Back in May we reported on the public launch of Unitus Seed Fund in India which had started out with the aim to serve bottom of the pyramid startups across the country. Unitus has recently announced that it raised an additional $7 million in commitments for its micro VC fund. This additional investment which comes from several large foundations as institutional investors as well as a large number of individual investors, brings the total size of the fund to $ 20 million and confirms an overall enthusiasm for so called impact investments on the subcontinent. In the press release Dave Richards, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Unitus Seed Fund says "We believe that there is a great opportunity to invest in a new generation of entrepreneurs who are building disruptive new businesses serving the one billion under-served low-income market in India." So far Unitus Seed Fund has investment in a total of 13 startups, mainly in Southern India. With the additional $ 7 million the fund now wants to invest in about 30 startups and spread across the country targeting sectors including skill development / livelihoods, agriculture, technology for development, healthcare, education, and access to basic necessities. In the education space Unitus Seed Fund has made an investment in employability and placement service for college students iStar and Hippocampus Learning Centres. Along with the announcement of the new investors comes a new program called Unitus Seed Fund India Acceleration Program to help improve and accelerate the early-stage impact startup ecosystem across India. The program aims to increasing connections facilitated through "startup scouts" operating across India, working with leading incubators to help create more "venture capital-ready" startups that target low-income populations, and offering financial assistance to startups. Further Reading Unitus Seed Fund’s investors propel fund over USD $ 20 million | Unitus

How prevalent is the use of texting today? Is it just a passing fad, or has texting truly become an integral means of communication in society today? The following sources provide for more information on the use of texting. How Text Messaging is Changing the World [Infographic] - Edudemic infographic highlighting impact of text messaging Student Smartphone Use Doubles; Instant Messaging Loses Favor - Chronicle of Higher Edstudy confirms what has become common knowledge: cellphones are almost ubiquitous on college campuses, with 99.8 percent of students owning one or more Many teens send 100+ texts a day - CNN text messaging has become the preferred method of communication for American teenagers, with one in three teens sending more than 100 texts a day Teens, Smartphones & Texting - Pet Internet & American Life ProjectMarch 2012 findings on use of texting and smart phone use among teens. The volume of texting among teens has risen from 50 texts a day in 2009 to 60 texts for the median teen text user. In addition, smartphones are gaining teenage users. Some 23% of all those ages 12-17 say they have a smartphone and ownership is highest among older teens: 31% of those ages 14-17 have a smartphone, compared with just 8% of youth ages 12-13. Teens and Mobile Phones - Pew Internet & American Life Project 2010 findings regarding use of mobile phones among teens Teens and Mobile Phones Over the Past Five Years: Pew Internet Looks Back - Pew Internet & American Life Project comparison of mobile use studies from 2004 to 2008 showing trends in adoption of mobile phone use among teens Have you found another resource illustrating the current use of texting that you’d recommend be added to the list above? Please leave a comment and share your link!

Former MOOC platform Udacity raised a $35 million Series C to double down on its new path of creating the nanodegree and aiming to address the skills gap ranging from computer science to finance. The round was led by Drive Capital, with participation from Bertelsmann, Recruit Holdings and Valor Capital. Existing investors Andreessen Horowitz and Charles River Ventures also participated in the new funding round. According to Forbes Thrun is in it for the long run and does not plan to hand over the CEO role to a more experienced executive like the founders of Coursera did, for example. His resignation as VP and fellow at Google X, the lab responsible for Google’s moonshot projects including the self-driving car which Thrun founded, points towards a longer term and more involvement at Udacity as well. A Google spokesperson confirmed the resignation to TechCrunch and added "In Udacity, Sebastian has his own more-than-a-full-time-job moonshot to take, and we wish him well." And it seems that Thrun finally found a working business model. Udacity which launched with the premise to become the university of the future struggled more than its competitors edX and Coursera and eventually abandoned the MOOC project. The launch of the first nano degrees was financed by AT&T who paid Udacity $3 million to develop a series of courses. About 3 million students enrolled to Udacity’s free courses since its launch, 50.000 enrolled immediately after the nanodegree had been announced earlier this year. More than 100.000 of Udacity’s students are paying for premium services like personal tutoring, certification and job placement. In an interview Thrun told WSJ.D "When we started out it wasn’t clear that there would be a sustainable business model, but I believe we’ve nailed it. Since March, paying students have been increasing by 2% day over day." According to Reuters Udacity's biggest market is the United States, followed by India, the United Kingdom and Germany. For Bertelsmann this is the first large investment in an education technology startup based in the United States. The German media company aims to make education its third mainstay of revenues, alongside media and services states Thomas Rabe, Chairman and CEO of Bertelsmann. Further Reading Udacity CEO Thrun Cooks Up $35 Million Of New Instruction | Forbes E-Learning Startup Udacity Raises $35M to Launch ‘Nanodegrees’ | WSJ.D U.S. online-education company Udacity raises $35 mln for 'nanodegrees' | Reuters Its Audacity Undiminished, Udacity Raises $35 Million To Train A New Generation of Developers | TechCrunch Google X Founder Sebastian Thrun Has Left His Role As Google VP And Fellow | TechCrunch Udacity picks up $35 mln | PE Hub Bertelsmann Buys a Stake in Online Education Provider Udacity | Bertelsmann Related Links Accelerated Learning for Accelerated Times The Real News behind Starbucks and AT&T: Online Education has become Mainstream

What perspectives have already been shared concerning incorporating text messaging into teaching? The following links to opinions and commentary provide individual perspectives on texting and education. Teaching to the Text Message - Andy Selsberg, NYTimes.com, 2011 The longest assignment could be a cover letter, and even that might be streamlined to a networking e-mail. I’d rather my students master skills like these than proper style for citations. Should Schools Teach SMS Text Messaging? - Andy Carvin, PBS Teachers, 2006You may think that today’s kids already know everything they need to know about SMS text messaging, but some educators are now arguing that students need to learn texting in the classroom. Are they on to something, or is it a waste of time? Teaching Through Text Message: Cell Phones Emerge as Learning Tool - Kathleen Sheneman, New Legacy Mobile Instructors at UNLV are now using text messaging as a tool to teach students about the English language. Teachers Use Cell Phones in the Classroom - Jason Koebler, U.S. News Education, 2011Educators arguing that encouraging students to use cell phones turns the phones into educational tools, not distractions or cheating devices. Zero-Thumb Game: How to Tame Texting - Sara Bernard, Edutopia, 2008English teachers take text messaging to task — as a teaching tool. Saline High School Senior Builds Group Text-Messaging Service - Sven Gustafson, AnnArbor.com, 2011developer of gText, 18 year old student! Teaching by Texting Starts to Take Hold - Karen Schwartz, Aol News, 2010 Most teachers who use cell phones in class also find it useful to blast text messages to their students, reminding them of homework assignments and tests.  Blogs, Wikis and Text Messaging: What are the Implications for Students with Learning Disabilities, Center for Implementing Technology in Education, 2008An Info brief by the Center for Implementing Technology in Education. Teacher Sentenced for Text Messaging Student Thousands of Times - Mary Richards and Sandra Yi, KSL.comPolice have arrested a school teacher in an unusual case, a text messaging relationship with a student that went too far. That teacher is now in jail. In one month alone, he sent 5,000 text messages to a 13-year-old girl. Are you aware of another news story or other perspective available online on use of text messaging in teaching that you’d recommend be added to the list above? Leave a comment with the link.

Mastery Connect announced today that it has raised a $ 15.2 million Series B round led by Trinity Ventures and with participation of Pelion Ventures and Catamount Ventures. Larry Orr, general partner at Trinity Ventures, will join MasteryConnect's board of directors. This latest round brings the total funding raised to more than $24 million in five rounds since the platform’s launch in 2009. As one of the first MasteryConnect focused on the then newly introduced Common Core standard and provides real-time reporting about what students are learning relative to both state and Common Core standards. In June of this year, MasteryConnect acquired fellow imagine K12 alumnus Socrative, a startup that created tools for classroom engagement, for $ 5 million in stock and cash. The acquisition doubled its employees from 35 in March 2014 to more than 70 today. Cory Reid, CEO of MasteryConnect, states in the press release "This funding round is further validation of our mission and will give us additional flexibility to build the tools today's educators need, many of which are free." MasteryConnect claims to have seen significant growth with its technology being utilized in 85 percent of U.S. school districts across all states and in more than 175 countries, reaching 21 million students and 1 million teachers. According to the startup its app is the most downloaded app for the Common Core. With this latest round of funding MasteryConnect could potentially acquire other edtech startups to add new functionalities and users to its platform. In August venture capital database CB Insights shared that there are currently over 60 edtech startups in risk of becoming seed orphans, meaning they will not be able to raise a Series A round and therefore becoming easy acquisition targets for better funded competitors. Further Reading MasteryConnect Raises $15.2 Million to Accelerate Development of Mastery Learning Platform for K-12 Education | Businesswire Related Links MasteryConnect raises $1.1 million for Common Core Platform Assessment Platform MasteryConnect acquired Socrative for $5 million There are over 60 potential EdTech Seed Orphans in the US Links masteryconnect.com | Twitter | CrunchBase

Dr. Mace Bentley, Associate Professor, Department of Geography at Northern Illinois University has developed the following movie trailers as an experiment in trying new ways to recruit more students to his classes. According to Mace, I thought the idea of a class trailer (similar to a movie trailer) might provide a nice multimedia introduction to classes. I think it might help to access the "Net Generation" in a way engaging and motivating to them. Take a look at the finished product! GEOG 368: Climate Change (online) GEOG 408/508: Tropical Environmental Hazards Mace included a link in the YouTube descriptions to the NIU online web page where prospective students can learn more and enroll. Additionally, Mace shared: I created these in iMovie and have used all my own materials to avoid copyright issues. It took a while to figure out how to do it, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to replicate in iMovie. The idea is to keep it short, to the point, and stimulating. I shot my videos on a Lumix GF-1 and iPhone and then downloaded directly into iMovie where I did the editing and incorporation with photos. The video portions are actually parts of vodcasts I have developed for several classes. This process takes time but can be done. Have you ever considered creating a similar video trailer to promote your course(s)? Perhaps you’ve seen other similar video trailers online? Leave a comment with your experiences and/or links to any other similar trailers you’d recommend sharing with others!

What does the literature say concerning mobile phone use, and more specifically text messaging, in educational settings? What theoretical and pedagogical foundations have been identified to build effective best practices upon? The following peer-reviewed articles provide theoretical and pragmatic foundations. Hayati, A., Jalilifar, A., & Mashhadi, A. (2011). Using Short Message Service (SMS) to teach English idioms to EFL students. British Journal of Educational Technology. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2011.01260.xAbstract: This study aimed to gauge the efficacy of three modes of instruction of English idioms, ie, Short Message Service (SMS)-based learning, contextual learning and self-study learning. More precisely, this study capitalized on the push aspect of SMS affordance to deliver bite-sized English idiom lessons on spaced intervals to the learners irrespective of the traditionally inherent problems in most teaching classrooms of English as a Foreign Language learning contexts and thus promote regular study. Students’ perceptions and attitudes toward mobile learning and the application of SMS in teaching and learning English (idioms) were also sought by conducting a poststudy survey. Overall, the results revealed that students receiving short mini-lessons on their mobile phones via SMS were more enthusiastic and learned more than their counterparts on paper or contextual groups. Lim, T., Fadzil, M., Mansor, N. (2011). Mobile learning via SMS at Open University Malaysia: Equitable, effective, and sustainable. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 12(2). Abstract: This article describes Open University Malaysia’s efforts at enhancing the blended learning approach for undergraduate distance learners with the successful implementation of the Mobile Learning via SMS initiative. The pilot project was implemented in the May 2009 semester, and this coming January 2011 semester will be in its sixth consecutive semester. Aspects such as the conceptual model, the process flow of group messaging, and challenges faced, as well as effectiveness of the initiative, are discussed. Mentor, D. (2011). Supporting students’ connectedness via texting. Educause Quarterly, 34(1).Key Takeaways: Providing students with portable communities of support through mobile phone texting offers one way to give them a sense of social connectedness. Increasing a sense of social connectedness encourages healthier emotional well-being among students, reducing potential feelings of isolation from the campus community. Texting may help improve participation by and performance among students, although definitive proof will require a more rigorous examination of the actual effects on their performance and perceptions of emotional well-being.Summary of resource Kovalik, C. L. & Hosler, K. A. (2010). Text messaging and the community of inquiry in online courses. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 6(2). Abstract: Text messaging is emerging as a tool educators are using for multiple purposes in both face-to-face and online courses. This research study investigated the impact of using text messages to convey course information for six online courses, taught by one instructor, as measured by the Community of Inquiry survey. Text messages communicated course information, including reminders of assignment due dates, notification that assignments have been graded, and short feedback on discussion postings. Students completed two surveys for the study; 1) the Community of Inquiry (COI) survey and 2) a survey created by the first author to gather information on student reaction to using text messages in the courses. Overall results indicate that students reacted positively to receiving text messages. COI survey results indicated, however, that there were no significant differences between students who received text messages and students who did not receive text messages in their perception of social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence as represented by the COI framework. This lack of significance may be partially attributable to the instructor’s extensive prior experience and success in online teaching. Porath, S. (2010). Text messaging and teenagers: A review of the literature. Journal of the Research Center of for Educational Technology. 7(2), 86-99. Abstract: Look around on any bus, in any restaurant, or standing in any line and people are text messaging. Likewise, most teenagers in America are nearly inseparable from their cell phones, not because they are constantly talking, but because they are connecting with their friends through text messaging. Although cell phones are banned in most K-12 schools, students are text messaging constantly there as well. Few adults, including teachers and administrators, understand how and why adolescents and young adults are using text messaging or how to harness text messaging capabilities in the classroom. This literature review examines the limited amount of research on the practice of text messaging for adolescents and young adults (ages 11-21), focusing on the motivation, means, and methods of text messaging. In addition, it considers how adults have successfully engaged text messaging to access and inform youth about health-related issues. In this light, some current educational uses of text messaging are highlighted, along with implications for future research. Wallace, P. & Howard, B. (2010). Social networking tools to facilitate cross-program collaboration. Educause Quarterly, 33(4). Abstract: This project is part of a continuing effort among the faculty in our department to break down the silos of learning created by the structure of off-campus programs. The use of social networking tools allows our students to engage in a level of collaboration that would be awkward, if not impossible, without a means to communicate effectively. This particular project focused on the tools of collaboration. We will continue to explore options for developing stronger and more long-term collaborative projects that will build communities of practice among students for the duration of their graduate programs rather than over the course of one short semester. Jones, G., Edwards, G., Reid, A. (2009). How can mobile SMS communication support and enhance a first year undergraduate learning environment? Research in Learning Technology, 17(3). Abstract: In this paper we discuss a case study investigating how the academic and personal development of first year students on an undergraduate sports education degree can be supported and enhanced with mobile SMS (Short Message Service) communication. SMS-based technologies were introduced in response to students’ particular needs (in transition to Higher Education) and characteristics (adept mobile communicators). Despite being unaccustomed to using their mobile phones for academic study, students willingly accepted SMS communication with their tutor via a texting management service. This communication was used in concert and integrated with a more traditional learning and teaching context (lectures and a virtual learning environment). Drawing on evidence from two student surveys, focus groups and a tutor’s journal, we illustrate how mobile SMS communication has influenced the student learning experience. Taking a holistic view of the learning environment we use Laurillard’s (2002) conversational framework (Laurillard, D. 2002. Rethinking university teaching: a framework for the effective use of learning technologies. 2nd edition. London: Routledge.) to analyse and discuss the role of texting in supporting student transition to higher education. Duvall, B. J., Powell, M. R., Hodge, E., & Ellis, M. (2007). Text messaging to improve social presence in online learning. Educause Quarterly, 30(3). Summary: This study aimed to adapt instructional pedagogy to make it more compatible with the mobile lifestyle of today’s students. The goal of this research was to evaluate and provide suggestions on how to incorporate SMS text messaging so that both professors and students could maintain a social presence within a learning community. Data collected indicated that the students liked to use SMS text messaging and felt that it was useful for enhancing communication in their online class. The collaboration and communication created through the use of text messaging also supported the creation of a social context that fostered a sense of community. Using the text messaging tool, teachers and students became active participants in the learning process. Furthermore, the use of SMS text messaging to share online resources allowed students to learn through interaction with other students in an online environment. The learners applied their combined knowledge to solve course problems. The SMS text messaging tool also provided a medium for communication and dialogue, which engendered the "immediacy" sought by many online learners. Consequently, we believe that if text messaging is integrated effectively into an online class and used for well-defined objectives, it provides a useful tool for enhancing social presence and communication among learners. Are you aware of another peer-reviewed article on texting that you’d recommend be added to the list above? Leave a comment with the bibliographic info and link if possible.

Blackboard announced the acquisition of Requestec, a startup that creates web conferencing and real time communication gateways for computers and mobile devices. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Requestec’s technology has already been implemented in part of Blackboard’s product line, further implementation and updates are planned for later this year. WebRTC (Web Real Time Communication) is a new standard that enables users to have synchronous communications, such as video conferencing, voice calling, instant messaging, video chat and file sharing directly from within a desktop or mobile browser. The technology eliminates the need for any plugins or downloads like Skype, WebEx and other VoIP or conferencing software. It currently works best with the latest versions of Firefox and Google Chrome. Blackboard already demonstrated the use of WebRTC at its annual BbWorld in August. Video Further Reading Blackboard acquires Requestec | Press Release Our Latest Acquisition: Revolutionizing Video Conferencing | Blackboard Blog

What are some examples of best practices incorporating text messaging into teaching? The following resources provide a few ideas to consider as you formulate your own plan for utilizing texting. Webinar: Texting with Students in Higher EdArchive of webinar by Barry Dahl, Todd McCann, Brett Kopf, and Jason Rhode on 1/17/12 titled "Text Messaging with Your Students While Maintaining Privacy" that explored the reasons and tools for safely communicating with students via SMS. Text Messaging with Students While Maintaining Privacy Tips shared by Jason Rhode for getting started text messaging safely with students. Teacher Uses Text Messaging in Science Classes Pasco County teacher welcomes texting in class Using Text Messages to teach English - Part 1 ‘Think Texts’ Texting students homework assignments Using Text Messages to teach English - Part 2 ‘Following Instructions’Group texting activity Have you located other best practices documented online that you’d recommend be added to the list above? Leave a comment with the link.

During last week’s event on Multilingualism in Europe we were talking about trends in language learning that are driven by new technology, data and a new mindset when it comes to what learners expect these days. Some of the key trends we see at EDUKWEST are around personalization, effectiveness and quicker results, trends that are also at the core of the edtech startup in today’s profile. Introduce your startup and give a short description of what you are doing. Lingua.ly is at once an education company, founded by academics and a disruptive tech-startup that has developed the first solution to learning languages via digital immersion. The patent-pending technology behind our platform takes an innovative approach to quantifying language learning through exposure and online interaction. We promote mastery of a foreign language via a personalized, adaptive and fun learning experience derived from real world content, paving the way to fluency by harnessing the natural mobile browsing behavior of our users. Who are the founders, how did you meet, what are your different roles in the startup. Jan and Orly met while Jan was doing a post-doc in California and Orly was completing her Phd in Cognitive Science at Stanford. They are polyglots who collectively speak six languages and shared a passion for language learning. Orly and Jan had both achieved fluency via the language learning techniques encompassed in the Lingua.ly platform and wanted to put the functionality under one roof. They used Orly's background in language and research combined with Jan's algorithm and expertise as a developer as the idea for the original product which then evolved from there. Jan is our current CEO and Orly is head of Learning. What is the main problem in education that you aim to solve. The web provides a unique opportunity for language learning spanning all subjects, levels and registers with a constantly updated array of authentic content. But it’s very hard to use in its raw form. We know from research and experience how learning must be organized to be efficient: through gradual expansion of existing knowledge with repetitive exposure to new facts. At Lingua.ly, we bridge the gap between the incredible yet overwhelming wealth of online content and the requirements for systematic learning. In which markets / regions are you active. What markets / regions are next. We are a global company and our solution has spread virally in most regions of the world. However, we have been particularly well received in Brazil and other Latin American countries as well as China where we were the number one educational app after launching our Android on Google Play in April. We have a growing presence in the EU, particularly in Spain and the Netherlands and we look forward to expanding our reach in the US, Middle East and Russia particularly with higher education college student users. Who is your target audience. Our target audience is users of online and digital language learning products as well as classroom based language learners. We have recently entered into partnerships with our platforms and providers including the largest textbook maker in Israel which will introduce .5 Million new users to the system next year. How do you engage with your target audience. How do you convert them into users of your product. We are a learning solution for language learners of all ages and abilities. Our system is inherently scalable and appropriate for both an academic and professional user. We noticeably fill a gap in the industry today by providing a digital solution for learners who are beyond a beginner level and require challenge beyond sentence level and grammar focused learning. What is your business model. How much does your product / service cost. Without the overhead of content development, our core functionality is free of charge with paid premium features for power users and customization for clients such as schools. As our solution is based on granular data points we can also serve as a lead generator for other products in the space. If you raised funding, how much did you raise. Who are your investors. If not, are you planning to raise funding. We have financed Lingua.ly through Angel investment. 800k USD has been invested to date primarily via two angels. Are there milestones you are especially proud of and would like to share. Since launching our first mobile app for Android in April, our WebApp in June and our mobile app for iOS in July we have grown by 300k users, with 100k of those signing up in the past month. Our users have collectively learned 8+ Million words on the system (there is a leaderboard available on our website for an updated figure) and we have been a featured app on Google Play as well as in The New York Times Travel section. What are the next steps in growing your startup. We are in the process of building out more features for existing products based on user feedback and enhancing our reach via newly supported languages and platforms, particularly for our browser extension. We've recently grown significantly as a team and will be adding more gamification to our practice activities, enhancing our UX and focusing on increasing our user base significantly over the upcoming three months. Anything else you would like to add. We are opening our "data" doors and allowing users to import and export words to make our system more compatible with outside platforms and classroom learning. Users can now bring their existing vocabulary into Lingua.ly to use it as a base for exploring related content on the web. Alternatively, our current users can export their collected Lingua.ly words for use in classroom learning or related language platforms which exercise different learning skills. We see ourselves as a complementary platform that plays an essential part in any user's language learning ecosystem by allowing users to choose the language they would like to learn and steer an experience fueled by real world, authentic text. Links lingua.ly | Twitter

There are many free tools available that can be leveraged when implementing text messaging in teaching. The intended purpose, frequency, and substance of messages are among the factors to be considered when selecting a text messaging tool. The following is a listing of free texting tools. If you find another free tool, please leave a comment with the tool title, description, and link. BroadtexterMobile clubs and marketing.  CellyPlatform of tools that enhances school communication: Create cells, instant mobile networks that connect your school Members can join a cell by texting or logging in to the web.  ClassPagerText your classroom. Broadcast updates to parents and students. Engage any student on any device — during or after school. Ask and answer questions, individually or with groups of students. Incorporate modern technology in your teaching safely and easily.  ClassParrotSafe and simple tool that lets teachers reach students the way their friends do.  Follow My TeacherSMS service geared specifically for K-12 schools and teachers  Google SMS ApplicationsUse Google applications via SMS text message.  Google Voice Using a Google Account, you can setup a Google Voice phone number that you can set to auto ring an office and/or mobile phone number. Send and receive text messages at your Google Voice phone number using either the smart phone app or web interface.  gTextFree group texting - A network of group communication.  Let’s Talk by CloudTalk Social messaging service that goes beyond texting and voicemail: FREE personal text and voice messaging, 1-to-1 and group conversations, public and private conversations, for Web, iPhone and Android.  Poll EverywhereCreates stylish real-time experiences at events using mobile devices. Poll Everywhere replaces expensive proprietary audience response hardware with standard web technology. It’s the easiest way to gather live responses in any venue: conferences, presentations, classrooms, radio, tv, print — anywhere.  Remind101Safe way for teachers to text message students and stay in touch with parents.  SMS MacUse your Mac to enter SMS text and send the SMS through the Internet.  TextMarksSMS service for educators and educational institutions. If you find another free tool, please leave a comment with the tool title, description, and link.

Remind, formerly Remind101, raised a $40 million Series C led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers with participation by The Social+Capital Partnership and First Round Capital. Founded in 2011 by the brothers Brett and David Kopf, Remind is one of the most successful edtech startups from imagine K12’s first cohort, closely followed by ClassDojo. This latest round brings the total of funding raised by Remind to $59.5 million. Key Takeaway The funding will be used to fuel Remind’s further development and international expansion which started in July by launching the app internationally yet with a focus on the UK as its next big market. Remind claims that during this year’s back to school season around 350k new users signed up for the service per day, pushing the app to the #3 spot in the iTunes Appstore. The platform now connects over 1 million teachers (one in five in the US) with more than 17 million students and parents. According to investors and the founders, Remind will always be free for its basic use in order to grab an as big chunk of the market as possible. Later on paid premium features will be added to monetize reports Forbes. Further Reading Remind Raises $40 Million to Connect Every Teacher, Student and Parent in an Effort to Improve Education | Press Release Remind, a Start-Up That Links Teachers and Parents, Raises $40 Million | New York Times With $40 Million In New Cash, Parent-Teacher App Remind Targets A Billion Users Worldwide | Forbes Related Links HEDLINE: Remind101 raises $15 million Series B EDUKWEST #80 with Brett Kopf of remind101

Here are a few other miscellaneous resources related to text messaging in teaching, not previously mentioned. List of SMS Gateways - Wikipedia List of mobile carriers providing SMS transit via SMS gateways.  How to Send Text Messages to Students via Email for FreeInstructions for how to send text messages to students via email for free, provided you know students’ mobile phone number and carrier. Are you aware of another miscellaneous resource regarding texting that you’d recommend be added to the list above? Leave a comment with the name, description, and link.

School messaging app Remind (formerly Remind101) announced a $40 million Series C on Tuesday, bringing its total funding raised close to $60 million. The round was a so called inside round with no new investors which can be interpreted in several ways. One option is that the startup has problems and investors need to inject more money to keep it afloat, another is that the startup aims for a higher valuation and needs more runway to achieve some milestones. In Remind’s case the two main investors seem to be interested not to dilute their ownership by allowing others to chip in. In the past Chris and I often shook our heads when edtech startups like Remind or edmodo for instance announced huge venture rounds and the promise to remain free forever without a having a working business model and I still don’t believe that this is a healthy approach. Nevertheless, looking at the growth of Remind I will admit that the Kopf brothers are the posterchild for the concept of grabbing market share by offering a service for free. Now the question remains whether they will they be able to "turn on revenue" once they have a sufficiently large user base which again will of course be crucial for an IPO. Why IPO? Back in February, when he led Remind’s $15 million Series B, John Doerr stated that the startup will eventually make money by adding premium features and that other "liquidity events" (like an IPO) are also an option. With $60 million in funding, Remind’s valuation is probably too high for an acquisition. Now leading the Series C, Doerr states in the press release that "We [Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers] are thrilled to invest in their hyper growth." According to the New York Times, Doerr was especially impressed by Remind’s focus on education and metrics as well as its rapid growth among the teacher community. During this year’s back to school period, Remind saw around 350k new signups per day. This growth curve also attracted the attention of Chamath Palihapitiya, founder and managing partner at The Social+Capital Partnership. Before being a VC, Palihapitiya was responsible for Facebook’s growth in the early days alongside founder Mark Zuckerberg. Remind’s adoption among teachers, students and parents has similar potential of reaching one billion users or more. In fact, Remind’s goal is to connect three billion people in the coming years. "We were ecstatic about the opportunity to partner with John Doerr and lead an inside round at Remind. The company's vision, if fully realized, will create the first complete graph in education (more than 3 billion people worldwide) and offer the education system a product that drives meaningful outcomes," states Palihapitiya in the press release. So it seems that both KPCB and Social+Capital want to own a big chunk of what Doerr and Palihapitiya see as the next big consumer app, leading to an inside Series C round with no new investors. "This has the most credible chance to get to one billion users of any product I’ve seen since I left [Facebook]." Palihapitiya told Forbes. Looking at the development of Remind it is worth noting that the team did not need to pivot or adapt its core product in order to achieve growth and adoption. The attraction actually lies in the simplicity of Remind, focusing on and solving a simple yet persistent problem: communication between teachers, students and parents. Because all parties involved need to communicate on a regular, sometimes daily, basis, Remind sees high retention and low dropout rates, making the app part of the daily routine similar to other consumer apps like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or WhatsApp all of which took some time to introduce paid features or plan to remain free. Today Remind has about 18 million users which is still far from one billion, let alone the target of three billion. In a next step the startup has to prove that it will achieve comparable growth in new markets like Europe and eventually if teachers, parents or schools see value in premium features. Picture License  Some rights reserved by Stuck in Customs

Blackboard has announced a new open online course "Designing an Exemplary Course," as part of the CourseSites Open Course Series. The course will run from September 26th - October 17th, 2012. Registration is free and opens Wednesday, September 19th. Whether you are just getting started or are an advanced online educator, this course will provide you with a framework to help identify and apply best practices for designing engaging online courses. You will learn from 11 instructors and instructional designers including distinguished Exemplary Course Program (ECP) Directors and several of the 2012 ECP winners. Using the Blackboard ECP Rubric as a guide, the course will focus on the four critical elements of a course: design, interaction and collaboration, assessment, and learner support. You will have the opportunity to participate in weekly live, online sessions, learn with peers in focus groups, and complete optional assignments to aid your course development and improvement. A panel of course design experts will facilitate each group to provide you with valuable feedback. The learning environment will offer learners the flexibility to choose their own learning outcomes and time commitments based on individual needs. To maximize benefits of participation, optional homework assignments will be provided each week to apply concepts to build out one’s own course structure and materials. The course will provide a framework for forming collaborative teams. For more details or to sign-up to be notified when registration opens, click here.

Over the past 10 days, I led the second iteration of an online professional development workshop with the Sloan Consortium, entitled Text Messaging in Teaching: Tips and Techniques from the Trenches. This workshop, just one in a series of workshops on mobile learning, was geared for faculty desiring to add a mobile dimension to their online teaching using text messaging? Participants learned by doing as they experienced texting incorporated in the online environment (Moodle), explored free texting apps, and formulated their own plan for incorporating texting into their online communication strategy. Our discussions focused upon how to enrich one’s online presence and communicate with students through a mobile technology they are already using daily while also protecting privacy. The following resources, among others, were shared during the workshop: Texting Background and Definitions Statistics on Use of Texting Opinions and Commentary on Texting in Teaching Articles on Texting in Teaching Best Practices on Texting in Teaching Text Messaging Tools Additional Miscellaneous Text Messaging Resources Looking for some great online professional development opportunities? Check-out Sloan Consortium’s online workshops!

Chegg announced today that it has acquired the data and assets of Internships.com for $10 million in cash and $1 million in stock from CareerArc Group LLC. Key Takeaway Through this latest acquisition Chegg will add 2 million registered students, 380 university relationships, and 90,000 internships from 60,000 companies to the Chegg Career Center. Internships.com had already been included in the Career Center since December through a partnership. "With this acquisition, Chegg is poised to disrupt the highly inefficient and fragmented $5 billion college recruiting market. Closing the skills gap and finding students career opportunities is critical for improving student outcomes in a global economy. Adding Internships.com enables Chegg to fundamentally improve matching between students and employers, helping businesses to better identify the best candidates and students to develop the real world job skills they'll need upon graduation." states Dan Rosensweig, Chairman and CEO of Chegg in the press release. The Chegg Career Center launched in May, enabling students to explore internships and career options as well as advice from working professionals. Chegg also plans to add a skills marketplace where students can purchase courses that focus on the skills that are required in the knowledge economy. According to a study commissioned by Chegg in August 2013, 82% of hiring managers stating that it's important for recent grads to have prior internship experiences. All in all, the market around career planning is getting more and more competitive with LinkedIn launching a suite of new tools for student to find the right college, university and career this week. The acquisition of Internships.com is the latest step in Chegg’s transition to a 100% cloud based education business. In June Chegg acquired InstaEdu, an on-demand live video tutoring platform and in August Chegg outsourced its textbook distribution to Ingram. Further Reading Chegg Acquires Internships.com | PR Newswire Related Links Who is going to be Chegg's next acquisition? Here are three Options. HEDLINE: Chegg Career Center to launch later this month HEDLINE: Chegg acquires InstaEDU for $30 million

On Friday, 9/21/2012, I was able to get my hands on the new iPhone 5. I thought I’d share a few of my first impressions here. But first, a little bit of background… Background As a long time Verizon customer (primarily because I have not AT&T coverage at my home and Verizon is the only carrier that provides reliable coverage both at my home as well as our cottage in WI where I spend much of my summer) I was among the first users of iPhone 4 where it finally came to Verizon back in April 2011. As a Mac user and one who is comfortable in the Apple ecosystem, the iPhone quickly became the essential technology device that I use constantly throughout my day. Because I was one of those "early adopters" on Verizon, the 2-yr contract that I signed on for included unlimited data on 3G. As I often have found myself in situations where I need Wi-Fi access, I also have the tethering option (2GB/month) and frequently am using my iPhone as a Wi-Fi hotspot over 3G. The announcement of iPhone 5 was exciting for me, primarily because I was eligible for a discounted upgrade on 10/11/12 and I’ve been longing for LTE speeds. The iPhone 4 has been, and continues to be, a fantastic mobile device and I do still highly recommend it. For me, since I do rely on the hotspot capability frequently, and the fact that I live and work in areas that have LTE coverage with Verizon, the promise of much faster download speeds was the feature that ultimately was enough for me to upgrade. I went ahead and sold back my iPhone 4 to Gazelle, so in order to receive the offered amount, I need to have it in the mail back to Gazelle by Oct. 1st. I figured I’d just go a couple weeks without a phone so that I could get the most possible cash for my current iPhone. I called Verizon and they confirmed that on Oct. 11th I’d be able to upgrade to the new iPhone 5 with the subsidized amount. Yet, because I am a grandfathered unlimited data user, if I were to sign-up for a new 2-yr contract (needed in ordered to purchase iPhone 5 with the carrier discount), I’d have to forfeit my unlimited data plan. Instead, I’d be signing-up for one of Verizon’s "Share Everything Plan" that would end up costing me more per month than what I’m currently paying for data and tethering. While I don’t often go over 2GB of data on my current iPhone, the unlimited data perk is one that I didn’t want to give up if at all possible. In my discussions with Verizon, I learned that if I were to indeed pay full retail price for an iPhone and in essence not extend or renew my current contract, I’d be able to keep my unlimited data plan on the much faster 4G LTE. While my tethering option of 2GB of 3G data on my current plan for $20 would need to be upgraded to LTE data for an extra $10/mo, I would then have UNLIMITED tethered data over LTE! Basically, for $10 more per month, I’d have not only unlimited data over LTE on my iPhone, but also unlimited tethered data over LTE when using my iPhone as a hotspot. For me, the promise of continuing to enjoy unlimited data was well worth paying the extra several hundred dollars for the full retail price of the iPhone. After deciding that I wouldn’t renew my contract, there was no need to wait until October 11th to purchase the new iPhone. However, by the time I had made my decision, there was a 4-week wait for pre-orders. I decided I’d try to get a phone when they went on sale on Fri, 9/21 Buying Experience On Fri, 9/21, I needed to be at a meeting in Indiana at 12PM and would be driving from my home near Rockford, IL. Despite all the reports of people camping out waiting in line for the new iPhone, I decided I’d try just showing up at an Apple store and see if I could perhaps get a phone without an overnight wait. So, I chose to stop at the Apple Store at Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg, IL and arrived in line at 7:45AM, just 15 minutes before the store was scheduled to open. While I didn’t count the number of people in line, there were easily over 150 people in line before me, some had chairs and obviously had been waiting quite a while, while many others like me appeared to have just arrived that morning. View of my spot in line At 8AM, the store opened to cheers from the employees and those in line and quickly the line started moving. It was remarkable how quickly the line moved. As the line moved along, I was able to see that there were several Apple associates who had a box of what looked like small cards. What I learned they were doing is asking those in line what carrier, size, and color they were in line for and would then give a card for the device they would be purchasing. Some were buying 2, but most were just purchasing 1. When it was my turn to state which device I was in line for, I asked for a Verizon, 64GB, black, but they only had white still available. While I was hoping for black, I opted for white so I could still walk away with my phone that day. Card I received for my white, 64GB, Verizon iPhone After a few more minutes of waiting, I was finally in the store and minutes later, I walked out with my new iPhone. In total, I spent 55 minutes from the time I stepped in line, until I walked out of the store with my iPhone. I opted for the AppleCare+ coverage as well. All in all, I was so really pleased to have been able to leave that day with phone in hand. Unboxing and Setup As I didn’t return home from traveling for work until Saturday afternoon, that was my first chance to get my phone setup. I personally still backup my iPhone via iTunes on my laptop and so my first step was to do a full backup of my iPhone 4. I had already updated my iPhone 4 to iOS 6, so I’d be able to easily setup my new iPhone by doing a restore from my iPhone 4 backup. My next step was to unbox my new phone and restore from the iPhone 4 backup. The process was seamless and within a matter of approximately 15 minutes my iPhone 5 was setup. The final setup process was to call Verizon and activate. Because I had the unique unlimited plan, I needed to call and speak to Verizon customer service rep and ask that they simply replace my iPhone 4 on my plan with the new iPhone 5. While one the phone, the customer service rep also updated my tethering plan from 3G to LTE. It was just a matter of a couple minutes, and my new phone was activated and ready for use. Everything transferred over, including previous voicemails, messages, etc…completely seamless! Now, it was time to start trying out the new phone First Impressions While I’ve only used iPhone 5 over LTE on Verizon for just 24 hours or so, here are a few of my first impressions: I like white. While in line, I talked with two different Apple Store associates, each of which said they had purchased one color themselves, but now wish they’d purchased the other. Coincidentally, one purchased black, the other white. Now that I have the white, I do like the color, especially the aluminum back. LTE is fast!. I had heard from others how much quicker LTE seemed as compared to 3G, and it is true that the speed difference is amazing. The speeds are definitely comparable to broadband access that I have at my home. The 4″ screen size is perfect. I was a bit skeptical when Apple announced that the screen size would be enlarged, as I really don’t want to have to use 2 hands to operate my phone. The slightly larger screen size is the perfect length for me to be able to reach both the top and bottom of the screen with my thumb. I don’t have overly large hands, so I suspect the same will hold true for most people. The experience of using a thumb as Apple advertises is exactly what I’ve experienced. iPhone is fast. Apps load notably faster than on my iPhone 4 and it overall seems even more responsive than before. AirPlay mirroring is great. The AirPlay mirroring over Wi-Fi to my AppleTV works just like advertised. It just works, and does so flawlessly. Camera is faster. On my iPhone 4, there was a notable delay after taking a photo, before the camera was ready to take another photo. On iPhone 5, the camera is much more responsive and I’ve been able to take photos in rapid succession without delay. Those are just a few of my initial impressions of iPhone 5. Overall, I’m really glad to made the upgrade. Have you also upgraded to iPhone 5? What was your experience like? What were your first impressions? Feel free to leave a comment with your experiences.

Last week Yahoo announced would shut down its vertical portal Yahoo Education on September 30th, followed by its legacy product Yahoo Directory at the end of the year. This, however, does not seem to affect the collaboration between Easyuni and Yahoo Malaysia who announced a partnership for a higher education portal back in May. Yahoo states that it will continue to shut down products that are identified as "areas outside of our core experiences where users’ needs are already well served by alternative online resources." Yahoo Education aimed to connect users with education providers and their products and Yahoo Directory was one of the first portals that helped people to navigate the Internet. Both products are, of course, anachronisms as today’s search and recommendation products are built upon user data and social connections. And only one day after Yahoo Education was shut down LinkedIn announced the launch of its new college finding tools. The tools which aim to help college students to find the right college and career are based upon data points from LinkedIn members and social interaction between students and college counselors on the professional network. Features include Decision Boards which use a combination of organizational, social and insight tools, helping students to "work the problem" from start to decision and share their progress with peers and advisors and University Rankings based upon data from graduates that show which university career led to desirable jobs. Students are also able to find universities based on their desired career, using the new University Finder tool. The new tools are a substantial addition to LinkedIn’s offering for students which started about a year ago with the launch of University Pages. Further Reading Progress Report: Continued Product Focus | Yahoo Social + Data = Better Decisions for Students | LinkedIn Related Links EdTech Startups Asia: easyuni, MyBusMate, SchoolofTutors and Mettl LinkedIn University Pages - Are Internships next on the Feature List?

Educause Center for Applied Research (ECAR) has surveyed undergraduate students annually since 2004 about technology in higher education. In 2012, ECAR collaborated with 195 institutions to collect responses from more than 100,000 students about their technology experiences. The findings are distilled into the broad thematic message for institutions and educators to balance strategic innovation with solid delivery of basic institutional services and pedagogical practices and to know students well enough to understand which innovations they value the most. Key Findings See the 2012 report for a full list key messages, findings, and supporting data. Blended-learning environments are the norm; students say that these environments best support how they learn. Students want to access academic progress information and course material via their mobile devices, and institutions deliver. Technology training and skill development for students is more important than new, more, or "better" technology. Students use social networks for interacting with friends more than for academic communication. Infographic The following infographic, available here as PDF, highlights some of the key findings: ECAR Recommends See the 2012 report for a full list of actionable results. Look to emerging or established leaders (other institutions, other countries, other industries) for strategies to deliver instruction and curricular content to tablets and smartphones. Learn from their exemplary strategies for IT support and security with student devices as well as planning, funding, deploying, and managing instructional technologies, services, and support. Prioritize the development of mobile-friendly resources and activities that students say are important: access to course websites and syllabi, course and learning management systems, and academic progress reports (i.e., grades). Bridge the gap between the technologies that have seen the greatest growth (e-portfolios, e-books/e-textbooks, and web-based citation/bibliographic tools) and students’ attitudes about their importance. Focus training/skill-building opportunities for students, professional development opportunities for faculty, and support service opportunities on these emerging technologies. Use e-mail and the course and learning management system for formal communication with students. Experiment with text messaging and instant messaging/online chatting, and don’t focus efforts on using social networks and telephone conversations to interact with students. Complete study findings available here.

Mumbai-based private equity fund Kaizen Management Advisors announced that it will invest $150 million in the education projects in India and South East Asia reports the Economic Times. $75 million are going to be invested in the Indian education technology sector, the other $75 million in education projects in Singapore, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and the Philippines as Kaizen aims to expand into South East Asian markets through its second fund. Kaizen plans to make investments through the new fund between 2015 and 2019. Over the next five months the private equity fund will also be investing the remaining $10 to 12 million from its first $70 million fund which was raised in 2012. The funding came from IFC, Swiss Fund for Emerging Markets, HDFC India, UBS Fund of Funds and Bertelsmann. To date $55 million have been invested in seven school-related project according to Sandeep Aneja, founder and managing director of Kaizen. Further Reading Kaizen to invest $75 million in Indian education sector | Economic Times Links kaizenpe.com

Pearson Affordable Learning Fund and Village Capital announced the thirteen participants of its edupreneurs program in Africa. Six of the participants come from South Africa, two from Tanzania, two from Nigeria, and one from Ghana, Kenya and Ethiopia respectively. The thirteen participants were selected out of 120 applicants from across the continent. The startups will now participate in a mentorship program starting on October 16th. Two winners will be selected through peer review of the participants and will receive up to $75k in seed funding in January 2015. Bambisa (South Africa) Bambisa is a multi-platform mobile application for teachers and parents across all education sectors. It combines WhatsApp, Google Calendar, Kalahari and PayPal in one app for parents. Bambisa offers a free broadcast and two way communication and payment platform tailored for the teacher-parent conversation, real time calendaring so that teachers can add events, parents can view an agenda and get reminders, as well as content delivery providing high school content in a ‘chat’ style through the app. Dapt.io (South Africa) Dapt.io provides adaptive learning software that delivers digital learning content and assessments that adapt to a student’s strengths and weaknesses. By leveraging big data and rating algorithms, Dapt.io provides feedback on each student and on the course. Funda Online (South Africa) Funda Online’s cloud-based software-as-a-service platform allows its partners to educate and engage students globally. Its courses are targeted at equipping youth who are neither in employment nor education with new skills to either find employment or develop their entrepreneurship skills. FunDza Literacy Trust (South Africa) FunDza is an organisation dedicated to improving the literacy levels of South African youth by growing a culture of reading and writing. They use technological solutions to scale their impact. HapaWeb (Ghana) HapaWeb is an IT company offering web and mobile applications such as bulk SMS, website design, school management system, and Google Apps for business. HapaSIS is a web-based school management software enabling over 15,000 parents to access student reports online and via SMS through an open-source freemium model specifically for African Senior High Schools and free to download. Kidogo (Kenya) Mothers living in urban slums do not have access to safe, age-appropriate and trained early childhood education centers. Kidogo plans to fill this gap with an innovative hub & spoke model to deliver high quality ECD programs with trained caregivers and locally relevant education. Following a micro-franchise model, Kidogo also empowers local women to become entrepreneurs. Leap Academy (Ethiopia) Leap Academy provides affordable, high quality basic education for children and adults in per-urban Ethiopia through owning schools and building partnerships with other private and public schools to leverage existing infrastructure. Lekki Peninsula Affordable Schools (Nigeria) Lekki Peninsula Schools is a low-cost private school chain in Nigeria with an all-inclusive fee structure and flexible payment system designed for low-income families. Open Futures Foundation (South Africa) Open Futures provides skills, education and training to high school learners and out-of-school-youth, in efforts to empower and enable them to start their own business, qualify & register for tertiary education or find secure employment. Shule Direct (Tanzania) Shule Direct creates local digital educational content. They are building an anytime, anywhere learning platform to enable access to localized content from available devices. Content from the best local teachers and open resources are organized according to the local curriculum in a cloud-based educational content repository. Syafunda (South Africa) Syafunda is an organization with a network of over 900 schools across South Africa that provides innovative learning solutions through mobile technology. They develop products to simplify the learning process and sharing of information in a fun, simple and interactive way. Tutor.ng (Nigeria) Tutor.ng is an online learning platform designed to make education accessible by engaging Africans with online courses, meetups, tutorials and virtual live classes. Ubongo (Tanzania) Ubongo is a Tanzanian social enterprise that creates interactive edutainment for learners in Africa, delivered to them via the technologies they already have. They’re bringing African families a transformational, fun new way to learn through educational media accessible through basic mobile phones and mobile web. Further Reading Pearson backs 13 start-ups in Africa as they demonstrate they can impact educational outcomes for low-income learners | Press Release

Do you use Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube? Have you ever considered leveraging social media tools like these in your teaching? During this introductory online session I led on 9/28/2012, we explored what social media are and the pedagogical potential for use of social media in educational settings. We set the stage for future sessions to further explore use of social media tools and the design of engaging and innovative learning activities. Slides are available here. For links to archives of other online workshops offered by NIU Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, visit www.niu.edu/facdev/programs/archives

Indian education service provider CL Educate, formerly known as Career Launcher, has filed papers for an IPO hoping to raise up to $40 million. The company was founded in 1994 and operates centers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi beside Northern India. Among its services are numerous products, programs and services in the test preparation, K12 and higher education as well as vocational training verticals. Those programs and courses take place both online and offline. CL Educate operates ten K12 schools, operates 88 test prep centers and owns 76 test prep centers across India. Currently more than 67,000 students are enrolled in the centers. Since the end of 2011 CL Educate has acted as a publisher of educational content including mock exams, test prep and guides after acquiring GK Publication, selling 1.1 million copies in the financial last year. The company’s revenue from operations was a reported $35.4 million for FY14. Further Reading Career Launcher parent CL Educate files for up to $40M IPO, Gaja Cap to part exit | VCCircle CL Educate | Bloomberg Business Snapshot Links cleducate.com