Knowvation: just-in-time learning key to new professional development site

Internet Strategies for Education Markets: The Heller Report, Nov, 2002

Kermit the frog used to sing a little ditty called "It's Not Easy Being Green". It's not easy for teachers to admit they're 'green' in some skills either, particularly when they've got to teach those skills to a group of students. That's why Knowvation, Inc. (www.knowvation.com, Elk Grove, CA) has just unveiled its new Teacher2Teacher Online Resource Library. Resource materials include a brand new website, www.teacher2teacher.com, a how-to library, viewlets, activities and e-Courses -- all designed by teachers, for teachers. Knowvation has also just announced its third year of a relationship with Sun Microsystems to offer professional development training for instructors in schools that participate in Sun's Open Gateways Program (OGP). OGP is a wide-ranging program that concentrates on schools in disadvantaged communities, and uses network based technology solutions to help promote the integration of technology into curriculum through professional development.

Knowvation is a four and a half year old company, with one, core mission. "Our business plan is simply to deliver professional development content through a variety of media," explains Jacqui Celsi, president and ceo, who is also a former classroom teacher and ten-year research staffer at Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT). Celsi explains that administrators address the professional development needs of teachers in the area of technology by building in-house or in-district teams and using teachers to train teachers in a wide variety of programs. Teacher2Teacher services are designed specifically to support teachers and in-house professional development teams. "We believe that there's a scaleable business in developing services and products for these teams, and providing an ongoing solution," Celsi maintains. In addition to the online resources, Knowvation provides classroom materials for class leaders, such as training guides, flip charts and hand-out materials.

Just-In-Time for Tenth Period

Where Celsi thinks many professional development vendors fall down on the job is in providing support for teachers who need 'just-in-time' answers to their problems. A flurry of new professional development products have cropped up since the passage of NCLB, but Celsi has had nearly five years to listen to her customers and heed their requests. It's all well and good to give a crash course in using Power Point, she was told -- but what happens if you can't remember a key step while teaching your students how to use it?

Knowvation customers were already using the web to download templates and other teaching materials, but the clamor for help right in the middle of a lesson made Celsi stop and think. She says she could envision usage of the site in this way, and set about building a set of tools that teachers can really use right on the spot. The How To instructions allow users to quickly learn specific tasks within a software program. Instructions can be accessed and printed for use, by teachers, students or trainers. Viewlets combine the media of video and audio to demonstrate how to complete specific tasks within a software program. Users click on a mini demonstration on how to insert clip art in a word document, for example, and listen to an audio description while watching the steps being taken on the computer. Celsi says this is ideal when students need to learn a new activity, and a teacher is busy with other members of the class. Teacher2Teacher Activities include online lesson plans, sample projects, templates and pl anning sheets explaining how to incorporate a software program into the classroom curriculum. Finally, e-courses model classroom activities, such as creating a classroom newsletter using Microsoft Word, and include a printable course study guide.

Revenue is generated through yearly licensing fees. A single How To title is about $30, and users can also purchase sets of How To, Viewlet and Activity resources bundles together for $65. E-courses are $40 apiece. Celsi says she made a conscious decision not to go the subscription route, because in education, sustainability is an issue, and she feels the single purchase model makes much more sense.

Currently, tech training for ten software programs is available, including KidPix Studio, Apple Works, Kidspiration, HyperStudio and Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel. The largest growth area in professional development, Celsi has found, is tied to specific curriculum and initiatives, such as standards, language arts training or how to use a specific technology to achieve a classroom objective, and this is an area she's eying for future development.

Content is King

Knowvation also has a division that provides business-to-business solutions to companies in the education market, including business development, training delivery, content development, and consulting, which are offered on a contractual basis. B2B clients include Sun Microsystems, Scholastic, TaskStream (see story on Page xx), Teacher Street, LeapFrog School House and Schools Online. Celsi says the company will help develop customized programs for clients, as well, and occasionally, the product templates have simply been licensed and companies enter their own content.