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Matthew Lynch published in EdTech Startups & Businesses, Education Leadership, Higher Education EdTech January 29, 2018

What District Leaders Want from Companies at Conferences

If you are surrounded by your company banner, brochures, products and boxes full of swag, you are probably packing up for an education conference. Armed with the best of what you have to offer, your goal is to sell to district leaders – the administrators who make the decisions for their districts.

What do district leaders want from companies at conferences? Let’s start with these four tips.

Be ready with specific answers

Knowing your product price and hidden costs give district leaders what they want from companies at conferences. While it’s critical that you send company representatives with educational experience to a conference, you also need someone who can accurately quote prices.

Offer extended opportunities for networking

District leaders find themselves working long days, often 10 or 12 hours in length, sometimes longer. Many times administrators make decisions in isolation while hoping that they have enough information to choose well.

Address the pain points felt by district leaders by offering creative ways to network, even if your company isn’t large enough to host the heavy appetizers or dessert bar being held later at the conference.

You can do this by connecting district leaders with each other. Introduce district leaders to other leaders already using your product; they’ll do the rest.

Solve problems

Many of the administrators in district leadership have seen education trends come and go – and sometimes come back. They are attending the conference to find solutions for overcoming obstacles.

Administrators have reported feeling as though companies at conferences talk at them rather than listen to their challenges. First listen carefully and then show how your product solves problems and is innovative enough to stay the course. District leaders making an investment in your company’s product will be held accountable by their communities back home.

The other thing you can do is live up to expectations. Make sure your product can do all you say it can do.

Let them play

District leaders love to play just as much as the students they serve. Offer opportunities to engage with your edtech. The administrators will walk away with a better understanding of what your product does and how users respond to it. They’ll remember interacting with your product far longer than they will remember listening to a spiel.

By giving district leaders what they want from companies at conferences, you’ll stand out above everyone else.

Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education December 22, 2017

How Colleges Can Use Data Analytics to Improve Student Retention and Graduation Rates

Unlike K-12 schools, colleges and universities have not traditionally placed a huge focus on student retention and graduation. Students who couldn’t make it in college dropped out and colleges could easily fill their spot. But today’s higher education landscape is changing. There is more pressure on colleges and universities to keep students in school and ensure they graduate.

This has left colleges scrambling to find new ways they can better serve students. One method many schools are trying? Using data analytics to improve retention and graduation rates.

Data analytics can be used in a variety of ways. First, they can help colleges find patterns among students who are failing courses. Colleges can figure out whether there’s a particular subset of students that are more likely to fail. First generation college students, minorities, or female students may all be more likely to struggle in college. By determining if these groups are falling behind, colleges can figure out their next steps to help these students.

Colleges can also use data analytics to find the courses that are most challenging for students. It may be a particular department, professor, or type of course that is causing a disproportionate number of students to fail and ultimately drop out.

Keeping data on individual students can also help target struggling students. Data analytics can reveal exactly what students struggle with. This can be accomplished by tagging assignment types or course types and measuring where a student performs the worst.

Sharing this data with students and professors can also be a powerful tool for improving outcomes. Once it’s clear what a student, or a group of students, is struggling with, interventions can be used. Professors who find that many students fail a particular course may offer more tutoring or additional resources. Students who learn that they struggle with a particular skill, such as writing, can seek out help with that specific skill.

Now that more colleges and universities are working harder to retain students and increase graduation rates, it’s time to start looking for the best ways to do this. Data analytics will bring colleges into the 21^st century and allow them to better target and serve students who are at risk of failing or even dropping out of school altogether.

How does your institution use data analytics to target students and increase achievement? Do you think data analytics are a necessary tool?

Matthew Lynch published in Digital & Mobile Technology, Education Leadership, Teachers November 30, 2017

5 Ways to Improve Your District’s Digital Leadership

Educators are counting on your digital leadership and your support to help everyone embrace edtech. Here are five ways you can help them embrace digital technology.

1. Recognize Concerns

Change doesn’t come easy for everyone, especially in the digital technology space. Educators stress about their ability to fully implement technology in the classroom and their workspace – even after decades of classroom technology. Nine out of ten teachers will agree that ed tech is here to stay, and yet only 40% of teachers report being prepared to implement it competently and confidently.

Worries about digital footprints, security, and privacy, or something else, can slow the adoption process unless you intervene.

2. Walk the Talk

Get your human resources department to help you set the expectations for digital leadership. Write job descriptions that require the use of current technologies.

Next, provide professional development to make sure that employees have the digital skills you need, and then evaluate every employee on how well they have met the digital expectations of their job descriptions.

3. Celebrate the Early Adopters

Teachers and administrators who are fearless in embracing new trends often lead their peers. Identify these influencers right away, celebrate their successes, and place them in a position of digital leadership.

Early adopters of new technologies can lead their peers in the right direction; these leaders often make excellent technology coaches.

4. Allow Time for Transition

Learning new ways to incorporate digital technology in your district takes time. Just as students learn at varying rates, your district employees will learn at different rates as well. Teachers, for example, need opportunities to thoughtfully engage with the technologies used for instruction, communication, and collaboration.

5. Create a Culture Based on Change

Adding digital technology to an already full plate for district employees doesn’t create change; it foments resentment because it comes across as one more thing to do. Instead, encourage a real metamorphosis of your culture. Changing the culture of your organization allows you to change the way everyone thinks and works collaborates. Technology allows educators to create a synergy that doesn’t exist within the isolated classroom.

By setting edtech expectations early on and providing adequate support, your district’s digital leadership can create a new culture of digital use and citizenship.

Matthew Lynch published in Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech, Higher Education, Higher Education EdTech November 14, 2017

8 Apps, Tools, and Resources That Will Improve Your Memory

Some aspects of human memory are still largely misunderstood. However, we do know that aging affects our ability to remember. We also know that concentration and memory are linked.

We know that memory is not just a “thing” that we all have. There are three steps in the process of storing and recalling a memory: the first is registering and encoding the experience or action, the second is storing and retaining what was registered, and the third is retrieving the information.

When we cannot remember something, it could be one of three things has occurred: you might not have encoded the experience effectively, you were distracted when encoding, or you’re just having difficulty retrieving it.

Fortunately, there are exercises, activities, and strategies we can practice to work out our brains to improve the memory process. Particularly, to better remember something, spend more time learning about and doing the actual activity. This will allow neurotransmitters to make connections repeatedly, thus making the specific brain network more engrained in the mind.

There are apps, tools, and other resources for the specific purpose of training the brain and improving the memory. We have put together a list of some of the best of these here.

Lumosity – $11.99+

Based on the science of neuroplasticity, though facing some bad press, Lumosity is one of the most highly recommended apps for working out the brain and is currently used by 85 million people. Since challenges and rewards improve memory, this app is excellent for training the brain and working out one’s memory.

Virginia Tech Online Study Skills Workshops

Virginia Tech outlines the connection between memory and concentration on this page of their website. They also present a few activities to challenge the reader, as well as tips on how to concentrate, study, and recall information better. It’s not an app that you can play daily, but it provides critical advice on improving all the phases of memory and concentration.

Personal Zen – Free

This app is clinically proven to reduce stress and anxiety by playing a game. Through retraining your brain to think more positively, the reduction of anxiety and stress allows you to focus more on the events and experiences around you. Thus, it stands to reason that you can register experiences and encode the information more firmly for retrieval at a later date.

Edgewood College Website

On their website, Edgewood College has a few pages of tips for students on how to better memorize information and improve memory. Some of the tips and activities include organizing and ordering information, the “Funnel Approach,” and organizing through meaning and association. The website is accessible to the public and offers great tips and exercises that can help anyone improve their ability to memorize and remember.

Eidetic – $4.99

Since our ability to recall information, experiences, and actions is connected to how we originally registered the information and to the repetition of the information or action, this app is excellent for helping us remember certain personal items. It provides context and meaning as you can enter your own information you’d like to remember, such as names, numbers, quotes, notes, etc. It reminds you to test yourself and spaces these tests out over time to help you retain the info in your long-term memory.

Memory Improvement Tips Website

It may seem unsuspecting, but this website provides a variety of tips, activities, games, and exercises to help improve your memory. You can choose the subject and type of activity you want to practice from a variety of free options. It’s a comprehensive website that is accessible to all.

Fit Brains Trainer – $4.99+

This award-winning app trains your brain in a variety of ways through a variety of games and challenges. Designed by neuroscientists, Fit Brains Trainer stimulates the mind while providing a fun experience. It claims to be the only training program that trains your cognitive skills including memory, attention, speed, and emotional intelligence.

The Memory Page

This basic blog-style website is more than it might first appear. There are tons of apps that purport to improve brain and memory power. However, there are so many other aspects involved in preventing the decline in memory and cognition. This website provides lots of information and several other resources regarding methods to improve and maintain cognitive abilities, especially memory. From ways to boost brain power to foods and herbs that improve memory, this website is an all-around helpful resource.

Did we miss any?

Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education November 13, 2017

Ready to Study Abroad?: The Top European Universities in 2018

Studying abroad next year and keen to make the most of your experience? Are you choosing to study in Europe? If so, read on. We combed the QS University Rankings for 2018 to find the best universities in Europe to study at next year.

1. University of Cambridge

Cambridge is one of the oldest universities in the world and has produced some of the most essential scientists in history from Sir Isaac Newton to Stephen Hawking.

If you’re looking for a university dedicated to innovation, research, and specialist subjects, Cambridge is your best bet.

2. Imperial College London

Are you a future scientist hoping to gain international experience? Imperial College London is the #4 university in Europe and #8 in the world.

Imperial is different from any other university in the UK because of its commitment to the scientific community and its multidisciplinary approach to teaching and research.

Moreover, Imperial is based in South Kensington, a center of culture in the heart of London. The campus provides international students with an incredible experience with access to the world’s top researchers on campus and some of the most incredible museums, theaters, and galleries on their doorstep.

3. ETH Zurich- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

ETH Zurich embodies the values of Switzerland itself: intellectual freedom, entrepreneurial spirit, global responsibility, and an open mind.

In other words, ETH Zurich is home to the future pioneers of the future scientific community. Not convinced? Nobel laureate Albert Einstein called this university home.

4. Delft University of Technology

Based a stone’s throw from the international center The Hague and an hour from Amsterdam, Delft University of Technology is establishing itself as an important STEM university not only in Europe but across the world.

The university features one of the largest university campuses in the world and includes a new media center, aerodynamics and propulsion lab, and typically Dutch parks and cycle paths for students to enjoy.

5. University of Copenhagen

The University of Copenhagen is known for its research capacity – and it’s one of the best places to study.

The university partners with global research groups and private sector companies for a multi-dimensional experience. It’s also welcoming of international students, who are 10% of the total full-time student population.

Do you have your sights set on any of these top European universities in 2018? Where will you go? Let us know in the comments below.

Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education, Higher Education EdTech October 30, 2017

How Edtech Is Transforming Executive Education

Educational technology has been disrupting traditional instructional practices in executive education, and for good reason.

Learning was once the exclusive domain of schools and universities, especially when it came to delivering executive education in business schools. That meant either taking a sabbatical from your job or choosing a B-school near you. You had to be physically present in the classroom.

Edtech, however, is changing that approach by providing customization and interactive experiences for learners. Educational technology also delivers learning at lowered costs.

Cost

Executive education can be expensive. University tuition, fees, and room and board have risen an average of 11% in the last five years, and prices are continuing to rise. Executive education costs have risen 23%, and an executive MBA can set you – or your employer — back $150,000 or more. As a result, fewer employers are willing to foot the bill for this educational experience, and many hopeful candidates are leery about taking on a bigger burden of debt.

Knowledge

The lower cost of executive education does not mean a lesser standard of learning. In fact, the opposite is true.

Edtech brings influencers and subject matter experts together in a platform that was unimaginable just a couple of decades ago. Executive schedules didn’t always line up with the constraints of a traditional semester, especially when some of the experts were working in a location far away, or when the learners didn’t have time to attend lectures or symposiums. Edtech allows busy executives to access knowledge anytime, anywhere, thanks to distance learning.

The same technology enables professors to reach more students with improved content.

While there’s a lot to be said for convening in person with classmates and colleagues to discuss ideas, edtech is making it possible to extend those conversations with learners around the world.

New Experiences

Smart schools are choosing to take advantage of edtech opportunities for executive education. They are partnering with online companies to create blended opportunities for learning. These opportunities include traditional campus-based classes as well as digital coursework and instructional settings.

In addition, AI and experiential learning are giving students the kind of hand-on experiences they might not otherwise get, and virtual reality is augmenting their experiences.

By lowering costs, expanding on a growing body of knowledge and creating opportunities for new experiences, edtech is transforming executive education.

Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education, Higher Education EdTech October 20, 2017

College Isn’t for Everyone. Here’s Why

The idea that a college bachelor’s degree is the new high school diploma is widespread in today’s society. From a young age, students are told that they need a college degree to obtain any kind of meaningful employment. Although 88% of employed 20-24-year-olds have taken that idea to heart, that doesn’t mean that college is vital, or helpful, for everyone. Let’s look at a few facts:

As of 2015, 9% of traditionally aged college students fail to persist to degree completion annually. The cost of tuition and the difficulties associated with going to school while working at the same time are top reasons why students abandon their studies. If students are struggling financially, it may be best for them to wait until they are confident in their ability to finance a complete education before beginning one.
In a similar vein, college loan default rates are declining (10.7% in FY 2017), but that isn’t reassuring to those who are still unable to pay their debts. Students who default on their college loan repayments suffer a low credit score as a consequence. This low credit score may go on to affect their ability to get loans in the future, inhibiting their abilities to be independent.
Simply put, not all students are suited to the classroom learning that occurs on college campuses. Rather than attend a vocational training program as has occurred in the past, these students are attempting, and, unfortunately, often failing, to pursue traditional 4-year degree programs. Because of the stigma associated with attending vocational training programs, less students are entering into them. Instead, they are attending 4 year college programs and finding that they are unable to complete them. After only having earned a few college credits, they are ineligible for the more lucrative positions that a vocational training program might have prepared them for.

In light of these facts, perhaps it is time to emphasize career paths that are accessible outside of university halls. When a student has the potential to earn more and contribute more meaningfully to a vocational position, it would seem to make more sense to destigmatize the industrial sector. Let’s start looking at all types of degrees and certifications as having the potential for growth and success instead of merely those with a $100,000 price tag.

Matthew Lynch published in Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech, Higher Education, Higher Education EdTech October 9, 2017

10 Keys to Designing the School of the Future

Most people agree that our current schools are severely outdated. Many instructional designs are still organized around the antiquated, inefficient and ineffective factory model.

School design doesn’t have to be that way, and some innovators are already creating visionary schools.

If you want to create the school of the future, you must incorporate these ten keys:

Use tools, not programs. Edtech is a whole lot less about the program and more about the tech tools. Technology can give students access to experiences. Schools of the future, like the C.T. Academy in McKinney, Texas, give kids the access they need to tech tools. Designed as a learning center of the future, the Academy relies on more than edtech access alone. It uses edtech to build experiences.
Take collaboration beyond walls. Students in a school of the future will capitalize on peer learning in new ways. Learning groups will go beyond classroom walls and the school building’s boundaries. Schools will be global learning networks.
Focus on clicks, not bricks. Great schools were never about the building itself. They’ve always been about instruction design. Designers of future schools will optimize connectivity and minimize classroom space.
Allow flexible hours. Students have peak learning times throughout the day. A flexible schedule allows students to be in school when they learn best, not necessarily when it’s best for the adults working with them.
Permit remote learning. Students living in remote areas can have access to premier schools through remote learning capabilities.
Offer self-paced learning. Students customize their education plans, and they move ahead at their own pace, similar to how the Steve Jobs School in Amsterdam facilitates instruction.
Move beyond the status quo. Socioeconomic status or political platforms won’t hold students back.
Create experiences. Authentic learning comes about as a result of hands-on experience. It’s holistic, like the internship projects at Big Picture Learning.
Include more STEM activities. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics instruction is hands-on learning, and STEM lessons engage students by using a variety of instructional modalities.
Be open to change. Our collective knowledge is doubling every two years; that time frame will decrease to 12 months. Learning and unlearning must occur as we drop past practices that no longer serve.

There’s no way to be certain of everything the school of the future will include, but technology will be at the center.