YAY or NAY

[Rag.FeedbackLoop]

Hello

I have had an idea for a business and need people’s oppinions on it and help with it if you want to.

When I was doing my GCSEs I came across a problem when I was revising because I didn’t know what I knew and what I didn’t know as when I was going through my topics I had no way of knowing weather at the time of learning the topic if I had got it or not.

This was also problematic at the start of revising because I didn’t know what to start with. So that is why I developed a system where you have all your topics on a spreadsheet and over the year you mark them out of 3 depending on how well you got it. I want to make this into a fully fledged piece of software which everyone can use on a website or something.

So when it came to revision people know what to start with.

This idea could extend to teaching resources and other materials so the whole system could all link together and make teachers lives easier and more efficient.

I am trying to raise money for this project as I think that is where I should start. It is on Patreon and is called RAG FeedbackLoop

Please can you give me your opinions on this idea and project. I believe it is a really good idea for a business and quite useful. Also if you would like to help me make this happen then please message me.

Thanks

Josh

 

[Mark T Jones]

The point that always comes out here is ‘how does it work as a business?’

I’m no expert, but I imagine that to get recognised as s teaching aid required some serious authorisation?

 

[Rag.FeedbackLoop]

The point that always comes out here is ‘how does it work as a business?’

I’m no expert, but I imagine that to get recognised as s teaching aid required some serious authorisation?

Hello

It would work through schools signing up and paying a subscription fee.

I will do some research into how to get schools interested in it but I have been talking to a few schools and my own and they like the idea

 

[AllUpHere]

Too easily duplicated. It would be so easy, even a teacher could do it.
Why would they pay you, rather than running with a similar idea they could put together on excel?

 

[Rag.FeedbackLoop]

Too easily duplicated. It would be so easy, even a teacher could do it.
Why would they pay you, rather than running with a similar idea they could put together on excel?

There would be a lot of advanced features. If you watch the video on the patreon you will see that each teacher has a spreadsheet and this is linked with the students so that the student can mark them selves and then the teacher can do the same and the student can see what the teacher thinks they are doing.

 

[billybob99]

I've seen a lot worse sold to schools, like this.

Are you telling me that can't be cloned overnight. It's basically Stripe but used for parents to pay for their kids school lunches online.

Obviously what you're planning to build is completely different, and using the word spreadsheets doesn't make it sound very fancy.

From the sounds of it you just need to create a web app that teachers and students can both access online, via their mobile or tablet.

I'm not sure how much you're trying to raise, but you can build a very rugged MVP and try to get in front of teachers - for some validation at least.

I'd be looking for validation for an idea before I went whole hog trying to raise money and building it.

If you haven't already wireframed your idea out, that would be the first port of call.

 

[Rag.FeedbackLoop]

I've seen a lot worse sold to schools, like

Are you telling me that can't be cloned overnight. It's basically Stripe but used for parents to pay for their kids school lunches online.

Obviously what you're planning to build is completely different, and using the word spreadsheets doesn't make it sound very fancy.

From the sounds of it you just need to create a web app that teachers and students can both access online, via their mobile or tablet.

I'm not sure how much you're trying to raise, but you can build a very rugged MVP and try to get in front of teachers - for some validation at least.

I'd be looking for validation for an idea before I went whole hog trying to raise money and building it.

If you haven't already wireframed your idea out, that would be the first port of call.

Thanks for the advice

 

[Steve6710]

If you look in to AWARDING BODIES that schools use for accreditation of exams, be it GCSE or functional skills, you may find a way of developing your idea and if it was accredited it would add more weight when you approach schools. There would also be an opportunity to market it on the awarding bodies website, which is first port of call for education establishments to purchase resources, Pearson group off the top of my head, but there are many more. However, it is a very tough market place, most education establishments are struggling with funding, especially academy's, so perhaps widen your reach to include Adult Education.

 

[fisicx]

I built something like this a few years back when I was still teaching.

It's easily replicated and difficult to monetize. You don't need funding for this project, you just need to learn how to code. But don't expect to make any money out of this.

 

[kkfcXHzmCc]

This is easy to replicate. I have one of these already, in fact; 3 of these for different exam boards.
How much do you wish to charge? Schools don't have money; blame the government!

 

[paulears]

The flaw with this system is that it works for the people who are doing well, and makes work for the lazy ones (so that kills it) and is very hard to do for the kids already struggling but want to do well.

Over the years there have been plenty of revision guides produced by the awarding bodies (exam boards to non-ed folk). Edexcel - who are now owned by publishing group Pearson sell lots of guides to the centres and the candidates. Other people like Rhinegold also have a big stake in this. Schools also have their own staff's products that they get for free, and nothing beats a guide designed and operated by the person teaching it. Most of the specifications have a big section that deals in detail with what the candidates need to know, how to revise and estimate progress.

I can't get my head around anything new that you could have produced - whats makes your invention better than the existing ones? This is the essential feature - schools won't pay for anything they don't see paying for itself in either results, grade wise, or things that will gain them Kudos in OFSTED reports.

 

[The Byre]

Don't listen to the above - they're looking at the market from completely the wrong angle! I am part-owner of a music school and absolutely none of the above applies.

Here are some random thoughts from me -

1. People are spending vast sums on educating their pie-faced scroggs. Thousands every year, trying to make up the shortfalls in state education. Simply put - There's money in 'them thar hills!'

2. More and more people are opting for home education and those that try to do this on their own are mostly making a mess of things.

3. Companies like Wolsey Hall employ ex-teachers and teachers who are moon-lighting to coach all that home-educated scroggness and get them past their GCSEs and A-Levels.

4. State schools have no money and the teachers are demotivated. Never try to sell anything to poor people, or in this case institutions with no money!

5. I have no idea how your system is supposed to work, but it sort of sounds as if it is only part of a system, i.e. just the quality control, but not the education itself. The money is in providing the education itself (see Wolsey Hall!)

6. Nobody ever needed any accreditation or certification in order to sell teaching aids to snot-laden scroggs and their doting parents.

 

[Mr D]

Used to work with a guy who came up with a product that would be great for schools. He spent years developing it and thousands getting the initial run produced.
And very few schools were interested. His first year he made a loss of several grand while taking no wages and running up considerable mileage in his car during his days off.

So suggested he was targeting the wrong market. Try teachers.

He switched from targeting schools to targeting teachers, with major push to target those finishing teacher training.
Within 5 years he had 8 staff and was approaching million pound turnover.

 

[Graham Tyers]

If you do one for kids at KS2 I'll advertise on it.