edtech

Bloomz raises $2.3M for a social network that helps educators communicate with parents

by Taylor Soper on May 24, 2016May 24, 2016 at 12:57 am 4 Comments

From social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn to more-focused apps like Remind and SignupGenius, educators have access to a bevy of applications that can help improve communication with parents. But Bloomz thinks… Read More

How personalized learning can reshape education: Insights from a special Gates Foundation panel

by Daniel Rasmus on October 17, 2015October 17, 2015 at 9:05 amComment

Buy the textbook. Attend lectures. Take tests. Get graded on a curve. This is the way most people remember their college or university learning experience. Learners, however, are a diverse group,… Read More

Education technology: Your cheat sheet to 10 fads, trends, and WTFs

by Frank Catalano on May 21, 2015May 22, 2015 at 8:27 am 4 Comments

It’s been a most-frenzied spring of conferences in the new hotbed of startup and investor tech opportunity, education technology. And “frenzied” isn’t too strong of a description. At one point… Read More

Amazon launches Whispercast 3.0 tool, emphasizes free services for schools

by Frank Catalano on April 28, 2015April 28, 2015 at 7:54 am1 Comment

Amazon is intensifying its efforts to go after education market customers by releasing a significant upgrade to its Whispercast tool — plus tossing in a free service to ease the transition… Read More

LearnBig pivots to professional development, raises $2.2M

by Blair Hanley Frank on March 31, 2015March 31, 2015 at 9:28 am1 Comment

Since its launch in 2013, e-learning startup LearnBig has undergone some significant changes. The Seattle-based startup, helmed by former Egghead Software CEO Victor Alhadeff, began as a hub for e-learning… Read More

Startup Spotlight: CaseBooker helps law students with textbook exchange marketplace

by Monica Nickelsburg on March 19, 2015March 19, 2015 at 4:26 pmComment

While studying at Seattle University School of Law, Miguel Willis noticed inefficiencies in the way students bought and sold casebooks. He had an idea for a mobile-hosted marketplace and decided… Read More

Edtech platform startup Enlearn reveals first deal with education publisher

by Frank Catalano on March 6, 2015March 6, 2015 at 8:17 amComment

Enlearn, a Seattle nonprofit developing a platform for adapting and personalizing digital educational materials, has revealed its first commercial partner. Enlearn’s education technology platform will provide the basis for a new product for… Read More

Seattle nonprofit Enlearn tackles thorny task: Personalize school with technology

by Frank Catalano on March 5, 2015March 5, 2015 at 12:39 pmComment

One of the knottiest problems in applying technology to education is the holy grail of “personalization:” How to adjust and adapt instructional materials automatically, so that every child is both… Read More

Happly raises $1.5M for kid-friendly Internet video, game and toy platform

by Frank Catalano on March 2, 2015March 2, 2015 at 10:44 amComment

Family-friendly media and technology startup Happly has raised $1.45 million, according to a new filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Happly (formerly known as Daily Interactive Networks) is a Seattle-based… Read More

Can you count to $2 billion? Education technology investment hits new record

by Frank Catalano on January 25, 2015January 24, 2015 at 9:09 pm1 Comment

Education technology is a weird little industry. But you may never fully appreciate exactly how weird until you start to dig into the numbers for 2014 — a record year for investment… Read More

DreamBox Learning CEO: How tech will shape the future of schools

by Mónica Guzmán on October 21, 2014October 21, 2014 at 12:58 pmComment

Jessie Woolley-Wilson has big ideas about education technology. I sat down with the CEO of DreamBox Learning — an adaptive math learning system used by students in all 50 states and… Read More

Startup Spotlight: Zombie-Based Learning uses zombie comics to help students learn more effectively

by Taylor Soper on June 12, 2014February 3, 2015 at 7:18 pmComment

As a middle and high school student, David Hunter wasn’t fond of the “stand and deliver” method of teaching. After dropping out, coming back to college to earn a Masters… Read More

Analysis: The exploding demand for computer science education, and why America needs to keep up

by Taylor Soper on June 6, 2014February 21, 2015 at 8:25 am 35 Comments

The chart above tells quite a story. That blue line — the one that looks like a hockey stick — shows how interest in computer science from freshmen at the University of Washington in Seattle… Read More

Coding exposure: 900 students develop their first programs at App Day

by Taylor Soper on May 25, 2014May 25, 2014 at 7:55 pm 3 Comments

Inside the gymnasium on Friday at Rainier Beach High School was a scene best described as organized chaos. While DJ Midnight Mike blasted out today’s hottest tunes, a big group had formed a… Read More

Startup Spotlight: CollegeMapper helps high school students get into college

by Taylor Soper on May 22, 2014February 3, 2015 at 7:23 pm1 Comment

Growing up with a family that had no college graduates and inside a house that was without plumbing for 12 years, it was somewhat of a miracle that Susanna Cerasuolo made it to… Read More

An open letter to wannabe edtech entrepreneurs: Welcome to the crowd

by Frank Catalano on April 27, 2014September 25, 2014 at 11:57 am 3 Comments

Hey, thanks for your tweet asking if you should do an edtech startup based on what I saw at this year’s ASU+GSV Education Innovation Summit in Scottsdale, Ariz., the so-called… Read More

Amazon: Education’s passive lurker gets aggressive

by Frank Catalano on March 31, 2014September 25, 2014 at 11:58 am 4 Comments

If you want to see the future of Amazon in education, don’t look to Seattle. Look to Sao Paulo. For months, I’ve wondered what Amazon’s strategy for the Kindle in… Read More

Alma wants to help ease administrative burden for educators with cloud-based platform

by Taylor Soper on February 3, 2014September 6, 2014 at 7:33 am1 Comment

While some K-12 schools may use a modern tech solution that performs one task really well — like information management systems or grade-book apps, for example — not many have a… Read More

In one month, 500K students sign up for Code.org’s computer science 101 course

by Taylor Soper on January 15, 2014January 15, 2014 at 12:25 pm 2 Comments

Code.org is on a mission to get more kids learning about computer science, and so far, the Seattle-based non-profit seems to be making legitimate progress. Hadi Partovi, a longtime Seattle entrepreneur… Read More

The Amazon.com for online training courses: OpenSesame raises $8.1M

by Taylor Soper on January 13, 2014January 13, 2014 at 10:39 amComment

OpenSesame, which hosts the world’s largest hub of online training courses, has raised $8 million in a Series A round led by Partech Ventures. The Portland-based startup aggregates more than… Read More

Ex-Amazonians raise $1.1M for online instruction platform Everpath

by Taylor Soper on November 19, 2013December 15, 2013 at 11:31 pm 10 Comments

It’s been less than a month since the folks at Everpath graduated from Techstars Seattle, but things are already rolling for the young startup. Everpath, which offers a one-stop platform for online… Read More

Surface giveaway: Microsoft seeding schools with 10,000 free tablets for teachers

by Taylor Soper on June 13, 2013June 13, 2013 at 12:58 pm 11 Comments

Whenever you go to a big conference, the freebies are always a nice little add-on. Sometimes it’s a sweet keychain or tote bag, or maybe you take home something more… Read More