TeacherGraph

The Think Tank was an engaging three hour discussion with Suzi Sosa as a fantastic moderator and a panel of passionate influencers in the education community. The conversation was productive with a discussion that ranged in topics from having student voices to the problems of standardized assessments. Each member of the panel had a mutual understanding of what needed to be done. In fact, many of them had similar philosophies to improving the education system. If there was any discrepancy, it came from finding ways to implement these changes given the number of complexities plaguing the schools.

Highlights Suzi mentioned that there’s tension between innovation and compliance. She goes on to state that innovation is by nature unpredictable; sometimes there will be failure. Following the statement, the question was prompted: how do schools account for the cost of failure (which can be significantly high in education) and the potential for improvements?

Several of members of panel agreed that there’s one solution: building relationships that develop trust in the teachers and administrators to make the right decisions. According to the panel, we need courageous teachers and school administrators to take risks in the form of innovation. The solutions to problems in education are already being implemented in different areas of the nation.

Takeaway If there’s one thing to take away from this Think Tank, it’s that these inspiring conversations need to happen more often at the school, district, and state level. By engaging and listening to the voice of change, schools, districts, and communities can learn how to reproduce and scale what’s working for other schools implementing innovation in education.

Austin Ed-Tech Meetup

Topics of discussion STEM Education, Video Language Tutoring, “Porn” in Education

Highlights Although still in its infancy, there was already a unique vibe developing. Set at the Capital Factory, the size of the group was not discouragingly small or overwhelmingly large. The environment was intimate enough to have valuable, collaborative conversations.

Takeaway As a hub for educators, entrepreneurs, ed-tech evangelists, and tech-savvy folks, the meetup was an awesome opportunity to meet local, dedicated individuals in a similar space. Needless to say, we’re proud to see Austin, TX growing its own ed-tech community. We’re excited to see how this meetup develops over next few months.

Innovation in Education thru Conversation These two events serve as great examples that good conversations spark powerful thoughts and ideas that can lead to inspiration, focus, and innovation. The idea for our app stemmed from conversations just like these with passionate parents and educators. However, if not for these types of discussions, we would be missing out on the unique voices and perspectives that have helped shape our product and vision. For TeacherGraph, we understand the power of parent – teacher communication. By opening up the line for valuable conversations, there’s an opportunity for the exchange of ideas, feedback, and call-to-actions to help students achieve success.

5 Startup Lessons 8 yr-old Me Could Teach me Today:

Join a School Club Discovering others with shared interests in school was a great networking experience, and forming new professional spheres means doing the same thing. Branching out and looking for new social groups with similar interests & goals is a great way to meet like-minded folks in your area. There are some great opportunities to Meetup and collaborate locally. You never know – your next co-founder could be your high school classmate.

Get an After-school Tutor Between teachers, mentors, coaches, and parents, you had a large team of supporters in school from the very beginning. These important pillars in your life are filled with great advice, knowledge, and wisdom. It may become less comfortable to ask for assistance as we grow older (we’ll discuss ego a little later), but their experiences can be extremely helpful as challenges appear down the road. It’s okay to seek guidance from this circle of supporters, they want to see you succeed.

Collaboration is Okay, Cheating is Not There’s a grey area between cheating and collaboration in school, but luckily, real life is nothing like school. Collaboration is a great way to strategically take advantage of your strengths and finding others who are good at what you’re not. This enables you to save time and energy to focus on what you do best. I’m not really advising anyone to overspecialize, but to recognize your role on the team. Communities built around sharing open source code and answering life questions are great examples of collaboration that helps push our ideas and innovation further.

Question Authority Much to my high expectation Asian father‘s chagrin, I needed to know the reasoning behind every rule in place around the house. Teachers and other figures of authority had difficulties managing my curiosity as well. Startups are notorious for moving fast and being a roller coaster riddled with change & unpredictability. It’s important to understand the spirit behind the work we’re doing. Comprehension of the commander’s intent allows us to adjust on the fly, but still stay focused on the overall mission.