resources. It also shows alternative ways to monitor, assess and scale up technology-based innovations. Some country cases, as well as fresh and alternative research frameworks, are presented.

My Wife's friend is a principal in this district. I am still incredulous at the fact that schools can require students to use electronic textbooks without providing laptops or e-readers to each student. But then again, where would the money come from? On a related note, the federal government seems to be sinking an awful lot of money into solar energy, despite the fact that a lot of these companies are folding. Wouldn't education be a better investment?

Stephen, In my opinion, the government is not sinking enough money into renewable energy. I am sure we have 'sunk' much more money into education over the last few decades and continue to do so. I don't think it is an either/ or.

"We can do to schools what PayPal did to banks and do to college networks what Facebook did to friendships. We can now make education affordable and pervasive. All this requires is investment in the right technologies and the type of mentoring and support being provided to students, such as the Thiel fellows. You could impact the lives of billions" - Vivek Wadhwa, Senior Research Associate at Harvard Law School and Director of Research at Duke University's Center for Entrepreneurship.

While we are debating e-learning, developing countries are forging ahead, including engaging private sector, setting up long term strategy and policy, and starting Asia e University. "Think of it this way. We are preparing them for jobs that don't yet exist and for technologies that haven't been invented," Policarpio, Philippine Education Dept. official, says. He also compares what we do at Harvard stating that there is a big difference in accessing resources vs. e-learning., "For example, Harvard and Yale have an online portal for learning-a place where they can share their lectures and reports online. But those are just resources anyone can access. e-learning goes beyond that. It melds all kinds of academic activities with ICT (Information and Communication Technology)."

Lubbock School District in Texas are investing $28 million in technology. "SMART Document Camera 330 in all classrooms where core subjects, such as science, math, language arts or social studies, are taught. Additionally, the district is installing 75 SMART Height-Adjustable Wall Mounts in pre-kindergarten classrooms to ensure that younger students have easy access to the interactive whiteboard to engage with digital content."

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and four nonprofit education organizations are investing to accelerate the development online learning tools. According to Mr. Gates, "Innovation is our only hope", and "And the nly new game in town is Technology."

The link within the article to the hybrid education 2.0 article really speaks to the new "badge" movement online. What they say makes sense in support for these. Will be interesting to see how this evolves.

Superintendent and School Board understand the need for technology investment in Education and MUSD residents chose to extend the $40m bonds to fund this crucial initiative.