Professional social network LinkedIn announced its intention to acquire online learning company Lynda.com for around $1.5 billion. The deal is expected to close during the second quarter of 2015 and will be a combination of 52% cash and 48% stock. LinkedIn has currently around 350 million members worldwide. Lynda.com was founded in 1995 by Lynda Weinman and Bruce Heavin. The company had grown to over $100 million in annual sales on revenue until it raised a $103 million Series A in 2012 and a $186 million Series B in January 2015. Lynda.com has also acquired a series of smaller competitors throughout the past months. In January, lynda.com offered 5,700 courses and 255,000 video tutorials. The company generated $150 million in revenue in 2014 with 55% coming from individual subscribers who pay $25 per month to access the course library. According to LinkedIn CEO, Jeff Weiner, Lynda.com will be part of the network’s Economic Graph which aims to map the world’s people, jobs, skills and knowledge. LinkedIn has heavily expanded into higher education and certifications over the past months. Through the acquisition of Lynda.com the network adds the missing link, the actual learning, to its portfolio. It is expected that most Lynda.com employees will join LinkedIn. lynda.com Joins the LinkedIn Family from LinkedIn Further Reading LinkedIn to Acquire lynda.com | Press Release LinkedIn + lynda.com: Connect to Learning | LinkedIn Always Be Learning: LinkedIn to Acquire lynda.com | LinkedIn Welcome to the LinkedIn Family, lynda.com! | LinkedIn

How cool would it be to talk with ed tech entrepreneurs about their ideas and businesses, and provide funding to the best, well rounded entrepreneurs to help bring that product or service to teachers and students nationwide (or globally)? Well, that is what Shauntel Poulson does everyday as an Associate Partner at New Schools Venture Fund.  Shauntel joins the program to chat about ed tech, what portfolio companies are getting her excited, and the importance of building entrepreneurial skills in schools.  Don’t miss this episode! Guest Bio: Shauntel Poulson is an associate partner at NewSchools Venture Fund’s Oakland office, where she focuses on investment strategy, due diligence, and management assistance for the organization’s portfolio ventures. Prior to joining NewSchools, Shauntel was a Senior Engineer at Procter and Gamble where she developed product innovations, designed supply chains, and managed technology partnerships for the global laundry business. She also facilitated an afterschool program for Cincinnati high school students from underserved communities. Shauntel is passionate about the intersection of education and technology and has worked with education technology companies globally. As an Education Pioneers Fellow at Wireless Generation, Shauntel recommended program enhancements for the School of One program based on an analysis of student performance data. Shauntel received her BS in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her MBA and MA in Education from Stanford University. Shout outs: Big Data - Schoolzilla:  Cloud-based data management and visualization platform for education practitioners that turns operational and achievement data into actionable reports. Brightbytes:  Using data to enable the creation of effective 21st Century learning environments. Mobile - Nearpod:  Mobile app that allows teachers to easily create and share interactive lessons, receive feedback on student device use, assess learning in real time and personalize instruction for students. Content - Newsela:  Publishes high-interest news articles daily at five levels of complexity.  Common Core-aligned quizzes attached to articles give educators and parents insight into their students’ reading strengths and weaknesses.  Newsela develops nonfiction fluency and critical-thinking skills necessary to master the Common Core standards for informational text. Dinner Date: Nelson Mandela For more episodes featuring thought leaders in education visit MeetEducationProject.com, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and follow Nick DiNardo on Twitter.

So you put yourself through massage therapy school, added some professional experience to your resume and today, you can proudly say there’s a crowd of devout clients who turn to you for their massage needs. But is there a "next step" to make you an even better massage therapist? There sure is. Education can continue even after you earn your massage therapy degree. From board certification to extra training in your favorite specialty, there are many ways you can go above and beyond massage therapy school.   Board Certification You’ve heard of board certified physicians. In the same way, becoming a board certified massage therapist means more than a fancy certificate. The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) administers the certifications. It says board certification is the highest attainable level in the profession. Board Certification Requirements: Take and pass the board certification exam Complete a minimum of 750 hours of education The hours from your massage therapy program Any continuing education taken from NCBTMB approved providers Any courses taken from any accredited college or university* Complete 250 hours of professional hands-on experience over no less than six months from graduation Pass a thorough national background check Obtain a current CPR certification Affirm their commitment to the NCBTMB Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics Commit to opposing human trafficking You’ll also need to be re-certified every two years, which is much easier than the initial certification. *Please see NCBTMB requirements for specific accreditation guidelines   Technique Certifications Think beyond your basic education. Specialty certifications will take you to the next level as a massage therapist. Maria Leonard is a massage therapist and the dean of education at Minnesota School of Business campus in Plymouth, MN. She helped develop the massage therapy curriculum for the diploma and A.A.S as the network dean of massage therapy. Leonard said every massage therapist has a set of skills they are working with. "Usually a massage therapist will specialize in one or two techniques and they will continually hone their skills in those techniques," said Leonard. Liddle Kidz provides training, workshops and education courses specialized in pediatric touch. Not only can you get certified in infant and pediatric massage, but you can take courses in touch therapy for children with autism, childhood cancer, pediatric trauma, cerebral palsy and many more. You can find a list of approved Continuing Education providers through NCBTMB or locate the NCBTMB’s "Approved Provider" stamp for an pproved provider for continuing education. Shortlist of Specialties: Geriatric Massage Oncology Massage Aromatherapy Infant and Child Massage Orthopedic Massage Fitness and Sports Massage Holistic Massage Reflexology Hospital Massage Thai Massage Prenatal Massage Hot Stone Therapy Arthritis, Fibromyalgia Massage Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine While there is no doctorate program for massage therapy, there is one in naturopathic medicine. Naturopathic physicians don’t focus solely on massage therapy, but they do believe in natural methods of healing and physical medicine like massage and bodywork.  It’s not uncommon to find an ND who is also an LMT. According to the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges, doctors of naturopathic medicine learn all the modalities of proven natural therapies, including massage. NDs will study courses similar to medical doctors, like biomedical sciences, anatomy and biochemistry. Before you even apply to a naturopathic medical school, you will need your bachelor’s degree. Next, you’ll need to attend a four-year, graduate-level naturopathic medical school. The first two years will be spent in the classroom and the last two in a clinic setting. NDs can also choose to complete residencies after graduation (except in Utah, where it is required). Like any education, make sure to choose an accredited medical school.   Disclaimer: There are different regulations for massage training and licenses all over the U.S. and the world. While you may have to be certified or licensed in one state, you may not need to in other states. Do your research before you decide to pursue training and licensure to decide whether it’s the right fit for you. Globe University recognizes the value of certification in conjunction with a student’s academic goals. This is why certification exam preparation is built into the massage therapy diploma and massage therapy associate degree programs. Currently, Globe University does not offer specialty technique certifications or naturopathic medicine doctorates. Our massage therapy programs are not necessarily transferable into a bachelors or higher degree program at other institutions and the transfer of credits is at the discretion of the receiving institution. The post How to Go Above and Beyond Massage Therapy School appeared first on Globe University Blog.

If you're a teacher, you've been making extensive deposits into "data banks" for years. You've frugally saved student information system data like demographics, attendance, formative and summative assessments, college and career readiness and other crucial indicators. Maybe you've meticulously collected and deposited data on your practice. Schools and districts diligently save school-level data such as climate. We’ve even occasionally borrowed some assets such as census data and crime maps. But none of the data we’ve saved in our numerous "banks" (systems, warehouses, etc.) are accruing us sufficient interest. And we never seem to fully enjoy the opportunity to "spend" our data on issues that improve our practices and move us toward our mission: improved student outcomes. So, when do we get to make withdrawals and actually "spend" the data we’ve diligently saved? The crucial question is, "How?" Since our data is frequently siloed in a number of disparate "banks" in various currencies (file formats), we often don’t even know the true "balance on our accounts". What's our true "data net worth"? Our data is rarely aligned properly, so how would we even use it for decision making and improving our effectiveness? Further, how can we properly interpret, or "spend", our data? The U.S. Department of Education surveyed the most data-strong school systems across the nation. Teachers in those districts showed difficulty with question posing, data comprehension, and data interpretation, with teachers correctly interpreting given data in only 48% of instances. Further still, Jenny Grant-Rankin, Ph.D. performed additional studies of randomly selected districts. Her research found educators accurately interpreted data only 11% of the time! This dilemma is precisely why our firm has dedicated recent years in research and development with a single purpose in mind: To empower data users to improve their effectiveness. Our efforts are focused tools to aggregate, align and visualize all this data in meaningful ways so users can identify "low hanging fruit"- reasonable steps to substantially improve their practice and student outcomes. There are a number of other useful resources, including Dr. Rankin's Over-the-Counter Data, which provides several free tools. It's time we started data spending! But let's make smart choices - carefully using that precious data for meaningful value so we don't wake up with an analytics hangover, spender's remorse and a tattoo with of a linear regression graph on our... Picture License  Some rights reserved by bryanpearson

Remember the days when phones were used for calling people, doing research meant checking out library books and the hashtag symbol was just a pound sign? Times have changed, and keeping up with the latest technology can be overwhelming. Both Apple and Android offer so many apps, it can be hard to decide which apps appear the most appealing and applicable to our apparent interests. All puns aside, here is a list of nine apps every college student should download today. 1.  Evernote This is quite possibly the best advancement in note-taking since the mechanical pencil. But notes are only the beginning with Evernote. From recording lectures and uploading photos to keeping a daily planner and marking up PDF files, Evernote will do almost anything you can think of to increase your productivity in school. Well, except maybe attend class for you. 2.  Dropbox Losing an assignment because of a computer crash might not be a valid excuse anymore. With apps like Dropbox, students can store their schoolwork in one cloud-based, centralized location and access it wherever there is internet. The service also allows peer-to-peer file sharing and can hold up to 2GB worth of data for free. 3.  Wunderlist As the name implies, Wunderlist is an app that helps you organize your to-do lists and add due dates, reminder notifications and more. It currently serves millions of people around the world, keeping track of everything from their smallest to-do lists to their biggest vacation plans. It syncs between your phone, tablet and computer and acts as a virtual personal assistant that reminds you of your schedule. 4.  TED One of the fastest and easiest ways to get smarter is to listen to really smart people. Enter TED Talks, a collection of presentations given by very intelligent, creative and successful people for the benefit of others. You can listen to TED Talks while you’re walking to and from class and then impress your friends by quoting something you learned. 5.  Wi-Fi Finder For students who prefer to study off campus, finding locations around town with internet hotspots can be a pain. Smart phones are limited in that they typically can only scan for Wi-Fi access within the current vicinity. The Wi-Fi Finder takes out all the guesswork and finds hotspots for you to do your homework wherever you want to go. 6.  Saviry This app is what cutting coupons looks like in the digital age. From electronics to clothing items, users vote on the best deals and can also follow their friends to see what deals they like.  A money-saving app like this can be extremely beneficial for students whose budget consists of rent, food and the occasional night out. 7.  MyFitnessPal Walking on campus is rarely enough exercise for most college students, and fast food calories can add up quickly. By simply scanning the barcode of the food you’re eating or entering it into the search bar, MyFitnessPal gives you the nutritional value for that meal. With over 1.5 million foods and 350 exercises, you’re sure to reach your health and fitness goals in a matter of weeks or months. 8.  Groupon Speaking of food, Groupon offers great deals on restaurants, events and spas in over 500 cities. Just input your location and watch the deals come pouring in. Finding a good deal can cut the price of date night in half, regardless of the activity. Groupon also keeps a database of regular coupons that are so good, they’ll make you want to go on a shopping spree. 9.  RefMe By the time you’re finishing up a research paper, you’ll probably need to do a citation page. RefMe is the solution to all your citation needs, offering APA, Chicago and Harvard citation styles. Scan the barcode of your reading material and let the app do the work for you. Students who graduated even just a few years ago are envious of this kind of technology, so enjoy it! The post 9 Apps Every College Student Should Download Today appeared first on Globe University Blog.

Name: Genius Games Website: www.gotgeniusgames.com Kickstarter: Ion - A Compound Building Game Headquarters: St. Louis Vertical: K-12, STEM Tech: Physical Product Introduce your startup and give a short description of what you are doing. Genius Games employs the mechanics of game play to systematically teach STEM subjects. Our games meet the ever-growing demand for better science education products that promote in-depth interaction with, and social engagement around, foundational topics in the hard sciences. Who are the founders, how did you meet, what are your different roles in the startup. John Coveyou is a passionate educator, who currently teaches middle school chemistry and physics, but has also taught the core sciences at all grade levels from middle school to college. A St. Louis native, he attended Washington University earning a bachelors’ degree in biology and a master degree in engineering. After seeing the need for more engaging and effective science resources, John started Genius Games with the mission of using games to cultivate a joy for science and stimulate inquisitive minds! His first game, Linkage: A DNA Card Game, was featured in Popular Science Magazine as one of "The 10 Best Things from February 2015" and his games continue to win many accolades. How was the idea for your startup born? Through teaching I noticed that students were intimidated by hard science topics before they even started the learning process. At the same time, I noticed that many students spent a great deal of time playing games, and even "studying" games. I thought to myself, why not make learning science more like playing a game. What is the main problem in education that you aim to solve. The U.S. Department of Education has stated the problem clearly: "The United States has become a global leader, in large part, through the genius and hard work of its scientists, engineers and innovators. Yet today, that position is threatened as comparatively few American students pursue expertise in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)—and by an inadequate pipeline of teachers skilled in those subjects." In the United States, student literacy in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) has seen a steady downward slide in recent decades - currently, our students rank at the 52nd percentile for STEM literacy globally. Who are your main competitors? What sets you apart from them? There are a few competitors who produce board games but none that produce science-themed games that teach! In which markets / regions are you active. What markets / regions are next. The U.S. education market and branching into the global market currently. Who is your target audience. A survey sent to individuals who purchased our games found that 33% of our customers were parents buying for their kids for "educational fun at home" and 27% of our customers were teachers who bought the games to be used in their science classrooms. What is your business model. How much does your product / service cost. We currently sell products through "Fulfillment By Amazon" (FBA) on Amazon.com. Linkage cost $17.99, while Peptide has an MSRP of $29.99 and Ion will have an MSPR of $24.99 If you raised funding, how much did you raise. Who are your investors. If not, are you planning to raise funding. Currently $60,000 from Kickstarter Are there milestones you are especially proud of and would like to share. Three successful Kickstarter campaigns as well as being featured in Popular Science, Gizmodo, and Scientific America. What are the next steps in growing your startup. Our planned growth strategy is twofold: First, leverage established distribution channels to increase the overall volume of sales, especially to schools and educational suppliers. Specifically targeting specialty locations such as Barnes and Noble, Toys-R-Us, Books-A-Million, GameStop, Target Stores, etc. Second, develop digital versions of our games for the iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac and PC, tapping to this highly accessible global market. How can people get in touch with you. john.coveyou@gmail.com @johnCoveyou @GotGeniusGames

Looking for an alternative to the corporate office? A growing number of women are leaving and starting their own businesses and making their own schedules and policies rather than trying to fit someone else’s expectations. Women are starting over 1,200 businesses per day, almost twice the rate of any other group. And they are having an economic impact. There are now more than 9.1 million women owned businesses in the U.S. and that number is growing. Women-owned businesses: Employ 7.9 million people Generate $1.4 trillion in revenues Make up 30 percent of all enterprises And it’s projected that women-owned businesses will create another 5 million new jobs in the next three years. Why women are starting businesses We know that many of us are struggling to build the career success we want in traditional business settings. Many of us leave jobs because we can’t find the flexibility and work-life balance that we need in a career. The path to leadership can be long and demanding. Building your own business offers a different path to success. One that allows you to make your own priorities, choices and schedule. Technology has made it easier to start a business. Laptops, smartphones and the cloud have decreased the cost of starting a business. It has also made it much easier to be flexible, running your business from home or taking it with you anywhere. Social media and internet marketing have made it cheaper and easier to promote a business. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are economical ways to reach customers and it increases your reach beyond a physical location. Women are attending and graduating from college in greater numbers than men, giving us the education we need to be successful in business. By running our own businesses, we are gaining valuable experience and building skills in negotiating, marketing and finance. While there are multiple factors that have spurred the growth of women starting businesses, it isn’t all smooth sailing. The struggles of women-owned businesses Women are starting businesses at almost twice the rate of men, but these businesses tend to be smaller than average. The typical privately held business employs two people in addition to the owner, while women-owned businesses average one. Revenues for our businesses are also smaller than average. We have a harder time raising the capital to grow a business. We often choose different industries than men, often in retail. Retail businesses tend to have higher costs, lower margins and higher rates of failure, making banks less likely to lend money. Other industries with a large percentage of women-owned businesses are Health care and social assistance Educational services Administration and support Arts, entertainment and recreation In order to overcome this funding issue, women may need to look beyond traditional financing options. Ashoka is an example of an organization that invests in social entrepreneurs whoare creating positive social change. The good news is that women-owned businesses are growing and thriving. Some to keep an eye out for are: Happy Family Strategic Communications Brightstar Franchising PowertoFly Cenergy International Services LLC Women are creating their own paths to the career success they need. Whether women are starting small businesses or million-dollar corporations, we are making our own definition of career success. Sources http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226564 https://www.nwbc.gov/research/economic-impact-women-owned-businesses-united-states http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/entrepreneurs/2014/03/04/5-reasons-why-women-owned-businesses-are-thriving/ http://www.nationaljournal.com/next-america/economic-empowerment/why-are-women-owned-businesses-so-small-20140821 http://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2013/06/18/the-paradox-of-women-business-owners/3/ https://www.nwbc.gov/facts/women-owned-businesses   The post The Growth of Women-Owned Businesses appeared first on Globe University Blog.

Courtesy e-Learning Infographics

Etsy, a global marketplace for handcrafted goods, had its IPO last week. On the first day of trading the company closed with a solid plus of 86%. While I won’t get into a detailed analysis of Etsy’s business model in this article, or whether I think the company to be worth $3 billion, I will say that it is reassuring indeed to see a company that isn’t selling a digital, social service or app but handcrafted physical products, has achieved to gain traction among a global user base. Etsy’s IPO shows that learning to program is not the only possible career option in the future, and that is really a good thing. The other thing that excites me is how an IPO-powered Etsy will influence the rise of online education startups that cater to creators. Back in January 2014 we wrote about Sympoz, an edtech startup that powers the crafts education site Craftsy. Another player in the space is CreativeLive. Both startups have raised around $30 million in venture capital so far, which frankly sounds a lot for video courses around crochet and knitting. Yet, thanks to vertical marketplaces like Etsy or e-commerce SaaS platforms like Shopify, hobbyists can now turn their pastime into a part-time or even full-time business. According to Etsy, nearly 20 million members bought at least one item on the marketplace in 2014, generating a total sales volume of $195.6 million. As we can expect that Etsy will allocate a sizeable amount of its new money towards marketing, user numbers will grow and more and more hobbyists will eventually get interested in selling their work on the marketplace. In order to stay ahead of the competition, the serious ones will invest in training, may it be in the form of brick-and-mortar based workshops offered by startups like CourseHorse or Skillshare, or video courses on Craftsy and CreativeLive. But for Etsy one major task ahead will be balancing its social mission with its profit objectives, as the New York Times points out. Shortly before the IPO, Etsy made an adjustment to its terms, allowing its creators to grow from individual creators into small companies as long as all products are still handcrafted. Further Reading With $35 million in fresh funding Sympoz is powering the Gig Economy | EDUKWEST Etsy I.P.O. Tests Pledge to Balance Social Mission and Profit | New York Times

Graduation day is just around the corner. You’re anxious, nervous and excited all at the same time because soon, you’ll walk off the stage with a diploma in hand. But before you put on a cap and gown, make sure you’re in the clear to graduate. We’ve put together a handy pre-graduation checklist to make sure all the important tasks are taken care of before your graduation day. 6 Months Before Do you have all of the credits needed to graduate? Start checking, double-checking and triple-checking your degree audit. This is imperative to earning your degree. Talk to your adviser to make sure you are on track to graduate from your program on time. If you’re missing any credits, see if you can make up for it through winter, summer or online classes. These off-season courses are typically shorter and more intensive. Apply for graduation. If you don’t, you’ll likely have to pay a fee or not graduate. Don’t have any plans on what to do with that new degree? Don’t waste any more time. Get to know Career Services. These career experts will help you come up with career goals and a plan to execute them. 4 - 5 Months Before Get your resume ready. Yes, you still have several months before graduation and you probably want to focus on getting school done first. But make your resume a priority because once you’re out of college and you need to start paying for your student loans, you’ll need a job. Talk to Career Services about how to write a resume, cover letter and portfolio for that first job out of college. Network, network, network. As a student, you’re expected to network and schmooze to make connections for future employment opportunities. Turn to your professors because they likely know a lot of industry people. Look through the alumni database and see where people are currently working. Reach out to them through phone or meet up to ask for career advice. Attend career fairs, networking events hosted by your school or professional organization and be sure to bring a copy of your resume and business card. With that resume ready, start applying for jobs. Depending on when you graduate and your industry, different employers hire at different times. For example, jobs that require extensive training will recruit in early fall. Jobs that don’t require training recruit later in the year. That’s why doing your research early on is key. Just because you haven’t graduated yet doesn’t mean you can’t apply. If your future employer wants you, there’s a chance they’ll work with you and your graduation date. 2 - 3 Months Before Receive exit counseling with your school’s financial aid office. If you have student loans, it’s almost payback time. Most student loan repayments begin six months after graduation. Order your cap, gown and accolades like cords or sashes. Check with your college for the regalia order deadline. Call your family and see how many tickets need to be ordered for commencement. Update your permanent address in order to receive your diploma, any refunds and alumni information. Finalize any outstanding work that could stop graduation. If you have credits that still need to be transferred, resolve the issue now. It typically requires paperwork, an official transcript and appropriate review. It could take a few weeks. Don’t hit your senior slide just yet! Study hard for your final exams. It’ll all be worth it in the end. 1 Month Before Check your account balance and pay all outstanding charges on your student account. If you have scholarships that will still be in effect after graduation, make sure to notify financial aid. There’s a chance you will receive a check for remaining scholarship money or it could also be allocated back to the scholarship fund. Be sure to pick up commencement tickets and your cap and gown. Do you know where commencement is happening? Get directions to the venue along with the time and place all graduates are supposed to report. Typically, you’ll need to arrive an hour before commencement begins. Get ready to walk across the stage with confidence and a smile. You worked hard. Be proud of everything you accomplished in order to get where you are today. Remember to thank those who helped you along the way. You did it! This is just a general guideline for soon-to-be college graduates who need a little direction. Deadlines all depend on which college you attend. The post The Graduation Planner: A 6-Month Guide appeared first on Globe University Blog.