The panel discusses edtech products from the perspective of educators at blended learning schools. They will highlight common "red flags" seen in interactions with edtech companies, reveal the needs and wants of blended learning schools that companies should be developing products for, and provide tips to help companies understand school feedback to improve their products and build successful long-term relationships with schools. The panelists collectively support 45 schools that are pioneers in blended learning, giving them deep experience to draw from.

1. SWS
SXSW PANEL PICKER ENTRY
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EdTech Red Flags!
Lucrative Blended School Advice

2. • Why We’re Uniquely Positioned to Understand Ed Tech
Products
• 10 Ways in Which Schools Are Not Out To Make Software
Companies Money
• Ways to Make Money Selling Software Without Listening
to Us
• The Best of “Software Company Red Flags”
• The “So Why Bother?”
Agenda

3. • Showcase the latest in ed tech red flags and reality
check entrepreneurs to see if they’re making them
• Reveal next generation blended learning school
operators’ needs and wants (though definitely not out to
make entrepreneurs money) that you should be
developing 1-2 years from now (if you’re still around)
• Position entrepreneurs to better understand and use
difficult education feedback to improve and profit.
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Objectives

4. The Team
Liz Arney
Director of
Innovative
Learning
Elena Sanina
Blended
Learning
Manager
Jennie Dougherty
Innovation Manager
James Sanders
Innovation Director

5. Between the four of us, we individually support 45 high-
performing schools in California. Of those schools, we’ve
helped (or are currently helping) 15 of those school become
blended learning schools.
We’ve been doing this work for years now: we’re pioneers,
early-adopters, the first wave. We’re a little bit GenX, and a little
bit Millenial.
And, we’ve got a close, collaborative relationship with other
folks like us all across the country when it comes to this work!
Basically, we know blended learning.
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Our Current Stats

6. 6
And, our neighbors definitely have influenced us
Silicon Valley
Our Schools

7. In this section, we’ll detail the common requests we make
to software developers and reps, and how we understand
the financial impact of these requests.
10 Ways in Which We’re Not Out to Make You Money
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8. In this section, we’ll offer creative (and sometimes very
common) ways to make money by ignoring our requests.
Chances are, you’re making some of these now!
Ways to Make Money and Not Listen to Us
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9. In this section, we’ll detail the best (or worst!) Red Flags
we’ve experienced from Software Reps and explain why
these have a much broader impact than just the flags
themselves. (HINT: texting us at 7am is just the
beginning!)
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The Best of “Red Flags”

10. In this section, we’ll highlight some amazing ways in which
we’ve worked with software companies to get great results
for students, and for the companies themselves. We’ll
offer some useful tips for listening carefully for the key
advice you’ll need to build successful school relationships
for the long haul.
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So then why bother listening to schools?

11. Do you know when you’re making red
flags, and how to avoid them?
Q&A