IEIC 2016#2: Putting India at the centre of educational innovation:a few ideas for educational entrepreneurship
Listed below are 10 categories of educational businesses, and a long tail of 15 bullets. Considering variations within each category, this is probably 50 opportunities.
1: An educational Apps store:
Need for an Educational Apps store, that inspires ‘trust’
Education apps can be big money makers over the next few years, but to be revenue generating they need to include in-app purchases.
In future can be expanded to an online store for educational products: Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra,
2: NAMASTE Planet !
New Age Mobile Academy for Specially Talented Eclectics
Planet : Pioneers, leaders, ambitious, networked, enthusiastic,technologically fluent
Implementing ‘heutagogy’ suitable for self-directed learners
Features:
A personalised learning environment ” mobile first, wearable next” with wireless Internet and flipped learning to supplement and complement the ‘ritualistic’ educational structures and is entrepreneurially driven
All learners have a ‘ Learner Disposition Profile’, updated with certificates of prior competence, reports of diagnostic tests and badges as evidence of learner achievement .
Every Learner is assigned a mentor to manage the cognitive, meta-cognitive and affective needs. Use of learning Analytics will enhance the learning experience.
Computing Strand:
Coding for all : Scratch, Python and many others
Computational Thinking:
Computer Based Maths
Tinkering with digital systems
Making with 3D Printers
Gaming and Games Development
Apps Development
3: School for life-long learning :
Pre-natal, neo-natal and pre-school learning;
Programs for parents
School for the 2nd half of life: an idea originally suggested by Carl Jung
4: A Network of Independent Educators:
Engineers, Doctors, Lawyers, Chartered Accountants or Architects can all practice their expertise within Government, a Corporate or independently.
Qualified educationists would work independently…. as teachers, diagnosticians, mentors, quality assessors, curriculum designers, content creators etc
A Professional Network of Independent Educators with regulation and assurance of professional standards
5: Educational Diagnostics:
Intelligence:
Standard traditional IQ; . Emotional Quotient; Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligence (7) risk intelligence
English Language Skills ( 4 main skills, further sub-divided, to eventually have more than 10 skills)
Thinking Skills:
Critical Thinking; Analytical Thinking; Mathematical Thinking ; Computational Thinking
Creative Thinking ; Innovative Thinking: Entrepreneurial Thinking
6: Next Generation Physical Learning Spaces:
Chain of Generic learning lounges;
learning Cafés; learning Gyms; learning Spas
Maker Spaces;
There was a time when almost every American child learned in a one-room school.
Reminiscent of our Gurukuls and the more recent movement of our own ‘Ekal Vidyalaya’.
7: Focus Chains:
Language learning Gyms (From No English to Know English):
Maths Gyms ( Overcoming Maths Phobia with the help of Computers):
Developing Computer Fluency ( add on programs) ;
innovation development; entrepreneurship development; thinkers, tinkerers and makers
8: A Universal HelpDesk:
Anything you wanted to know about educational matters, but didn’t know whom to ask?
JustDial; Askme etc. focused on
Serving learners, teachers and parents
9: Educational Marketing:
The biggest challenge in an era of abundance is matching resources to the target audience.
A prospect is overwhelmed with available resources, and recommendation engines are very useful.
A focused educational marketing company that leverages databases, learner profiles and social media to connect learners to content that they need.
10: An educational Observatory
An independent specialist advisory organisation whose opinions are sought by many. For instance Seybold reports in field of printing;
Organizations like McKinsey, Ernst and Young, Deloitte, etc.
11: The Long Tail of Educational Business possibilities in India:
11.1:A chain of Educational Malls
11.2:A large (1000 acres) integrated ‘education’ City
11.3:Training a million technicians in the skills of tomorrow
11.4:Centre for Financial Literacy
11.5:Reality show on education ( Maths, English and Science) : TV and new Media
11.6: Educational back-office services
11.7: De-materialised degrees and certificates
11.8: Games Based Learning Systems: epistemic value of games
11.9: Creativity and Innovation Spas
11.10: Managerial/Computational Skills self-taught ( MBA/MCA unbundled) in Hindi and other regional languages
11.11: 21st Century Gurukul for 21st Century Gurus
11.12: Certified Educational Diagnostician
11.13: Certified Educational Data Scientists
11.14 Educational Tourism for Global Citizenship
