Springwise - Education

Free Chinese lessons for Ireland

2009-10-19T19:01:55Z

The global recession has hit the Irish economy harder than most. But help is at hand, albeit from an unlikely source: ChinesePod, the online learning platform, is offering free and unlimited Chinese lessons to the people of Ireland until May 2010. The company, co-founded by Irishman Ken Carroll, believes that providing this linguo-cultural inroad to the world's most potent economy could be effective towards Ireland's long-term economic recovery. ChinesePods's timing is spot on: this year marks the 30th anniversary of Sino-Irish diplomatic relations, and beginning May 1st next year, the Irish pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo will open its doors.

To receive their free ChinesePod voucher, Irish residents need to send an SMS to the company from a +353 mobile phone number before 31 October 2009. They'll then get access to daily lessons, podcasts, iPhone and Android apps, online discussion boards and Skype-based teaching from Mandarin experts. ChinesePod is hoping to further stimulate the buzz by inviting Irish users to take videos of anyone and everyone Irish saying "Ni hao!" (hello), or photos of the phrase posted in unlikely locations around Ireland, and upload them to the company's Facebook page.

While it may not get Ireland out of the recession, ChinesePod clearly speaks the language of generosity, which can create plenty value of its own and costs little for purveyors of digital media. Is there anything you give away to grow your market and help others along the way?

Website: www.chinesepod.com/ireland
Contact: www.chinesepod.com/contact

Spotted by: Pam Lao

Interactive piggy bank teaches kids about money

2009-10-05T06:04:45Z

Canadian enterprise Ekomini believes that teaching kids about money is as important as teaching them reading, writing and arithmetic. As an aid to parents, the company has given the traditional piggy bank a 21st century makeover. The Ekomini Treasure Chest features a patented coin-reader technology and hooks up to a computer via USB, enabling children to keep track of their savings and learn basic financial skills. The Ekomini package gleans pedagogical credentials from resident educational consultant Dr. Daniel Racine, who designed a platform to teach kids how to plan for purchases by setting goals, completing tasks and comparing prices; as they get older, they can also learn the basics of investment. Ekomini also aims to introduce kids to social responsibility by explaining important causes and showcasing charities.

Appealing both to creative consumers and potential licensing partners, Ekomini will also manufacture a separate coin-reader unit (minus the piggy bank), so that the system can be created using any type of coin receptacle. Speaking of partners, Ekomini is casting a wide net, targeting teachers, banks, retailers, charities and other manufacturers interested in licensing their design.

While products that target children are the scourge of cash-strapped parents, one that teaches future generations the value of saving could be worth its weight in gold. The product can be pre-ordered online and will be available in major retail stores in time for Christmas. One to check out if you're involved with financial services or children's products! (Related: Financial literacy for kids — Bank run by street kids — Facilitating kidpreneurs.)

Website: www.ekomini.com
Contact: info@ekomini.com

Spotted by: Judy McRae

Free Ivy League courses for high-schoolers

2009-10-02T07:08:06Z

With USD 714 billion outstanding student-loan debt hanging over graduates in the US, it's no surprise that more and more people are turning to free educational content on the web. Earlier this year we reported on Academic Earth, a US enterprise that makes lectures from Ivy League colleges free and accessible to all web users. Now, featuring over 1,500 videos the website is broadening its scope by offering courses for high school high-flyers.

The new lecture series is aimed at students taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams, which give them a chance to study college level material and potentially earn credit towards their future degree. This year there are 10 video courses on offer, each featuring up to 50 lectures from MIT, Yale, Berkeley and Stanford. Subjects covered include computer science, calculus and psychology, and along with the videos there is also the option to download the lectures as podcasts. According to Academic Earth's 23-year-old founder, Richard Ludlow, more AP courses can be expected in future years; in the meantime the site will be concentrating on providing supplementary materials such as lecture notes, transcripts and related books.

Academic Earth is one of a flock of 'edupunk' enterprises on the web, ranging from peer-to-peer universities to fully-fledged state-funded institutions that award accredited degrees. Open content is going to play an increasing role in higher education, and with it comes a host of opportunities for social entrepreneurs.

Website: www.academicearth.org/subjects/advanced-placement
Contact: hello@academicearth.org

Mercedes launches driving academy for kids & teens

2009-09-29T14:21:29Z

Does teaching children to drive make them better drivers as adults? Mercedes-Benz thinks so. This summer saw the launch of its Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy in the UK, which teaches anyone over 10 years and 1.5 metres tall the basics of manoeuvring a car.

With packages tailored to different age groups, the Academy aims to show young people the ins and outs of driving, rather than the minimum needed to pass a test. Children aged 10–14 are taught the basics of road safety and car handling, taking an A Class out for a half-hour spin for GBP 40. The 'Pre-Road Sessions', meanwhile, are targeted at 15–17 year-olds and delve a little deeper into the theory of driving, the traffic code and dealing with emergency situations. Prices start at GBP 75 for a one-hour track session. A 3-hour, GBP 205 'Parent-Partner Package' is designed to improve parents' confidence and patience when teaching their child how to drive, no matter how hair raising the experience may be. Last but not least, those over 17 are also catered for: there's a full driving test package available to assist with passing the theory and practical test.

Mercedes-Benz isn't alone in offering a service like this: we spotted BMW and Audi offering driving lessons a while back as part of the status skills trend. However, the Mercedes scheme adds a clever twist by engaging kids with its aspirational brand. With a bit of luck, they'll lust after MB cars throughout their teens and twenties, purchasing one when they can afford to do so. Or else cajole their parents into buying so they can happily travel in a Merc back seat.

Website: www.mbdrivingacademy.com
Contact: www.mbdrivingacademy.com/useful-info/contact

Spotted by: David Licona

Recycled plastic bottles into graduation gowns

2009-09-14T21:59:57Z

We've covered inventive ways to recycle a plastic bottle: including turning them into countertops and bedding. Joining the game is Oak Hall Industries, a manufacturer of academic apparel which claims to be the first in its industry to use recycled materials.

Greenweaver is Oak Hall's new line of caps and gowns, so named because the range is made entirely from recycled plastic bottles. The bottles are turned into molten plastic pellets, which are then spun into a soft, breathable polyester fabric. An average of 23 bottles goes into each gown. Estimated costs of the gowns have not yet been published, but Oak Hall hopes to sweep the ceremonial stage with its Greenweaver line by spring graduation 2010.

Website: www.oakhalli.com/greenweavermovement.php
Contact: greenweaver@oakhalli.com

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

P2P student loans for the developing world

2009-09-14T18:38:51Z

Entrepreneurs in the developing world have already benefited from peer-to-peer lending programs through the likes of Kiva, Wokai and Jolkona. Now aiming to bring similar benefits to students in those areas is Vittana, a Seattle-based foundation that focuses on educational loans.

Now in beta, Vittana partners with microfinance institutions (MFIs) throughout the developing world to catalyze new student lending programs. Potential lenders begin by browsing through the students profiled on the site—current examples include a 19-year-old woman studying industrial administration in Peru, for example, and a 25-year-old man studying financial accounting in Nicaragua. When they see one they'd like to help, they can lend as little as USD 25 toward that student's education. Vittana's local MFI partner—which has already verified that the students listed are hard-working and likely to succeed—then disburses the full amount of that loan to the student. Once the student graduates and gets a job, he or she starts paying back that MFI partner; when the loaned funds are fully repaid, Vittana returns to the lender the full amount that was lent.

We wrote last year about Fynanz and its peer-to-peer student loans, but it's nice to see similar capabilities being brought to students in the developing world. One to partner with, emulate, or otherwise get involved in! (Related: Fighting poverty through microloan guarantees.)

Website: www.vittana.org
Contact: customer-service@vittana.org

Spotted by: Ozgur Alaz

School lunch menus published via Twitter

2009-09-03T08:48:09Z

School lunches are increasingly a focal point in the ongoing battle against childhood obesity, drawing even the attention of British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. Following survey results suggesting that one of parents' top concerns is that they don't typically know what's on the menu on any given day, the UK's School Fund Trust has partnered with Somerset County Services to publish its school menu each day via Twitter.

Beginning this fall, parents who subscribe to the trial service by following @SCSSchoolmeals will receive a tweet each morning showing what’s on the school menu. Any parent, grandparent or care-giver can follow, whether their child currently eats school meals or not. The feed will also be used to update parents on special theme days, taster sessions and how to apply for free school meals. The trial is part of a raft of new initiatives the School Fund Trust is piloting to increase use of school meals; results will be made available online.

Chris Wainwright of the School Food Trust explains: “With this trial, parents will be able to ask what children thought about the food on offer, and which lunch option they chose. It gives parents the information they need to start discussions about healthy food.”

Given that some 6 million people visit Twitter each month, it's not too surprising that more than 100 local councils in the UK are currently on Twitter—nor that the UK government recently published a 20-page guide urging MPs and civil servants to embrace the microblogging platform. Consumers can use Twitter to track their packages, file civic complaints and apply for jobs; where could the ability to tweet benefit your brand...? (Related: In Jakarta, healthy meals at sponsored food carts for kids.)

Website: www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk — www.myschoollunch.co.uk
Contact: info@sft.gsi.gov.uk

Spotted by: Judy McRae

Via web video, coaches provide athletes with frame-by-frame tips

2009-08-19T10:49:50Z

A while back, we featured MyCricketCoach, which provides long distance cricket training by web. While there are benefits to picking a niche, a different website allows athletes and coaches of all sports to give and get online coaching.

The online community at Upmygame helps athletes gain advice from professional coaches and other users. At sign-up, participants are asked to specify whether they're an ‘athlete’ or a ‘coach’, although both parties can give and receive advice. Critiquing takes place via short videos uploaded by athletes, containing footage of them practising their chosen sport—anything from football to yoga. Frame-by-frame playback allows for precise commentary in the form of diagrams and text. Bringing an authentic coaching experience to the web, any coach with a mic on their computer can also upload a recording of their advice. Although the site places an emphasis on its ability to help athletes improve, it also acts as a money-making platform for coaches who wish to charge for their insight.

Whereas all of MyCricketCoach’s advice came from one coach, Upmygame acts as a broker for advice, turning it into a P2P marketplace—an Etsy for coaching, if you like. Now that services can be sold online as easily as products, what gaps can you benefit from bridging? (Related: Sell what you say — Hair salon offers Skype consultations.)

Website: www.upmygame.com
Contact: info@upmygame.com

3-D tool helps students decorate (and shop for) dorm rooms

2009-08-18T09:47:31Z

Beginning a year at college can be stressful enough in its own right without the added hassle of scrambling to buy myriad dorm room supplies and decorations before classes begin. Target and other superstores may benefit from that rush, but a new site aims to help students plan and shop for their living quarters ahead of time with the help of some 3-D modelling.

DesignYourDorm is a web-based 3-D interior design tool that allows college students to customize their dorm room interiors and purchase what they need online. When students register with the Los Angeles-based site, they begin by indicating the university they'll be attending. Ultimately, that will generate a selection of floor plans with exact room dimensions used in the corresponding dorms, and DesignYourDorm is currently pilot-testing those capabilities with the University of Pennsylvania, according to TechCrunch. For universities that haven't signed on, however, students are given a series of generic room layouts. Either way, they next choose the type of room they'll have—single, double or triple, in various configurations—and then begin moving furniture and accessories around. Gaps can be filled in from items available from DesignYourDorm's online store—furniture, accessories, appliances and more—and many of them can be virtually dragged and dropped into the room to see how they will look. Perhaps best of all, roommates can collaborate virtually over the summer using the site to plan and coordinate their purchases ahead of time. Once they've decided what they'll need to buy, they can order the items and have them shipped directly to their college—order fulfillment is handled by Amazon, which passes revenue on to DesignYourDorm through its affiliate program.

Similar in many ways to DesignMyRoom—which sadly got repurposed since we covered it last year—DesignYourDorm is free for both students and participating universities, which will ultimately get a cut of sales generated through the site, according to TechCrunch. Given that there are more than 18 million college students in the US alone, could be a good one to bring to campuses in your neck of the postsecondary woods!

Website: www.designyourdorm.com
Contact: www.designyourdorm.com/contact.aspx

Spotted by: Roberta Steinberg

Peer-to-peer '(un)classes' match interest with passion

2009-07-28T13:26:00Z

Unconferences have become increasingly common over the past decade or so, notable in particular for their low-key structure and participant-driven format. LaidOffCamp is one such example, and now—inspired, in fact, by that initiative—the concept has been applied to education with the launch of (un)classes.

Aiming to provide a more casual and ad hoc way for people to learn something new during their limited free time, the (un)classes website serves as a sort of marketplace through which people interested in learning about a topic can find someone in their area with the passion to teach it. Anyone can create a new class listing on (un)classes, and anyone can sign up to be a student or a teacher. Topics tend to be lightweight and fun, offering a way to learn about things not traditionally taught elsewhere. Examples so far have included How to Create The Greatest Rock Song of All Time and How to Be a Digital Nomad—the only guidelines are that they shouldn't be offensive or illegal.

The website explains: "Ever wish you had the choice to get up off the couch and spend the afternoon learning to rock climb, cook, or maybe juggle? Well, we have and that's why we came up with (un)classes. (un)classes are premised on the belief that everyone has *something* to teach and learning doesn't always have to be a formal experience requiring big up-front commitments."

The result can be thought of as "educational snacking," the site also points out—illustrating nicely what our sister site would call snack culture, in which consumers seek gratification in small, easy-to-handle bites. Offering entertainment, education, community and status skills, consumer-generated (un)classes have already been offered in cities around the world. One to localize for the lifelong learners in your neck of the peer-to-peer woods...? (Related: Free video lectures by top scholars — Local lessons, advertised & reviewed — Craft workshops for commitmentphobes.)

Website: www.unclasses.org
Contact: rahmin@unclasses.org

Spotted by: Miriam Brafman

London barber launches shaving school

2009-07-06T14:12:27Z

"Shaving knowledge and technique is not instinctive, all men need to learn the art and unfortunately many learn it badly". A passionate statement from London-based grooming shop Geo F. Trumper, which now offers classes on how to shave properly. Customer demand led to the introduction of the one-to-one sessions, in which a barber shows a customer the best techniques for shaving and how to avoid unsightly problems such as ingrown hairs and razor burn. Other shaving tips are offered according to skin type.

Two types of class are on offer from the Soho branch, depending on the skills sought: there's the Mach 3 Shaving School at GBP 50, or the 90-minute Open Razor Shaving School at GBP 75. Founded in 1875, the Trumpers chain is drawing on the power of status skills to expose modern men to its traditional craft while showing customers the advantages of its high-end range—something entrepreneurs in most industries should think of doing, if they aren't already. Which skills can you help your customers master? (Related: Publisher launches creative writing academy.)

Website: www.trumpers.com
Contact: www.trumpers.com/contact.cfm

Spotted by: David Licona

Enternships = internships at startups and SMBs

2009-05-25T07:33:49Z

While students have traditionally sought work placements with big name brands and firms, those looking to work closely with a company's founders and get hands-on experience in a variety of roles might be better off at a small business or startup.

Through its online directory, Enternships.com aims to connect SMBs and startups with entrepreneurial students, or 'enterns'. Businesses and aspiring enterns fill out a profile and advertise their needs to kick start a working relationship. Full-time, part-time, project-specific and remote placements are on offer, as are headline-grabbing opportunities with entrepreneurs such as Martha Lane Fox of Lucky Voice.

Enternship.com went into public beta last month, and its matchmaking service is currently free of charge. When it comes out of beta, the site aims to combine a free basic service with paid-for premium features such as targeted advertising and featured placements. The site was developed by former members of Oxford Entrepreneurs, a student society for entrepreneurship at Oxford University. The site continues to work with the society, and plans to add more services in the near future, including a special programme for school leavers and tailored year-long programmes for graduates. One to set up for the growing ranks of entrepreneurial students in other parts of the world?

Website: www.enternships.com Contact: info@enternships.com

Spotted by: Sam Patel

Paying college students for good grades

2009-05-03T13:06:22Z

Back in March, we featured SmartyCard, a program for kids that combines educational games with virtual and real-world rewards. Focusing on an older crowd, GradeFund offers college students the opportunity to be rewarded for academic achievement.

GradeFund lets students recruit sponsors—usually friends and family—who donate money for each good grade. Participating students upload their transcripts at the end of each term and GradeFund verifies them and then collects funds from the sponsors, who can set their own criteria such as sponsoring students from their alma mater or choosing specific grade levels to sponsor. They can determine donation amounts for each grade, from as low as USD 5. GradeFund also allows employers to find students anonymously through their performance record, potentially netting students job and internship offers. So far, over 16,000 people have signed up for the program.

With the cost of college increasingly difficult for students (and parents) to cover, innovative programs that provide an alternative to loans and scholarships are only going to get more popular. If you're in financial services or education, time to get involved?

Website: www.gradefund.com
Contact: support@gradefund.com

Spotted by: Susan Johnston

Free video lectures by top scholars

2009-04-03T13:51:02Z

Video instruction is something we've recently seen applied to music, golf and cricket. Now, through Academic Earth, it's being brought—for free—to virtually every scholarly topic under the sun.

New York-based Academic Earth aims to make a world-class education available to everyone on the planet. Toward that end, it is building a user-friendly ecosystem that gives internet users around the globe the ability to find, interact with and learn from full video courses and lectures from the world’s leading scholars. More than 1,500 video lectures are currently available on the site, covering economics, entrepreneurship, history, law, medicine, religion and the sciences, among many other topics. A series of thematic collections, meanwhile, combine lectures to create courses such as "Understanding the Financial Crisis" and "Social Entrepreneurship 101." Faculty for Academic Earth's lectures are drawn from Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford and Yale, and courses are offered under a Creative Commons license through open course programs at the universities. Associated materials include lecture transcripts, handouts, reading assignments, tests and problem sets; some classes are also available as podcasts.

Academic Earth's courses cannot be used to get real academic credit, but they can be saved, rated and shared as favourites; they can also be used to gain status skills aplenty. The next step, it seems to us, will be to provide translations or variations that open it up to non-English speakers around the planet—and indeed, the site is actively seeking additional partners to expand its offerings. Educators, academic representatives and experts around the globe: one to get involved in?

Website: www.academicearth.org
Contact: hello@academicearth.org

Spotted by: Judy McRae

Learning site motivates kids with real rewards

2009-03-13T12:59:26Z

The web is already home to sites galore that offer educational games to make learning fun, but a new one is adding a slightly different twist by incorporating a way to motivate kids with virtual and real-world rewards.

SmartyCard offers what it calls the world's first "learn, earn and play" experience by rewarding kids for completing educational games with prizes from popular vendors and family sites such as iTunes, Club Penguin, WebKinz, Star Doll and BellaSara. Created by executives from the family entertainment, educational content and toy industries, SmartyCard.com features bite-sized learning activities from supplemental education leaders Learnstar, Ignite and Learning.com. Activities are designed for kids in grades 3 through 6 and cover subjects including reading, writing, math, social studies and science. Kids begin by creating an account with their parents, who purchase a SmartyCard for them, priced beginning at USD 10 for 5,000 points on the site. They then choose from among the site's thousands of activities and games, taking a quiz at the end of each to assess how much they learned. For scores of 70 percent or higher, the child "unlocks" some of the points on their card—how many depends on the difficulty of the activity—and can redeem them for subscriptions and virtual currency in popular online worlds such as WebKinz, or for physical items including CDs, toys, video games, books, crafts, science kits and DVDs, which can be shipped to their home.

California-based SmartyCard is currently seeking more partners for education and rewards. At the moment the site is also available only in English. One to partner with or localize for other parts of the world....? (Related: Online space for kids, teachers & parents.)

Website: www.smartycard.com
Contact: customerservice@smartycard.com

Spotted by: Ozgur Alaz