What does educational technology have to do with whether or not I became a cashier? A lot. 

Growing up in rural California, we did not have a lot of choices when it came to education. As a student you were on a college track or a job track. I chose the college track even though no one in my family had ever been and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I applied to colleges I knew very little about in an era where computers were scarce and all I had to go on were magazine articles and pamphlets sent through the mail. I chose my college because my mom and grandma pressured me to go to New York if I was going to leave California, which I was determined to do, because I had an uncle I barely knew that lived an hour and a half away. My decision criteria was family proximity and the fact that they offered a lot of different majors because I wasn't sure if engineering would be right for me (and it wasn't).

I've been told over the years that "it took a lot of guts" and "I was very brave" to be the first to attend college. But I firmly believe it shouldn't require a lot of bravery for a smart kid to achieve a better career than their parents. And it should not have been the case that I graduated near the top in my class and was accepted into an Ivy League school while both my brothers dropped out of high school. That's where educational technology comes in. 

Instead of going to the great unknown, with educational technology students can explore career paths and colleges from their smartphone today. Students who don't fit the mold of a traditional classroom, who are smart and struggle with sitting still for 7 hours a day being lectured at, can and should be able to excel academically and find a career that makes use of their strengths. That's just part of the promise of educational technology, and that is why I love working in this market.

Beyond Passion

It takes much more than passion to accurately diagnose and solve the many complex problems that need to be addressed in education so that educators can help students succeed. Technology is one of many tools that can be used to address problems in the current system. To create successful educational technology products, we must understand how to solve problems that are both usable and valuable to users while also being viable as a business. I have learned over my 23 years in educational technology that this is a delicate balance to strike and involves knowing how to do many things well:

• Comprehensive product discovery (user needs, business needs, legal and other constraints, competitive landscape, user context, etc)

• Product development execution (relentless prioritization, clear requirements, team collaboration, user feedback loops, quality, security, scalability, etc)

•  Go-to-market strategy (determining the buyers, influencers, and channels to reach your buyers, pricing, integration strategy, etc)

I bring experience across all of these areas in K12, Higher Education, and professional learning to our consulting engagement so that you may accelerate your ed tech product launch and growth.