Philly EdTech Meetup - Philly New Technology Meetup Collaboration!

This month we're doing a joint Meetup with the Philly New Technology Meetup! Learning, education, technology, innovation, pizza, beer, and lots of great networking!

6:00 Networking and food
6:30 Guest speaker (Bobbi Kurshan)
7:00 Welcome and sponsors
7:05 Spotlight: Education Design Studio (EDSi)
7:10 Demo (Propagate)
7:20 Demo (Raise)
7:30 Demo (ApprenNet)
7:40 Demo (PledgeCents)
7:50 Community discussion followed by Networking
8:15 Happy Hour at Han Dynasty (first floor)

Sponsored by Duane Morris (http://www.duanemorris.com/attorneys/richardlcohen.html), TriNet (http://www.linkedin.com/pub/gabrielle-bozek-fpc/19/367/15a/en), SourcePad (http://sourcepad.com/), and Plum Analytics (http://www.plumanalytics.com/).

Guest Speaker - Bobbi Kurshan (https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=128047), @bkurshan

Dr. Barbara (Bobbi) Kurshan is a leader in the fields of education technology, entrepreneurship, and investment in education. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Academic Innovation and a Senior Fellow in Education at the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania where she runs the Milken-GSE Business Plan Competition, chairs EDSi (Education Design Studio) and oversees the Master's in Education Entrepreneurship program. Bobbi previously was Co-CEO of Core Learning, an education investment fund, and the Chief Academic Officer of bigchalk.

SpotLight

Education Design Studio (http://www.e-designstudio.com/) (EDSi)

EDSi was launched in September 2013 by the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education to increase the success rate of education startups. EDSi represents a new paradigm for investors, with a model that blends the best elements of an incubator, design studio, seed fund and social impact company.

Demo - Propagate (http://www.mypropagate.com/) - Emily Schu, @propagatevocab

Often students don’t love learning words for vocabulary quizzes and standardized tests. Research shows that memorizing words with workbooks and flashcards isn’t the best way to get them to “stick” in our brains. It takes forever. And, it’s hardly scintillating. Propagate solves this problem with next-generation technology that makes word learning more effective, personal, and fun! Their online platform turns digital texts into customized word learning experiences powered by the brain’s secret word learning weapon: context.

Demo - Raise (https://www.raise.me/) - Preston Silverman, Amanda Schwab, @RaiseLabs

Raise.me is reinventing educational pathways and changing the way students access billions of dollars each year in scholarships and grants for college. Most scholarships and grants today are awarded at the very end of high school - far too late to influence students’ college search and application process. Raise.me empowers students to earn “Micro-Scholarships” all throughout high school for their individual achievements, creating a more transparent and motivational process while enabling the students to see the guaranteed minimum amount of aid they’ll receive from an institution long before they apply.

Demo - ApprenNet (http://apprennet.com/) - Emile Foote, @apprennet

ApprenNet is an education technology company that helps learners build competencies and confidence. Their video platform uses role play, peer review, and mentoring to provide one of the best online education and training experiences out there. AppreNet is used by major corporations, schools of nursing, education, law, business, and more to teach skills that really matter.

Demo - PledgeCents (http://www.pledgecents.com/)- Andyshea Saberioon, @PledgeCents

PledgeCents is Bake Sale 2.0. They are democratizing K-12 educational fundraising through true grassroots crowdfunding by allowing anyone to make an impact on a classroom. Since January 2014, they have signed up over 275 schools in 28 states, over $175,000 has been raised for classrooms, and more than 40,000 students have been impacted.

Community Announcements

Hiring? Looking for a job? Promoting an event? Need to ask for help? Share your 30-second (not sales-oriented) announcement at our community meetup.