Jennifer Groff is the VP of Learning & Program Development at the learning games network. Her role involves fostering improved design, production, and distribution of learning games across a wide range of subject areas, identifying best practices for using games to support learning, and exploring business opportunities to address growing demand for learning tools. She advocates for learning games that engage students with relevant concepts and imagination in a way that provides freedom to experiment, fail, have an identity, and put in effort.

2. Jennifer Groff
VP of Learning &
Program Development
jen@
learninggamesnetwork.org

3. Foster improved design, production, and distribution of new games
informed by research in the learning sciences across a complete range
of subject areas from electrostatics to Shakespeare.
Identify existing and develop new best practice strategies and
activities, including teacher training resources, for the use of any
games that support informal and formal instruction.
Explore emerging business development opportunities to address
growing student and teacher demand for commercial and open tools
that support individual and collaborative learning in the 21st Century.

4. Through the informal
activity of play, we
scaffold the concepts and
ideas that we will engage
with formally in school…
and in life.

5. How do we think about
learning games?
They should engage players with
reasoning and processes relevant
to their studies.
They should engage players’
imaginations with places, events,
themes and ideas that matter.

6. The Four Freedoms
Freedom to Experiment
Freedom to Fail
Freedom of Identity
Freedom of Effort

18. Integrated Social Learning Environment

22. Learning Games:
Learning Systems
Game Application
Teacher Training (Professional Development)
Teacher Support Materials
Teacher Community Management
Student Assessment and Evaluation
Student Incentives
Technical Support

24. What’s the business model?
• Value proposition
• Key offerings
• Targeted users
• Targeted paying customers (if different than users)
• Channel(s) used for reaching users/customers
• Cost structure
• Capital investment required
• Revenue streams
• Key assumptions
• Key risks and uncertainties

25. Public Private
Charter Independent
Magnet Parochial
Proprietary
Individual
Student

26. What’s the business model?
• Value proposition
• Key offerings
• Targeted users
• Targeted paying customers (if different than users)
• Channel(s) used for reaching users/customers
• Cost structure
• Capital investment required
• Revenue streams
• Key assumptions
• Key risks and uncertainties

27. Revenue Models
1. Freemium -- content, service, or merchandizing
2. Advertising supported
3. Leads generation
4. Micro- or disaggregated-payment based
5. Institutional sales -- SAS (software as service model)
6. Institutional sales -- bundled content publishing
7. In-app sales (for mobile)
8. Policy/legislative mandates driven
9. Public support (individual or institutional donations)
10. Institutional supported (e.g OCW models)

34. Design Boost
• Developing a set of criteria for high-quality digital
media and learning products
• Scouting talent and launching emerging innovators
• Intensive week-long workshops on learning-rich, user-
centered product design, prototyping, and marketing
• Identifying and mentoring the most promising
innovators for our Start-Up Accelerator
• Connecting innovators with the seed capital and
strategic partners they need to go to market
• Evaluating the learning associated with products

43. Successful Learning
Innovations
Create a good product--
with the help of educators.
Get evidence.
Learn the culture in-which it will enter.
Study the market, do your homework, and make a strategy.
Be ready to hit a wall and revise that strategy.

44. Jennifer Groff
jen@
learninggamesnetwork.org