Creating Effective (and Successful) Educational Apps!

Posted on February 11, 2013 by karen mahon

I often get my inspiration for blog posts by reading the blog posts of others…and today isEducational-Apps-for-Students no exception. Yesterday, on the Edudemic blog, Jeff Dunn wrote a post called A Roadmap for Successful Educational App Development. His list is pretty general, and frankly, it’s a list that is, in my opinion, just focused on good practices for developing any app. There’s nothing on the list that is targeted at educational apps in particular. Which is fine, as a general list was his intention, but also frustrating, for me, because there’s a whole lot more to making a successful educational app than what’s on that list.

So my goal in this post is to give some very specific things that developers need to do in order to really target the educational part of educational apps.  I’ve talked about this in other posts, I know, but my goal today is to round out the list that Jeff Dunn started… Continue reading →

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#LearnLaunch13 – Top 10 Takeaways for Edupreneurs

Posted on February 6, 2013 by karen mahon

learnlaunch_logo_topLast weekend I had the opportunity to attend the first LearnLaunch conference at the MIT Tang Center.  The purpose of LearnLaunch is to provide support for the creation and growth of edtech startups in New England.  It was a really wonderful conference…for me it was the most like-minded group of professionals that I’ve been with in a long time.

For those who couldn’t attend or were unaware of the conference, I wanted to share my big takeaways from the meetings. You’ll have to imagine my David Letterman voice. Continue reading →

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Competency Education…I Think I’m in Love

Posted on January 30, 2013 by karen mahon

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Junky Educational Apps and the People Who Make Them.

Posted on January 29, 2013 by karen mahon

integrity, doing what is right even when it is difficult

This image originally appeared on the Mary Shadd Public School website.

The other day I had another reminder of just how naive I really am.  You’d think by now I would be a bit wilier.  But no.

So here’s the story. You all know that I review a LOT of educational apps. And you also know, from your own experience, that there’s a super ton of junky apps out there. And I’ve been looking at these apps thinking, “Wow, I could really help a lot of these developers to improve these apps!”  Because the majority of those apps could be much better just by making some pretty simple changes.

Yeah, so I was thinking that the majority of the educational apps that are out there are crap because the people who develop them don’t know any better. Continue reading →

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Crowdfunding and Education Technology…is it for YOU?

Posted on January 25, 2013 by karen mahon

crowd fundingOn Wednesday night I attended an event put on by the Mass Innovation Night folks called “Crowdfunding Innovation.” There were a bunch of entrepreneurs there who are using crowdfunding to raise money…with varying degrees of success.

Many of us have received a crowdfunding appeal.  I’ve been considering it myself for my new business.  I don’t know a lot about it yet, but I do understand that the different platforms have very different rules, not only for what kinds of products and projects can be crowdfunded, but how the whole money part works as well.  But you can pretty much find a platform to match your needs, regardless of what you want to crowdfund.  You can even send yourself on a trip or pay for your college tuition by crowdfunding. Continue reading →

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Parent Survey on Kids and App Use

Posted on January 21, 2013 by karen mahon

Friends, if you haven’t had a chance to complete the Balefire Labs Parent Survey about your kids using apps, there’s still time!  Thank you so much for helping us!

 

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I am an Edupreneur.

Posted on January 20, 2013 by karen mahon

balefire labsLast week my friend Frank Catalano wrote a wonderful piece for the MindShift blog.  He talked about the fact that there is a plethora of new companies looking to apply technology to the education market, but that there is still a gap between those entrepreneurs and their educator customers.  Essentially, the entrepreneurs still need to understand what educators really need.

This resonated with me, because I am one of those “edupreneurs.”  I’m in the first year of building my new business, Balefire Labs, an online curation service to help parents and teachers find the most effective educational apps for their kids.  We haven’t launched yet, so bridging this gap is huge for us NOW, before we launch.  In response to the questions that Frank raised, I wanted to share some of what we’ve learned along the way. Continue reading →

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Posted on January 15, 2013 by karen mahon

I’m in the throes of working on my new startup, Balefire Labs, and came across this great post. I think I’m going to print it out. I’ve been losing myself in working on my business and really need to remember these other important areas!! Are you in the same boat?

David Witt's avatarBlanchard LeaderChat

you, body, mind, soul, and spirit“When people don’t take time out, they stop being productive.” ~ Carisa Bianchi

I started experiencing back pain around the time I turned 50. When I went to the doctor she told me, “John, you are at that age where every morning you will wake up with pain somewhere.” Wow! Talk about a wake-up call. Luckily, she didn’t leave it at that. She also gave me some specific stretching and strengthening exercises to help with the pain—and when I take the time to do them, they do help.

The reality is that without care and attention, things break down – our bodies, our minds, and our relationships. As we start this new year, I suggest that we each increase our capacity by taking time to regularly renew ourselves in each of the four dimensions of life – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

  • Increasing or maintaining your physical capacity

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Social Skills Training with a Cool Gadget!

Posted on January 10, 2013 by karen mahon

amico braceletLast night I attended a Mass Innovation Night event for the first time.  Mass Innovation Nights, for those who haven’t heard of them, are monthly meetings that showcase new, innovative products, mostly from entrepreneurs in the Boston area.  Not only do you get the chance to see some cool new products, but it’s also a great networking opportunity.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the evening….as an entrepreneur myself, I was curious to see what the event had to offer.  And as always, I was hoping to learn something new and see if there were any products that would be relevant to the education market. Continue reading →

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Video Killed the Radio Star…or Did It?

Posted on January 8, 2013 by karen mahon

transistor radio

This image originally appeared at http://changeleadersnetwork.com/radio-silence

Well, maybe not quite yet, because yesterday I had the amazing opportunity to appear on the Friends of Kevin Radio Show!  Although I’ve done numerous webinars, video interviews and even internet radio in the past, I’ve never done true radio…where people can dial in on their transistor radio!!  (Does anyone use those anymore?)

Anyway, Kevin Willett, the host of the show, interviewed me about my new business, Balefire Labs, and I had the chance to tell him all about how we plan on shaking up the educational app industry!  Thanks, Kevin, I had a blast! Continue reading →

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