Author Archives: Heather Main

Activate by C8 Sciences is a unique program designed to improve Executive Function (EF).

The National Forum on Early Childhood Policy and Programs, the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, and the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University recently issued a working paper on EF stating: “…we aren’t born with the skills that enable us to control impulses, make plans, and stay focused….These skills develop through practice and are strengthened by the experiences through which they are applied and honed….Providing the support that children need to build these skills…is one of society’s most important responsibilities.”

Fairfax Virginia Public Schools have made development of EF skills a primary, multi-year education goal of the system, both because of their importance for learning in school and for success in life after graduation. By improving EF skills such as attention and self-regulation in children with problems in these areas, Activate aims to help these children get more out of school and at the same time to improve the classroom learning environment for all children.

Developers at C8 Sciences were very pleased to see the Activate program implemented in over 100 schools this year, from Florida, to Virginia, New York, New Mexico, Texas, Alaska and Hawaii. Some implementations started in late Spring as warm ups for the Fall, and some were for small numbers of children with special education needs. There were, however, several larger implementations in general classrooms in schools covering the full socioeconomic spectrum, and one full implementation with special needs students. In all, the program saw highly significant improvements on “gold-standard” tests of EF. Data on standardized school-administered tests of math and reading were available from one of these four implementations, and these showed truly remarkable effects of Activate.

Download the Activate Test Results for School Year 2013 (PDF) to view the impact of Activate on learning and EF skills in elementary school children.

Pincomb was recently named as one of the Judges at EDUCAUSE Start-Up Alley and Game Changers Business Competition which will take place on September 29- October 2nd in Orlando Florida.   EDUCAUSE is the leading international technology conference focused on higher education.  With over 300 sessions and more than 500 speakers-60+ webcasts and 18 exclusive online sessions provided virtually-the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference presents a robust, community-generated program that explores today’s toughest IT issues facing higher education and convenes some of the brightest minds in the community.

Recognizing the tremendous growth in the number of technology startups in the higher education community, Educause introduced Start-Up Alley in 2010. According to the research and data analytics firm, CB Insights, there appears to be a growing appetite for education investments by the venture capital community:  Education technology investments reached $1.25 billion in 2013 – topping $1 billion for the second year in a row. That trend continues in 2014 as 103 education technology venture and equity transactions were executed during the first quarter, totaling more than $559 million.

After a rigorous selection process, only 27 companies will be chosen to participate in the fourth annual Start-Up Alley this year. Companies that secure a space in Start-Up Alley will be eligible to vie for one of 12 slots in the second Educause Game Changers Business Competition, also taking place during the association’s annual conference. Introduced in 2012, the competition provides up-and-coming technology companies a spotlight session in front of an expert panel of venture capitalists, investors, and education technology leaders. Presenting companies will be judged on how they identified a higher education IT issue or challenge, and how well technology was applied to address this issue. Winners will receive a cash prize from Start-Up Alley sponsor  Higher One, as well as marketing resources from Educause. To learn more about EDUCAUSE Start-Up Alley and Game Changers Business Competition click here.

We are honored to announce that Myron Pincomb has been named to the Board of Directors for SXSWedu.  SXSWedu is a component of the South by Southwest family of conferences and festivals that includes SXSW Music, Film and Interactive; SXSW Eco and SXSW V2V. Internationally recognized as the convergence gathering for the creative arts, SXSWedu extends SXSW’s support for the art of engagement beyond musicians, filmmakers and new media innovators to include society’s true rock stars: educators!

The annual SXSWedu® Conference & Festival fosters innovation in learning by hosting a diverse and energetic community of stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds in education. The four-day event affords registrants open access to engaging sessions, interactive workshops, hands on learning experiences, cinematic portrayals, early stage startups and a host of networking opportunities. By providing a platform for collaboration, SXSWedu works to promote creativity and social change.

Driven by the mashup of education stakeholders at SXSWedu, LAUNCHedu® has become an exciting destination to preview what’s next and new in learning. The fourth annual LAUNCHedu startup competition will take place March 9-12, 2015 in Austin, Texas.

The LAUNCHedu Application is now open. Early-stage startups seeking feedback, investment, strategic partnerships and exposure are invited to apply online to have their company considered for the 2015 competition. The promising startups that are selected as finalists in the competition will present their early stage business concepts before a panel of industry experts, early adopters and educators, as well as a live audience at SXSWedu.  Applications for the 2015 session will be accepted until November 7, 2014.

To view the application and apply please click here.

Download the LAUNCHedu Info sheet to see the 2015 LAUNCHedu eligibility requirements and learn more about the competition.