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Pearson Bets on Adaptive Learning (Again) With $25M Acquisition of Smart Sparrow

Edsurge

The following year, Knewton was bought in a deal that has become a poster child for education technology hype. Already, the Sydney, Australia-based company has pulled back on its social media presence. Its accounts on Facebook and Twitter are no longer active, as an education industry analyst noticed. million in venture capital.

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Education Technology and the Power of Platforms

Hack Education

At the time, I wrote about the importance of APIs; the issues surrounding data security and privacy; the appeal of platforms for users and businesses; and the education and tech companies who were well-positioned (or at least wanting) to become education platforms. The company has raised some $77.5 Think Facebook.

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Of Openness, Ecosystems, and Type I and Type II Error

Iterating Toward Openness

Andrew Rickard has written a thoughtful essay on OER, open pedagogy, and commercial interests. In it, he reflects on several topics, including his honest misgivings about the recent OpenStax / Knewton partnership announcement. Where do you land? Think about our older sibling, the open source software movement.

OER 60
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Hack Education Weekly News

Hack Education

And The Next Web headline makes for… something: “ Facebook and Google could be allowed to award university degrees.” Via The Verge : “Lawsuit claims Facebook illegally scanned private messages.” The company, which allowed students to buy and sell their class notes, has raised over $14 million.

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The 100 Worst Ed-Tech Debacles of the Decade

Hack Education

Without revenue the company will go away. Or the company will have to start charging for the software. Or it will raise a bunch of venture capital to support its “free” offering for a while, and then the company will get acquired and the product will go away. And “free” doesn’t last.

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Hack Education Weekly News

Hack Education

In addition to funding this lawsuit, Thiel sits on the board of Facebook , which itself is playing a huge role in the “ future of news.” He’s a partner at Founders Fund, which has invested in Knewton, AltSchool, Uversity, ResearchGate, If You Can, Upstart, Declara, and Affirm. The takes). “Investors Put $2.3M