Video instruction is something we've recently seen applied to music, golf and cricket. Now, through Academic Earth, it's being brought-for free-to virtually every scholarly topic under the sun.
New York-based Academic Earth aims to make a world-class education available to everyone on the planet. Toward that end, it is building a user-friendly ecosystem that gives internet users around the globe the ability to find, interact with and learn from full video courses and lectures from the world's leading scholars. More than 1,500 video lectures are currently available on the site, covering economics, entrepreneurship, history, law, medicine, religion and the sciences, among many other topics. A series of thematic collections, meanwhile, combine lectures to create courses such as "Understanding the Financial Crisis" and "Social Entrepreneurship 101." Faculty for Academic Earth's lectures are drawn from Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford and Yale, and courses are offered under a Creative Commons license through open course programs at the universities. Associated materials include lecture transcripts, handouts, reading assignments, tests and problem sets; some classes are also available as podcasts.
Academic Earth's courses cannot be used to get real academic credit, but they can be saved, rated and shared as favourites; they can also be used to gain status skills aplenty. The next step, it seems to us, will be to provide translations or variations that open it up to non-English speakers around the planet-and indeed, the site is actively seeking additional partners to expand its offerings. Educators, academic representatives and experts around the globe: one to get involved in?
Website: www.academicearth.orgContact: hello@academicearth.org
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The web is already home to sites galore that offer educational
games to make learning fun, but a new one is adding a slightly
different twist by incorporating a way to motivate kids with
virtual and real-world rewards.
SmartyCard offers what it calls the world's first "learn, earn
and play" experience by rewarding kids for completing educational
games with prizes from popular vendors and family sites such as
iTunes, Club Penguin, WebKinz, Star Doll and BellaSara. Created by
executives from the family entertainment, educational content and
toy industries, SmartyCard.com features bite-sized learning
activities from supplemental education leaders Learnstar, Ignite
and Learning.com. Activities are designed for kids in grades 3
through 6 and cover subjects including reading, writing, math,
social studies and science. Kids begin by creating an account with
their parents, who purchase a SmartyCard for them, priced beginning
at USD 10 for 5,000 points on the site. They then choose from among
the site's thousands of activities and games, taking a quiz at the
end of each to assess how much they learned. For scores of 70
percent or higher, the child "unlocks" some of the points on their
card-how many depends on the difficulty of the activity-and can
redeem them for subscriptions and virtual currency in popular
online worlds such as WebKinz, or for physical items including CDs,
toys, video games, books, crafts, science kits and DVDs, which can
be shipped to their home.
California-based SmartyCard is currently seeking more partners for education and rewards. At the moment the site is also available only in English. One to partner with or localize for other parts of the world....
Website: www.smartycard.com
Contact: customerservice@smartycard.com
While plenty of makeup studios offer lessons in applying cosmetics, language classes generally aren't part of the deal. Which is why the ESL Makeup Course at MikaOlivia caught our eye. Catering mainly to Japanese (aspiring) makeup professionals, the small Vancouver-based studio created three courses that help students improve both their makeup techniques and English language skills. MikaOlivia explains: "Through dialogue, demonstration and hands-on participation, you will advance your English language skills as well as your make-up artistry expertise."
Owners Karen Mika Shoji and Oribu Olivia Yokota grew up in
Canada, were educated in various parts of the world, and taught in
schools in Vancouver and Tokyo. By turning their multilingual
skills into an add-on service, they've created an additional stream
of income, as well as cross-selling opportunities for their other
offerings. The lesson for entrepreneurs? Tap into all of
your talents!
Website:
www.mikaolivia.com/school
Contact: courses@mikaolivia.com
Last fall we wrote about The Kitchen, which bills itself as a combination upscale takeaway and on-site cooking school. Suggesting that the concept could be catching on, a similar offering was recently launched by British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.
Much like The Kitchen, Recipease is a retail store that offers consumers the opportunity to assemble ready-to-cook meals using ingredients that have been prepped ahead of time by on-site staff. Customers begin by booking a session online, and then choosing the recipe or recipes they'd like to make; the seasonal menu changes every two months. (Those interested in making pizza or curry, on the other hand, can drop in without an appointment.) When they arrive at the Recipease shop-the first is located in London's Clapham Junction in Battersea-they find all the ingredients they need, washed, chopped and prepared. All that's left for them to do is follow the step-by-step instructions for assembly-each recipe requires about 10 minutes on average, the site says, and trained chefs are available to help-and then bring their food home to cook and enjoy. Prices vary by the dish, but current entree selections begin at GBP 3.75 per serving. A variety of more elaborate cooking lessons are also available, as is the full range of dishes already assembled for easy takeaway.
Traditional meal-prep services are all good and well, and we've covered several examples before. But adding a heaping helping of on-site instruction-with a side of boast-worthy status skills-transforms the concept beyond simply a convenience and into a pre-insperience experience, if you will. One to bring to a hungry market near you..
Website: www.jamieoliver.com/recipeaseContact: www.jamieoliver.com/contact
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Just a few weeks ago we wrote about Links Lessons, a Florida-based social network that offers personalized golfing instruction online, and since then one of our spotters alerted us to a similar coaching site for cricket players.
Both Links Lessons and MyCricketCoach invite users to upload a video of themselves playing their sport for professional analysis. But whereas Links Lessons offers a session of such instruction for free as a way to help local instructors recruit new clients, MyCricketCoach sells its coaching in the form of online lessons beginning at AUD 55 per session. Clients of the site, which is led by Australian cricket veteran Gary Cosier, begin by uploading a video of themselves playing in a recent practice session; the site serves everyone from beginners to advanced players. Within 48 hours Cosier then delivers coaching in the form of voice-over and written comments and instruction drawn right onto the video the user originally uploaded. Clients can also access the MyCricketCoach video coaching library, and live coaching is available as well for players equipped with a video camera and computer at their practice session.
Next on MyCricketCoach we'd expect to see the addition of community features that let clients connect. Nevertheless, whether it's guitar lessons or coaching in a favourite sport, online instruction brings professional expertise-and the status skills that result-within reach of anyone with an internet connection. Any bets on which sport or hobby will be next...?
Website: www.mycricketcoach.comContact: contact@mycricketcoach.com .
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There are social networks for virtually every profession, hobby and interest, and golf is no exception. Myriad sites already exist to help golfers connect, but a new one that just launched adds professional video analysis and online instruction to serve up free, personalized golfing advice.
Links Lessons, based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, is a free social network that focuses on improving members' game. That may be a common goal among enthusiast sites, but Links Lessons goes beyond forums and general professional tips to give members the online equivalent of free, personalized lessons. Members simply upload a video of their swing to the Videos section of the site. There, it is analysed by a real golf professional, who then gives them feedback and advice on improving it. Amateur golfers can also use Links Lessons to interact with their peers, including commenting on each other's swings and profiles. Professionals, meanwhile, can use the site to gain clients and exposure.
Offering a win-win for both amateurs and pros-not to mention a raft of niche advertising opportunities-Links Lessons was built using Ning, an online service that lets users create, customize and share social networks focused on any topic. How about creating something similar in another part of the world, or for another sport.
Website: www.linkslessons.com
Contact: dennis.card@linkslessons.com
"Divide and conquer" is a strategy that can be just as successful for tackling a task as it is for gaining power: break it down into small parts, and you have a better chance of succeeding. Such was the thinking behind DailyLit's books delivered in bite-sized portions, and a similar notion appears to be at work in Popling, a new online educational tool.
Users hoping to learn something new-whether it's French or trigonometry-begin by signing up for free with Popling and installing its Mac or Windows desktop software on their computer. They then subscribe to specific "poplings," or topics they want to learn. There are more than 150 poplings currently available, including 11 languages and topics in math, business, science and technology, among others. Based on their choices, Popling's desktop software will display pop-up flash cards on their computer throughout the day, timed to the frequency they choose. A language card, for example, might display a new vocabulary word, or quiz the user on one they've already learned. If the user ignores a pop-up it will go away, but if they click on it, they can see the full version and answer the question it contains. Popling is also available in an ad-free subscription for USD 20 per year.
Easy-to-digest tidbits are one of the hallmarks of what our sister site trendwatching.com would call snack culture, catering to consumers who seek gratification in smaller, easier-to-handle bites. Why not education, where the flash card already has a long history? Next, how about rolling out localized versions of Popling, tailored both to language and to culturally relevant topics? Consumers the world over are hungry for knowledge-give it to them the way they want it, and you could end up with some tasty rewards yourself! ;-)
Website: www.popling.netContact: www.popling.net/about/contact.php
Transparency tyranny has already been striking terror into the hearts of companies far and wide, as both customers and employees have begun sharing their experiences and impressions of them for all the world to see. No real surprise, then, that universities are next in line. RateMyProfessors.com has already made faculty popularity public, and now a few new sites offer a way for students to share an insider's perspective on campus life in general.
Unigo, which launched last month, is a site that offers tens of thousands of original reviews, videos, photos, documents and more about 225 of America's top colleges. Representing the efforts of 18 full-time editors, 300 on-campus interns and more than 15,000 students, the results are all searchable within an interactive community built around student-generated content. Using the free site, high school students can communicate with one another and with current college students to find the college that's right for them. An "intelligent calendar" guides them through the search/application process, while multidimensional filtering capabilities let them search through reviews by each reviewer's gender, ethnicity, major, political leaning, hometown and more. The New York-based site plans to expand soon to cover nearly every college in America.
San Francisco-based Yollege, meanwhile, also aims to empower college students to share their thoughts and opinions on every aspect of campus life, from dorms to campus hotspots to local culture. High-school students can use the site for help in finding the right school for them, while college students can use it not only to share reviews about their school but also to meet fellow students. As of late September, there were more than 4,000 reviews on the site, Real Simple reported. Launched in April, ad-supported Yollege was recently named one of the top five Best of the Web 2008 newcomers by BusinessWeek.
Finally, Pittsburgh-based College Prowler offers both print books and an online guide to more than 250 American schools. Each guide is written by a current student at the college, with the addition of quotes and comments from others in the student population. College Prowler launched online last year; a subscription for full access costs USD 39.95 per year.
Traditionally, college review guides have tried to provide
information in an objective way, but of course what many consumers
really want is subjective information from their twinsumers--those with tastes similar to their
own. Add that subjectivity to immediacy, interactivity and free (or
low-cost) access, and you just may have a winner.
Websites: www.unigo.com
-- www.yollege.com
--
www.collegeprowler.com
Contact:
www.unigo.com/Contact.aspx -- info@yollege.com --
collegeprowler.com/Aboutus/Contactus.aspx
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While most schools now incorporate computers into the curriculum at least to some extent, the fact remains that most learning is still done by the book. Recognizing that today's teens spend more and more of their time online, however, a new video-based network aims to offer extra learning and college preparation in a format that's more natural for digitally savvy high-school students.
Launched late last month, Brightstorm's online learning network is designed to help high-school students deepen their understanding of important subjects and better prepare for college through video-based courses designed and taught by expert teachers from across the country. Available courses cover subjects including math, writing, history, and AP and SAT test prep--with more coming soon, the company says--taught via 5-hour interactive video classes that are broken down into lessons lasting between 10 and 20 minutes each. Brightstorm's teachers--chosen for their classroom teaching success, passion for learning and professional qualifications--aim to develop unique curriculums that capture the most critical concepts in ways teens can relate to. Students, meanwhile, can not only choose the right teacher for their learning style, but can also work at their own pace in a manner suiting their digital preferences, with options to participate in interactive discussion groups and benefit from bonus materials such as interactive quizzes, "challenges" and study guides. Courses are each priced at USD 49 for a 12-month subscription.
Jeff Marshall, cofounder and CEO of San Francisco-based Brightstorm, explains: "We started this company as parents, educators and technologists who saw a need for a learning network that helped teens do better in school by syncing with their interests and online lifestyles. Great learning starts with great teaching, and we're giving teens a hand-picked selection of the best teachers from across the country. Simultaneously, Brightstorm broadens the reach of these teachers beyond their hometown classrooms."
These aren't your father's high-school students anymore, so to speak, so it makes sense that college prep should change too, better reflecting the online oxygen today's teens breathe. One to adapt on a localized basis for different cultures and languages....? (
Website: www.brightstorm.com
Contact:
www.brightstorm.com/aboutus/corporateinquiry
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Inspired by the way Wikipedia changed the encyclopedia with its online format and user-contributed content, a new digital dictionary hopes to change the way the world articulates and understands the meanings of words.
Launched two weeks ago, Wordia is a visual dictionary that encourages members of the public to contribute to a collective pool of video definitions. As with any online dictionary, users can search for the traditional meaning of a word thanks to the involvement of HarperCollins with 76,000 words and 120,000 basic textual definitions. But appended to an increasing number of those traditional definitions are videos--both professionally produced and user-generated--expressing individuals' own, personal meanings for the words in question. Look up "purple," for instance, and two young "orators" tell you that it means "wacky... and kinda deep and mysterious... spiritual... agitated... royal... eggplant?" Search on "nascent," and you'll get a video definition featuring Michael Birch, the Bebo founder who is now supporting Wordia.
The site's founders explain: "We've found that this visualisation works; place a word into context visually and it helps you to recollect its meaning much more easily then a textual definition. The 'author' breathes life into it--and their video acts as an easy-to-remember reference--an aide memoire or mnemonic as it were." Powered by YouTube and supported by the Open University and the National Literacy Trust, the ad-funded site also lets users rate and comment on videos.
It's easy to imagine etymologists objecting to a site like Wordia. After all, even Wikipedia relies on citations, references and volunteer editors to maintain at least some level of credibility and authoritativeness; relying on everyday users to define language in a purely subjective way risks severing the connection with the words' true, objective meanings. On the other hand, there's certainly a distinct entertainment value to searching through Wordia's video definitions, which may even be able to reflect nuances and modern interpretations of words in ways traditional definitions can't. Wordia is currently available only in English; one to partner with for other languages?
Website: www.wordia.com
Contact: production@wordia.com
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Faber & Faber, which describes itself as one of the last of the great independent publishing houses in London, recently launched an academy for aspiring writers. The Faber Academy's inaugural creative writing course will take place from October 9-12 at Shakespeare & Company, the fabled English bookstore in Paris. Novelist Tobias Hill will be teaching a four-day course that focuses on "How to Tell a Story Without Telling Your Readers What to Think," with Jeanette Winterson joining in for a two-part seminar on authenticity and voice in fiction. The course costs GBP 500 excluding travel and accommodation (but including lunch) and tickets were sold out within days of going on sale. A second course--also taught by Tobias Hill--will be held in London from October 30-November 2, and the publisher plans to organize future sessions in Dublin, Edinburgh and Berlin.
Viewed through a consumer trends lens, the Faber Academy is a clear example of what trendwatching.com dubbed status skills: "In economies that increasingly depend on (and thus value) creative thinking and acting, well-known status symbols tied to owning and consuming goods and services will find worthy competition from status skills: those skills that consumers are mastering to make the most of those same goods and services, bringing them status by being good at something, and the story telling that comes with it." Other successful examples include the Nikon School and the BMW Performance Driving School.
By helping aspiring novelists hone their writing skills under
the tuition of its well-known authors, Faber & Faber builds a
stronger connection with its core customers (participants are
likely to be readers and good customers), and promotes powerful
word of mouth marketing, since participants will no doubt be eager
to share their Faber Academy experience with friends and family.
All of which is great PR for Faber & Faber, and emphasizes
their dedication to writing and writers, as opposed to
mega-publishers who often seem solely focused on the bottom line.
Last but not least, the courses could provide a welcome additional
stream of revenue. If your brand isn't already boosting its
customers' talents and abilities, this is one to learn from
;-)
Website:
www.faber.co.uk/article/2008/7/tobias-hill-paris-course
Contact: patrickk@faber.co.uk
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Textbooks have long made up an all-too-significant proportion of college students' annual costs, currently approaching an average of USD 1,000 per year in the US, according to Make Textbooks Affordable. General outcry has ensued, but a new experiment from publisher Flat World Knowledge just may provide a new--and ad-free--solution.
Beginning this month and continuing through the Fall 2008 semester, Flat World Knowledge is conducting a beta test in which it is offering four different textbooks online for free to hundreds of students at 15 colleges and universities across the United States. The texts are from the areas of business and economics, and will replace traditional textbooks in a single class or class section at each participating institution. Not only will students have free online access to the expert-written, peer-reviewed and professionally edited texts, but the texts will be open as well through a Creative Commons licensing scheme, giving faculty the ability to customize them as they wish for their classes.
Unlike other free text ventures out there--such as US-based Freeload Press and Danish Ventus Publishing, both of which have been covered by our sister site trendwatching.com--Flat World's business model doesn't depend on advertising. Instead, it offers affordable supplementary materials to students beyond the free online book, including printed, on demand textbooks for around USD 30; audio books for around USD 25; and downloadable and printable files by the chapter. Also available are low-priced study aids like podcast study guides, digital flash cards, interactive practice quizzes and more.
Eric Frank, Flat World's cofounder and chief marketing officer, explains: "The time has come for open textbooks. This new model of textbook publishing will result in increased choices and dramatically lower costs for students. It can enhance learning by giving instructors more control over content, and by leveraging the power of social learning networks around content. Between the oligopolistic practices of the big publishers on one end of the spectrum--and piracy on the other--lies a better solution: open textbooks." Flat World plans to collect feedback over the course of this semester-long test, and then commercially launch its concept worldwide in time for the Spring 2009 school period. The launch will feature an expanded product roster of eight textbooks, all focused initially on business and economics subjects. A total of 15 textbooks are currently under contract and in Flat World's pipeline.
Free and open software is already gaining ground in the world of technology, and now we have the possibility of a similar pattern in textbook publishing. There's no doubt cash-strapped college students love free love, as has already been shown with photocopies, notepaper and notebooks. Will this one take hold? You can bet there are countless students hoping so. One to watch! (
Website:
www.flatworldknowledge.com
Contact: eric@flatworldknowledge.com
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There are plenty of schools out there with green practices among their goals, but a new school opening this fall in Bali will be entrepreneurially green from top to bottom.
The Green School, which will offer preschool through year eight, aims to provide a place where students can become more curious and more passionate about their education and the planet. The school's eight-hectare campus in Sibang Kaja is divided by the Ayung River, on whose western bank are the school's classrooms, libraries, laboratories and kitchens. Aquaculture ponds, organic vegetable gardens, edible mazes and permacultural gardens are interspersed throughout the vast campus, which is built entirely of low-impact and environmentally conscious materials such as bamboo, alang-alang grass and traditional Balinese mud walls. For energy supplies, the school is experimenting with micro-hydro power generation as well as producing methane from cow manure to fuel stoves and developing a gasification unit that will use rice husks and other organic materials to produce electricity. A working organic chocolate factory, large sports fields, gymnasium, high ropes course and a network of bicycle paths are also part of the campus.
The Green School's curriculum, meanwhile, combines demanding academic content taught through a holistic approach that aims to inspire and enhance all of a child's capacities. The school's Learning Village, for example, gives students a chance to apply lessons to specific disciplines and real business situations, making abstract ideas come to practical life. Students are involved in everything from manufacturing their own chocolate to helping manage the organic fields, bamboo plantations and rice paddies that are integral to the campus. The Green School is open to children from all over the world, with boarding available starting next year for those in seventh grade and up. Villas are available for international families whose children attend the school. Tuition ranges from roughly USD 4,000 to USD 9,000 per year, depending on grade.
It doesn't get much more eco-iconic than a thoroughly green school, and eco-minded consumers with the means to afford it will surely find the Green School compelling. Of course, the concept seems like one that could also work in other parts of the world. One to watch!
Website: www.greenschool.org
Contact: info@greenschool.org
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Lifelong learners are always in search of new classes to take, but finding them isn't always easy. TeachStreet is a new website dedicated to helping teachers and students connect.
Seattle-based TeachStreet launched into beta a few weeks ago with more than 25,000 Seattle-area teachers, trainers, tutors, instructors, coaches and classes. Students can search for teachers across more than 500 subjects and filter the results according to map-based location, ratings from other students, teacher availability, promotional pricing and more. The free site can be searched by keyword, or visitors can scroll by subject through TeachStreet's extensive directory of classes. Classes and teachers currently available on TeachStreet cover popular subjects like tennis, piano and cooking, as well as less common ones like break dancing, surfing and Texas Hold 'em Poker. For teachers, TeachStreet provides a simple yet powerful way to promote themselves online and manage their learning business. Free online tools for teachers include an online profile builder, search engine optimization, and scheduling and management tools.
"We have heard time and again from adult learners and parents how difficult it is to find relevant and up-to-date information to evaluate teachers," explains TeachStreet founder and CEO Dave Schappell. "At the same time, teachers are craving easy-to-use tools to help market themselves on the Internet, manage their student rosters, and find more prospective students in their neighbourhoods. One of our goals with TeachStreet is to use the latest online technologies to facilitate real-world connections and provide anyone who wants to either learn or teach a new skill with a rich, geographically targeted website that features a city's best teaching resources."
TeachStreet is currently ad-supported, but ultimately it plans to roll out premium, fee-based services for teachers as well. It also aims to expand to other US cities in the coming months. One to partner with in a city near you...?
Website: www.teachstreet.com
Contact:
www.teachstreet.com/contact-us
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Last summer we wrote about FreeHand Advertising and its initiative to give free, ad-supported notepaper to college students, and now ABS Notebooks is going a step further and handing out whole notebooks instead.
The Shadow Notebook is a five-subject notebook that gets cobranded with participating colleges and universities across the US and distributed by the school at the start of each semester. The university's logo appears on the cover, and pages of school-related maps and information get included within. Thirteen four-colour, full-page advertisements, meanwhile, act as subject dividers in each notebook, giving advertisers the means to engage students while they are a captive audience in the learning environment. Students, naturally, carry the notebooks with them throughout the day over the course of the semester, which from the advertiser's perspective amounts to 96 impressions over a four-month period, ABS says. So far, about 700,000 notebooks have been distributed to college students at campuses nationwide.
College students spend some USD 198 billion per year, according to Harris Interactive, so it's no wonder advertisers are going to new lengths to reach them. We've now seen free photocopies, free printing, free notepaper, free phone calls and now free notebooks-it all goes to show, there's no such thing as too much free love!
Website: www.absnotebooks.com
Contact: info@absnotebooks.com
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Our brains resemble our muscles in one key respect: don't exercise them, and they're likely to lose strength. Conversely, many experts now believe that brains stimulated in a healthy manner can better resist debilitating mental conditions such as Alzheimer's. Which begs the question: how to keep brains in top shape?
The solution offered by vibrantBrains, a San Francisco start-up, is to create a workout centre for the brain, patterned after a health club. Instead of exercising muscle groups via a series of circuit-training machines, vibrantBrains members hone their mental skills using a variety of computer software programs and other tools, for a monthly membership fee of USD 60. vibrantBrain's health-club-for-the-mind approach should appeal to the millions of baby boomers who've spent their adult lives regularly visiting gyms. As they approach retirement age, they'll want to maintain their mental agility, too, as attested by sales of Nintendo's Brain Age, which sold 10 million copies, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
No doubt we'll see plenty of additional products and services aimed at enhancing baby boomers' brain power, joining a long list of companies already selling everything from vitamins to training seminars. Still, vibrantBrain's model is unique. And from a business standpoint, it has a couple of profit-enhancing advantages over the traditional gyms that it's based on. Space requirements are minimal compared to health clubs, and entrepreneurs won't have to lease or buy an expensive array of exercise machines.
If the mental health club idea catches on, the real competition eventually may come from traditional health clubs, which could add brain-exercise routines as easily as they've added yoga and martial arts instruction. However, even if that happens, there should be plenty of opportunities for start-ups to differentiate themselves-from rehabilitative clinics for the elderly to centers focused on mental and physical exercises for kids.
Website:
www.vibrantbrains.com
Contact: info@vibrantbrains.com
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While you may never be too old to learn, when it comes to gadgets, you can never be too young to teach. A Dutch initiative is taking advantage of kids' innate cell phone proficiency by training them as 'phone coaches' and getting them to transfer their skills to older users.
Bellendoejezo-which roughly translates to "this is how you make a call"-organizes cell phone workshops that cover topics such as using predictive text, creating contact groups, enabling Bluetooth and exploring mobile internet. Not all of the students' students are equally advanced, though, so sometimes they'll stick to the basics, like locking a phone's keyboard, sending a text message and using voicemail.
A group of VMBO students (preparatory middle-level vocational
education for students aged 12-16) was trained to work as phone
coaches. The program's goal is to improve their social skills and
self-esteem, and give them access to corporate environments they
might otherwise not be exposed to. Bellendoejezo is aimed at the
corporate market, and charges up to EUR 50 per person for 60-minute
workshops. Clients so far have included law firms, banks and an
energy company.
Seems like a relatively easy to launch (non-profit) project that benefits everyone involved. One to copy to other parts of the world? Students with an entrepreneurial bent, meanwhile-those that have already been charging their parents for computer and phone tutorials-will no doubt spot the business opportunity here and start up their own coaching services ;-)
Website:
www.bellendoejezo.com
Contact: bellendoejezo@live.nl
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Many organizations donate books of various kinds to developing countries, usually through a few collection centres and a small set of volunteers or employees. A new UK-based group, on the other hand, mobilizes teams of volunteer university students nationwide.
READ International (short for Realizing Education, Achieving Development) has established 11 student-led Book Projects throughout the UK to improve access to education across the world and increase youth participation in the global community. Originally launched in 2003 as "The Tanzania Book Project" by a group of university students, it had already sent 50,000 books and materials to Tanzania secondary schools by 2005. Beginning in 2006, however, the group registered officially as a national charity, won the support of five universities, and now works through a community of student-run READ Book Projects to collect disused, high-quality Key Stage 3 and GCSE textbooks from UK secondary schools.
Student volunteers also give presentations to promote student volunteering, young social enterprise, recycling and global citizenship, and are responsible for fund-raising towards READ Book Project costs through such means as cake sales, sponsored events and local corporate support. Ultimately, the student teams travel to Tanzania to distribute the books. The result: READ Book Projects have donated 148,000 textbooks to 140 Tanzanian secondary schools and five regional libraries. By the end of the 2007-8 academic year, READ aims to deliver 247,500 textbooks to Tanzania through its 11 university projects, which it plans to increase to 20 in the next year and to 27 by 2009-10, for a total of 1.3 million books kept out of UK landfills and put to good use instead.
The group's founders explain: "We have identified our core strength-our relationship with British students. The opportunity to run, rather than work for, a national organization is our success. We see them as leaders, not volunteers. Over the next three years, we will position READ International to capitalize on this unique offering." READ International was named the Best New Charity in the 2007 UK Charity Times Awards, and is planning sister projects in Ecuador, Ghana and Zambia. For anyone involved in projects for the social good, putting student energy and philanthropy to work makes great sense for everyone involved. A model to emulate!
Website:
www.readinternational.org.uk
Contact: info@readinternational.org.uk
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BookRenter.com
is yet another example of a web start-up leaping into a nightmarish
logistics problem to make life easier for its customers. The US
venture has amassed a multi-million-volume library of new or
near-new textbooks, which it rents out to students at college
campuses throughout the country. Rental periods range from one to
four months, and the savings for students can reach 75 percent of a
book's retail price. Adopting the increasingly popular 'Netflix
model', BookRenter offers students convenient delivery options and
lets them return books by UPS at no charge. Rental terms can be
extended as needed, and students can also decide to buy a book if
they'd like to keep it.
Of course, BookRenter must compete with established campus retailers, as well as new ventures that are offering free textbooks sponsored by advertisers (see trendwatching.com's free love briefing for more on that). Even so, BookRenter appeals to consumers who are happy to rent instead of own, choosing flexibility and savings over ownership. As the company grows, it could also easily add downloadable or online texts to its offerings, and could incorporate web 2.0 features to keep students engaged throughout the academic year. Students might be encouraged to upload their notes about particular titles, for instance, and include comments about their classes. We've featured new-style rental services for everything from baby clothes to sports cars. Opportunity? Spot the industry or product that other entrepreneurs have overlooked!
Website: www.bookrenter.com
Contact:
www.bookrenter.com/contact_us
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Peer-to-peer lending is no longer a new concept, with marketplaces like Zopa, Prosper and others already out there, vying for consumers' attention. But while most such sites facilitate general-purpose lending, Fynanz appears to be the first to take a niche approach with a service dedicated to funding student loans.
New York-based Fynanz, which is gearing up to launch in select states within the next quarter, offers students an "open loan" process for financing their education. To apply for a loan, students fill out an application and create a personal profile, including the amount and interest rate desired. Tapping into 15 years' worth of student loan data, Fynanz uses that information to give each student a grade and place them in one of six groups reflecting both their credit score and their academic characteristics, among other things. Individual lenders including friends, family and alumni of the institution the student attends are then given priority as they bid alongside lender networks to fund the loan. The more participants bid on the loan, the lower the winning rate is likely to be, Fynanz says. Servicing fees will be "no more than" what other marketplaces charge, company CEO Chirag Chaman says, but there will be no application fees or hidden costs for borrowers. For lenders, meanwhile, the benefits are attractive returns and the knowledge that they are performing a social good.
Fynanz's platform is built using the same characteristics that traditional lenders use, preserving the legality and distinct tax status of the education loan, Chaman explains. There is also likely to be increasing demand for student loans, he predicts: "I came from the student loan world, and there are some big problems there. Those cracks have turned into huge gaps over the last year, and personally, I think the worst is yet to come. People used to dip into home equity, but that's not there anymore."
The P2P lending market, meanwhile, could grow to between USD 5
billion and USD 10 billion in annual volume within 10 years in the
US alone, according to data released this week by
Online Banking Report. Is there room for niche players? Time
will tell. Keep an eye on this one!
Website: www.fynanz.com
Contact: customer.care@fynanz.com
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Since the dawn of the personal computer age, millions of us have attended training classes to learn how to build better spreadsheets and killer PowerPoint presentations. Now, as cell phones and other mobile gadgets become increasingly complex and loaded with features, entrepreneurs are finding similar opportunities in the mobile field. New Zealand's Mobile Mentor provides hourlong one-on-one sessions as well as group training on how to use the rising number of features bundled with mobile devices. Plus, it conducts courses for phone-industry sales personnel on how to explain a mobile gadget's advantages to customers.
While some consumers are naturally adept at dealing with a device's interface, menus and options, others greatly benefit from a bit of outside help. One of Mobile Mentor's first customers explains: "All it would take is for someone to sit down with me for 1 hour. I've tried myself, got instructions from Vodafone, but it's too hard." Case studies on Mobile Mentor's website illustrate how mastering a phone's features can reap impressive productivity gains. In one example, a real estate agent learned how to use her phone to record appointments. In another, a doctor learned how to better use email and other mobile device features while protecting patient privacy.
Mobile Mentor claims to have trained over 20,000 people, but the potential market is many times larger. Entire organizations are going wireless, communicating and accessing the internet via smartphones instead of laptops and landlines. To get the most from their investment, those organizations will insist their employees know how to use the full range of a device's features.
The need for training will continue to increase as phones inevitably incorporate more features. That's because unlike computers, a mobile device's keyboard and screen are limited to what will comfortably fit in its owner's purse or pocket. And while many mobile devices are likely to mimic the Apple iPhone's friendlier user interface, a mobile device-owing to its size-will never be as easy to operate as a laptop with a full-size screen and keyboard.
Mobile Mentor isn't the only outfit offering training, of course. US-based CompuTrain provides web-based and instructor-led courses for BlackBerry users. Also, the innumerable stores and mall kiosks that hawk mobile devices give buyers quick lessons. Given the fierce competition in mobile device retailing, customers may soon demand formal training as a prerequisite to buying. (Related, at trendwatching.com: Status skills-a value shift in status from from passive consumerism to mastering skills.)
Website:
www.mobile-mentor.com
Contact: info@mobile-mentor.com
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University students in the UK rack up an average of more than GBP 12,000 in student debt by the time they graduate, leaving them with a significant financial burden to cope with as they begin their professional careers. Do Good 4 Debt was recently founded by one such graduate with a two-pronged purpose: to help relieve some of that debt, and to give companies more control over their charitable contributions.
The premise is simple: debt-burdened students are matched with companies interested in sponsoring them to do charity work. They then choose from among a few different participating charities to work for over a period of up to 6 months following graduation. At the completion of each set milestone during the assignment, the student's corporate sponsor pays off a chunk of the outstanding debt.
The site was founded by recent graduate Ian Wallace, who finish
