Answers to Seed Program (Microsoft’s Grant Program)
What do you have to offer?
School Galaxy offers a versatile platform that can be adapted to meet the needs of any school or district, in terms of functionality, policy requirements, and scalability. The platform is cloud- based and eliminates the need for a school or district to invest in an expensive internal network of servers.
A. Company Description.
School Galaxy is an educational technology benefit corporation. The primary product is a school-based intranet designed for interactive use of students, parents, educators, administrators, and school alumni. The platform can be designed to be used on a broader basis with users from several different institutions or school districts, as well as an internal system within one school district or even one school. The result will create a complete school based foundational intranet system that will redesign IT expectations for the educational system at large.
School Galaxy's platform will enhance the students’ educational experience. As students become familiar and comfortable with the technology, their confidence with technology will increase. Therefore, the platform also offers an added benefit: the platform will help prepare students for employment in technology.
Additionally, School Galaxy will minimize burdensome tasks for teachers, and reduce administrative costs for school systems. Although the corporate sector has found many uses for social media and online/mobile applications, schools have struggled with the role of social media and technology, as part of the learning process.
A school management system is generally used for data management and communication. Depending on the development of the system, the data can be hosted on an internal network server or a cloud-based platform. The system can be used by the administration, teachers, parents, students, and alumni. Traditionally a SMS or LMS is used for functions such as posting notices, emailing parents or teachers, posting assignments, taking attendance, and posting grades. The system can be expanded to post specific assignment grades, progress reports, and disciplinary reports.
School Galaxy offers a versatile platform that can be adapted to meet the needs of any school or district, in terms of functionality, policy requirements, and scalability. The platform is cloud- based. Therefore, the school or school district does not have to invest in large, complicated, and expensive internal network servers.
B. Academic Tutoring
School Galaxy will offer online tutoring services. Technology also plays an increased role in tutoring. The concept of a private tutor, coming to a student’s home is becoming outdated. Tutoring services are now used in everything from grade improvement to SAT prep, AP support and working with learning disabilities. Many tutoring services are now offered online. These business models vary, but the industry is growing rapidly (see Market Analysis, below.)
C. Social Media
The final component is social media communication. Popular social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus, are currently banned in most of school districts across the US and Canada. This contrasts with the increasingly important role that social media plays in our society on personal and corporate levels.
Furthermore, most evidence shows that students use social media to communicate about school topics more than social topics. It is a disservice to the students and society for schools to take a closed-minded approach to the value of social media. As a result, School Galaxy will include a controlled social media platform for the exclusive use of one school.