home school network

Discover learning styles and activities througha social network dedicated to parent and student success.

Homeschool Exploration NetworkProcess Book

Course Project, Part 9 by Group 1: Jamie Bowerman, Cheryl Edenfield, Suzanne MitchellDMGT 720 Design Innovation Development and Marketing Strategies

Winter 2015 // Professor Bruce Claxton

2Process Book // Introduction

Introduction

Process Book // Introduction 3

Introduction

Jamie Bowerman, Cheryl Edenfield and Suzanne Mitchell made up “Team

1” to build an online social network. The following sections outlined in

our table of contents (parts one through nine) will take you through our

process from initial research, who are client is, what the product service is,

strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, or SWOT. Our working

walls are included in each step to help you see each step of our thought

processes. We started with contextual and competitor analyses of existing

social networks which led to researching ideas which included a travel social

network, over 65 social network application and a homeschooler social

network. Together, we decided there were exciting possibilities to explore for

the homeschool market.

The homeschool market is one that is rich with resources, but a pain to

navigate. While there is an abundance of blogs, publishers, and individual

homeschool communities on social media, there is an opportunity to

connect them with homeschool families.

4Process Book // Contents

Introduction ........................................................................................................3

Part 1. Network Analysis ..................................................................................5Overview .............................................................................................................6Analyses .........................................................................................................7-14Working Walll ..............................................................................................15-30

Part 2. Network Design Development ...........................................................31Working Wall for Idea 1 Travel Social Network .........................................32-42Working Wall for Idea 2 Over 65 Social Network .................................... 43-45Working Wall for Idea 3 Homeschooler Social Network ..........................46-51Creative Brief (initial draft) ........................................................................52-53

Part 3. Defining Network Users ..................................................................... 54User Analyses, Insights, Research Conclusions .............................................55Creative Brief: Homeschool S.O.S .............................................................56-58Marketing Strategies ........................................................................................59User Group Chart ............................................................................................ 60Personas ..................................................................................................... 61-67Working Wall: interview questions, notes, empathy maps, participatory observer research notes, mapping out user analysis, conclusions, andmarketing strategy notes .........................................................................68-124

Part 4. Competitor Research and Analysis ................................................ 125Comparing Curriculum Provider Competition (SWOT) and Business Model Canvases ............................................... 126-129Comparing Homeschool Network Connectors(SWOT) and Business Model Canvases ............................................... 130-133Creative Brief (Homeschool S.O.S. revised)......................................... 134-138Working Wall (process notes) .............................................................. 139-146

Part 5. Business Model Generation ............................................................ 147Business Model Canvas for Homeschool SOS ............................................ 148SWOT Analysis of Homeschool SOS Business Model ................................. 149Summary of Results and Recommendations ...................................... 150-151Working Wall: ZAG steps and process photos ......................................152-157

Part 6. Defining Your Users’ Needs ............................................................. 158Empathy Maps ....................................................................................... 159-162Working Wall: empathy maps; further defining the site; and initial ideation scans and notes .................................................................................... 163-185

Part 7. Prototyping and Brand Development ............................................. 186Network Brand and Business Model ....................................................187-191Working Wall: developing a mock-up (wireframing); mobile Web and email newsletter mock-ups ............................................................................. 192-203

Part 8. Network Sales Pitch ........................................................................ 204Storyboards ........................................................................................... 205-207

Results and Analysis ............................................................................ 208-209 Appendix ........................................................................................................ 210Timeline (Gantt chart) ............................................................................211-212Full-size Prototype Mock-Ups ............................................................... 213-248[Blackboard collected] discussion feedback from the class .............. 249-289

Contents

5Process Book // Part 1. Network Analysis

Part 1. Network Analysis


Network Analysis

Whether you love it, or you hate it, almost 75% of all internet users are participating in some from of social media, according to Pew’s Research Center. With everything from photo sharing, to making a witty comment, connecting with old classmates or finding a potential partner, there are many forms of social media outlets to cater to your specific needs.

Using a 6- degrees of separation concept, in 2002, Social Networking really hit its stride with the once popular site Friendster. While social media sites like Friendster and Myspace are no longer popular in North America they paved the way for such giants as Linkedin, which boosts over 297 million members; and Facebook, housing over 1.2 billion members.

Social networking went mobile with apps like Twiiter, allowing you to use only 140 characters, and Instagram allowing you to share photos from your smartphone. Since Instagram’s initial inception in 2010, it houses over 20 billion shared images.

Other apps like Foursquare allow you to check- in via geolocating based on your geographic position, while match making apps like tinder, with over 10 million users daily help you find potential partners based on their approximately to your smartphone.

Today almost every major news source from CNN to Fox News, to Good Morning America uses some form of social media as a means of reporting the news or public option in real time. While sites like Friendster and Myspace have fallen by the way side in North America it is undeniable that social media is here to stay, and with the highest demographic of users ranging between 18- 29 it is likely we will only see the idea of being social expanding in ever more creative ways.


Network Analysis

LinkedIn SWOT

Strengths

• Site specifically for professionals.• You can view how you are connected to other people.• People can make introductions.• Great for networking or follow on meetings.• Only allows you to contact people you know by email.• You can be recruited for a new job with higher pay.

Opportunities

• Open up the opportunity to contact someone other than knowing their email, such as where you met or what kind of networking event.• Open up what kinds of jobs you are looking for.

Weaknesses

• Only can access someone by knowing their email.

Threats

• Other professional networking sites.• Something that would let you connect with people you know other than through email.


Network Analysis

LinkedIn Good vs. Different

Good but not different

• People can make introductions.• Great for networking or follow on meetings.• You can be recruited for a new job with higher pay.

Good and different

• Only can access someone by knowing their email.• Site specificially for professionals.• Can see the degrees of connectivity.• Great tool for recruitment.

Not good and not different

• Updating status.• Ability to merge Twitter and Facebook; it tends to make a very professional site very personal.

Different but not good

• Only can access someone by knowing their email.• Pay to upgrade to connect with any individual.

DIFFERENT

GO

OD


Network Analysis

Twitter SWOT

Strengths

• Free to use.• Everyone is on there.• Used in News outlets.• Can share photos.• Can talk in real time.• Mobile.

• Can access celebrities.• Can talk across countries.• Anyone can join a conversation.• Anyone can view a public post.• Has high visibility.• Geo tagging.

Opportunities

• To make more private sharing.• To have information be deleted.• To block comments or erase them.• To use Twitter to sign into other website.• A lot of people don’t know how to use its basic functions.

http://www.slideshare.net/vaynerchuk/slidesharegvtwitter-v4-28507504

Weaknesses

• Easy to copy an account.• Security and privacy issues.• Easy to insite rants on certain post.

http://time.com/51634/study-claims-people-who-use-twitter-a-lot-may-be-more-likely-to-cheat-and-get-divorced/

Threats

• Younger people using a different app like Snapchat.• People leave Twitter because anyone can comment on their posts.• Easy to create duplicate or fake accounts.


Network Analysis

Twitter Good vs. Different

Good

• Free.• You can share photos.• Geo-tagging.• Used for enws in real time.• High-bandwidth.• Effective mobile platform.

Different

• 140 characters.• A lot of ranting.• Younger audiences.• Many celebrities interact on Twitter.• Post statuses• Shares a lot of news stories.


Network Analysis

Pinterest SWOT

Strengths

• Built for advertising but does not have ads (yet).• Multi-platform sync to other social networks like Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter to extend reach.• High income user base interested in using site for shopping inspiration.• Highly social asset with a long-term lifespan (pin doesn't get pushed down a timeline or disappear); works like a bookmark.• Users have research mindset.• Drives traffic to back to brand site.

Opportunities

• Plenty of room to increase daily use by users.• Automate proper attribution through programming/coding.• Building more opportunity for engagement between users.• Still new so there’s room to grow and expand to other demographics with the right changes/adds/new features.

Weaknesses

• Easy to not give proper attribution due to editing availability.• Less conversational; less engagement which is based on re-pins.• Low frequency of use by users; only 17% of users use it daily vs 70% of Facebook users using the social network daily.• Not a broad reach; primarily women users under age 45.

Threats

• Future use advertising may turn off users (unknown?).• Google has nearly 8x as many regular monthly users.• Google has been around much longer.• Google is the “ultimate card catalog” in the business of harvesting signals of intent.


Network Analysis

Pinterest Competitor Analysis

Objectives

• To help people discover interesting or informative web content that they wouldn’t have thought to search for.

Approach

• Its features allow users to discover and rate Web pages, photos, and videos that are personalized to their tastes and interests using peer-sourcing and social-networking principles.

• StumbleUpon is a discovery engine (a form of web search engine) that finds and recommends web content to its users. Its features allow users to discover and rate Web pages, photos, and videos that are personalized to their tastes and interests using peer-sourcing and social-networking principles.

Homepage

• Introduction – “StumbleUpon is a giant collection of the best pages on the Internet. You tell us your interests. We recommend great websites, photos and videos. Simple.”

• Call to action to “Start Exploring.”

• Sign in with FB or username/PW combo.

• Page view based on selected interests.

Collaboration Opportunities

• We both want to aggregate similarities between content/members to recommend and show content that appeals to the user browsing.

• Partner as an outlet for ideas and resources.

• Create more user engagement together.

Lessons

• Coordinates the distribution of Web content, so that users “stumble upon” pages explicitly recommended by friends and peers.

• Giving a site a thumbs up results in the site being placed under the user’s “favorites.” Rating Web sites update a personal profile, uses collaborative filtering and generates peer networks of Web surfers linked by common interest.

• Paid discovery - brand and publisher sponsored placements.

Members

• Mostly men under 30.


Network Analysis

Google SWOT

Strengths

• Google Hangouts — multiple person calls.

• Privacy with circles is tighter than Facebook groups.

• Ability to search photos/faces.

• Instant account creation/sign-in for DROID users.

• The power of Google, SEO and company size, to back up and support the network.

Opportunities

• More integration with SEO for business and user profile matching.

• Explore product business search capability similar to face recognition in photo search.

• Create more social interactivity between brands and followers.

Weaknesses

• Google Hangouts limited to 10 users at a time.

• Features being added on are Facebook copycats (i.e. polls, check-in).

• Not as large a network as it’s primary competitor, Facebook.

• Not very social since it’s mostly business oriented.

• Primary use is business related, brand building, vs. social.

Threats

• Less android users and more iPhone users.

• Disbanding Google into separate products -- hangout/chat/talk, photo album (back to Picasa?), sharing links.

• Pinterest gets more people at the point of research, planning to shop.


Network Analysis

Google Competitor Analysis

Objectives

• Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.

• People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what’s going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them.

Approach

• Ability to connect and share with the people you care about at the same time.

• Integrates with other apps to allow for single sign-on with FB.

• Send messages (like email).

• Post updates — share photos, videos, links.

• Designed to be open and social.

Homepage

• Shows member newsfeed.

• If not logged in there’s a message “Connect with friends and the world around you on Facebook.”

• Invites user to log in, sign up or learn more.

Collaboration Opportunities

• An ideal would be to get to the point to link/sync Facebook business pages with followers using an API to pull user demographics and profiles for potential business partnerships.

• No advertising.

• Single-sign on capability.

Lessons

• Constant issues with public/users not understanding privacy policies.

• Not all users know how to adjust their settings (maybe too complicated?).

• Mobile users use the mobile app daily

Members

• Facebook still skews significantly female.

• Women in the U.S. are more likely to use Facebook than men by about 10 percentage points.


Social Network Use

As of September 2014:• 71% of online adults use• Facebook• 23% of online adults use• Twitter• 26% use Instagram• 28% use Pinterest• 28% use LinkedIn

Network AnalysisWorking Wall



LinkedIn Personas {According to Quancom)


Buy Sell Ads, T. (2011, May 27). The Who, Why, And How Of Twitter. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://blog.buysellads.com/2011/the-who-why-and-how-of-twitter/


Twitter Stats and Personas



Twitter



Social Network Use // Users and Satisfaction Statistics



Google+


Network Analysis

References

Analysis: StumbleUpon’s Top 25 Users. (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://www.viperchill.com/stumbleupons-top-users/

Bercovici, J., 15. (2014, October 15). Inside Pinterest: The Coming Ad Colossus That Could Dwarf Twitter And Facebook. Retrieved January 09, 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2014/10/15/inside-pinterest-the-coming-ad-colossus-that-could-dwarf-twitter-and-facebook/

Borison, R. (2014, June 28). Google+ Is Still Struggling Three Years Later. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://www.businessinsider.com/google-plus-three-years-later-2014-6Bradley, S. (2014, January 14). The Social Network to Watch in 2014? Pinterest. Retrieved January 09, 2015, from http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stateofdigital.com%2Fsocial-network-watch-2014-pinterest%2F

CloudNine PR Agency. (2013, June 20). Searchmetrics | Social sharing on Google+ to overtake Facebook by 2016 predicts new study. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://www.realwire.com/releases/Social-sharing-on-Google-to-overtake-Facebook-by-2016-predicts-new-study

Domanico, A. (2014, July 22). Pinterest peaks, Facebook falters in customer satisfaction survey of social sites. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://www.techhive.com/article/2456905/pinterest-peaks-facebook-falters-in-customer-satisfaction-survey-of-social-sites.html#tk.rss_all

Duggan, M., Ellison, N. B., Lampe, C., Lenhart, A., & Madden, M. (2015, January 09). Demographics of Key Social Networking Platforms. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/09/demographics-of-key-social-networking-platforms-2/

Fingas, J. (2014, December 04). Google Plus now lets you pin posts to keep them front and center. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/04/google-plus-pin-posts/

04 Pinterest. (2014, January 23). Retrieved January 09, 2015, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/02/14/social-networking-site-users/04-pinterest/

Frequency of Social Media Use. (2015, January 09). Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/09/frequency-of-social-media-use-2/

GCF Learnfree. (n.d.). Facebook 101: What is Facebook? Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://www.gcflearnfree.org/facebook101/2.2

Guimarães, T. (2014, December 12). REVEALED: The Demographic Trends For Every Social Network. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://www.businessinsider.com/2014-social-media-demographics-update-2014-9

Lunden, I. (2014, November 25). Tumblr Overtakes Instagram As Fastest-Growing Social Platform, Snapchat Is The Fastest-Growing App. Retrieved January 09, 2015, from http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/25/tumblr-overtakes-instagram-as-fastest-growing-social-platform-snapchat-is-the-fastest-growing-app/

Manjoo, F. (2013, July 10). You Should Store All Your Photos on Google Plus. Retrieved January 10, 2014, from http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2013/07/google_v_flickr_the_best_place_to_store_your_photos.html

McCoy, J. (2014, March 12). Google Plus to Overtake Facebook: Prediction or Fiction? Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/google-plus-overtake-facebook-prediction-or-fiction

Ngak, C. (n.d.). Pinterest climbs to third most popular social network. Retrieved January 09, 2015, from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pinterest-climbs-to-third-most-popular-social-network/

Pinterest vs. Instagram: Pros and Cons for Brands. (2014, May 19). Retrieved January 09, 2015, from http://www.cyberalert.com/blog/index.php/pinterest-vs-instagram-pros-and-cons-for-brands/

Rival fox. (n.d.). Google Plus Competitors. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from https://rivalfox.com/google_plus-competitors

Smith, C. (2014, April 17). This Is The Behavior On Pinterest That Makes The Social Network So Attractive To Marketers. Retrieved January 09, 2015, from http://www.businessinsider.com/demographics-on-pinterest-that-make-the-social-network-attractive-to-marketers-2014-4

Smith, C. (2014, March 04). 175 Amazing Pinterest Statistics (December 2014). Retrieved January 09, 2015, from http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/pinterest-stats/

Toomer, W. (2014, November 18). Google’s Dark Horse Competitors: Pinterest - Delucchi Plus. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://www.delucchiplus.com/googles-dark-horse-competitor-pinterest/

What is StumbleUpon? (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://www.stumbleupon.com/about

Wong, D. (2014, October 27). Report: Facebook Drives 4x More Traffic Than Pinterest. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from https://blog.shareaholic.com/social-media-traffic-trends-10-2014/

Process Book // Part 2. Network Design Development 31

Part 2. Network Design Development

32Process Book // Part 2. Network Design Development

Network Design DevelopmentWorking Wall

Idea 1 Travel Social Network by Suzanne Mitchell

Is there a need for a new travel social network?

“Knowledge is embodied in people gathered in communities and networks. The road to knowledge is via people, conversations, connections, and relationships. Knowledge surfaces through dialogue, all knowledge is socially mediated and access to knowledge is by connecting to people who know or know who to contact”. — Denham Grey [1]

Introducing a social network that is run by the people not the travel network!

Any forms of social network related to vacation experience or travel in general is linked to commercial booking sites. Therefore, the user is somewhat controlled via company restrictions. Creating a social network that allows people on a global basis to comment honestly about the trip is both necessary and needed. Thus, a platform that promotes honest views and open chats relating to flights, accommodation, excursions, hidden treasures, food etc. could be discussed in an open forum. Further, photos, videos and travel experience shared on a global basis would be extremely beneficial for travelers wanting to seek in-depth information about a particular hotel, city, or excursion. Fewer vacation nightmares would be experienced and travel satisfaction would be increased. In fact, the whole travel experienced but become enriched with such valuable information.

Based on my initial research there is a need for a social network for vacationers. There are 5 user groups that would benefit from a travel network including, families, single adults, business travelers, college students and recreational groups (see diagram 1). And, why a travel social network? Currently networks only offer limited access to information. Many people post on Expedia, however, posts can be anonymous. I noticed

one complaint regarding a hotel in Atlanta, the manager responded on 3 occasions to similar complaints. I couldn’t see the name of the manager; there is need for transparency. A social network site independent of booking agents would offer a more legitimate service open dialog between users. Advantages for the user of a independent network would also eliminate commercial bias that is bound to effect and skew current reviews. This would be a global site that would cut through language barriers by streamlining divisions.

Diagram 1-Travel Social Network: User Groups



Idea 1 Travel Social Network continued

Further, the site would be able to capture fond memories via users sharing information, all of which humanizes the network experience. For example, a family visits Hawaii and books the vacation online in U.S. main land. The hotel and flight is great, location is central and facilities are excellent. The family hires a car and wants to travel the island independently of organized excursions. After speaking to locals and studying the map they find an idyllic cove to snorkel. Their youngest son (a 3yr old) has never experienced snorkeling, so the family was mindful of potential dangers. For the first time in his life the youngster was able to watch fish in their natural habitat. He was astonished and excited, so much so that snorkel had an echo of “fish, fish “ every few seconds. This was truly an etched memory that one member of the family was able to capture on video. Sharing these types of adventures via social networks can really capture the real life essence of the moment, and let others have a better understanding of what to expect from the destination. Currently I could not find a network that offers this type of service. Feedback from authentic participants who openly communicate with one another without being supervised by the network is a great plus for a travel social network. A travel social media site would encourage vacationers to talk about their experience and become more active online regarding details of their trip.

Are there other social networks already out there that serve that need or can we make it better?

Many travel networks could be improved, Expedia could expand to offer users an improved social network that allows users to chat openly and honestly about their experience. Hotwire and Expedia could develop their online reviewing system. However, an independent network that is free from commercial bias is not available.

How do we incorporate a sustainable advantage?

Sustainable advantage: Sustainable competitive advantage is the focal point of your corporate strategy. It allows the maintenance and improvement of your enterprise’s competitive position in the market. It is an advantage that enables business to survive against its competition over a long period of time.

There are numerous characteristics of companies that have a sustainable advantage as seen in chart 1 below. The ownership of intellectual property is important. This provides intangible rights protecting the products of human intelligence and creation, such as copyrightable works, patented inventions, trademarks and trade secrets. Federal law largely governs intellectual property; state law also governs some aspects of intellectual property [2].

Exclusive licenses are legally enforceable, a promise that the individual granted the license is the only person allowed to do a specific activity. Most commonly, exclusive licenses are used in the case of intellectual property. The individual granted the license is the only one allowed to produce, distribute or otherwise benefit from the intellectual property [3].

Marketing is generally not scalable, especially on low-cost high-volume products. These days, heavy marketing is always required to make your startup visible and scalable amid the flood of information from all sources to all customers.




Although statutory monopolies are government-regulated firms that is legally entitled to be the only company offering a particular service in a particular area. None of the networks research has this characteristic. The U.S. Post Office is government regulated therefore this is a statutory monopoly. One aspect of this control is that it prohibits competition [4].

[5] All three social media travel companies have intangible benefits and tangible benefit. This term (intangible) is subjective, normally explained via the knowledge of the business and how that is transferred into the running of operations cannot be measured in monetary terms. Whereas organizations that have tangible benefits are quantifiable, especially with regard to money [6].

TripAdvisor Define the industry: Travel

Network of individuals to be targeted: Vacationers, business, family, recreation.

Current sharing experience: Users are able to check out reviews form travelers about their travel experience [7].

Demographics: See graph 1 (above) and chart 2 (on next page)

• United States-49%• Mexico-4%• Thailand-3%• India-2% • New Zealand-1%• Belgium-1% • Hong Kong-1%• Romania-1%• Spain-1%• Indonesia


Chart 1. Competitive Sustainable Advantage-TripAdvisor, Expedia, Hotwire

Chart 2. Grouped Demographics of TripAdvisor, Hotwire and Expedia and their percentage use globally






TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world: 315 million unique monthly visitors [8], and more than 200 million reviews and opinions covering more than 4.4 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions.

[9] Reviews and opinions: 200 million globally

How many businesses and properties: 4.4 million

How many destinations: 145,000+, including:• 890,000+ hotels, B&Bs, and specialty lodging• Nearly 650,000+ vacation rentals• 2.4 million restaurants• 480,000+ attractions

Candid traveler photos: More than 26 million

New contributors: More than 115 new contributions are posted every minute.

[9] Responsiveness of travelers: English speaking travelers reply to More than 85 percent of questions posted to TripAdvisor’s English-speaking forums within 24 hours.

Current communication methods: Internet based

Current strategies: Launch of a social-networking platform that allows users to connect with fellow travelers and share their experiences. Members exchange pictures and videos from previous trips and offer advice on where

to go and what to see for future adventures.Existing networking strategies and industry standards for information sharing:

• TripAdvisor is an American travel website providing reviews of travel- related content. It also includes interactive travel forums.• Early adopter of user-generated content.• Website services are free to users.• Advertising supports Website

Green Leader: Promise of environmentally friendly practices, this includes:• Transparency• Honest Traveler Feedback• Audits

The reviews are current and give detail about guests who have stayed in a hotel booked on trip advisor. The hotel manager quickly answers any complaints in writing [9].

User history is available: Top contributors are recognized via a grading system that shows how many time they have reviewed and where they have been. Badges can be awarded that differentiate between how many times they have reviewed, hotels they have reviewed, restaurant reviews, attraction reviews, and helpful notes [8].

Site Features [7]:• Instant bookings• Flights• Saves trip history• Vacation rentals • Users can check out traveler ratings, see reviews for families’, couples, solo, and business.



Idea 1 Trip Advisor SWOT

Opportunities

• Global outreach platform can move in multiple languages and markets• An improved network were they can facilitate user conversations• Validate information that the advertised vacation details are what they say they are• Video showing of current state of property

Strengths

• Green Leader: Promise of environmentally friendly practices• Extensive global outreach• Strong brand• Shared networks/multiple distribution systems• Choice of restaurant • Photos• Forms• Location based login/information based on where you login

Weaknesses

• Not real time• Content is filtered Policed by network prior to posting of content (so negative content may be blocked)• Network controlled social media• Language barriers • Delay in posting may put people off! All posting are filtered

Threats

• Privacy laws• New better networks • Easier to use networks




Hotwire Define Industry: Travel

Network of individuals to be targeted: Vacationers, business travelers,

Overall information sharing between users: Basic interaction if user subscribes via email [10].

Demographics: See graph 1 and chart 2

Percentage of visitors:• United States 75.7%• Netherlands 4.8%• Canada 4.5%• Australia 1.4%• United Kingdom 1.3%


Strategies: Hotwire Strategic Marketing’s vision is to promote efficiency and effectiveness across all business communications. The depth and breadth of their strengths are firmly grounded in a strategic business focus and a great network of business alliances.

Existing networking strategies and industry standards for information sharing:

Hotwire networks with travel partners who give them access to unsold inventory. For example, empty hotel rooms, empty flight seats, and extra cars on rental lots are sold at reduced price to the traveler. Consequentially, Hotwire get travel deals at a significantly lower price compared to published prices if travelers went direct, or, through other networks [10].

Services include the bookings of:• Hotel• Cars• Flights• Vacations

There is a sign in option for users; this saves trip history and booking references. If the user subscribes to the website they get offers and price alerts via email [10].


Opportunities

• Getting current members to refer friends and family• Potential to develop two-way communication between participants• Enabling the uploading of photos and videos

Strengths

• Customer can save up to 60% on their stay• Guarantee of quality or standards of a property• Instant bookings• Relevant and timely offers

Weaknesses

• Once you have booked you can’t cancel• If you don’t like the property it’s difficult to get refund• Maps of areas you visit• No Online community• Just shows a percentage of reviews• The number of availability~ not all hotels participate

Threats

• Other people adopt similar models• Hotels decide to build their own networks for their members


Idea 1 HotWire SWOT




Expedia Define Industry: Travel

Network of individuals to be targeted: Vacationers, business travelers,

Overall information sharing between users: Online booking service, special offers via email to users if they subscribe. There are additional Expedia rewards to users who sign in before they shop [11].

Demographics: See graph 1 and chart 2

Percentage of visitors:• United States: 72.9%• India: 2.3%• Netherlands: 1.6%• Mexico: 1.6%• South Korea: 1.5%

Monthly visitors: 58 million

Monthly site view: 742 million

Total email subscribers: 23 million [12]


Strategiy: They play a fundamental role in facilitating travel, whether for leisure, unmanaged business or managed business travelers. They state they are committed to providing travelers, travel suppliers and advertisers the world over with the best set of resources to serve their travel needs by leveraging Expedia’s critical asset, brand portfolio, technology and commitment to continuous innovation, additionally, global reach and breadth of product offering. In addition, they intelligently utilize their growing base of knowledge about destinations, activities, suppliers and travelers and our central position in the travel value chain to more effectively merchandise our travel offerings.

Existing networking strategies and industry standards for information sharing:

An internet based travel website that books airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, cruises, vacation packages and various attractions and services via the world wide web and telephone agents. The site uses multiple global distribution systems [13].

• Amadeus• Sabre reservations system for flights• Worldspan for hotels



Idea 1 Expedia SWOT

Opportunities

• Implementing content sharing

Strengths

• Global• Network sharing• They have predictive analysis based on previous viewing• Rewards program• Multiple options on rooms

Weaknesses

• Not as highly discounted as other travel net-works

Threats

• Airlines and hotels could go direct and offer better deals direct• Easily replicated



Idea 1 Citations

[1] Grey Denham, (2012), retrieved from http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/id/denham-grey

Diagram 1 Travel Social Network: User Groups-Suzanne Mitchell

[2] Intellectual Propertyhttp://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intellectual%20property

[3] Exclusive Licensehttp://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-exclusive-license.htm#didyouknowout

[4] Statutory monopolieshttp://financial-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Statutory+monopoly

[5] Intangible Benefit http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/intangible-benefits.html

[6] Tangible Benefithttp://thelawdictionary.org/tangible-benefits/

Chart 1. A sustainable competitive advantage TripAdvisor, Hotwire, Expediahttp://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/people.asp?privcapId=520308http://www.businessinsider.com/the-6-keys-to-sustainable-competitive-advantage-2010-6?op=1http://www.expediainc.com/about/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/people.asp?privcapId=520308

[7] TripAdvisorhttp://www.statmyweb.com/visual/tripadvisor.com

[8] http://www.tripadvisor.com/PressCenter-c4-Fact_Sheet.html

[9] TripAdvisorhttp://www.tripadvisor.com/PressCenter-c6-About_Us.html

[10] Hotwirehttp://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/hotwire.com

[11]-[12]- [13] Expediahttp://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/people.asp?privcapId=520308http://www.advertising.expedia.com/about/http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/expedia.com



Idea 2 Over Age 65 Social Network by Jamie Bowerman

Who: 65+

What: A simplified device and interface for individuals 65+

Why: Because as we age things like eye sight and dexterity diminish but our desire to communicate with friends and loved ones do not.

How: Through a re-designed interface specifically catering to the needs of individuals losing eye sight, dexterity, and hearing.

Social networking most underserved demographic is the 65+ age group. However the greatest increase in population growth globally will be in this bracket of 65+. This age group wants to connect with friends, family and loved ones across the globe, but either did not grow up in the rise of social media or does not understand how to connect with all the many inter faces of social media.

Pew Research: Internet Project. (2013, December 27). Social Networking Fact Sheet. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/



Idea 2 Over Age 65 Social Network continued

The Solution:

A simplified smart device and interface that is designed for the needs of individuals 65 and up.

Social media is rampant with age groups 18-35, but what about the older generations who didn’t grow up with a smart phone but still wants to be connected more than ever but have a barrier to the technology. As people grow older staying connected with family, friends and loved ones who live far away can become more and more difficult.

I propose a social media network specifically catered to people 65 plus to stay in contact with friends, family and loved ones. It would be a simplified smart phone for the elderly that would work just like a phone but with a simplified interface. 2 raised buttons for easy identification, and a social interface where younger family members can send photos. Using voice recognition software like Siri, the phone will verbalize who is sending a picture or message and then verbally speak it for the elderly user. Younger users, such as grandchild could push photos and updates for Facebook and Pinterest to the grandparents’ Social account linked to the modified smart device.

The interface of both the physical product and the application would specifically designed for the elderly many who are hard of hearing or who cannot see well. The network could also be used for the blind and deaf with some alterations to the physical product. Refurbished smart phones or older generation i-phones, which are re-used over seas can be recycled and retrofitted with this new interface designed for the needs of individually 65 and up.

Pew Research: Internet Project. (2013, December 27). Social Networking Fact Sheet. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/



Idea 2 Over Age 65 Social Network continued

User group 1: The grandparents that have grandchildren and family on social media but they did not grow up with the technology, they want to connect but need a simplified interface. This device has a red and green button with an interface that requires yes (green) or no (red) answers from the user. It will all grandparents to like a photo, or even use voice recognition to make a comment, with a yes to send that comment and a no to clear and start over.

User Group 2: This group cannot see and are mostly if not totally blind. This interface is also a yes or no interface, with all the messages coming in as audio recordings, giving the elderly user verbal updates from other networks. The smart device verbalizes the message or update and allows the user to make a response, but playing back their audio message with a yes or no option to send the message or clear it and start over. A braille attachment device may be necessary.

User Group 3: This group cannot hear very well, so the device would be more like an i-pad since with photos and text coming in oversized fonts. There may also need to be an additional device to magnify images. Responses by the user can be recorded via siri and read back by the user through the smart device.

User Group 4: These are active folks who understand social media but want to connect with people also 65+ these people maybe in other countries or abroad. This gives people 65+ a means of making a new pen pal and perhaps even travel back and forth like a couch surfing site for 65+. People could post if they have an extra room to stay in but different than couchsurfer.com, which is for 18-30. This will allow active people without family or who are lonely to connect with other individuals outside their local community.



Idea 3 Homeschooler Social Network by Cheryl Edenfield

The homeschool social network seeks to combine the best of the features already used by homeschoolers.

To homeschool is to teach one’s child(ren) at home instead of sending them to school. Homeschoolers represent just under 3% of students ages 5 through 17 attending kindergarten through 12th grade.[1] Most come from households that have two parents, one of which works (other stays home), and achieved higher level education; have three or more children; live outside of town (in rural areas or suburbs); double/more than double poverty level; and are mostly white. See corresponding charts as follows. [2]



Idea 3 Homeschooler Social Network continued

Homeschoolers tend to use Facebook groups, blogs, Pinterest and local community resources to connect and share ideas. Given that there is lots of information out there for homeschoolers, it’s tough to even know where to begin because it’s spread out everywhere. There’s not one single place, other than community Facebook groups or pages, for homeschoolers to connect. [3]




Homeschoolers seek an alternative to their public school and private school options for a variety of reasons. It could be due to classroom size, tuition, faith-based, how they feel about the level of education received at particular schools, etc. Sometimes it also has to do with disabilities or other challenges their child may have.




User group 1: brand new homeschoolers, with no previous experience homeschooling and needs guidance and direction. These users seek advice from friends and family via social media like Facebook posts. They may join Facebook groups and also create Pinterest boards with ideas. They may not know where to start.

User group 2: experienced homeschoolers who have experience at least two years or more in homeschooling their children. These homeschoolers could be bloggers who already share their experiences and resources. They are also active in social media on Facebook and Pinterest, sharing their past experiences and pinning ideas. Many already belong to a local homeschooler community group that meets in person. They might share a local library of materials and host a local “homeschool 101” presentation mid to late winter for parents considering homeschooling as an option.

User group 3: homeschool resource providers and publishers. These are companies who provide course materials to homeschoolers. This could also include local/school athletic teams and arts/music groups to provide extracurricular activities for homeschoolers. These providers usually come up in a Google search when a new homeschooler searches for materials. It’s hard to discern and know which route to take from classical teaching to Christian/faith based or Montessori style.

User group 4: government entities, who provide guidelines for homeschooling such as the local school board and state department of education. Information guidelines and resources for each state differs and is posted on their state department of education website.




Network overview

There’s no need to re-invent parts that are already created, but this network can make it simpler to navigate the information housed on the sites they use, such as:

• Single sign-on (no need to create registration) with a Facebook account.• Communities tied to already existing Facebook groups – so members can be automatically added based on group membership when logging in with Facebook account (no need to repeat set up for a group).• Featured pins pulled from Pinterest.

Network goals

• To create a simpler, one-stop research center for information and resources to homeschool.• Make resources searchable and organized by categories, groups, state/ locale, subject matter, grade level, and more.• To connect new homeschoolers with mentors in the community as well as resources for homeschooling.• To create an environment that doesn’t push one way of homeschooling over another or advertise to this target market.

Working Wall Idea 3 Citations

[1] U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences National Center for Education Statistics. (2010, July). Percentage distribution of students ages 5 through 17 attending kindergarten through 12th grade, by school type or participation in homeschooling and selected child, parent, and household characteristics: 1999, 2003, and 2007. Retrieved January 15, 2015, from http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_206.20.asp

[2]Coalition for Responsible Home Education. (2013, September 10). Homeschool Demographics. Retrieved January 15, 2015, from http://www.responsiblehomeschooling.org/homeschooling-101/homeschool-demographics/

[3] IHomeschool Network. (2013, July 22). The Two Social Networks that are Best for Reaching Homeschool Moms. Retrieved January 15, 2015, from http://www.ihomeschoolnetwork.com/social-networks-homeschool-moms/

Competitors are community Facebook groups/pages and bloggers. Other competitors include:

• http://www.ihomeschoolnetwork.com/• http://a2zhomeschooling.com/beginning_home_school/homeschool_ message_boards/• http://www.homeschoogle.com/index.php?option=com_ community&view=register&Itemid=121

Opportunities align with the network goals. The competitors don’t have current or up-to-date posts and information. Some also require a separate log in, so we would provide a simpler option. One network seeks to publish resources, thus creating advertising to target homeschoolers (something we don’t want to do).

Network Design Development—Idea Selection

As a team, we decided that the homeschool social network had the most potential. Our creative brief follows on the next two pages.


Network Design DevelopmentHomeschool Social Network

Creative Brief (first draft)

Our group decided to pursue the Homeschool Social Network idea.

Value Proposition

The Homeschool Social Network is for kids who are home schooled who do not have the social interactions one would get at a public or private school.

Our social network connects homeschool students with other home school students.

We do this by connecting students with similar interests within a community, unlike the i-Homeschool Network which simply aggregates homeschooler blogs and other homeschool websites.

Our homeschool social network provides an extension of learning for homeschooled children for sports, activities, and general activities they would normally not get at home

Overview

There are social sites designed for homeschool children such as http://www.ihomeschoolnetwork.com/, and groups for their parents on Facebook. While these sites target home-schooled children, they only address the parents and the publishers who might be looking for home-schooled children. What about the actual kids being home-schooled? What if they want to expand their knowledge and experience beyond a set curriculum designed for one-on-one learning, or to play a team sport? There is a huge opportunity for home-schooled children to connect with one another locally within their area, for activities they would normally be able to get at a public or private school.

Ideas

There are social sites designed for homeschool children such as http://www.ihomeschoolnetwork.com/, and groups for their parents on Facebook. While these sites target home-schooled children, they only address the parents and the publishers who might be looking for home-schooled children. What about the actual kids being home-schooled? What if they want to expand their knowledge and experience beyond a set curriculum designed for one-on-one learning, or to play a team sport? There is a huge opportunity for home-schooled children to connect with one another locally within their area, for activities they would normally be able to get at a public or private school.


Network Design DevelopmentHomeschool Social Network

Creative Brief (first draft)

Challenges

Homeschool students are home-schooled due to a variety of reasons including social, academic, family or religious reasons:

• Religious beliefs or practices, which fall outside of public or private school education.• Parents cannot afford, or are not willing to pay for private school.• Parents do not want to send their children to the public school they are districted for.• The student has a disability that the public or private school system is not able to accommodate.• The student needs to catch up academically with his/her peers.

How do we connect people whose parents may not want them to connect outside of the family system? There are many questions and challenges such as this that come up with home school students. Exploring the family ecosystem on an individual basis will be essential to understanding the needs of home school students.

• How do we engage homeschool students and get them sharing?• How do we engage parents?• Do parents want them to share information?• How do parents feel about creating social groups outside the home?• Does religion or religious beliefs prevent social interactions outside the church or home network?• How do home school students develop and connect with others outside their family unit?

Goals

• Explore the daily routine of home school children.• Interview homeschool parents.• Create a network that is entertaining and informative for homeschool students.• Create a network that homeschool students would want to use.

54Process Book // Part 3. Defining Network Users

Part 3. Defining Network Users


Problem. The numbers of families who choose to home school their children is constantly growing each year. There are an abundance of homeschool networks and resources online, but not one way to connect them all.

Opportunity. We have the opportunity to provide a network that offers socialization, organization and support (S.O.S.) for families, community organizations, curricula publishers, interest groups and government entities.

Parents who choose to homeschool are mostly college educated, and have one parent who stays home while the other is in the workforce. They spend a lot of time researching new ways to teach their child(ren) as well as trying out different curricula. It can also be a struggle to learn what their child’s learning style is, especially if this is the first time he/she is teaching at home. Most curricula for a specific subject (or group of subjects) is designed to be purchased for a whole school year, leaving the parent to wait until the next grade level to switch.

Students who are homeschooled, compared to their public and private school counterparts, excel academically. Homeschooling gives them the capability to complete subjects early and move on to the next grade level. They also test well and often outperform others in their grade. Although testing is not required by every state, this may cause a problem if the student moves to a state that does. Not all students, and their families, belong to a co-op so they may not necessarily receive opportunity for socialization or enrichment activities.

Homeschooled students might be connected to others in their community through a co-op or similar organization, but they are not included in online social media groups for homeschoolers.

Organizations (co-ops, special interest and government)

Co-op leaders are often homeschool parents who volunteer to organize a group locally. They may not have all the resources and tools they need to provide a structured and organized environment for both academic and social support. Often they use Facebook groups as a social media outlet.

This provides connection for the parents, but it does not for the children. It also does not provide an easy way to store and disseminate information to everyone in the co-op. Some have created their own websites, but some don’t have the know-how to build one or else the time to keep it updated with the latest subject or activity offerings and state regulations (if they change).

New homeschoolers may not know how to find special interest groups or the state department of education page. If they do, many times it’s filled with so much legal jargon that it’s hard to know in layman’s terms what exactly is compulsory or not.

The HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) really helps out with the legal issues and want to keep a parent’s basic right to educate their children away from any regulatory control. They are a Christian organization and I got the sense they mostly deal with caseworkers that show up at homes where the children are being home schooled for religious reasons. Home schooling for religious reasons is only officially sanctioned in Va. and no other state which is why I think some state just simply don't require any notice. Sports are a major issue and it hasn't really been resolved. Florida apparently allows it, but most states don't. There are concerns about the tone educators had about home schooling and the take away was that they are completely neutral, and principals simply go through the motions to check a box for the superintendent.

Defining Network UsersA Social Network for Homeschool Socialization, Organization and Support (S.O.S.)

User Analyses, Insights, Research Conclusions



Creative Brief (second draft)

Value Proposition

The Homeschool SOS is for families choose to homeschool who desire to provide their child(ren) with high-quality education, enrichment activities and socialization.

Our social network connects homeschool families with other homeschool families, co-ops, community interest groups, and curricula publishers.

We do this by connecting families with tools and resources like the HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association), unlike the i-Homeschool Network which simply aggregates homeschooler blogs and other homeschool websites.

Our homeschool social network provides an extension of learning for homeschooled children for sports, activities, and general activities they would normally not get at home.

Background

There are social sites designed for homeschool children such as http://www.ihomeschoolnetwork.com/, and groups for their parents on Facebook. While these sites target home-schooled children, they only address the parents and the publishers who might be looking for home-schooled children. What about the actual kids being home-schooled? What if they want to expand their knowledge and experience beyond a set curriculum designed for one-on-one learning, or to play a team sport?

Overview

This network is designed to target the educational and social needs of the students to prepare them for adulthood. There is a huge opportunity for homeschooled children to connect with one another locally within their area, for activities they would normally be able to get at a public or private school, as well as global via the internet.


Drivers

With the cost of private education rising and quality of some public schools declining, many parents are making the decision to take their child’s education in their own hands. As the job market gets tougher and the income gaps become wider how can we provide a platform for homeschooled and non-homeschooled children to get a world-class education regardless of family income?

Audience

We are focused primarily on students and parents. We want them to think of us as the trusted source for homeschooling and non-home schooling guidance. To inspire them to help create more educated students and citizens.

Tone

To inspire each parent and individual student, while providing a broad spectrum of knowledge. Instill education as a lifelong process, and to encourage learning and wonder for all ages.

Message

[Parents] Homeschool SOS will give you the confidence to homeschool your child(ren) while meeting your needs as well as compulsory requirements of your sate.

[Students] Homeschool SOS will give you the tools you need to succeed while also connecting you with others with like-interests.

Visuals

Existing visuals, stock photography because of time limits. If any shots are not available through stock footage we can shoot at home with iPhone.

Competitors

Homeschool Now USAhttp://homeschoolnowusa.com

K12-online public schoolhttp://ww2.k12.com/mod/home/

Connections Academyhttp://www.connectionsacademy.com/curriculum/free-online-learning.aspx

Time for Learninghttp://www.time4learning.com/homeschool-online.htm

Home school networkhttp://www.ihomeschoolnetwork.com/

Homeschool.comhttp://www.homeschool.com/OnlineCourses/

Oak Meadow – Independent Learning http://oakmeadow.com/






Deliverables

The Homeschool SOS Network will:

• Help match parents and students with teaching and learning styles to figure out which curricula will work for them.

• Partner with curricula publishers so that parents can build mix-and- match style curricula in modules (smaller chunks versus whole year) to meet their needs.

• Structure and organize curriculum modules and subjects with a checklist so that parents and students can move through them at their own pace. This will create relevant curriculum material for homeschool students as well as non-home school students who want to participate so that they can focus on skills relevant to today’s job market.

• Include modules for local co-ops so that families who belong to a co- op to create a schedule, timeline, subject matter to study together locally or virtually online. This will allow homeschool students to share ideas and experiences to help foster social activity online as well as after scheduled study hours.

• Include extra curricular activity modules for subjects like physical education, sports team(s), field trip(s), social activity, art, music, religion and clubs for like-interests. This will match homeschool children of similar interests.

• Partner with HSLDA to include HSLDA member only benefits provided through the SOS network. Membership will be denoted in the user’s profile.

• Completed modules will generate an official transcript upon completion of a grade level to be used for transfer to another educational institution or for college enrollment purposes.

• Completed modules will generate a review process so that parents can leave feedback for other users. This will help parents get a better understanding of whether or not the curricula is a good fit for their child(ren).

• Partner with local colleges/universities to provide a module for courses that can be applied towards college credit.

Goal

To create a network that is informative, resourceful, entertaining and provides support for homeschool families so that they want to use it on a daily basis.

People

Homeschool parents, students, and organizations (local co-ops, special interest groups and government)



Marketing Strategies

Start in local communities with homeschool associations or co-ops and speak to their group at their next gathering with parent and child(ren). Word-of-mouth is strong in the homeschool community.

Advertise user profile directory to find other homeschoolers in the area, that users would have access to once they join. Email and private information is hidden.

Homeschoolers also tend to read blogs, use Facebook and Pinterest. Sponsored ads on homeschool blogs with a review by the blogger would reach our target audience.

Partner with Homeschool Now USA (independent nonprofit coalition of homeschool organizations) to reach and market to more than 500 homeschool communities through their radio, social media, and word-of-mouth campaigns. Sponsor their “You Can Homeschool” brochure with an advertisement for Homeschool SOS. http://homeschoolnowusa.com/homeschool-now-usa

Set up a booth at state level homeschool conventions, such as OCHEC’s [Oklahoma Christian Home Educators’ Consociation, Inc.] convention coming up May 2015. Curricula publishers will be in attendance and this will also be an opportunity to meet with those publishers in person after reaching out prior to the convention. http://ochec.com/Categories.aspx?Id=Conventions

Partner with curricula publishers to offer a free trial on specified modules just by signing up for the network. This will help us also generate initial reviews to put in the system, especially when a publisher is rolling out something new.

Give advertising bookmarkers to local libraries/book stores (and other locations that homeschoolers frequent) with matching poster on community bulletin board.

Sponsored advertising at regional zoos and museums during homeschooler visitation days.


Homeschool SOS

User Groups

Students

Parents

Organizations

PUBLISHERS

GOVERNMENT

LOCAL GROUPS


User Groups


• 37 years old• Stay-at-home mom• Three children ages 12, 6 and 3 (Jack, Colleen and Maddie)• She and her husband, Michael, are renting a 4 bedroom 2 bath ranch house in Killeen, Texas just outside of Fort Hood.• Prior to being a stay-at-home mom, Jill was a chemistry lab technician. She has a B.S. in chemistry from Ole Miss.

This is Jill’s second year homeschooling Jack and Colleen. She started a local co-op with her neighbor and best friend, but does rely heavily on what she can find online about homeschooling. She also belongs to some local stay-at-home mom Facebook groups and is a member of the HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association). Texas does not have regulations about homeschooling, so she uses a mix-and-match curriculum method (primarily classical) to meet her family’s needs and expectations for both Jack’s and Colleen’s education. She spent several months’ research – between blogs, websites, Facebook groups, friends, family and Pinterest – before homeschooling both kids. She is still figuring out each child’s learning style so she’s on the look out for reviews and recommendations on how to more effectively teach each of them.

Jill homeschools Jack and Colleen for about four hours a day. Prior to homeschool, both children

attended a public school. Prior to the birth of Maddie and Colleen, Jack attended a Catholic preK and kindergarten program at their family church in Georgia.

Michael is a captain in the U.S. Army and they move to a new duty station every two to three years. So it’s not easy for Jill to keep a steady job. Since they had kids, they decided she would stay home until the kids started school. However, with all the moves, it’s also difficult to move the children from one school program to another. The choice to homeschool creates a balance between consistent curriculum and the constant relocation. It also helps if Michael receives new orders to move mid-year versus when school is out for the summer. Jill drives a silver, 2012 Toyota Sienna mini-van, and Michael drives a 2006 red Dodge Ram 1500 extended cab pick up truck.

Defining Network UsersPersonas: Jill O’Donnell

User Group: Parent and Organization (Co-op Leader)


Defining Network UsersPersonas: Jack and Colleen O’Donnell

User Group: Students

• 12 years old• Sixth grade• Moved around the country more than his younger siblings.• Lives in Killeen, Texas, just outside of Fort Hood with his parents Jill and Michael• Jack is athletic and enjoys playing soccer, baseball and basketball.• Other interests: music and history.• First year being home schooled, and he’s adjusting to it relatively well so far.

Jack’s mom is able to give him more attention than he had in previous years in a large classroom.

Jack is a typical first-born child who’s a natural leader. In a school setting, the other children tend to follow his lead. At home, he misses the social interaction between him and his classmates. He has plenty of neighborhood friends that he sees after school. His friends attend different schools in the area, and not necessarily the public school they are districted for.

For fun, Jack likes to read. His favorite books are the Harry Potter series and Percy Jackson & the Olympian series. He also enjoys playing outside with his friend next door, sitting out on the porch playing Lego or playing games on his tablet.

• 8 years old• Third grade• Also lives in Killeen, Texas• Colleen plays soccer and basketball• Other interests: art and science• This is also Colleen’s first year being home schooled.

Colleen doesn’t mind having the attention split between her and her brother. She still gets more individual time than she did in public school

She is the middle child, but oldest girl, so she is like a mother hen with her siblings. She doesn’t miss the social interaction at school because she gets to spend more time with her family.

For fun, Colleen likes to help her mom make things she finds on Pinterest. She also plays next door with the sister of her brother’s friend. She and her siblings are not allowed to watch TV on school nights, but on the weekend they like to borrow DVDs from the library. All the children are pretty tech savvy. They share two older generation tablets between the three kids. They do not participate on social media at the direction of their parents.


Defining Network UsersPersonas: Christie Legg

User Group: Parent

• 40 years old• American• Christie worked as a data analysis before becoming a homeschool mom• Educated at Georgetown, Washington – B.S. in Computer Science and an M.A. in Communications• Married with four children• Lives in Mableton, Atlanta Georgia• Strong faith, strong values, and strong family• Energetic• Health conscious• Christian values• Attends church on a regular basis• Very involved in community outreach – liaises with homeschool moms, church leadership, community service coordinator

Christie is one of 3 siblings. Her family lives in the Washington, D.C. area. Her husband owns a golf shop in Atlanta. They are in the middle-income bracket. Christie values being at home with her kids. She stopped working in corporate America 12 years ago where she held an executive position.

Christie makes long to do lists. She doesn’t finish teaching the kids until everything is crossed off. She has built a nurturing homeschool environment for her kids.

She advises homeschool mom’s about materialsDoesn’t blog but reads blogs, she says her time is taken up with activity throughout the day so doesn’t get a lot of time for internet. Her home is very well organized and her classroom set up is ideal.

Christie liked the idea of a social network for homeschool she suggested a curriculum based site with real time teachers


Defining Network UsersPersonas: Rozanne Van Rensburg

User Group: Parent

• 47 years old• Nationality: South African • Education: Qualified as a nurse, England, and US.• Occupation: State Nurse • Lives in Malibu, California• Married with 4 children• Strong family values • Strong faith • Attend church on a regular basis • High morals • Health conscious • Husband is head of acquisitions Coca Cola • Deryk has a PhD. in business

Rozanne has lived all over the world and traveled extensively with Dereyk’s (her husband) executive job at Coca Cola. Dereyk got a promotion in 2012 and they moved to Malibu. However, they will be moving back to their Atlanta home summer 2015.

Rozanne is one of 8 siblings. All her family still live in South Africa. She has lived in 8 countries and is multi-lingual.

The family are in the high 1% income bracket, however remain grounded in their faith. They are very philanthropic and contribute to many charities throughout the world.

Rozanne adapts to new cultures and living styles, and has high educational standards. Her children, Bethany, Micah, and Joel were not homeschooled. They attended international school in Greece and Austria but now attend Pepperdine University Malibu. Josiah is the first child to be homeschooled.

Rozanne likes the flexibility of homeschool, and prefers to send Josiah to the neighborhood homeschool. Her current network use is Facebook, Pinterest, and Houzz.

Her thoughts on a homeschool social network were positive. She thought the more resources and homeschool support the better!


Defining Network UsersPersonas: Luke Legg and Josiah Van Rensburg

User Group: Students

• 12 years old• Lives in Mableton, Atlanta, Georgia. The sub-division has a pool and a large play area for children• Plays baseball• Other interests – scouts, art, and roller blading

Luke is a sweet young boy who enjoys homeschool and is very active in the community participating in service projects, church outreach, scouts, and baseball. He is very well mannered and loves homeschool. He likes the way his mother teaches and monitors progress. Luke has a lot of respect for his parents.

During the winter school term 2015 he has started to attend a homeschool program (Metro) 4 days a week and is excited about it. He’s glad to have a break from his twin 9-year-old siblings.

Luke enjoys taking responsibility for tasks his mother set for him. He likes earning money that way!

He has restrictions regarding Internet use and was very cautious about people saying they were something they were not.

Luke is competitive, and strives for good grades. He is rewarded for receiving them. He thought the idea of having friends on the Internet was cool.

• 13 years old• Lives in an upmarket ocean view gated sub-division Malibu, California.• Surfs• Other Interests: fishing, kayaking, gaming• Very privileged• Youngest child in a family of 4

Josiah misses his friends in Atlanta and is not too enthralled about homeschool in Malibu.

Josiah was born in Greece, and has moved around the world with his family since he was born. He is a strong- willed child with a quiet disposition, and is a very affectionate child.

He loves outdoor activity. Although he lives in an affluent environment he values the simple things and he appreciates all he has. Josiah is very well mannered and always says please and thank you.

He is not too keen on homeschool. He loves the weather in Malibu because he can surf most of the year. He is Intelligent, works hard to get good grades, and likes computer gaming.


Defining Network UsersPersonas: Michael Orsman

User Group: Organization

• Occupation: Attorney• Location: Washington, D.C.• Martial Status: Married• Income: $110,000• Loves: Sailing and Photography

Michael Orsman is originally from Hackensack, New Jersey. He attended Rutgers and then onto law school at Georgetown. He met his wife at law school, and they have 2 sons who attended public school in Bethesda, Maryland. Michael and his wife choose the area because it is safe andhad excellent public education. Michael and his wife do pro-bono work for HSLDA on the side. During a moot court debate in law school Michael realized that there was many complicated legal issues for home school parents and students but that hiring attorneys was expensive and often not possible for home school parents.

Michael has worked with the organization for 8 years and finds the work both rewarding and stimulating as a variety of legal issues come up in home schooling and federal regulation.

In his spare time Michael enjoys sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and taking amateur photography. Michael hopes his children will go onto practice law as he finds it a rewarding career path.


Defining Network UsersPersonas: Mary Beth Jackson

User Group: Organization

• Occupation: Superintendent of Schools• Location: Plainfield, Ct• Martial Status: Married• Income: $136,000• Loves: Dogs and Teaching

Mary Beth Jackson, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, attended high school in Milford, and went on to to study education at the University of New haven. She began teaching in 1982. Then after ten years of teaching, Mary Beth went on to become principal, and evenually superintendent, where she has worked for 8 years. She was nominated teacher of the year in 1988. She is married with 2 children in her school district. Mary Beth is an avid reader and doglover, her family owns 2 Boston terriers. She enjoys vacations to Vermont in the winter, but loves the beaches most of all in the summer. She is a great admirer of history and the colonial period and enjoys antiquing as a hobby.

She prefers when children are taught through her district as she thinks it’s one of the best in the state of Connecticut. She understands a parent’schoice to home school but does not allow

home school children to participate in extra circulator activities in her district. She does this intentionally in the hopes that students will join the district and that parents will reinforce learning at home. She encourages parents who might consider home schooling to start with public school and join the PTA. She hopes that bykeeping public school sports and musical programs separate for homeschool it will be an incentive for the parents to send their kids to public school and become strong board members on the PTA.

Mary Beth feels enforcing this will over all elevate the community creating students and parents who can benefit from the strength of the program overall. This allows creates more students which means more tax dollars from the state.


Parent(s) who have been home schooling their children less than two years or are considering home schooling as an option.

• What is your age?• How many children are in your household?• How long have you been home schooling? Or when do you plan to start home schooling?• How and where did you start (research/register for) home schooling?• Did you get help or advice?• Is there a cost involved in home schooling? If so, how much and was it a determining factor?• Why did you choose to home school?• How often or how much time do you spend a day home schooling? Or how much research have you conducted?• Do you belong to a home school group? Local community, online or both?• Tell me about homeschoolers. What is a good fit? Is this for you, for everyone?• What advice can you give someone deciding to home school or not?• What do you wish someone told you when you started? Or can’t find that would be helpful to you or others?• If there were a social network for homeschoolers, would you continue to use it? Or would it be primarily just for beginning research?• What would be useful information to include/provide in a social network for homeschoolers?

Parents

Defining Network UsersWorking Wall

Questions for parent(s) considering homeschooling, or homeschooling less than two years



Questions for parent(s) considering homeschooling, or homeschooling less than two years // notes by CE

Interviewee 131-year-old stay-at-home mom with three childrenHalf way through second year of home schooling

Interviewee 26-year-old child of interviewee 1 in the first gradeShe is half way through second year of being home schooled

Interviewee 311-year-old child of parent considering home schoolingHe is a fifth grade public school student and has not been home schooled.



Questions for parent(s) considering homeschooling, or homeschooling less than two years // notes by CE



Questions for student(s) homeschooling less than two years, or whose parents are considering homeschooling as an option

Student(s) who have been home schooled less than two years or whose parents are considering homeschooling as an option.

• How old are you, and what grade are you in?• Tell me about your day? When do you “go to school” and for how long?• Where (in your home) do you go to school? Can you show me?• What do you expect from homeschool? What happens there?• What do you do in school? What subjects are you studying?• What do you like about home schooling? Do you have a favorite part of school, favorite subject or activity?• How do you know when it’s time for school or (regular) time at home for play?• Do you have rules for home school? Do you think you are disciplined enough to do assignments on your own with your parent’s help or guidance?• What do you think about an online community for home school students like yourself?• What if you could share and do group projects with another student online?• Are you interested in meeting other students like you; making friends? What if it’s like Facebook or another social media site? Would you be interested?

Students



Questions for student(s) homeschooling less than two years, or whose parents are considering homeschooling as an option // notes by CE



Empathy map for parent considering homeschooling, or homeschooling less than two years // notes by CE



Empathy map for student with parent considering homeschooling, or homeschooling less than two years // notes by CE



Questions for experienced homeschooling parent(s)

Parents who have been home schooling their child(ren) more than two years.

• Would you send your son to Malibu county schools?• How long have you been homeschooling your son?• Why did you pull him out of mainstream schooling?• How did you begin the journey of homeschool?• Are there good resources available for homeschool parents?• How did you start? • How long did it take before you were ready to go?• Was the syllabus costly?• Where you concerned about the responsibility of educating your son?• Did you find that lessons were quicker via the homeschool method of learning compared to classroom environments in which your son was initially used too?• Did you ever feel you needed support from other homeschoolers? Did you need a support system?• Do you blog or Face Book anything about your experience with homeschool; do you share lesson plans or ideas with other homeschoolers?• Did your Christian beliefs influence your decision to homeschool your son?• Does your son have any health problems that have influenced your

Parents

decision to homeschool?• Did you decide to homeschool your son because of financial reasons?• How did Art and recreation become part of homeschool?• Where the children your son’s age?• What was the age range of the children?• So art and recreation was addressed in this scenario?• How many days did your son have homeschool from his home base?• How were the homeschool group’s classes conducted?• Did the teacher/parent improvise any?• So did you pay the parent teacher for accommodating the homeschool?• Did you pay the ‘Crossfit’ and art teachers?• What would have made you homeschool experience better once you moved to California?• Did your son enjoy the homeschool experience?• Is he involved in any team sports?• Do you know your child’s learning style?• How does this affect his online learning?• How could your homeschool experience be improved?


Suzanne Mitchell Week 3 Team 1 1/22/15 This interview was conducted on Skype with Rozanne Van Ransburg California who has been homeschooling Josiah age 13 for 2 and half years.

1. Would you send Josiah to Malibu county schools? No, we are fortunate enough to have the choice! Some people don’t!

2. How long have you been homeschooling Josiah? We homeschooled for 2 and a half years

3. Why did you pull him out of mainstream schooling? We have always sent our children to private school, in this case we moved from Atlanta to California and thought homeschool was a good option based on distance of private schools, traffic and transition mid-‐term for Josiah.

4. How did you begin the journey of homeschool? We did not want to expose Josiah to Malibu district schooling, private school was an option but we chose homeschool because it gave us flexibility and control over what our son was exposed too! Also we moved from Atlanta to Malibu Christmas 2012! So Josiah was lifted out mid-‐term

5. Are there good resources available for homeschool parents? Yes we were pleasantly surprised at what was available. There are lots of syllabuses out there to choose from, also there are COOPS that serve to connect homeschool children and parents to interest groups. However, I have not seen an interest group that would suit us as yet.

6. How did you start?

• We allocated a space for Josiah, a desk, and a nook in the house. • We researched syllabus online • We walked around the neighborhood casually in the hope to find other

kids that were homeschooled • We visited neighborhood cookouts and meetings in order to network • We researched what type of syllabus was appropriate


Questions for experienced homeschooling parent(s) // notes by SM


Suzanne Mitchell Week 3 Team 1 1/22/15 This interview was conducted on Skype with Rozanne Van Ransburg California who has been homeschooling Josiah age 13 for 2 and half years.

1. Would you send Josiah to Malibu county schools? No, we are fortunate enough to have the choice! Some people don’t!

2. How long have you been homeschooling Josiah? We homeschooled for 2 and a half years

3. Why did you pull him out of mainstream schooling? We have always sent our children to private school, in this case we moved from Atlanta to California and thought homeschool was a good option based on distance of private schools, traffic and transition mid-‐term for Josiah.

4. How did you begin the journey of homeschool? We did not want to expose Josiah to Malibu district schooling, private school was an option but we chose homeschool because it gave us flexibility and control over what our son was exposed too! Also we moved from Atlanta to Malibu Christmas 2012! So Josiah was lifted out mid-‐term

5. Are there good resources available for homeschool parents? Yes we were pleasantly surprised at what was available. There are lots of syllabuses out there to choose from, also there are COOPS that serve to connect homeschool children and parents to interest groups. However, I have not seen an interest group that would suit us as yet.

6. How did you start?

• We allocated a space for Josiah, a desk, and a nook in the house. • We researched syllabus online • We walked around the neighborhood casually in the hope to find other

kids that were homeschooled • We visited neighborhood cookouts and meetings in order to network • We researched what type of syllabus was appropriate



7. How long did it take before you were ready to go?

It took sometime to find syllabus, we eventually got set with Math, English, Spanish, and History. As for Art and recreation this became available in the second month.

8. Was the syllabus costly? It was approx. $2000

9. Where you concerned about the responsibility of educating your son? Oh, yes! This was a big decision especially after moving from Georgia to California. We wanted to ensure that Josiah had the correct materials and a strong support system! This would ensure success.

10. Did you find that lessons were quicker via the homeschool method of learning compared to classroom environments in which Josiah was initially used too?

This was the biggest advantage of home schooling! At first I was concerned about how quick we had gotten through a math class! This could be completed in half an hour compared to an hour lesson at Whitefield. We have more time on our hands and far more flexibility to travel.

11. Did you ever feel you needed support from other homeschoolers? Did you need a support system?

Yes! Again, this was a big decision and we wanted to make it work! I also was concerned that I would feel isolated! Josiah is the youngest of 4; he has 2 brothers and one sister. One brother has graduated from Pepperdine (Joel), Micah and Bethany are currently students at Pepperdine, they are at Sophomore and Junior level. My husband was transferred from Coke Atlanta to Coke LA it was a big move! Community and family are key drivers. Josiah left a network of friends and we were praying for a new network via homeschool environment.

12. Do you blog or Face Book anything about your experience with homeschool; do you share lesson plans or ideas with other homeschoolers?

I go on FB and look on Pintrust for ideas, that’s about it!

13. Did your Christian beliefs influence your decision to homeschool Josiah?


7. How long did it take before you were ready to go?

It took sometime to find syllabus, we eventually got set with Math, English, Spanish, and History. As for Art and recreation this became available in the second month.

8. Was the syllabus costly? It was approx. $2000

9. Where you concerned about the responsibility of educating your son? Oh, yes! This was a big decision especially after moving from Georgia to California. We wanted to ensure that Josiah had the correct materials and a strong support system! This would ensure success.

10. Did you find that lessons were quicker via the homeschool method of learning compared to classroom environments in which Josiah was initially used too?

This was the biggest advantage of home schooling! At first I was concerned about how quick we had gotten through a math class! This could be completed in half an hour compared to an hour lesson at Whitefield. We have more time on our hands and far more flexibility to travel.


Yes! Again, this was a big decision and we wanted to make it work! I also was concerned that I would feel isolated! Josiah is the youngest of 4; he has 2 brothers and one sister. One brother has graduated from Pepperdine (Joel), Micah and Bethany are currently students at Pepperdine, they are at Sophomore and Junior level. My husband was transferred from Coke Atlanta to Coke LA it was a big move! Community and family are key drivers. Josiah left a network of friends and we were praying for a new network via homeschool environment.


I go on FB and look on Pintrust for ideas, that’s about it!

13. Did your Christian beliefs influence your decision to homeschool Josiah?






Absolutely, he had attended a Christian school in Atlanta, my older children all attend Pepperdine a Christ based University, so faith based schooling was imperative for Josiah

14. Does Josiah have any health problems that have influenced your decision to homeschool?

No

15. Did you decide to homeschool Josiah because of financial reasons? No

16. How did Art and recreation become part of homeschool? After setting up, we found that there was a neighborhood homeschool, there were 6 children meeting 3 times a week. They met in a home in our neighborhood, the mother was a teacher; they had set up a classroom above their garage. This scenario really helped because a qualified teacher instructed subjects such as Algebra.

17. Where the children Josiah’s age? No

18. What was the age range of the children? 7 through 12 years old

19. So art and recreation was addressed in this scenario? Yes, we benefited from art and history via this route! A ‘Cross Fit’ trainer who worked with the kids covered recreation! Surfing was part of this! As for art, a retired teacher came mid week and worked on various art projects, and, discussed art history.

20. How many days did Josiah have homeschool from his home base? One morning a week! He joined the existing group in the neighborhood 3 times a week. He would go there Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and stay home the rest of the week. Some days would be free!

21. How were the homeschool group’s classes conducted? Online, and lots of worksheets! Utube was used too! Also project based work as a group


Absolutely, he had attended a Christian school in Atlanta, my older children all attend Pepperdine a Christ based University, so faith based schooling was imperative for Josiah

14. Does Josiah have any health problems that have influenced your decision to homeschool?

No

15. Did you decide to homeschool Josiah because of financial reasons? No

16. How did Art and recreation become part of homeschool? After setting up, we found that there was a neighborhood homeschool, there were 6 children meeting 3 times a week. They met in a home in our neighborhood, the mother was a teacher; they had set up a classroom above their garage. This scenario really helped because a qualified teacher instructed subjects such as Algebra.

17. Where the children Josiah’s age? No

18. What was the age range of the children? 7 through 12 years old

19. So art and recreation was addressed in this scenario? Yes, we benefited from art and history via this route! A ‘Cross Fit’ trainer who worked with the kids covered recreation! Surfing was part of this! As for art, a retired teacher came mid week and worked on various art projects, and, discussed art history.

20. How many days did Josiah have homeschool from his home base? One morning a week! He joined the existing group in the neighborhood 3 times a week. He would go there Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and stay home the rest of the week. Some days would be free!

21. How were the homeschool group’s classes conducted? Online, and lots of worksheets! Utube was used too! Also project based work as a group



22. Did the teacher/parent improvise any?

Oh yes! It was the best of both worlds! The kids would have a schedule and online classes were arranged around age appropriate syllabus. The parent teacher was hands on! Especially in the case of the younger kids! The older kids got on with their work; if they had a problem they could ask for help.

23. So did you pay the parent teacher for accommodating the homeschool? Yes, there was a small fee, nothing compared to Whitefield (private school in Atlanta)

24. Did you pay the ‘Crossfit’ and art teachers? Yes, we each contributed for recreation and art

25. What would have made you homeschool experience better once you moved to California?

We would have liked to of been aware of a community of homeschoolers in our district, it took us some time to get plugged in?

26. Did Josiah enjoy the homeschool experience? Unfortunately he misses his friends a lot from Atlanta, it has took some time for him to get established! He is not liking the homeschool system and prefers a more structured environment

27. Is he involved in any team sports? We are actively seeking community driven sports; similar to rec leagues we have in Atlanta. Josiah likes soccer! He is also enjoying surfing

28. Do you know your child’s learning style? Yes! Josiah is auditory and visual learner

29. How does this affect his online learning? As long as he can hear, see and grasp the material apart from reading instructions online he does well! The homeschool community we now belong to systematically go through the syllabus but additional support from the teacher/parent really cements learning. The beauty of this environment is that lessons are tailor made for your child! We didn’t get that at Whitefield! So in some ways it’s a better way of learning.


22. Did the teacher/parent improvise any?

Oh yes! It was the best of both worlds! The kids would have a schedule and online classes were arranged around age appropriate syllabus. The parent teacher was hands on! Especially in the case of the younger kids! The older kids got on with their work; if they had a problem they could ask for help.

23. So did you pay the parent teacher for accommodating the homeschool? Yes, there was a small fee, nothing compared to Whitefield (private school in Atlanta)

24. Did you pay the ‘Crossfit’ and art teachers? Yes, we each contributed for recreation and art

25. What would have made you homeschool experience better once you moved to California?

We would have liked to of been aware of a community of homeschoolers in our district, it took us some time to get plugged in?

26. Did Josiah enjoy the homeschool experience? Unfortunately he misses his friends a lot from Atlanta, it has took some time for him to get established! He is not liking the homeschool system and prefers a more structured environment

27. Is he involved in any team sports? We are actively seeking community driven sports; similar to rec leagues we have in Atlanta. Josiah likes soccer! He is also enjoying surfing

28. Do you know your child’s learning style? Yes! Josiah is auditory and visual learner

29. How does this affect his online learning? As long as he can hear, see and grasp the material apart from reading instructions online he does well! The homeschool community we now belong to systematically go through the syllabus but additional support from the teacher/parent really cements learning. The beauty of this environment is that lessons are tailor made for your child! We didn’t get that at Whitefield! So in some ways it’s a better way of learning.






30. How could your homeschool experience be improved? I am a concerned about online environments, they must be monitored! There is nothing like having a book in your hand! Online literature is difficult to learn from especially if your child is an auditory and visual learner like Josiah. Lessons have to be animated for him to grasp concepts. Therefore, a program that includes live chat from real time teachers plus clear readable syllabuses is imperative. Further, the site must be community based, that connects districts. This way one would know who was home schooled in their area. Further, licensing and parental supervision on a large scale would improve standards, give more accountability to students and increase credibility of homeschooling for all ages.

This interview was conducted in person with Christie Legg in Atlanta who has been homeschooling her children for 7 years. Luke is 12, Amy and Kate (twins) age 9, plus a 6-‐month enfant. 1/23/15

1. Would you send your children to Cobb county schools?

No, we decided to homeschool Luke when he was in 1st grade at Whitefield.

2. How long have you been homeschooling Luke?

I have homeschooled for 7 years

3. Why did you pull him out of mainstream schooling?

We initially sent Luke to Whitefield (a private Christian school) so we have

not considered public school as an option for our children.

4. Why didn’t you consider public school as an option?

The schools in Mableton are terrible, we would have to move house to get in a

good school district. And even in that situation we want to have more control

on what are children are been exposed too

5. How did you begin the journey of homeschool?

Luke’s first grade teacher knew we were struggling with the cost of private

school; this was at the height of the recession. Additionally, Luke wasn’t

adjusting to classroom environments like the other kids! I had worked

independently with him at home and he thrived. His teacher mentioned to me

that she thought Luke was a great candidate for home school. This planted a

seed but we continued to keep Luke in the school for another year. Then I

became pregnant, and we decided that we would take the homeschool option.


This interview was conducted in person with Christie Legg in Atlanta who has been homeschooling her children for 7 years. Luke is 12, Amy and Kate (twins) age 9, plus a 6-‐month enfant. 1/23/15

1. Would you send your children to Cobb county schools?

No, we decided to homeschool Luke when he was in 1st grade at Whitefield.

2. How long have you been homeschooling Luke?

I have homeschooled for 7 years

3. Why did you pull him out of mainstream schooling?

We initially sent Luke to Whitefield (a private Christian school) so we have

not considered public school as an option for our children.

4. Why didn’t you consider public school as an option?

The schools in Mableton are terrible, we would have to move house to get in a

good school district. And even in that situation we want to have more control

on what are children are been exposed too

5. How did you begin the journey of homeschool?

Luke’s first grade teacher knew we were struggling with the cost of private

school; this was at the height of the recession. Additionally, Luke wasn’t

adjusting to classroom environments like the other kids! I had worked

independently with him at home and he thrived. His teacher mentioned to me

that she thought Luke was a great candidate for home school. This planted a

seed but we continued to keep Luke in the school for another year. Then I

became pregnant, and we decided that we would take the homeschool option.






6. Are there good resources available for homeschool parents?

We were astounded at the resources available

7. How did you start? I am very organized and systematic! I already had a space in our home we were using to work with Luke. Research was intense at first because I wanted to be sure I wasn’t missing anything.

8. How long did it take before you were ready to go? It probably took me about 3 months to find materials I was happy with. Age appropriate syllabus that I liked took me some time to find. However, I now understand what’s out there and continue to add to what I have.

9. Was the syllabus/curriculum costly? You can find new syllabuses for approx. $2000, however there is no need at all to spend that type of money. I pay around $400 for lightly used curriculums. I have got better about sourcing, and now I can find free resources that are really good via the Internet. The Amish have an amazing grammar program for example. At first I wasn’t aware of this but you can download for free!

10. Where you concerned about the responsibility of educating your son? Yes for sure! It can be daunting at times! At first I was worried that I wasn’t been thorough enough! It took me some time to realize I was completing to do my list; it’s just that sessions are shorter because of one on one teaching. In a classroom there could be 20 kids or so! That takes a lot of time and management for the teacher.

11. Did you find that lessons were quicker via the homeschool method of learning compared to classroom environments in which Luke was initially used too?

Yes, there is a lot of free time after intense classes like math or grammar! I try to do fun projects that the kids can work on independently after that. Or, I will take them to the grocery store and have them help we shop! All of this is part learning!




6. Are there good resources available for homeschool parents?

We were astounded at the resources available

7. How did you start? I am very organized and systematic! I already had a space in our home we were using to work with Luke. Research was intense at first because I wanted to be sure I wasn’t missing anything.

8. How long did it take before you were ready to go? It probably took me about 3 months to find materials I was happy with. Age appropriate syllabus that I liked took me some time to find. However, I now understand what’s out there and continue to add to what I have.

9. Was the syllabus/curriculum costly? You can find new syllabuses for approx. $2000, however there is no need at all to spend that type of money. I pay around $400 for lightly used curriculums. I have got better about sourcing, and now I can find free resources that are really good via the Internet. The Amish have an amazing grammar program for example. At first I wasn’t aware of this but you can download for free!

10. Where you concerned about the responsibility of educating your son? Yes for sure! It can be daunting at times! At first I was worried that I wasn’t been thorough enough! It took me some time to realize I was completing to do my list; it’s just that sessions are shorter because of one on one teaching. In a classroom there could be 20 kids or so! That takes a lot of time and management for the teacher.

11. Did you find that lessons were quicker via the homeschool method of learning compared to classroom environments in which Luke was initially used too?

Yes, there is a lot of free time after intense classes like math or grammar! I try to do fun projects that the kids can work on independently after that. Or, I will take them to the grocery store and have them help we shop! All of this is part learning! 12. Did you ever feel you needed support from other homeschoolers? Did you

need a support system? Yes! I have a network of friends in my neighborhood; we also meet independently to discuss homeschool issues. Some days even now after 7 years I struggle a little! It becomes very tiring! Especially, after having the baby! I also have a group of homeschooling friends at church, we have formed a coalition, and this helps a lot.


I am not a blogger but I do read blogs! I do use Pintrust and sites like that to get ideas on fun projects. My main communication line is with homeschoolers that are in my vicinity, we share ideas, ask questions relevant to our daily schedule.

14. Did your Christian beliefs influence your decision to homeschool your children?

Yes

15. Do your children have any health problems that have influenced your decision to homeschool?

No, and I have very strong views about medicating a child to enable educational performance and success! It would be interesting if some of those children were put in a homeschool environment whether their attention and performance would be increased! Large classes and distraction go hand in hand!

16. Did you decide to homeschool because of financial reasons? Yes this was a determining factor!

17. How did Art and recreation become part of homeschool? I enjoy working on art projects, or downloading Utube for craft ideas! Recreation is covered through extra-‐curricular activity, rec league, Scouts and team sports are very much part of our family life apart from homeschooling. I also hook up with homeschool moms in my neighborhood; we go on field trips and the likes together.





Yes! I have a network of friends in my neighborhood; we also meet independently to discuss homeschool issues. Some days even now after 7 years I struggle a little! It becomes very tiring! Especially, after having the baby! I also have a group of homeschooling friends at church, we have formed a coalition, and this helps a lot.


I am not a blogger but I do read blogs! I do use Pintrust and sites like that to get ideas on fun projects. My main communication line is with homeschoolers that are in my vicinity, we share ideas, ask questions relevant to our daily schedule.

14. Did your Christian beliefs influence your decision to homeschool your children?

Yes

15. Do your children have any health problems that have influenced your decision to homeschool?

No, and I have very strong views about medicating a child to enable educational performance and success! It would be interesting if some of those children were put in a homeschool environment whether their attention and performance would be increased! Large classes and distraction go hand in hand!

16. Did you decide to homeschool because of financial reasons? Yes this was a determining factor!

17. How did Art and recreation become part of homeschool? I enjoy working on art projects, or downloading Utube for craft ideas! Recreation is covered through extra-‐curricular activity, rec league, Scouts and team sports are very much part of our family life apart from homeschooling. I also hook up with homeschool moms in my neighborhood; we go on field trips and the likes together.

18. Do you teach all subjects to your children? I did when Luke was younger but now Luke is older he participates in a church homeschool! A teacher covers the more difficult subjects in a classroom setting; this year he goes 4 days a week to Metro, a church homeschool, this is a classroom setting.

19. Do other children participate in this environment? Yes it’s a great set-‐up, 8th grade through 12th

20. What was the age range of the children? So ages are from 12-‐18, it’s a college prep type of set-‐up!

21. What subjects are taught? English, math, science, history, Spanish and art!

22. Is there are charge for this? Yes! It’s about 1300 a year!

23. In this setting do they offer honor type classes? Yes some kids are assigned more difficult lessons similar to school environments. Honor classes are important especially when applying for college

24. How are your homeschool group lessons taught?

Curriculum based, worksheets, some Internet, a lot of energy on my part is

put in to a weeks classes

25. Initially, what would have made you homeschool experience better?

Connecting with other homeschool children and parents would have been a

great help at the start

26. Do your kids enjoy the homeschool experience?

Yes




18. Do you teach all subjects to your children? I did when Luke was younger but now Luke is older he participates in a church homeschool! A teacher covers the more difficult subjects in a classroom setting; this year he goes 4 days a week to Metro, a church homeschool, this is a classroom setting.

19. Do other children participate in this environment? Yes it’s a great set-‐up, 8th grade through 12th

20. What was the age range of the children? So ages are from 12-‐18, it’s a college prep type of set-‐up!

21. What subjects are taught? English, math, science, history, Spanish and art!

22. Is there are charge for this? Yes! It’s about 1300 a year!

23. In this setting do they offer honor type classes? Yes some kids are assigned more difficult lessons similar to school environments. Honor classes are important especially when applying for college

24. How are your homeschool group lessons taught?

Curriculum based, worksheets, some Internet, a lot of energy on my part is

put in to a weeks classes

25. Initially, what would have made you homeschool experience better?

Connecting with other homeschool children and parents would have been a

great help at the start

26. Do your kids enjoy the homeschool experience?

Yes

27. So your family are involved in team sports?

Yes

28. Do you know your child’s learning style?

Yes, auditory and visual learners.

29. How does this affect his online learning?

Because I am very involved in lessons from beginning to end my children have

no problem retaining information!

30. How could your homeschool experience be improved?

A program that provides curriculum and community online would be would

be a great option! Teacher support, energetic instruction and a community of

homeschoolers connecting with each other, a virtual class! Parents should be

included and sharing about what works for them and what doesn’t would be

a helpful option. Licensing and safety is imperative, no parent want their

children to be exposed to predators via Internet based classes!




27. So your family are involved in team sports?

Yes

28. Do you know your child’s learning style?

Yes, auditory and visual learners.

29. How does this affect his online learning?

Because I am very involved in lessons from beginning to end my children have

no problem retaining information!

30. How could your homeschool experience be improved?

A program that provides curriculum and community online would be would

be a great option! Teacher support, energetic instruction and a community of

homeschoolers connecting with each other, a virtual class! Parents should be

included and sharing about what works for them and what doesn’t would be

a helpful option. Licensing and safety is imperative, no parent want their

children to be exposed to predators via Internet based classes!


Suzanne Mitchell / Team

1 Hom

eschool Social Netw

ork Established H

omeschoolers


Empathy map for experienced homeschooling parent(s) // notes by SM



Questions for experienced homeschooling student(s)

Students who have been home schooled more than two years.

• What do you like about homeschool?• What don’t you like about homeschool?• Do you like learning via computer- based literature?• So you understand the lessons and you are retaining information?• What would make it a better experience?• Do you have more time now you are homeschooled?• Are you tested on a subject before moving on to the next subject?• So you think if you went back to a normal school environment you would be able to keep up with you classmates academically?• Would you like to communicate with classmates online?• What would improve your homeschool experience?

Students



Questions for experienced homeschooling student(s) // notes by SM

This interview was conducted on Skype with Josiah Van Rens Burge Age 13 Parental permission was granted to carry out interview:

1. What do you like about homeschool?

I enjoy surfing Its cool not going into school in the morning Lessons are shorter No school uniform

2. What don’t you like about homeschool?

I miss my school friends a lot I miss going to school Basket Ball games I think being in a classroom with boys and girls my age is something I like about going to school! I just don’t have that in my homeschool 3. Do you like learning via computer-‐based literature? I don’t mind the on-‐line classes! I find them easier! The stuff I get stuck on, I just ask mom or my homeschool teacher. 4. So you understand the lessons and you are retaining information? Yes 5. What would make it a better experience?

Fun animations!

More kids to hang out with

Getting awards

Having a school team

Chess teams




This interview was conducted on Skype with Josiah Van Rens Burge Age 13 Parental permission was granted to carry out interview:

1. What do you like about homeschool?

I enjoy surfing Its cool not going into school in the morning Lessons are shorter No school uniform

2. What don’t you like about homeschool?

I miss my school friends a lot I miss going to school Basket Ball games I think being in a classroom with boys and girls my age is something I like about going to school! I just don’t have that in my homeschool 3. Do you like learning via computer-‐based literature? I don’t mind the on-‐line classes! I find them easier! The stuff I get stuck on, I just ask mom or my homeschool teacher. 4. So you understand the lessons and you are retaining information? Yes 5. What would make it a better experience?

Fun animations!

More kids to hang out with

Getting awards

Having a school team

Chess teams

6. Do you have more time now you are homeschooled?

Yes! I like to surf; mom enrolled me in a surfing team. I can spend the

afternoon or the morning on the water some days

7. Are you tested on a subject before moving on to the next subject?

Yea! Its just like regular school, we get tests, exams and all of that stuff!

The only difference is that our school day is shorter

8. So you think if you went back to a normal school environment you would be

able to keep up with you classmates academically?

I think-‐so!

9. Would you like to communicate with classmates online?

Yea! I guess so! I play online games still with my friends in Atlanta! It

would be like having virtual friends right?

10. What would improve your homeschool experience?

Going to class with my friends

Having school sports were you compete

Being awarded for good grades

More people my age




6. Do you have more time now you are homeschooled?

Yes! I like to surf; mom enrolled me in a surfing team. I can spend the

afternoon or the morning on the water some days

7. Are you tested on a subject before moving on to the next subject?

Yea! Its just like regular school, we get tests, exams and all of that stuff!

The only difference is that our school day is shorter

8. So you think if you went back to a normal school environment you would be

able to keep up with you classmates academically?

I think-‐so!

9. Would you like to communicate with classmates online?

Yea! I guess so! I play online games still with my friends in Atlanta! It

would be like having virtual friends right?

10. What would improve your homeschool experience?

Going to class with my friends

Having school sports were you compete

Being awarded for good grades

More people my age



Questions for organizations (HSLDA - Home School Legal Defense Association)

HSLDA

Home School Legal Defense Association is a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms. Through annual memberships, HSLDA is tens of thousands of families united in service together, providing a strong voice when and where needed.

• Why isn’t there a federally mandated policy on homeschooling?• There is a large discrepancy between state regulations, what is your feeling regarding this matter?• State with High Regulation? (RI., MA. PA. NY. PA.)• Why would a state require no notice?• What is the difference under “Home School Law or Private School” Law?• Does a parent consider how homeschooling will affect what colleges they apply for or will they be eligible for financial aid such as FAFSA?• Why do you work towards the prevention of federally regulating homeschooling?• Are you concerned about the quality of education? Particularly in states with no or low state regulations? • What are some examples of success stories or failures with homeschooling?• What percentage of homeschoolers go onto college or post college/ graduate education?• How many homeschooled students play a sport or extracurricular activity outside the home school environment? (looking for percentages)• How many cases of neglect or abuse do you see in home-schooling situations?

Organizations

PUBLISHERS

GOVERNMENT

LOCAL GROUPS



Questions for organizations (HSLDA - Home School Legal Defense Association) // notes by JBQuestions for HSLDA

Home School Legal Defense Association is a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms. Through annual memberships, HSLDA is tens of thousands of families united in service together, providing a strong voice when and where needed. Important Notes: HSLDA is an organization where all members are Christian though they help anyone who home school’s. States with High Regulation (RI., MA. PA. NY. PA.). States with no regulation, Texas, Oklahoma, Alaska They have a documentary on Youtube called, “building the machine”. Interviewee (telephone): Michael

1. What are some of the biggest problems or challenges homeschool parents are coming to you with? A lot of people call us with problems where a case worker has shown up at their home claiming they are doing something to a child that they are not. So most issues are when a case worker comes to their door. Other questions are “how do I maintain record keeping”, or my high school diploma isn’t being accepted.

2. Do you have problems with people accepting home schooled diplomas?

It varies state by state, we had some problems in Ohio, the weirdest is cosmetology school, they are very stingy about accepting home school diplomas.

3. Why isn’t there a federally mandated policy on homeschooling? We feel that a parent knows their child better than the government and that there should be no federal regulations regarding a parent’s right to educate their children.



Questions for organizations (HSLDA - Home School Legal Defense Association) // notes by JB

Questions for HSLDA Home School Legal Defense Association is a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms. Through annual memberships, HSLDA is tens of thousands of families united in service together, providing a strong voice when and where needed. Important Notes: HSLDA is an organization where all members are Christian though they help anyone who home school’s. States with High Regulation (RI., MA. PA. NY. PA.). States with no regulation, Texas, Oklahoma, Alaska They have a documentary on Youtube called, “building the machine”. Interviewee (telephone): Michael

1. What are some of the biggest problems or challenges homeschool parents are coming to you with? A lot of people call us with problems where a case worker has shown up at their home claiming they are doing something to a child that they are not. So most issues are when a case worker comes to their door. Other questions are “how do I maintain record keeping”, or my high school diploma isn’t being accepted.

2. Do you have problems with people accepting home schooled diplomas?

It varies state by state, we had some problems in Ohio, the weirdest is cosmetology school, they are very stingy about accepting home school diplomas.

3. Why isn’t there a federally mandated policy on homeschooling? We feel that a parent knows their child better than the government and that there should be no federal regulations regarding a parent’s right to educate their children. 4. How do parents stay current about what to teach their kids to be getting

jobs? We have high school consultants that will answer parents questions, its not really my department but I’d imagine they get a lot of questions about what to teach to for up and coming employment fields.

5. What is the difference under “Home School Law or Private School” Law? Some people in some states are home schooling under the private school law, it varies

6. What percentage of homeschoolers go onto college or post college/graduate education? I don’t have the numbers but check out the national home education research, nheri.org 7. Are public sports for home schooler’s an issue? Yes, it happens all the time, where we are in Va. It is not allowed and there is a debate with within legislation to allow home schooling to play. We do not handle this issue as our attorney’s are split on the matter. One of the issue’s that arises is that if the home school student is better than the public school student they may not be choosen for the time. It various state by state, Florida allows it and that is how we have Tim Tebow. Home schooling was popular in the 60’s and seen as a crunchy granola sort of thing. But its becoming more main stream. Will Smith homeschool’s his children, the inventor of the occulus rift was home schooled. Bethany, the surfer who had her arm bit off by a shark was home schooled. 8. What kinds of problems do you see homeschooler’s and home school parents facing other than case worker visit’s? It seems like a lot of people do home schooling for religious reasons, what are you seeing? During the late 80’s and early 90’s we say a lot of people do it for religious reasons. Va. Is the only state where you can do it for religious reasons. We see a lot of African Americans pulling their students out in poorer districts, we see Hispanics doing it to preserve culture. A lot of people are doing it because of common core. What is common core?

Common Core is a national set of standards across public schools, the motto is college and career ready, some people feel that is trying to homogenize kids. Its supported by the Gates Foundation.



Questions for organizations (HSLDA - Home School Legal Defense Association) // notes by JB

4. How do parents stay current about what to teach their kids to be getting jobs? We have high school consultants that will answer parents questions, its not really my department but I’d imagine they get a lot of questions about what to teach to for up and coming employment fields.

5. What is the difference under “Home School Law or Private School” Law? Some people in some states are home schooling under the private school law, it varies

6. What percentage of homeschoolers go onto college or post college/graduate education? I don’t have the numbers but check out the national home education research, nheri.org 7. Are public sports for home schooler’s an issue? Yes, it happens all the time, where we are in Va. It is not allowed and there is a debate with within legislation to allow home schooling to play. We do not handle this issue as our attorney’s are split on the matter. One of the issue’s that arises is that if the home school student is better than the public school student they may not be choosen for the time. It various state by state, Florida allows it and that is how we have Tim Tebow. Home schooling was popular in the 60’s and seen as a crunchy granola sort of thing. But its becoming more main stream. Will Smith homeschool’s his children, the inventor of the occulus rift was home schooled. Bethany, the surfer who had her arm bit off by a shark was home schooled. 8. What kinds of problems do you see homeschooler’s and home school parents facing other than case worker visit’s? It seems like a lot of people do home schooling for religious reasons, what are you seeing? During the late 80’s and early 90’s we say a lot of people do it for religious reasons. Va. Is the only state where you can do it for religious reasons. We see a lot of African Americans pulling their students out in poorer districts, we see Hispanics doing it to preserve culture. A lot of people are doing it because of common core. What is common core?

Common Core is a national set of standards across public schools, the motto is college and career ready, some people feel that is trying to homogenize kids. Its supported by the Gates Foundation.



Empathy map for organizations (HSLDA - Home School Legal Defense Association) // notes by JB



Questions for organizations (local superintendent and former principal in Connecticut)

Organizations

PUBLISHERS

GOVERNMENT

LOCAL GROUPS

Local Superintendent of Schools

• How do you view home schooling?• Does it help the overall system or create conflict?• Do home schoolteachers report to you?• What is the percentage of home-schooled students in your district?• Are they subject to the same state testing as public schools?• Are home school students permitted to try out for sports?



Questions for organizations (local superintendent and former principal in Connecticut) // notes by JB

Questions for Former Prinicpal in Ct.

1. Do home schoolteachers report to you? Home school parents were required to make an appointment once a year, usually in June to present a curriculum.

2. How did they present? Most of the presentations were journals on what they were teaching. I would sign off on what they would provide and report to the superintendent as required.

3. Does it help the overall system or create conflict?

No there was no conflict, we really never had any issues at the elementary school level, at the high school level we had problems because the students wanted to participate in sports at the public schools. We had big legislative debate in my district in regards to this. Ultimately it was ruled a no, because of insurance issues. There were too many issues if the bus carrying the student was in an accident, and with field trips and practices. Ultimately it came down to insurance liability. I had a colleague who home schooled her 4 children and she said they have a group in her community and they meet for socialization, physical education, musical groups, etc. It’s come a long way since I was principal.

4. What is the percentage of home-‐schooled students in your district? What was your opinion of them.

Home schooling is more accepted. We had 3 families in my district and back then frankly they were a little weird.

5. Are they subject to the same state testing as public schools They did come in for 3rd and 6th grade state testing.



Empathy map for organizations (local superintendent and former principal in Connecticut) // notes by JB


Debunking the Myths Homeschooling High School

*denim jumper not required

Do these concerns run through your mind?

“They’ll be un-socialized.” “I’m not smart enough to teach them.” “They’ll never get into a good college.”

“What about the SATs?!?” “I can’t handle their hormones!!!”

Ignore the naysayers and join us to find out why home schooling high school

is THE option for you.

METRO ACADEMIC STUDIES Monday, January 26, 1:00 pm, Rm. 615

or Wednesday, January 28 at 1:00 pm, Rm 610

*We will have a great discussion

and a lot of fun, but there’s no need to be

concerned.

When it comes to high quality education,

we are serious!

http://www.metroacademicstudies.com/

Metro Academic Studies

***Open House***

January 26 & 28 (Monday &Wednesday)

9:00 am- 4:00 pm 6th Floor, The Church of The Apostles 3585 Northside Pkwy., Atlanta Hear about our NEW classes for 2015-16 Attend our informational meeting on Home Schooling High School at 1 pm (see attached

flyer)

Please RSVP to [email protected] and

Visit our website at metroacademicstudies.com


Research // Homeschool Info Session flyers



Participatory Observation and Research // Homeschool Info Session flyer and handouts

(Above) Information request form. (Below) Fleece scarf giveaway.



Participatory Observation and Research // Homeschool info session materials collected and notes

Brochure published by Homeschool Now USA front and back cover

107Building a Social Network // Part Process Book // Part 3. Defining Network Users 1


HSLDA info sheet (front)

This helped us understand that legislation is different for each state, as well as what the HSLDA can do for homeschooling families.


HSLDA info sheet (back)


Lawton/Ft. Sill Homeschool Association 2015 Spring Workshop schedule page 1

Example of how and what community homeschool groups share event information. It also gave us some insight on the variety of activities available to homeschoolers outside of each family’s planned activities for learning and socialization.


Lawton/Ft. Sill Homeschool Association 2015 Spring Workshop schedule page 2



Mapping Out User Analysis and Conclusions



Mapping Out User Analysis and Conclusions

Each of our user groups cannot exist independently without interacting with one another at some time.

New homeschoolers rely on the advice of experienced homeschoolers, whether through social media, blogs, or word-of-mouth, and need materials from publishers. They are also required to research within their own states for regulations with regard to home schooling.

Experienced homeschoolers are always conducting research. As their child’s needs changes, so to does therir curriculum. They may find that one method does not work for their child, or that they need two different plans for multiple children in the household. They too look to publishers for reviews, government for regulations and local groups for support.

Publishers need the homeschoolers in order to keep up with the demand for material and vice versa. Government seek public opinion. Local groups like co-ops need members to assemble and share resources.



Marketing Strategy Idea Notes

Week 3-‐4 Homeschool social network-‐Suzanne Mitchell

Document and share user analyses, insights-‐

Stats on homeschooling;

Scholastic achievement and demographic characteristics of homeschool students 1998: http://www.hslda.org/docs/study/rudner1999/Rudner4.asp

Why is homeschool succeeding?

ü Families are strong ü Income is relatively high ü Marriages are intact ü Dedication to education is strong

Home school students do exceptionally well when compared with the nationwide average. In every subject and at every grade level of the ‘The Iowa Test of Basic Skills’ (ITBS) home school students scored significantly higher than their public and private school counterparts (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Demonstrated achievement is conservative because homeschool students who are enrolled in grade levels higher than their age, for example a 10 year old who is attending 5th grade and should be in 4th grade is compared with 5th grade kids not 4th grade.

Figure 1: * Developmental Standard Score (DSS) is the test publisher’s (Riverside) scale used for public, private, and home school students to describe each student’s location on an achievement continuum that spans grades K through 12. The DSS scale













varies by subject area. Scale capped at 300 because differences at the top are inappropriately exaggerated. Graph 1 demonstrates achievement is conservative because homeschool students who are enrolled in grade levels higher than their age, for example a 10 year old who is attending 5th grade and should be in 4th grade is compared with 5th grade kids not 4th grade. Why are homeschool students enrolled in one or more grades above their age level? Each student is able to progress at his or her own rate; mastery of a subject is dependent on a child’s ability. Once they have finished they can move on to the next level whereas in a classroom environment one waits till the teacher is ready to move on. What percentages of children are enrolled in grades above age level? On a national basis 24% Figure 1 Demonstrated achievement is conservative because homeschool students who are enrolled in grade levels higher than their age, for example a 10 year old who is attending 5th grade and should be in 4th grade is compared with 5th grade kids not 4th grade.

varies by subject area. Scale capped at 300 because differences at the top are inappropriately exaggerated. Graph 1 demonstrates achievement is conservative because homeschool students who are enrolled in grade levels higher than their age, for example a 10 year old who is attending 5th grade and should be in 4th grade is compared with 5th grade kids not 4th grade. Why are homeschool students enrolled in one or more grades above their age level? Each student is able to progress at his or her own rate; mastery of a subject is dependent on a child’s ability. Once they have finished they can move on to the next level whereas in a classroom environment one waits till the teacher is ready to move on. What percentages of children are enrolled in grades above age level? On a national basis 24% Figure 1 Demonstrated achievement is conservative because homeschool students who are enrolled in grade levels higher than their age, for example a 10 year old who is attending 5th grade and should be in 4th grade is compared with 5th grade kids not 4th grade.

Figure 2: * “Other” includes all those enrolled more than 2 grades ahead or more than 1 grade behind. On average, home school students in grades 1–4 perform one grade level higher than their public and private school counterparts. The achievement gap begins to widen in grade 5; by 8th grade the average home school student performs four grade levels above the national average (Figure 3).

Figure 3: * Grade Equivalent Scores (GES) are a reference point for interpreting DSS scores. A GES approximates a child’s development in terms of grade and month within grade. (For example: A DSS composite score of 170 can be viewed as the typical DSS score earned by students in the ninth month of the second grade or a GES score of 2.9.) Do we have information regarding scholastic achievement of children who have been home schooled their entire academic life? Yes! Finding show homeschooled children have the highest scholastic achievement compared to private and public school kids. As seen in figure 4 this becomes more prominent in higher grades.

Figure 2: * “Other” includes all those enrolled more than 2 grades ahead or more than 1 grade behind. On average, home school students in grades 1–4 perform one grade level higher than their public and private school counterparts. The achievement gap begins to widen in grade 5; by 8th grade the average home school student performs four grade levels above the national average (Figure 3).

Figure 3: * Grade Equivalent Scores (GES) are a reference point for interpreting DSS scores. A GES approximates a child’s development in terms of grade and month within grade. (For example: A DSS composite score of 170 can be viewed as the typical DSS score earned by students in the ninth month of the second grade or a GES score of 2.9.) Do we have information regarding scholastic achievement of children who have been home schooled their entire academic life? Yes! Finding show homeschooled children have the highest scholastic achievement compared to private and public school kids. As seen in figure 4 this becomes more prominent in higher grades.




Figure 4: * Scale capped at 300 because differences at the top are inappropriately exaggerated. Additional differences among home school students were found including: Differences were also found among home school students when they were classified by

ü Amount of money spent on education ü Family income, ü Parent education, and ü Television viewing

Conclusively, home school students in every category scored significantly higher than the national average.


Figure 5: * Composite Percentile Score refers to the percentile corresponding to the mean composite scaled score. Figure 6: * Composite Percentile Score refers to the percentile corresponding to the mean composite scaled score. Differences among home school students classified by gender

ü No difference found according to whether or not a parent was certified to teach

ü Suggests that teacher certification requirement does not effects students achievement

Identify an audience through the creation of user profiles-‐

ü New Homeschoolers

ü Experienced Homeschoolers

ü Organizations

Current private schooled children-‐The cost to send your middle school child to

Whitefield Academy Atlanta is approximately $21,000.000. After visiting Metro

Homeschool and listening to parent questions I believe we could attract private

school and public school students and their parents. According to the study on

homeschool and the stats available it is evident that children who are home

schooled have a strong academic standing an have increased scholastic

achievement compared to public and private schools.

Metro homeschool has a broad variety of subjects, athletics and community

outreach. Approximate cost to use this option and facility in a homeschool

environment cost $1300 a year for a middle school age child!

Marketing strategies: See diagram 1

Team 1 suggests the launch of a social network for homeschoolers. The current

cost’s of private school education compared to homeschool is immense.















Organizations

Diagram 2/Strategy Ideas

ü Build relationships with Bursars of private schools and educational institutes to offer an alternative solution for families struggling to pay fees. In addition reach out to daycare and kindergarten centers for graduating students.

ü Network via these channels and build on this information. Get involved in

community gatherings, concerts on the lawn, and family night at the pizza shop. Make flyers to give out in these areas

Homeschool Social Network Services and Solutions for prospective users:

ü Quality education for people who cannot afford traditional private school fees

ü Offering options to existing private school parents who encounter financial

difficulty and don’t want their kids to go to public

Core group of homeschoolers

connect with church groups

Community driven

marketing

Sports leagues

Email catchment

Reach out to H/S kids

with a recreational

activity

Connect with neigborhood

groups

Build relationships

with day-care centres

ü Accelerated learning opportunities for parents who want their children to work at a faster pace compared to both private and public schools

ü We offer homeschool moms a structured approach to educating their kids

ü We provide a network to like-‐minded groups of parents who prioritize

learning

ü We connect our homeschool net work to other parents and children who are homeschooling in their community

After research build a program that offers excellent academics, social connections and accredited awards:

ü Advertise the benefits of homeschooling

ü Promote academic excellence through homeschool programs

ü Show the stats on home schooled children compared to public and private schooled children

ü Connect with them on a personal level at first; some of these people are

passionate about what they do and want the very best for their children ü Incentivize them with access to knowledge or resources

ü Work out ways to increase efficiency for the homeschool mom

ü Show the benefits to working with other students/online classrooms

Marketing strategy

ü Offer free trials/resources curriculum cause intrigue and excitement about the social network for homeschoolers!

ü Start on a regional basis

ü Advertise in local newspapers ask potential users to sign in, capture their

info and send them information via email


How do we reach these user groups? Where do they congregate, socialize and gather information? What do they want out of a social network?

Parents

The majority of homeschool parents are college-educated, not technologically handicapped, and active on social media sites like Facebook and Pinterest. They spend a lot of time researching blogs, publishers of curriculum, but there is currently no place that has a comprehensive list of reviews. Homeschoolers are stuck testing and trying varioius models for homeschooling, and there’s no way to try before you buy.

Sponsored Ads on Facebook and homeschooler blogs will reach these users.

Build a curriculum review site/app that users that belong to the network can thumbs up, thumbs down, add stars and detailed reviews.

Users can create profiles and be put into a database organized regionally. They can also indicate whether or not they belong to a specific, or multiple, homeschool groups in their area.

Students

Invite local sports teams to join the network and invite homeschooled students.

Create a safe social media space for children who are homeschooled. Their parent first must be a member, and the children would be members under their parent’s account.

Message boards and discussion forums for students can be organized at the local level, state or even across states.

Offer and provide short quizzes for parents and students to figure out what their learning style(s) is/are then match it up to the curriculum most suited for the student.

Organizations

Home school co-ops and groups can port their existing Facebook groups into the network to avoid duplication of profiles. This will also negate the need for multiple sign up and passwords for them to remember.

A page for each state and regulations will be set up. Members of the government can be invited to post updates to any changes in the law or regulations with regard to home school, testing and the like.

Publishers of curriculum are invited to share their materials and resources. Perhaps they can give incentives for members with coupon codes to join the social network and receive discounts, or be offered try before you buy samples of curriculum before being deeply embedded.

Reviews made by users will also incentivize publishers to keep up with the needs and demands of the ever changing landscape of education in the home.



Part 4. Competitor Research and Analysis

Process Book // Part 4. Competitor Research and Analysis 125

Key Partners

Cost Structure Revenue Streams

Key Activites Value Propositions Customer Relationships

Channels

Customer Segments

Key Resources

Oak Meadow SchoolBusiness Model Canvas

Oakmeadow-Homeschool

KeyPartners

Key PartnersCustomer Relation-

ships

Internet based

curriculum

K-8th Grade-Highschool

Established

Trust

Children

Parents

International IndiaChina

Licenced Resedential Therpeutic School N.E

Grade Schools

N.East U.S.

Universities and Colleges N.East U.S.

Key ActivitiesCustomer Segments

OrphanageIndia

International Students

China

Parents

High- School

Grade School

Children

Teacher Support

Distance Learning

Education

Website

CurriculumK-8

High School

Value Propositions

Expert Guid-ance

Distance Learning

Flexible Learning

Quality Education

Cost StructureRevenue Streams

T-Shirts and Accesories

Sell Books Via Website

Sell Distance Learning via Curriculum

Full Year 10 Months

Single Semester 5

months


127Process Book // Part 4. Competitor Research and Analysis

Key Partners



Channels

Customer Segments

Key Resources

Time4Learning.comBusiness Model Canvas

Who, What, Where,

When, Why, How

Categories Detail 2

Press and Media

Named Top Site 2014 by homeschool.

com

Detail 1

Compass Learning Odyssey

Lessons

Having good content

Games

Human

Computers

Parents

Affordibility and convenience

Used as an enchancement or replacement for

public shcool

Lessons and curriculum

Automated Services

Online forum and help

desk.

Automated Lesson and chat forums

Online

Multi-sided

Home-schooling

parents

Special needs kids

Parent to Parent fo-

rums

What if other parents

graded the kids work?

Cost-driven w/Variable

Costs

Per student/ Per month

What if they charged for 3 years with up grades?

What if they sold special content for special interests?

FixedMenu

Pricing

ListPrice Free demos

Forums

Platform/ Network

Programmers

Online Community

What would a parent pay for a better

add on?

What if kids could rate the lesson plans?

or parents?

Teachers and

Programers

Brand

Teachers and content

providers

Need fresh content for

at home learning

Str

eng

ths

Wea

knes

ses


Competitor Research and AnalysisCurriculum Providers

Analysis, strengths and weaknesses compared between Oak Meadow School and Time 4 Learning

Oak Meadow School

• Structured curriculum learning environment. • Accredited program.• High standards.• Professional teachers develop curriculum.• Established over 35 years sustainable product.• Testimonials.• International reach.• Support an orphanage in India.• Curriculum complies with states standard based regulations.

Time 4 Learning

• Affordable.• Takes Advantage of today’s technology and the internet.• Detailed reporting system (tracks the kids without having to look over their shoulder).• Can increase achievement level if desired.• Provides Alternate answers to questions to increase learning.• Online Forum for parents.• Trial demonstrations for lessons.• Scheduler for activities.

Oak Meadow School

• Expensive.• Dated website.• Key focus is on products and services not building a network.• Education platform that is driven by sales.• Focus on individual learning opposed a group network.• No mention of students and parents being able to speak with one another. • Limited functions of a social network.• Students pay for interaction with teacher.

Time 4 Learning

• You get a greater span of subjects in public school.• Art is a bonus.• No social interaction.• No physical education.• No diversity of people or experience, homogenous experience.• Limited selections.

Comparison between two curriculum providers: Oak Meadow School and Timer 4 Learning

What are the fundamental similarities and defining differences that set each site apart?

The fundamental similarities of both sites is that they provide a broad curriculum and organized structure for learning. Neither provide social interaction or physical education for students. What makes sets them apart is cost, technology and the ability for parents to interact with each other.

Which model is the strongest and which has the least potential for long-term success?

Oak Meadow has been in business for 35 years so they have a proven track record for success. However, Time4learning was rated number one by homeschool.com. Time4learning has the option of moving ahead at the student’s pace where Oak Meadow does not. While Oak Meadow clearly has a strong record, it would seem that Time4Learning is making great strides based on gaps and weaknesses in Oak Meadows curriculum.

Opp

ortu

niti

es


Competitor Research and AnalysisCurriculum Providers

Analysis, opportunities and threats compared between Oak Meadow School and Time 4 Learning //

Oak Meadow School

• Improve website to make it more interactive to give a richer experience to the students.• Offer structure to parents, work sheets, interaction with teachers and students via social network.• Oak Meadow could network with their people/ children and parents and teachers.• Introduce funding and support from educational, recreational and charity organizations.• Have a presence in local districts.

Time 4 Learning

• Greater subject matter, home education, physical ed., computer programing.• Speak with college recruiter.• Guidance counselors.• Good for special needs can, expand services for this.

Oak Meadow School

• Organizations like Edex.org who offer free online education for college level students starts producing courses K-8th.• Improved offerings from other homeschool competitors that could move into their space. • If they lost accreditation.• Change in legislation.• The creation of a more animated site that offers Utube type of educational experience.

Time 4 Learning

• Other sites with more content, instructional videos.• No online forum for students.• Hard to gage if the subject matter is enough to get into good college.• Not accredited. • Parents need alternative teaching plans.

What could we do to bolster the weakest model’s design?

Time4Learning has gained market share by being both more affordable and allowing students to progress at their own pace. If Time4Learning wanted to further their offering they could provide content and activities that focus on social interaction and physical education.

However Time4Learning does not make any claims to be complying with state based standards like Oak Meadow. If Oak Meadow’s wanted to compete more directly they could offer a smaller package at a lesser price to be more competitive fiscally. They could also allow students to progress at their own pace.

What are our recommendations for improvements?

To increase content and the variety of content, and include subjects like home ec., arts and P.E. activities. Introduced specialized topics within broader subjects like classic literature, 18th century etc., that go deeper into specific subjects can be sold as an a la carte services based on the students preferences. They could also offer some kind of recreational activity, competitive sports, chess club, or community outreach.

Thre

ats


Key Partners



Channels

Customer Segments

Key Resources

Homeschool Now USABusiness Model Canvas

Who, What, Where,

When, Why, How

Categories Detail 2

All 3 are founding

board members

Joint Ventures

HSLDA

Detail 1

Faith based curriculum publishers

Apologia Educational Ministries

HS Inforesource material

production

Eventplanning/program-

ming

Network management among orgs

Materials and eventsfor usersto host

DistributionChannelsClassical

Conversa-tions, Inc.

500+Homeschool

Organiza-tions

BoardMembers

Through curricula

Publishersand HSLDA

Information Resource

FAQs about home-

schooling

FREE

One-stop shop for

everything Available on the Web &

print by request

Users find them and read info

online

Self-service

Users down-load PDFs from Web

Usersrequest print

materialsvia email

Fliers & PSAs (news-paper, radio,

Web)

Email (user sign-up list)

Word-of-mouth

Website &Social Media(Facebook/Twitter/G+)

Niche Market

Homeschool organization

leaders

Home-schoolers

All areParents

Considering homeschool-

ing

Marketing tools for

homeschool orgs

Connect home-

schoolers to local orgs


Costs

Web hosting & content

management

Design of materials

(brochures, PDF, PPT)

Printing of materialsas needed

Based onkit ordersfor events

FixedMenu

Pricing

ListPrice

Sponsor-ships Advertising


Key Partners



Channels

Customer Segments

Key Resources

iHomeschool NetworkBusiness Model Canvas

Who, What, Where,

When, Why, How

Categories Detail 2

Coopetition

Published homeschool-

ing mom bloggers

Detail 1

Curriuculapublishers

Sharing links to resources

Emailnewsletters

Podcasts

IntellectualAdvertiser affiliates

Network of followers/

subscribers

Fresh new content to listen to on

the go

Connecting audiences

Affiliates and

advertisers

assistpublishers

andaffiliates

Personalassistance

customers connect through

channels

Social Media

Emailnewsletter Podcast

Website

Multi-sided

Home-schooling

parents

Homeschool resource bloggers/

writers

Curricula publishers

Publishers can reach

prospective customers


CostsWeb hosting

social media specialists/

contentmanagers

editor;publishing and print

design

FixedMenu

Pricing

ListPrice advertisers

Publishing

Resourcesales

Contentblogging/

social media

Products/services

to sell

Network publishers/

bloggers

Reach a niche

audience

Semi-automated services/

communities

BusinessesWho want to reach home-

schoolers

project and production managers

affiliatespublishing

content [% of sales]

Str

eng

ths


Competitor Research and AnalysisHomeschool Resource Connectors

Analysis, strengths and weaknesses compared between Homeschool Now USA and iHomeschool Network

Homeschool Now USA

• Wide reach — a large number of local organizations (500+).• Comprehensive amount of material covering everything about homeschooling.• Materials are free for everyone to download (digital) and request.

iHomeschool Network

• Comprehensive amount of resources and tools (lists, ads, links, podcasts, published material, consultants) for homeschoolers. Large scope from curricula to consultants to choose from.• Single source for everything homeschool. One-stop shopping for info.• Large network of “expert” homeschoolers (bloggers).• Newsletter subscription – makes their reach numbers quantifiable.

iHomeschool Network

• Competing advertisements for homeschooling to choose from. How to choose? No reviews or ways to compare.• Almost too much going on, on their site, with multiple audiences and messages vying for attention.• Social media aspect not part of their site; only the ability to share via social media links.• Curriculua writers get 25% of revenue for published works.

Homeschool Now USA

• Organization run on volunteers. (What if board members leave along with their resources?)• Board made up of special interest (groups) – only faith based curriculum publishers and the HSLDA.• One way connection. Organization to local communities and to individuals.• All about curriculum – sole focus.

Comparison between homeschool resource connectors: Homeschool Now USA and iHomeschool Network

What are the fundamental similarities and defining differences that set each site apart?

The fundamental similarities of both sites is that they provide a wide variety of information and resources for homeschooling parents. Neither one offer anything directly for the student. All content is directed towards the parent, organization leader or curriculum publisher. Both also do not provide a social network for parents, students and organizations. The network for both is solely built up of links and click throughs to websites or social media outlets like Facebook or Google+ groups.

What sets them apart is that Homeschool Now USA offers all their resources for free, and iHomeschool Network directs homeschoolers to a combination of free and paid resources. Homeschool Now USA is also primarily for homeschooling parents and community homeschool organizations. It’s a one way connection from product to customer segment. iHomeschool Network connects all three of our user groups – the homeschooling parent, publishers, and organizations.

Wea

knes

ses

Opp

ortu

niti

es


Competitor Research and AnalysisHomeschool Resource Connectors

Analysis and recommendations, opportunities and threats compared between Homeschool Now USA and iHomeschool Network

Homeschool Now USA

• Create a coalition that’s not solely faith based.• Expand beyond academic curriculum (field trips and projects) – ideas like sports and social activity based on similar interests.• Membership dues or fees for organizations who want to give away printed materials? or else include advertisers on printed materials (currently only online/banners).

iHomeschool Network

• Simplify – organize resources, tools and advertisements.• Place to review publishers and content.• Integrate social media beyond links to share.

iHomeschoolnow Network

• Publishers to go elsewhere to reach homeschoolers.• Bloggers will choose not to be affiliates and rely on other social media channels like Facebook, Google+, and/or Pinterest.• Homeschoolers turned off by all the info – not use the site regularly.• Curriculua writers will choose to self-publish.

Homeschool Now USA

• What if sponsorship money runs out? No new advertisers to pay for all the free printed giveaways.• Pinterest and Facebook groups of local community homeschoolers who have the wear-with-all to DIY without needing the pre-made materials provided by Homeschool Now USA.

Which model is the strongest and which has the least potential for long-term success?

iHomeschool Network is the strongest with it’s connections among all three user groups. Homeschool Now USA has the least potential for long-term success because it’s one-sided, and because the funding could go at any time. What could we do to bolster the weakest model’s design?

Add a forum that allows parents and students to connect with each other, and with the publishers of curricula and the HSLDA for advice.

What are our recommendations for improvements?

• Expand beyond the academic curriculum to more specific subjects.• Provide a safe space for parents and students to share their experiences with the variety of resources and tools available to them on the site.• Provide scholarships for children experiencing difficulty or financial hardship.• Include a mentoring program. Th

reat

s


Competitor Research and AnalysisA Social Network for Homeschool Socialization, Organization and Support

Homeschool S.O.S. Creative Brief (third draft)

Value Proposition

The Homeschool SOS is for families choose to homeschool who desire to provide their child(ren) with high-quality education, enrichment activities and socialization.

Our social network connects homeschool families with other homeschool families, co-ops, community interest groups, and curricula publishers.

We do this by connecting families with resources and the tools to communicate with each other, unlike homeschooling websites which simply aggregate homeschooler blogs and other homeschool website links.

Our homeschool social network provides an extension of learning for homeschooled children for sports, activities, and general activities they would normally not get at home.

Background

There are social sites designed for homeschool children such as http://www.ihomeschoolnetwork.com/, and groups for their parents on Facebook. While these sites target home-schooled children, they only address the parents and the publishers who might be looking for home-schooled children. What about the actual kids being home-schooled? What if they want to expand their knowledge and experience beyond a set curriculum designed for one-on-one learning, or to play a team sport?

Overview

This network is designed to hone in on the educational and social needs of the students to prepare them for adulthood. There is a huge opportunity for homeschooled children to connect with one another locally within their area, for activities they would normally be able to get at a public or private school, as well as global via the internet.

Useful tips

135

Drivers

With the cost of private education rising and quality of some public schools declining, many parents are making the decision to take their child’s education in their own hands. As the job market gets tougher and the income gaps become wider how can we provide a platform for homeschooled and non-homeschooled children to get a world-class education regardless of family income?



Process Book // Part 4. Competitor Research and Analysis

Audience

We are focused primarily on students and parents. We want them to think of us as the trusted source for homeschooling and non-home schooling guidance. To inspire them to help create more educated students and citizens.

Tone

To inspire each parent and individual student, while providing a broad spectrum of knowledge. Instill education as a lifelong process, and to encourage learning and wonder for all ages.

Message

[Parents] Homeschool SOS will give you the confidence to homeschool your child(ren) while meeting your needs as well as compulsory requirements of your sate.

[Students] Homeschool SOS will give you the tools you need to succeed while also connecting you with others with like-interests.

136

Visuals

Existing visuals, stock photography because of time limits. If any shots are not available through stock footage we can shoot at home with iPhone.

Competitors

Home school networkhttp://www.ihomeschoolnetwork.com/

Homeschool Now USAhttp://homeschoolnowusa.com

Oak Meadow – Independent Learning http://oakmeadow.com/

Time for Learninghttp://www.time4learning.com/homeschool-online.htmK12-online public schoolhttp://ww2.k12.com/mod/home/

Connections Academyhttp://www.connectionsacademy.com/curriculum/free-online-learning.aspx

Homeschool.comhttp://www.homeschool.com/OnlineCourses/




137




Government

Local Groups

Publishers

Homeschool SOSUser Groups

Students

Parents

Organizations

People

Homeschool parents, students, andorganizations (local co-ops, special interest groups and government)

138

Socialization

Include extra curricular activity modules for subjects like physical education, sports team(s), field trip(s), social activity, art, music, religion and clubs for like-interests. This will match homeschool children of similar interests. They will also be able to interact with each other across the network.




Support

Help match parents and students with teaching and learning styles to figure out which curricula will work for them. Parents will have the ability to leave reviews that may be helpful for other parents deciding which to choose. This will help parents get a better understanding of whether or not the curricula is a good fit for their child(ren).

Organization

Way to create a schedule, timeline, and subject matter to study together locally or virtually online. This will allow homeschool parents and students to share ideas and experiences to help foster social activity online as well as after scheduled study hours.

Goal To create a network that is informative, resourceful, entertaining and provides support for homeschool families so that they want to use it on a daily basis.

Deliverables

The Homeschool S.O.S. Network will provide a network for our three tenets of socialization, organization and support.


Competitor Research and AnalysisWorking Wall

Curriculum Providers // Time 4 Learning Business Model Canvas Process Wall



Curriculum Providers // Time 4 Learning Business Model Canvas Process Wall (zoomed in top)



Curriculum Providers // Time 4 Learning Business Model Canvas Process Wall (zoomed in bottom)



Homeschool Resource Connectors // Business Model Information Mapping Process – Homeschool Now USA (left) and iHomeschool Network (right)

Notes were transferred to the business model canvases (working wall process and SWOT sketches) on the next pages.



Homeschool Resource Connectors // Homeschool Now USA Business Canvas Model Process



Homeschool Resource Connectors // Homeschool Now USA SWOT



Homeschool Resource Connectors // iHomeschool Network Business Canvas Model



Homeschool Resource Connectors // iHomeschool Network SWOT

147Process Book // Part 5. Business Model Generation

Part 5. Business Model Generation


Key Partners



Channels

Customer Segments

Key Resources

Homeschool S.O.SBusiness Model Canvas

Who, What, Where,

When, Why, How

Categories Detail 2

Co-opetition

Detail 1

Time 4 Learning

Human

Oak Meadows

Word of mouth

breeds trust

Free and safe

QuickDaily

Updates

Lessons and curriculumCo-Creation

Web/online

Multi-sided platform

Freemium

ReviewsPlatform/ Network

Reviews and content

providers

Online Community

Home School

Network

Intellectual Mobile updates

iHomeschool network

Homeschool resourceproviders

Homeschool curriculumproviders

Network

Mobile

Web platform

Peer-to-Peer

Reviews

Fresh, fun, content

Value-driven

Lessons,activities and chat forums

Emailnewsletters


desk

List price AdvertisingFixed menu

Affiliates (homeschool expert bloggers)

Curriculum publishers


management

Create trust withreliable content

and reviews

Homeschooling parents

Homeschooled children

Parent to parent forums

Advertisers- we needto have economies of

scale to appeal toadvertising dollars


Homeschool experts

Word of mouthBrand


Strengths

• Strong vision• Takes advantage of current technology and internet• Single source for everything homeschool• Testimonials and reviews• Online forum for all users• Increases connectivity for all users; socialization and communication tools

Weaknesses

• Virtually unknown• Skeptical parents – about threat to child safety, and honesty of other user reviews• Start-up without proof of concept; no track record• User learning curve with new technology

Threats

• Fear projections do not guarantee success will affect ROI for investors and advertisers• Current homeschool networks like iHomeschool Network or Time4Learning change strategy and capitalize on their market segment by changing business model• Other homeschool networks copy SOS and pilfer our customer base

Opportunities

• Trial demonstrations of curricula• To become a household name (branding) ; known for expertise and non-biased advice; leaders in the field of homeschool support• Provide a safe space for both students and parents to share their experiences about curriuculum and activities• To advise and guide parents who are considering homeschool as a choice

• Structure, guidance and support for parents and kids• Aligns with both parent and student needs• Focus on individual learning• Provides an extension of learning • Affordable

• Measuring reach through newsletter subscription and website analystics across the network• Provide a website that is easy to navigate along with instructional tutorials on best practices for network use• To collect and farm large customer base; increase advertising potential• International reach

• Remaining competitive by keeping up with new technology and implementing new services • Government policy regarding children and social networking• Change in legislation (varies state to state)• Brand sabotage; disgruntled users posting negative information about our services

• Small user base at start• How to measure activity level• Sustainable revenue; small initial earnings and investments• Domestic (not international)

Business Model GenerationSWOT Analysis

Homeschool SOS Business Model


Business Model GenerationAnalysis of our Business Model

Summary of Results and Recommendations

The Homeschool SOS has a strong vision: to increase connectivity for homeschool parents and students, and to become the one source for all homeschool needs. We strive to provide parents the unbiased information about what’s out there in the homeschool market, and we take advantage of current technology and internet by delivering a comprehensive service to homeschool parents and children. By doing this, we are filling in the gaps in the market by honing in on educational and social needs of both parents and students. However, as we increase connectivity for homeschool parents and students through online forums, testimonials and reviews, we risk the skepticism of parents. What will they (homeschool parents) be opening their kids too? How do we build strong testimonials quickly while also gaining user trust of our site and among other users? One way to do this is to offer trial demonstrations of curricula, without requiring families to use one set curricula for an entire academic year before trying another.

We have an opportunity to provide a safe space for both students and parents to share their experiences, as well as a place to talk honestly about curriculum.

We can support homeschool parents and children on a daily basis through daily content

management in our forums. We can also do this through a daily digest newsletter with highlights easily read in 5 minutes each weekday morning. This also secures us to be known for our expertise and non-biased advice. This will help lead parents to the right choices for their family’s needs and reinforce our status as the laders in the field of homeschool support.

How do we market a social network that is virtually unknown, without track record, and no proof of concept? Without recurring or sustainable revenue, it will be hard to develop a user base at an accelerated speed. How do we increase our user base?

We do this by providing structure, guidance and help for all users with a focus on individual learning. We have the opportunity to connect homeschool families with other homeschool families through co-ops, community interest groups, and partnerships with curricula publishers. We do this by providing opportunities for extension of learning, like: • Sports• Recreation• Community driven outreach• Academic clubs• Chess• Choir• Arts

We also provide a network that is equal parts:

• Informative• Resourceful• Entertaining• Supportive

This ensures we provide a single source for everything homeschool and become a household name.

We can put a call out for homeschool mom bloggers to become “sos ambassadors.” They would be like brand affiliates who spread the word about the network, contribute content for our newsletters, make live guest speaker hangouts (or podcasts or live chats in our forums.

How do we measure investors’ and advertisers’ initial investments?

Building a business model based on projections does not guarantee that success will become reality. We will need to prove our business model and financial planning is attractive and has strong success rate to capture necessary financial support including:

• Corporate Sponsors• Bootstrap Funding• Angel Investors• Advertisers

Summary continued on next page


Business Model GenerationAnalysis of our Business Model


Collecting and farming a large user base will also give potential advertisers and affiliates a reason to make an investment with Homeschool SOS.

To increase user base, we can also advise and guide parents who are considering homeschool as choice, whether they are concerned about the current dysfunction in their local schools (violence, drugs), faith study, or level of academic expectation.

We will measure user activity throughout the network and through our daily email newsletter. Monthly reports for advertisers and affiliates will include these statistics. An annual report will provide the monthly reports for investors.

How do we make sure that we don’t create a site that creates confusion for the use while also offering a comprehensive review site for homeschool parents and children?

We will provide a website that is easy to navigate with a platform that allows parents and children to interact with each other. Through our content management system we will also provide instructional tutorials on best practices for network use.

How will we compete with other homeschool networks that change strategy and capitalize on our market segment by changing their business model? or with other homeschool networks who copy SOS and regroup their customer base?

Our site is aligned with customer needs, so we will continue to create conditions for Homeschool SOS to go viral. This includes:

• Expanding for international markets• Keeping up with new technology and implementing new services• Creating more outlets like community outreach, mentoring and farming projects

How will we handle government policy regarding children and social networking, or changes in legislation?

Homeschool SOS abides by the laws as set forth by the Children’s Internet Protection Act. Both parents and parents must abide by our Internet Safety Policy and Guidelines and complete certification for it when establishing their user profiles.[1]

Changes in legislation varies from state to state, and our SOS ambassadors can be the liaisons who investigate and report on the latest updates to the law.

How will we handle brand sabotage like disgruntled users posting negative information about our services?

We will continue to be an unbiased source of infromation by not responding negatively. The best way to handle these situations is to reach out offline, try to rectify any misunderstanding(s) and politely ask for an ammended review. We will not tolerate negative reviews that only seek to bash curricula publishers or content providers. Our Internet Safety Policy and Guidelines will outline the parameters for site use. This will help avoid sabotage and negative information being diseminated throughout our network.

Sources[1] Federal Communications Commission. (2014, December 31). Children’s Internet Protection Act. Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.fcc.gov/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act


Business Model GenerationWorking Wall: ZAG Steps


A Social Network for Homeschool Socialization, Organization and Support.

We provide a social network designed for parents to connect families with resourcesand the tools to communicate with each other.

To increase connectivity for homeschool parents and students to become the one source for all home school needs.

Public schools today have become increasingly violent with school shootings, gangs, and a slew of safety problems. Private schools are very expensive and for families in troubled districts a lottery system has been developed to facilitate kids who want a better education. However, as depicted in the documentary “Waiting for Superman” there is only so many slots for the lottery and many children are left behind.

THE 17-STEPPROCESS

1

WHO ARE YOU?

2 WHAT DO YOU

DO?

3 WHAT’S YOUR

VISION?

4 WHAT WAVE ARE

YOU RIDING?




We are the only review site for both parents and students. There are several review sites but all are confusing and hard to navigate, we want to be the only one stop shop for pairing homeschool parents and students with answers.

There are several home school sites designed for parents and students. Many provide a broad array of content. Time4Learning, Oakmeadows, IHomeSchool Network, Homeschool Now USA.

Adding reviews for both parents and students. Adding the ability for parents and students to interact with each other. We add clarity and subtract clutter to the homeschool process.

Homeschool parents and children Homeschool bloggers, community interest groups and curricula publishers.

The environment is welcoming and open to each other. Fostering exclusion is contrary to the homeschool culture and our success.

6

WHAT MAKES YOU THE “ONLY”?

5

WHO SHARES THE

BRANDSCAPE?

7

WHAT SHOULD YOU ADD OR SUBTRACT?

8

WHO LOVES YOU?

9

WHO’S THE ENEMY?




Through our website portal, videos, reviews, newsletters, and online forums.

S.O.S.A Social Network for Homeschool Socialization, Organization and Support.

By accessing homeschool parents, students, press and bloggers. Word of mouth within the homeschool community and making sure our SEO is efficient so that new users who hear about us are finding our site quickly through 3rd party search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

People engage with us through our website, forums, newsletter, and review/discussion board.

A clean crisp clear interface, that easily navigates them through complex issues. They can read reviews and engage with our homeschool network within their community and throughout the country.

11

HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN

YOURSELF?

10

WHAT DO THEY CALL YOU?

12

HOW DO YOU SPREAD THE

WORD?

13

HOW DO PEOPLE ENGAGE WITH

YOU?

14

WHAT DO THEY EXPERIENCE?




By sending newsletters and new information that homeschool parents and children will find helpful. Gaining homeschool trust will increase word of mouth testimonials within the homeschool community causing our success to grow.

Maintaining customer loyalty and a safe, informative network for all homeschool parents and students. By being “the Skimm” (daily digest) of the homeschool community.

Gaining trust by being a clear and accurate resource for homeschool needs. Providing a safe, bullyfree space for both children and parents.

16

HOW DO YOU EXTEND YOUR

SUCCESS?

15

HOW DO YOU EARN THEIR

LOYALTY?

17

HOW DO YOU PROTECT YOUR

PORTFOLIO?


Business Model GenerationWorking Wall

Business Model Canvas Analyses

158Process Book // Part 6. Defining Your Users’ Needs

Part 6. Defining Your Users’ Needs

Non-conformistOpportunity

High Academic StandardsUnusual

Passionate

NurturingSafe

Quality Time with ChildCollege Bound

Frustration

Organization, StuctureLearning Styles

The right curriculumMotivation Alignment

Strong FamilyHigh Academic Standards

FlexibiltyControlNurture

Quality EducationAccelerated LearningResponsible AdultsColllege Education

Academic Scholorships

Strong Family UnitPositive Attitude

PassionateValue System

Protects

SM

HEAR?THINK AND FEEL?

SAY AND DO?

PAIN?

SEE?

GAIN?

What does he or she

What does he or she really

What does he or she

What is the customer’s

What does he or she

What does the customer

Empathy Map: Christie LeggHomeschool Mom



Parental InfluencePositive Attitudes

Creative Ways to learnHigh Standards

Differnent

Enjoys his mothers teachingThrives in homeschool environment

Good GradesRich Socilaization and Good Grades

Accelerated Learning

Public Recognition for High GradesBeing Different

Dependent on mother for activitySibling Distration

Love, Faith, Nurture CommitmentOpportunity

SafetyDifferent

Flexible ScheduleGood Grades

Attention and FocusFun

Quality Education

Competitive Responsible Young ManAcademic Achievement

ConfidencePoitive Attitude and Goal Setting

SM

HEAR?THINK AND FEEL?

SAY AND DO?

PAIN?

SEE?

GAIN?

What does he or she


What does he or she


What does he or she


Empathy Map: Luke LeggHomeschool Student


HEAR?What does he or she THINK AND FEEL?


SAY AND DO?What does he or she

PAIN?What is the customer’s

SEE?What does he or she

GAIN?What does the customer

She spends 3-4 hours a day, Mon-Fri homeschooling her kids;

30 minutes to an hour on the network discussion board.

She spends 1-2 hours a week organizing the co-op

calendar, meetings, and communiqué. The network app has been helpful in organizing and saving time.

She doesn’t like her kids going online to do homeschool work because games might tempt them. However, she likes saving money on paper and printer ink.

Time, more of it. She wishes she had more time tointeract on the discussion board because she wants to spend that time with her family. Her priority is family and not the co-op leader or network ambassador.

Parents tell her that they don’t want to get sucked in to Facebook when they go there for information. It’s nice to be able to log in to the Homeschool Center, or read the daily digest, for a few minutes each morning to get the day started.

Her kids like going online to do their assignments. They enjoy the conversations with other children, their peers. The social connection online is a bonus to their day, when they get to talk about their homeschool day and activities.

She thinks the network is a great tool that fits all her needs. She feels excited and hopeful for a bright

future for her children, setting them on the path to success. She feels if she can

get her whole co-op on board with using the network, the co-op

will run more smoothly and efficiently with little to

no stress.

She hopes to gain more TIME (quality time) and the freedom to enjoy it without worry; spending less time on researching activities or the latest curriculum trends.

Confidence in her role as mom, spouse, teacher and co-op leader while making sure everyone’s needs are met.

She sees her kids enjoying their homeschool work more now that i’s tailered to their individual learning styles. They are a lot happier and therefore doing much better in each subject; less struggle with what they’re learning.

She sees the co-op members also more happy using the network; just as she is using the modules and reading the daily digest every day.

CE

Empathy Map: Jill O’DonnellStay-at-home Mom and Co-op Leader


Empathy Map: Cindy LucanaGeorgia HBIR Representative

http://www.heir.org/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=4

What does he or she

HEAR?“Home schooling is for religious homes”“Homeschooling is for strange people”“Homeschooling education is inferior to

private school education”


PAIN?That home school parents are not allowed to

practice in a way they see fit.Parents are overwhelmed.

Parents want to do the best they can but don’t know the best curriculum or how to set

up a program for their child.What does he or she

SAY AND DO?Positive non secular advice

for homeschool parentsAdvice

EducationFair Advice to all homeschoolers


GAIN?It makes me feel good to volunteer and help people.

Whether you are a paying member or not we value your right to homeschool.

We want to increase the knowledge and help home-school parents any way we can.

What does he or she

SEE?We see parents who have questions and

want help in the best way to educated their child.

Sees her family and friends. Sees Atlanta traffic.

Sees the news and that public schools are incredibly violent and becoming worse and

worse everyday.


THINK AND FEEL?It is a parent’s choice to home school free of

government regulations and restrictions.I feel that a parents know their child best.

Its hard being a homeschool parent and we want to help them in anyway possible.


Defining Your Users’ NeedsWorking Wall

PESTE Factors and Product Opportunity Gap (POG)

PESTE factors

Political• Changes in state legislation regarding homeschool

Environmental• Less paper = digital• Location of study = can be anywhere - Homes, community center, other public venue, mobile

Social• Connecting to homeschool community and local homeschoolers who don’t belong to the homeschool community co-op• Conversations (online) with publishers

Technological• Laptop• Desktop• Smartphone• Web• Mobile web• Digital• Paperless• Cloud sharing

Economic• Less cost for paper materials/books• Print on demand• Less costs for co-op by sharing digital files

POG

Simple, low cost, conversational, environmentally friendly, network to share homeschool resources to discover child learning style.

ELocation

Save environmentLess paper

SConversations

PLegislation

TDigital

ELow cost to user

POG

1. Simple organized system2. Environmentallly friendly way to organize curricula and save money3. Conversational



Service level opportunity gap and Consumer Value Opportunities (CVO)

Current service level

Complicated updates

Managing co-op website, Facebook

group, calendar, and email updates

Homeschool/extra curricular activities

Running family household

Expected service levelEasy, one-stop place to manage it ALL

Service level opportunity gap

Opportunity gap

Simplify,less steps

Maybe notone-stop

Customer Value Opportunities (CVO)

Emotion• Overwhelmed by amount to do and juggle

Aesthetics• Wants easy to navigate/simple

Identity• Ability for co-op/profile to stand out among the network

Ergonomics• Simple, easy to use, safety and comfortable using (internet safety - both themselves and children)

Impact• Social/environmental – print less paper, easy to share

Core Technology• Simple tools• Less complicated• Reliable• Accessible offline

Quality• Accurate information from publishers and assurance reviewers are truthful• Honesty, no bashing



Customer Journey

Awareness(How do they hear

about us?)

Research(What do they hear

about us?)

Choice(Deciding to join

the network.)

Use(How do they use the

network?)

Website

Mobile/Smartphone/

Tablet

Face-to-face/Word-of-mouth

Email

Homeschool co-opleader and network ambassador shares;

resource partners blog and share our network via other social media sites like Facebook,

Twitter, Google+

Elements of customer journey

Customer touchpoints

Homeschool co-op leader and

network ambassador demonstrates ease

of use

Homeschool co-op community members

can sign up at meeting with network

ambassador sharing on laptop, mobile/tablet;

or members can sign up when they get home

(or other location)

Network ambassadors share link to website

Network users forward newsletter and

share blog with linksLink to join in email

Network users receive daily newsletter

driving them back tothe website; share

with others

Log in; search curriculum and reviews based on

learning style; sign up for curricula and activities;

organize modules, calendar of events and

news; learning time; find child’s learning style;

posts/discussions; chat w/other moms, co-op

leaders, experts/bloggers

Network users meet in person at community events, learning and

extra curricular activities

Homeschool co-opleader and network

ambassador shares at community events

Demonstration videos on our website;

videos are linked/stored on YouTube and

available to watch on mobile/tablet



Homeschool parent by SM

Cost

Flexible

High AcademicStandard

QualityTime withChild

FamiliarEnvironment

StrongFamily

Control Nurture

Timeeffective



Homeschool parent by SM



Homeschool parent and co-op leader by CE



Organization member by JB



Further defining the site, notes by SM – Idea scans


Notes Unit 7: Suzanne Are we suggesting that you create content beyond just being a network? Yes! User generated content/ forums? Digital community? Inviting experts in the field i.e. subject matter experts, or, college professors. Authors of text books could do question and answer on digital forum, parents can ask first hand questions and receive answers. Financial backings from textbook authors (premium) so get something for free! Taster for free! But if you want the whole book you pay. What’s next? Where does this go in the next 2-‐10 years? Current population school aged kids? How big is the market? Does market size increase or decrease over next 10 years? Market size of school aged kids and how is that market being served? First 2 years we could get 1% and the next 10 years??? What park of the market segment does college bound kids come from? Public School? Private School? Home School? STATS! Value proposition/persona? Prototypes…. Examples… should be done quickly, and often. There is no better tool to learn from customers, and test ideas than a prototype. Are we optimizing our product/service?

User Studies

Understanding how your customer uses your product is often overlooked. Make sure your product is optimized with a user study.

Value Proposition Design


Further defining the site, notes by SM



Further defining the site, notes by SM continued

Notes Unit 7: Suzanne Are we suggesting that you create content beyond just being a network? Yes! User generated content/ forums? Digital community? Inviting experts in the field i.e. subject matter experts, or, college professors. Authors of text books could do question and answer on digital forum, parents can ask first hand questions and receive answers. Financial backings from textbook authors (premium) so get something for free! Taster for free! But if you want the whole book you pay. What’s next? Where does this go in the next 2-‐10 years? Current population school aged kids? How big is the market? Does market size increase or decrease over next 10 years? Market size of school aged kids and how is that market being served? First 2 years we could get 1% and the next 10 years??? What park of the market segment does college bound kids come from? Public School? Private School? Home School? STATS! Value proposition/persona? Prototypes…. Examples… should be done quickly, and often. There is no better tool to learn from customers, and test ideas than a prototype. Are we optimizing our product/service?

User Studies

Understanding how your customer uses your product is often overlooked. Make sure your product is optimized with a user study.

Value Proposition Design


Designing new, or refining old products begins with a detailed value proposition. This design process is often overlooked.

User Experience Design

User experience (UX) design builds off of your value proposition, and your customer behavior. It's a crucial part of your product.

How do we gain trust?

Why is homeschool succeeding? *

Features and benefits of our service:


Capturing the attention of skeptical parents and gaining their trust by marketing the success rates of homeschooled children (stats) and college admittance figures of home school compared to public and private school kids. Showing the benefits of our network: Cohesive platform that connects homeschool children with other homeschool children Social network for parents who homeschool their children Guidance on how to monitor your child The benefits of spending quality time with your child One on one focus on child Flexibility Guarantee on quality curriculum Honest reviews Safety No proof of concept No track record Developing a distinct personality for our service and brand






Features and benefits: Distinct personality is the cornerstone of a successful strategy and serves as a compass Here are the benefits Detention Lively bunch Family tradition Challenge: Balance Focus on individual child Field trips Flexibility Mother has moved from teacher to monitor Classical conversations Frustration Curriculum Attitude Pain all worthwhile



Further defining the site, notes by CE – PESTE factors whiteboard


Starting with the persona and with service level, it’s clear that every site competitor has a wealth of information and resources. They are all cluttered, and whether or not they allow for multi-tasking they are all complicated to navigate. Our opportunity lies in making our site as simple as possible. It does not have to be a one-stop shop like everyone else.


Further defining the site, notes by CE – PESTE factors whiteboard, service level close-up



Further defining the site, notes by CE – PESTE factors whiteboard, PESTE factors isolated and close-up



Further defining the site, notes by CE – PESTE factors whiteboard, CVO (customer value opportunities) close-up

The user is overwhelmed by the amount to do and juggle. Simplicity is an overarching theme through out each of the seven opportunities here.



Further defining the site, notes by CE – PESTE factors whiteboard, POG (product opportunity gap) close-up

The opportunity that presents itself over and over again for us is to help parents identify their child’s individual learning style. We can do this with a simple, low cost, conversational, environmentally friendly way to share resources among homeschoolers (parents, students, and organizations).


Further expanding on the ideas from the POG, this tells more how the user interacts and feels about the network if we were to scale it down for simplicity, environmental factors and conversation. The key opportunity here is “discovery of the child’s individual learning style.”


Further defining the site, notes by CE – POG (product opportunity gap) expanded



Further defining the site, notes by CE – Consumer journey whiteboard part 1



Further defining the site, notes by CE – Consumer journey whiteboard part 2


Step 1Consumer journey

• The consumer logs in to the network from home or from wherever she is (home on laptop or mobile device if not at home). • She signs in with option to use email and password or single sign-on with Facebook account syncing.

• Her choices on the main (home) screen are to 1) chat/ read the discussion forum; 2) search her child’s learning style or search posts and discussions throughout the site; 3) organize modules for her chidlren or co-op or dive into school time with the kids; 4) search curriculum, reviews, sign up for curricula or activities.

• Alternate route is to go to co-op and share the homeschool exploration network with its members; and present how to use it.

Step 4Touch points to match relationship

Starting with the inner circle (1) outward (5).

1. A lifesaver (mental)

2. Mobile (physical)

3. Connects, organizes and supports (functional)

4. Has smooth transitions (behavioral)

5. Simple colorful graphics (sensorial)

Step 3Relationships based on themes

• Word-of-mouth sharing with other homeschoolers in person, like at co-op meetings • Sharing

• Flexible to use

• Easy to use

• Saves time

• Conversation starter (amongst members locally and online)

• Daily use - modules and digest newsletter

Step 2Brand interaction themes

• Main screen view is important not to overwhelm with choices or advertising.

• Regular use of the network – daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly depending on needs.

• Active network user from product inception; encourages others to use it too, to make it worthwhile for all.

• Participates and monitors discussions as network ambassador and conversation starter.


Further defining the site – Consumer journey whiteboard summary



Further defining the site – Strategy whiteboard – Final summary about components

Our strategy is to narrow down our network to two key components: identification of learning style and the daily digest. Student success is at the heart of parents’ and students’ decision to homeschool. Organizations have the same goal in mind, that is for students to successfully complete

their programs. The expression we found to combine these components and success led to the key point, “discovery.”

Through the Homeschool Exploration Network, parents and students have the opportunity to

discover learning styles and activities dedicated to parent and student success. This gives us the opportunity to also start small (locally) in the first year, expand from community to community in the second through fifth years, and ultimately world-wide in ten years.

186Process Book // Part 7. Prototyping and Brand Development

Part 7. Prototyping and Brand Development

Watch our video on YouTube here http://youtu.be/WLM3xbjiAME?list=UUGYzJxmcm-gg0sGoQCOEOJg


Prototyping and Brand DevelopmentWorking Wall

Network brand and business model

Network

The Homeschool Exploration Network [HEN]is a social network for homeschooling families.

Logo

A compass, a hen and our four pillars.

Slogan

Discover learning styles and activities through a social network dedicated to parent and student success.

Four pillars for student success

• Learning• Activities• Socialization• Support

The Homeschool Exploration Network Discover learning styles and activities through

a social network dedicated to parent and student success.


Prototyping and Brand DevelopmentWorking Wall: Network brand and business model

Defining how our business model strengthens the brand

How does our business model strengthen our brand?

We are building a digital community and providing a service to homeschool parents and children.

Aesthetics play an important role to the look and feel of the site. Bright colors and clear directions infuse the screen and appeal to our users. A streamlined presentation and deliverance of our services are displayed, and easy navigation engages the user. Deliverance of quality services and provision to network and socialize is unique. Consequentially, users are delighted with the experience and are happy with the results, therefore they become loyal customers.

We are passionate about children and their place in the education system. It is evident that learning in our nations schools centers on the one-size-fits-all type of philosophy and education. It is apparent that many children slip through the school system without their learning needs been met. Many parents have started on the homeschool journey to escape such problems. HEN provides a comprehensive service to such parents and children by providing a social network that tackles the different learning styles of your child. Thus ensuring academic success.

Homeschool Exploration Network

IDENTIFYABOUT SUPPORT MODULES

about • identify • support • modules • affiliates • blog

log in

welcome to the hen!

Discover learning styles and activities through a social network dedicatedto parent and student success. A B C

+ 2

= 4

A B C

2 +

2 =

4

X-Y=?



Defining how our business model strengthens the brand [continued]

HEN partners with local co-ops, homeschool resource providers, curriculum providers, and curriculum authors. We also work with local community recreational organizations in the formation of local sport teams, academic and interest groups. Partnering with homeschool co-ops gives us the opportunity to link our students up with students that live in close proximity to each other as well as others online, virtually.

HEN’s key activities include a social network platform for our parents to connect with other homeschool parents and our children or young adults to connect with other homeschool kids. We have a strong network of users and we provide an open forum for users to write reviews. We also have curriculum authors who will carry out questions and answers about curriculum with homeschool parents. Through our website portal users are able to view videos, reviews, newsletters and online forums. The advantage to parents and children of using HEN is that connectivity can be accessed anytime and anyplace.

HEN provides an easy to navigate network that matches children with social activities in their area that includes:• Sports and recreation• Academic clubs• Games and special interest (like chess)• The arts (visual and performing arts• Community driven outreach

HEN also provides unbiased information on curriculum and allows parents to post honest reviews about their homeschool experience. All such channels boost connectivity and bolster educational experience.

Key advantage to parents and children of using HEN is that it can be accessed anytime and anyplace via PC, laptop or smartphone. A child or parent can achieve connectivity while they are on the run, anywhere, anyplace. We offer honest insights on curriculum and work as a guide to the parent during academic decision-making.

Business Model

Homeschool Exploration Network (HEN) has a strong vision: to increase connectivity for homeschool parents and students, and to become the one source for all homeschool needs. HEN offers constructive advice on modern education for the homeschool market; our digital platform utilizes the latest technology to deliver an excellent service to homeschool parents and children. HEN social network creates a venue for children to discover learning styles, define correct curriculum and get involved in social activities. At the same time parents can have a hands on approach and access to their child’s education.

Our learning style testing creates positive environments and experiences in a familiar setting for the child, because testing can be conducted in their home. Accurate results help parents to distinguish between the right curriculum that meets their child’s learning style. We strive to provide parents with unbiased information about what curriculum is most suitable to the child’s learning style.

Process Book // Part 7. Prototyping and Brand Development 190


Defining how our business model strengthens the brand [continued]

HEN is the only review site that provides a service for both parent and student. Our goal is to provide a simple yet sophisticated platform that is easy to navigate and fun to use. We play a role in providing parents with honest insights about curriculum and work as a guide to the parent during academic decision-making about their child. By doing this, we are filling in the gaps in the market by honing in on educational and social needs of both parents and students.

Key resources include human interaction; this is a very important aspect of the service because we hope to increase connectivity nationwide and develop strong relationships with our users. Further, we want our users to develop connectivity with other homeschool users; this ensures a strong community and growth potential. Our intellectual knowledge sets us apart from other similar offerings in the market and this can’t be copied especially as we grow and develop our unique brand. Therefore, brand awareness is another important resource, our performance and success is all related to the brand. Consequentially, trust in the brand causes people to recommend our service to others and bolsters our reputation on a national level. Similarly, the

reviews that are posted on our platform establish who we are and how we are meeting the needs of our customers. All of such build a robust foundation for growth and increase connectivity between parents and children. Further, our content providers are valuable resources that deliver pertinent information that is effective and authentic.

HEN promises to deliver a free and safe service that protects parents and children from Internet predators. Law abiding agreements and privacy legislation will be consented to via a signed documents before applicants join. We promise to protect all our users and supply them with daily updates, peer-to-peer reviews and fresh fun content as they navigate themselves through the site.

Our revenue streams are characterized by a fixed menu with list prices for advertiser affiliates. Sponsored advertising, blog posts and moderated live discussions will be paid for by curriculum publishers, authors and homeschool experts who wish to reach our audience while also providing value added content to our site.


Key Partners



Channels

Customer Segments

Key Resources

Homeschool Exploration NetworkThe HEN Business Model Canvas

Who, What, Where,

When, Why, How

Categories Detail 2

Co-petition

Detail 1

HumanWord of mouth

breeds trust

Free and safe Lessons and curriculumCo-Creation

Web/online

Multi-sided platform

Value-driven freemium

ReviewsPlatform/ Network

Reviews and content

providers

Online Community

Intellectual Mobile updates

Homeschool curriculum providers

Network

Mobile

Web platform

Lessons,activities and chat forums

Emailnewsletters


desk

AdvertisingFixed menu/list pricesfor advertisers/affiliates

Affiliates (homeschool expert bloggers)



management

Homeschooling parents

Homeschooled children

Parent to parent forums

Advertisers- we needto have economies of

scale to appeal toadvertising dollars


Homeschool experts

Word-of-mouth through HEN ambassadorsBrand

Homeschoolcommunity organizations

(like co-ops)

Homeschool resource providers

Identify your child’slearning style and

match it to curriculawith reviews

Peer-to-peer reviews

Fresh and fun content

Quick daily updates[The HEN Daily

Newsletter]

HEN ambassadors

Limitedstaff

Volunteer run core team [ambassadors] - ad sales,

blog writing, monitordiscussions


Prototyping and Brand DevelopmentWorking Wall: Developing a mock-up

Sketching out our wireframe



Mapping out our wireframe with post-its

The Homeschool Exploration Network

[HEN]

Contact Us Affiliates & Advertisers

Create aprofile

[parents & students]

Onlinesafety &civilitypolicy

Congratula-tions

& welcome to the network

IdentifyLearning

Style

Quiz

Completed Score

Curriculum Match List

SupportCommunityAbout

Search by learning style

Search by homeschool

approach

Myfavorites

Curriculum Reviews

Search by community

Search by profile

Myconnections

MakeConnections

Recentactivity

Generaldiscussions

Mydiscussions

Discussion Forum

Modules

Dailyschedule Blog

HEN is a hands-on network that is easy to navigate! We provide quality information and interactive feedback that enables our users to experience a professional service that delivers significant results for homeschooling families, community organizations, and advertising affiliates alike.

Create a calendar

My Schedule/Start Learning

Search by subject/grade/recommended





log in

welcome to the hen!


+ 2

= 4

A B C

2 +

2 =

4

X-Y=?


What is the HomeSchool Expolration Network?

The Homeschool Exploration Network is a place for homeschool parents and children to build an education curriculum or find a support network within your own community.

At HEN we know that homeschool parents and students are always looking for the best place to connect with people to share ideas and education styles. Since every child is different we created a unique online system to identify your students unique learning style.

next



log in

> What Is HEN?

> create a profile


Need help identifying your child’s learning style?

We will help you identify your child’s learning style, whether it’s visual, auditory, or kinesthetic and tactile. The overall results may show a combination, but we will help you discover his or her primary learning style.



START QUIZ

log in


create a profile

Sign up to participate in discussions, curriculum reviews, create activity modules, and receive The HEN daily digest newsletter.

*Required information

first + last name*

email

or connect to:

Birthdate (mm/dd/yyyy)*



next+ add child

log in

> What Is HEN?

> create a profile


create a calendar

WEEk of MArch 2-8

Monday 2 Tuesday 3 Wednesday4 Thursday 5 FRiday 6 Saturday 7 SUNDAY 8Time

6 am

7 am

8 am

9 am

10 am

11 am

12 am

1 PM

> Watch the Demo

> Create a Calender

> SEArch the material

> select grade level

grade level _____



log in

Main [home] page

About Identify Learning Style Support Community Modules


Wireframes [Main page]



Wireframes [About]





next



log in

> What Is HEN?

> create a profile

About


create a profile



first + last name*

email

or connect to:




next+ add child

log in

> What Is HEN?

> create a profile

Create a profile




log in

Contact Us

Connect with us!

Email [email protected]

The HEN123 SCAD StreetAtlanta, GA 30309

A B C

+ 2

= 4

A B C

2 +

2 =

4

X-Y=?

Contact us


advertisers & Affiliates

HEN chooses to cooperate with companies that have quality products and services, delivered with integrity and excellence. Preference is given to homeschool related businesses such as vendors of curriculum, books, and educational games. But other businesses relevant to stay at home mothers are welcome such as homemaking and fashion. Our advertisers and affiliates are willing to make financial investments into social media and online marketing campaigns because they realize that quality bloggers with the most influence online deserve to be compensated for their time and for allowing access to our audience.

sample List ofaffiliate workand resources

click to advertise or become an affiliate



log in

Affiliates and advertisers


Who we ARe

The Homeschool Exploration Network is a network of homeschooling families, educators and homeschool advocates here to provide information and support; or just help parents and students who want to learn more.

Explore our site and check out our learning modules where you can design a curriculum that is right for you. Manage your time and choose subjects that are interesting to you. It’s like being in college before you turn 18.

Click “Identify” to find your student’s specialized style.

identify



log in

> What Is HEN?

> create a profile

> Who We arE

Main [home] page



Wireframes [Create a profile]


create a profile



first + last name*

email

or connect to:




next+ add child

log in

> What Is HEN?

> create a profile


Online safety & civility policy

The HEN Internet safety policies are not just for parents, but include monitoring the online activities of minors; and as required by the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act, we are here to help parents educate minors about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response.

Please download the terms and conditions of our Online Safety & Civility Policy here, save it for your records, read over it, and click “Agree” to finish completing your profile.



i Agree

log in

Create a profile [parents & students]

Agree to the policy


internet safety

The Home Exploration Network (HEN) understands that privacy is important to you and your child(ren), and that modern learning tools are not a luxury. We require all users to be responsible digital citizens by agreeing to our online safety and civility policy as set forth by the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA).



Next

> INTERNET SAFETY

log in

> What Is HEN?

> create a profile



congratulations & welcome

Congratulations! Welcome to the Home Exploration Network.

Don’t forget to share.

3:000:01

HOME EXPLORATION NETWORK

FEATURES TOUR



log in

Congratulations & welcome to the network

About page



Wireframes [Identify learning style]






START QUIZ

log in




Results

6/Visual 3/auditory 4/kinesthetic & tactile

Your child’s primary learning style is visual. Now that you understand which learning styles best suit you and your child, you will be better equipped to choose or adjust a curriculum that will help your child excel academically.

Another helpful area to be aware of is whether you need a flexible or a more structured type of curriculum.

Click on curriculum match to see which ones best match your needs.

curriculum match

> QUIZ

log in

Identify learning style

Completed score




Select the option that best describe’s your child.

When you spell, do you...

try to see the word?

sound out the word or use a phonetic approach?

write the word down to find if it feels right?

next

> QUIZ

log in

Quiz






START QUIZ

log in

Curriculum match list

Curriculum reviews

Main [home] page



Wireframes [Support community]




Curricula for visual learners

• U Can Do Math & Exercise Video Tapes• Timberdoodle Company – Felt Sets• Beautiful Feet Books• D’Aulaire History Books• Mapping the World By Heart• The Library in the Sky• Math-U-See• Picture This! (Spatial)• Arts Attack (Spatial)• DIVE• Math Gym• My Father’s World• Vocabulary Cartoons (Spatial)

• Winston Grammar• Spelling Power• Sonlight• Apologia• Moody Science Videos (Spatial) • Learning Language Arts Through Literature (Print)• Institute for Excellence in Writing (Print)• Total Language Plus (Print)• Charlotte Mason• Traditional Text such as Abeka, Bob Jones, Saxon (Print)• Unit Studies •Classical (Print)• Principle Approach (Print)• Unschooling

curriculum Reviews

> QUIZ > CURRICULUM MATCH

log in

Support community


Curriculum reviews

by community by profile my connections

SORT BY VISUAL AUDITORY KINESTHETIC & TACTILETHEN BY MOST POPULAR MOST RECENT A-Z

1 > 2 > 3 > more

Picture This! (Spatial) 2 reviews

Saxon 12 reviews

Charlotte Mason 7 reviewsSonlight 9 reviews

Unschooling 13 reviews

Apologia 8 reviews



log in

Curriculum reviews


search for connections

[Parent] search for other parents of similar or special interests. Enter or select criteria below.my connectionssaved searchesprofiles

type in city

match my child(ren)’s age/grade YES match my homeschool approach NO

type in state

match my curriculum choices YEStype in activity

Type in subject/topic expert availability to mentor NO



log in

save search search

Make connections


discussion forum

RECENT ACTIVITY GENERAL DISCUSSIONS MY DISCUSSIONS

Does anyone in the Killeen, Texas area have a gently used copy of the Sonlight curriculum for 6th graders?

2 responses • 101 views • Jill o’donnell posted 5 minutes ago

I am reading The Hobbit and would love to start a book club this spring. Any 6th-8th graders in Killeen, Texas interested?

25 responses • 250 views • Jack o’donnell posted 9 minutes ago

Our co-op is starting a chess club in Decatur (Atlanta) Georgia and would like to invite other Atlantans to join us.

6 responses • 50 views • Christie legg posted 10 minutes ago

1 > 2 > 3 > more



> Discussion forum> Explore

> make connections

log in

> Curriculum reviews

Discussion forum

Curriculum match list

Main [home] page



Wireframes [Curriculum reviews]


Curriculum reviews



1 > 2 > 3 > more


Saxon 12 reviews



Apologia 8 reviews



log in


Curriculum reviews

By Learning style By approach my favorites


1 > 2 > 3 > more


Saxon 12 reviews



Apologia 8 reviews



log in

Search by homeschool approach


Curriculum reviews



1 > 2 > 3 > more


Saxon 12 reviews



Apologia 8 reviews



log in

Search by learning style


Curriculum reviews



1 > 2 > 3 > more


Saxon 12 reviews



Apologia 8 reviews



log in

My favorites

Curriculum reviews

Support community



Wireframes [Make connections]




type in city


type in state





log in

save search search



[Student] search for other students of similar or special interests. Enter or select criteria below.my connectionsprofiles saved searches

type in city

my age/grade [pending parent consent] match my homeschool approach NO

type in state

match my curriculum YEStype in activity

Type in subject/topic of interest availability to tutor NO



log in

save search search

Search by profile




type in city


type in state





log in

save search search

Search by community



[Student] search for other students of similar or special interests. Enter or select criteria below.profiles saved searches my connections

Chat with luke legg Chat with jack o’donnell

Chat with christie legg

Chat with jill o’donnel Chat with dylan fontilla

Chat with isabella sottile



log in

save search search

My connections

Support community

Make connections



Wireframes [Discussion forum]


discussion forum








1 > 2 > 3 > more




> make connections

log in



discussion forum








1 > 2 > 3 > more



log in

General disucssions


discussion forum

GENERAL DISCUSSIONSRECENT ACTIVITY MY DISCUSSIONS







1 > 2 > 3 > more



log in

My discussions


discussion forum








1 > 2 > 3 > more




> make connections

log in


Recent activity

Support community

Discussion forum



Wireframes [Modules]


8:45

create a calendar

WEEk of MArch 2-8

> select curriculum

> select subject/activity

11 am

12 am

Monday 2 Time

6 am

7 am

8 am

9 am

10 am

8:15

8:30

8:00 English

MAth

Reading Comprehension

Science

Social Studies

History

Geography

6th grade



log in

Create a calendar


create a calendar

WEEk of MArch 2-8


6 am

7 am

8 am

9 am

10 am

11 am

12 am

1 PM

> Watch the Demo

> Create a Calender



grade level _____



log in

Modules


create a calendar

WEEk of MArch 2-8

Monday 2 Time

6 am

7 am

8 am

9 am

10 am

11 am

12 am

8:15

8:30

8:45

8:00

6th gradeMath GeoMetry

Part 1 Part 1 Quiz Part 2


Saxon Math: geometry



log in

My schedule / start learning


Do you struggle with yourhomeschool schedule?

Posted today at 1:39 p.m. by Jill O’Donnell

A HEN ambassador shares her tips and best practices for organizing her schedule with Homeschool Exploration Network modules.Read more.

You know you’re a homeschooler when your life feels like an adventure again.Posted 27 February 2015 at 9:10 a.m. by Sally Moffett

Winter is nearly over, check out this list of activities and project ideas to get you and your kids out of the house! Read more.

How to weather homeschool.Posted 26 February at 4:37 p.m. by Estella Lee

When fear and doubt creep in; wondering if we’re doing the right thing by going against the norm. Read more.

A B C

+ 2

= 4

A B C

2 +

2 =

4

X-Y=?

2 +

2 =

4

X-Y=?



log in

Blog


search By Subject/activity

By Grade by recommended


1 > 2 > 3 > more

English 18 reviews

Reading Comp. 32 reviews

Geography 6 reviews

History 9 reviews

Math 17 reviews

Science 26 reviews

By subject



log in

> Watch the Demo

> Create a CalendAr

> SEArch the material > by Subject/activity

> By REcommended

> By Grade

Main [home] page

Search by subject/grade/recommended



Mobile web and email

henHOME EXPLORATION NETWORK

Mobile Web Splash Screen Mobile Web Menu and Navigation Email Newsletter View

AT&T 11:56 AM

identify learning style

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204Process Book // Part 8. Network Sales Pitch

Part 8. Network Sales Pitch (Storyboard)

Watch the video on YouTube here http://youtu.be/NsOMn0Ro0Iw?list=UUGYzJxmcm-gg0sGoQCOEOJg

205Process Book // Part 8. Network Sales Pitch // Storyboards

Cheryl:Today homeschooling is a widely accepted alternative to traditional public or private schools. Many BUSY families who choose to homeschool don’t have the time to research while also developing lesson plans. They need help selecting curricula and help organizing activities to fit their homeschool

HEN Homeschool Exploration Network

Jamie: Introducing, HEN, the homeschool exploration network. We are a social network dedicated to parent and student success.

Suzanne: HEN is guided by 4 pillars for success: learning - activity - socialization - and support.

Cheryl: We connect homeschool families with other homeschool families, co-ops, community interest groups, and curricula publishers.


henHOME EXPLORATION NETWORK

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Jamie: We aspire to create a secure homeschool network that becomes a one-stop resource and connection hub for parents and children.









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Suzanne: Homeschoolers are always looking for fresh content and activities. They are looking to connect with other homeschool parents and experts. They also seek an online environment where their children can connect with other homeschool children in a bully-free space.




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The Homeschool Exploration Network is a place

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At HEN we know that homeschool parents and

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• U Can Do Math & Exercise Video Tapes

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• Mapping the World By Heart

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Cheryl: The HEN social network is user-friendly, making it simple for both children and adults to navigate. ![CLICK] We provide a unique context aggregator and proprietary learning

2 million homeschoolers11% GROWTH

Jamie: The homeschool market has 2 million homeschoolers and is growing an average of 11% per year.

11% GROWTH




The Homeschool Exploration Network is a place

for homeschool parents and children to build an

education curriculum or find a support network within your own community.

At HEN we know that homeschool parents and

students are always looking for the best place to

connect with people to share ideas and education

styles. Since every child is different we created

a unique online system to identify your students

unique learning style.

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$500,000

20% EQUITY RETURN

100,000 ACTIVE USERS

ONLINE PLATFORM MARKETING FRESH CONTENT

Jamie:We are seeking to raise $500,000 to further our online platform, marketing, and consumer demand for fresh content with 20% equity return. We currently service more than 100,000 active users.

HEN Homeschool Exploration Network

Discover learning styles and activities through a social network dedicated to parent and student success.

Suzanne: In conclusion, HEN makes homeschooling simple for everyone to understand. The Homeschool Exploration Network, where our social network contributes to parent and student success.

Network Sales Pitch Course Project, Part 8 by Group 1: Jamie Bowerman, Cheryl Edenfield, Suzanne Mitchell

DMGT 720 Design Innovation Development and Marketing Strategies Winter 2015 // Professor Bruce Claxton

All: Thank you

208Process Book // Results and Analysis

Results and Analysis

209Process Book // Results and Analysis

Results and Analysis

Summary

In summary, there are great opportunities for a homeschool network because the estimated growth rate for homeschooling families is currently between 7 to 15 percent per year.[1] In addition parents spend 1.5 percent of their annual income for each child for homeschooling curriculum, supplies, and materials each year [2]. Furthermore, violence and safety issues in the public school systems are causing parents to make alternative educational decisions for their children. Based on this information “Team 1” began research on the creation of a homeschool network.

“Team 1” built their homeschool network based on four pillars; learning, activities, socialization and support “Socialization, Organization, and, support” (SOS). The idea was established based on the premise that Homeschool families needed specialized support if their children are going to experience a high-quality education that provides enrichment activities and socialization. However, through feedback and research, it became apparent that the name SOS was both misleading and carried a negative connotation with our target audience. Consequentially, the name was changed and became Homeschool Exploration Network or HEN, for short.

Firstly, HEN is a social network, were homeschool parents and children can connect with each other, regardless of location. Secondly, HEN is an interactive guide for children and parents to educate themselves on the student’s unique learning style. Once a style has been identified a specialized curriculum can be matched accordingly based on the student’s learning preference. Honest reviews and nonbiased feedback can be posted regarding the curriculum, which can help a parent and child determine if the curriculum is right for them.

HEN also links kids up with special interest groups such as sport teams, art clubs or literature groups within their geographic areas. Socialization is a key aspect to a student’s educational and developmental growth. HEN delivers the tools so parents and children can achieve success both inside and outside the homeschool classroom setting.

[1] National Home Education Research Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2015, from http://www.nheri.org/#sthash.eEjEnpIy.dpuf

[2] Lively, M. (n.d.). Education Channel Alert: The Homeschool Market--Part 1 of 3. Retrieved March 2, 2015, from http://www.sellingtoschools.com/articles/education-marketing-school-channel-homeschool-market

Next Steps

We have homeschool leaders interested in our current developments and are exploring the top opportunity to co-creating the network with with them.

Ideally, we would begin with content, the HEN Daily newsletter and HEN blog, getting subscribers and HEN ambassadors onboard. Once the reach includes a steady subscriber list of 100,000 active members, we could begin selling sponsored advertising and seek investors and further develop our website, platform and marketing. This way, we could start small (locally) in the first year, then expand from community to community in subsequent years. The ultimate goal would be to reach a million users nationwide by five years, and reach the international market within ten.

Other things to consider and work on based on peer feedback:

• Clarify finances made in investor pitch• Modify graphic look to appeal older (highschool) homeschoolers• Investigate online video/chat collaboration functionality; incorporate Google Hangout

210Process Book // Appendix

Appendix

211Process Book // Appendix // Timeline

AppendixTimeline

Gantt chartDMGT 720 Team 1 Gantt Chart

Page 1 of 2Exported on February 1, 2015 5:52:37 PM EST

J, C, SJ, C, S

J, C, SJ, C, S

J, C, SC

Combine everyone’s parts C; Update Creative Brief J

C

J, C, S

J, C, S

1 each by J, C, S

J, C, S

S

CJ, C

J, CJ, C

J, CJ, C

Each of us pick one competitor J, C, S

J, C, S

J, C, S

J, C, SC

C

lead by J, edits by team

lead by S, edits by team

lead by C, edits by teamJ, C, SC

C

J govt/org, C mom/org leader , S mom + student

212Process Book // Appendix // Timeline

AppendixTimeline

Gantt chart


DMGT 720 Team 1 Gantt Chart


DMGT 720 Team 1 Gantt Chart


lead by C,edits by team

J, C, SCC

J & C graphics leads , S content copy lead

C graphics leads, S content copy lead, all editsJ, C, SC

C

C graphics lead , S & J content copy lead

J, C, S record all togetherC

C graphics lead , S & J content copy lead

C




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Who we ARe

The Homeschool Exploration Network is a network of homeschooling families, educators and homeschool advocates here to provide information and support; or just help parents and students who want to learn more.

Explore our site and check out our learning modules where you can design a curriculum that is right for you. Manage your time and choose subjects that are interesting to you. It’s like being in college before you turn 18.

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The Home Exploration Network (HEN) understands that privacy is important to you and your child(ren), and that modern learning tools are not a luxury. We require all users to be responsible digital citizens by agreeing to our online safety and civility policy as set forth by the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA).



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The HEN Internet safety policies are not just for parents, but include monitoring the online activities of minors; and as required by the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act, we are here to help parents educate minors about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response.

Please download the terms and conditions of our Online Safety & Civility Policy here, save it for your records, read over it, and click “Agree” to finish completing your profile.



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HEN chooses to cooperate with companies that have quality products and services, delivered with integrity and excellence. Preference is given to homeschool related businesses such as vendors of curriculum, books, and educational games. But other businesses relevant to stay at home mothers are welcome such as homemaking and fashion. Our advertisers and affiliates are willing to make financial investments into social media and online marketing campaigns because they realize that quality bloggers with the most influence online deserve to be compensated for their time and for allowing access to our audience.

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• U Can Do Math & Exercise Video Tapes• Timberdoodle Company – Felt Sets• Beautiful Feet Books• D’Aulaire History Books• Mapping the World By Heart• The Library in the Sky• Math-U-See• Picture This! (Spatial)• Arts Attack (Spatial)• DIVE• Math Gym• My Father’s World• Vocabulary Cartoons (Spatial)

• Winston Grammar• Spelling Power• Sonlight• Apologia• Moody Science Videos (Spatial) • Learning Language Arts Through Literature (Print)• Institute for Excellence in Writing (Print)• Total Language Plus (Print)• Charlotte Mason• Traditional Text such as Abeka, Bob Jones, Saxon (Print)• Unit Studies •Classical (Print)• Principle Approach (Print)• Unschooling

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INCYMI [in case you missed it]When fear and doubt creep in; wondering if we’re doing the right thing by going against the norm. Fear storms are the moments (sometimes very long moments!) of fear and doubt. We fear that we are letting them down, or they aren’t having the opportunities they should have. Or that we are ruining their life.

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activityDo you struggle with your homeschool schedule? A HEN ambassador shares her tips and best practices for organizing her schedule with HEN modules. It’s ok to do things in a way that suits you. Forget about “shoulds” and “oughts”. Some of us are just not designed to follow a day by day timetable. It makes us feel restricted and burnt out. You can go with the flow. and still stay on track with that in a moment.

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Thread:Team 1 Network Analysis for peerreview

Post:Team 1 Network Analysis for peerreview

Author:

Posted Date:January 11, 2015 11:13 PM

Status: Published

(Post is Read)

Please find attached our network analysis for Twitter, LinkedIn,Pinterest and Google+. We look forward to your feedback.

Kindly,Cheryl and Jamie

Attachment: Group1_projectpart1.pdf (6.31 MB)

Cheryl Edenfield


Post:RE: Team 1 Network Analysis for peerreview

Author:

Posted Date:January 12, 2015 11:06 AM

Status: Published

Hi Cheryl,Would you pleasse forward your pdf to me in an email?My first impression is that it looks great and very thorough.The format is looking weird here somehow.We will want to standardize where to attach the week's work. This isfine, if I can pull it and see it clearly.

Bruce Claxton

←← OK OK

Collection https://elearning.scad.edu/webapps/discussionboard/do/message...

1 of 41 3/9/15, 11:23 PM

(Post is Read)

Thanks,Bruce



Author:


Status: Published

(Post is Read)

Hello Team 1,I'm not sure what application or program is being used for theworking wall but it is a bit hard to read. Did you all come to anyconclusions or discover any overlap between the social networks orbegin to see a potential zag? I'm interested in hearing what directionyou all are headed.- Anna

Adrianna Wilder



Author:


Status: Published

Team 1 - while it took me awhile to figure out the flow of your work,and how it all pieced together due to formatting- i think your contentis spot on! It is my assumption that in your process you were very thurough,detailed, and organized however unfortunately i think the programyou used (would you mind sharing?) to compile all of this work,created a very difficult layout which lost some of your organiztionalpreparation work.

Jennifer Johnson


2 of 41 3/9/15, 11:23 PM

cheryledenfield

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cheryledenfield

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(Post is Read)

It seems to me like maybe you started working in an adobe file wherethe document size was set extraordinarily too large, so when placingyour information maybe it was difficult to sort on one page, and onceit printed to PDF you had a very large page? Just my guess!Lovely research though! Can't wait to see what you come up with forthis week!



Author:


Status: Published

(Post is Read)

Hello Team 1:I was able to scroll around, and was impressed with yourdemographics and all the data you were able to collect. I think it is agreat start to find your white space in the market.

Gregg

Gregg Lehman



Author:


Status: Published

Hi Team 1There was definitely a lot of effort put into your research and datacompilation. I was most interested in reading about Google+ as Idont really use it. I do like the Hangout feature though, it is reallyhandy. I think a unique feature like that can be important to thesuccess of a social networking site, since it is fulfilling a need for theusers.

Monica Seggos


3 of 41 3/9/15, 11:23 PM

cheryledenfield

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cheryledenfield

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(Post is Read)

Thank you so much

all the bestMonica



Author:


Status: Published

(Post is Read)

Thanks, Anna, for your comment. I appreciate it. I'll reply to both youand Jennifer here... with the group changing almost every other day,it was hard to come to a decision as to how/where we were going toput it all together. Esp since we lost our third member on Friday. Inthe end, Jamie and I did what we could creating our walls separately-- his working wall in Illustrator and mine created with Stormboard–– and him writing our intro. I'll attach the stormboard summarywhich is easier to read here. Caveat is that any text that was longerthan the sticky got cut off. My working wall sketches were also madereally small, so I will include that in part 2 when we submit ourworking wall.Best,C

Attachment: DMGT_720_Network_Analyses_Working_Wall(summary).pdf (4.106 MB)

Cheryl Edenfield



Author:


Status: Published


4 of 41 3/9/15, 11:23 PM

(Post is Read)

Thank you, Gregg. Appreciate your comment!

Best,C

Cheryl Edenfield



Author:


Status: Published

(Post is Read)

Hi Monica,

Thank you! Appreciate your comment as well. For sure, Google+ hasits differences and is struggling behind the pack. Personally, thehangout feature is what I use the most. I do however delve into someG+ likes and posting, just not as much as Facebook. One of my goodfriends from undergrad is a die hard Google fan, and I usually greethim Happy Birthday via Google+ vs Facebook. His reply is always, "wemust be the only two geeks who use Google+." Ha.

Best,C

Cheryl Edenfield



Author:


Status: Published

Monica Seggos


5 of 41 3/9/15, 11:23 PM

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haha!!:)



Author:


Status: Published

(Post is Read)

We re-laid out our working walls and info in letter-sized format, soit's easier to read now for anyone interested.

Enjoy!

Attachment: Team1_processbook_part1.pdf (2.073 MB)

Cheryl Edenfield



Author:


Status: Published

(Post is Read)

Thanks Cheryl! this format is really easy to read.For everyone with comments, thanks so much for your feedback, youshould be able to easily read the information and post a sticky notethough adobe reader if there is any specific feedback you would liketo give on any sections inparticular. Thanks so much for all yourcomments and feedback, it is much appreciated. -Jamie

James Bowerman


6 of 41 3/9/15, 11:23 PM



Author:


Status: Published

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Wow! I am so impressed with where you took this. I love the formatand ease of reading. I am also enjoying reading the handwrittennotes contrasting to the more formal looking charts. Thanks for thiseffort.Consider this format one that you can grow with towards yourprocess book. I would make this recommendation across the boardfor all three groups. Plan now and then the building of the processbook should be a no brainer at the end. further, your grand slam fianlpresentation should be able to be pickups of some of this as well.

Bruce Claxton



Author:


Status: Published

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the handwritten notes. I was strapped forworking wall space in the hotel room and car while traveling, so itwas easier to write everything down on printer paper as I did thereasearch.

For sure, this is the template for our process book, so the idea is tocombine each week's submission into one document for the final.

Best,Cheryl

Cheryl Edenfield


7 of 41 3/9/15, 11:23 PM

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Thread:Team 1 Network Design Development

Post:Team 1 Network Design Development

Author:


Status: Published

(Post is Read)

Please find attached our submission for part 2. Our group decided totake the route for a homeschooled student social network. Thoughts,suggestions and ideas welcome; and if you or someone you knowwas homeschooled we'd love to get in touch with them for aninterview.

Many thanks,Team 1Jamie, Cheryl and Suzanne


Cheryl Edenfield


Post:RE: Team 1 Network DesignDevelopment

Author:


Status: Published

Hi Cheryl:I homeschooled my son Robbie (we did the unschooling form ofhomeschooling). He said he would be available, as would I if you areinterestedwe are on the road from NYC to LA, so we are definitely available thisweek if you need usall the bestMonica

Monica Seggos


8 of 41 3/9/15, 11:23 PM

(Post is Read)



Author:


Status: Published

(Post is Read)

Thanks, Team 1. I got it!At a glance, it slooks great. i am looking forward to digging in deeperand really absorbing your work.Bruce

Bruce Claxton



Author:


Status: Published

(Post is Read)

Good stuff here!I like it.Bruce

Bruce Claxton



Author:


Status: Published

Hien Le


9 of 41 3/9/15, 11:23 PM

(Post is Read)

Hi team 1,

Actually, i like all of ur 3 ideas. These ideas are very cool andnecessary for today. U can make a boom in these market fields.

In asian countries, homeschool is very popular. Every students musthave at least 2 classes (maths, literature, physics...). The parentsmust pay much money to invite the professor going to their houseand teach their children. So i am very similar with the insight of asianstudents using this network. And i think how helpful it is foreconomizing money and stimulating children interact in the digitalage. So i can't wait for ur next exploration for this concept.

Hien



Author:


Status: Published

(Post is Read)

Team 1:Great job on each concept. I thought your descriptions and analysiswas very good. I was interested in the home school concept. Therewas an article in the local paper this week I have attempted to uploadfor you. I live in Fayette County GA which is south of Atlanta.Supposedly we have some of the best schools in the state. Even withthat, we have 9% (435 to 903 in 2013) of the kids being homeschooled. I think you may have a really large social network conceptespecially if you were to include teaching concepts and Meet-upgroups for special events.Nice work!Gregg

Attachment: Fayette Count GA Schools Jan 2015.jpg (509.908 KB)

Gregg Lehman


10 of 41 3/9/15, 11:23 PM

cheryledenfield

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cheryledenfield

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Author:


Status: Published

(Post is Read)

Hi team 1,How deep your group has analysed! Your weekly work is almostperfect and i have learned a lot from your work. I like the idea thatyou used handwritten notes and your 2x2 axis charts too. I prettysure that i will do that in the future.I am looking forward ur next work!

Hien Le



Author:


Status: Published

(Post is Read)

Hey Team 1,I would say you all have definitely chosen a very unique and morenecessary idea to move forward with. At least in my opinion. I thinkIdea 1 has a possibility but there is still a lot of saturation in theonline travel market and idea 2 seems like more of a stretch. Idea 3 isbacked by a lot of data that reveals opportunities. I'm curious to seehow you all will format this and I wonder will you all be consideringhaving a section of the network dedicated to kids actually hangingout or getting together in groups? Great start!- Anna

Adrianna Wilder




11 of 41 3/9/15, 11:23 PM

cheryledenfield

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cheryledenfield

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cheryledenfield

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We did address this with the online chat forum.


Author:

Status: Published

(Post is Read)

Thank you, Gregg, for your comment for sharing. Will definitely lookat the article. Suzanne lives in the Atlanta area, and will beinterviewing homeschoolers there so this fits nicely.

Regards,Cheryl

Cheryl Edenfield



Author:


Status: Published

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Hi Hien,

Thank you for your comment. I didn't realize that in Asian countrieshomeschool is very popular. My heritage is Filipino, and my familythere all went to private Catholic schools, so this is all new to me.Personally, I was looking in to homeschooling my son using aCatholic/Faith-based curriculum and didn't realize until researchingthat there is a cost involved. i.e. the parent has to buy the materialsnormally provided by the school. So, hearing that in Asia parentsmust pay to invite the professor to come to the house and teachmakes sense. It's very different here, since the parent is actually theone doing the teaching – or else they belong to a network ofhomeschoolers and some parents trade off specialities to teach asmall group of children. Thank you for your insights!

Regards,Cheryl

Cheryl Edenfield


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Thank you, Monica! We will definitely be in touch with you. This week,Suzanne is working on the personas for experienced homeschoolers.I'm taking on the brand new ones, so we'll probably reach out inanother week or so. We appreciate and look forward to yours andRobbie's input!

Thanks again,Cheryl

Cheryl Edenfield



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Hi Anna,

Thank you for your comments. Yes, it is our intention to explore asection of the network for kids. I'm excited to delve deeper and lookforward to seeing how the research and synthesization unravels ourideas!

Regards,Cheryl

Cheryl Edenfield


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Thank you, Hien! Appreciate your comment.

Regards,Cheryl

Cheryl Edenfield



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Hi Cheryl

yes, it is amazing how many different types of homeschooling thereare. there are also many different types of regulations that differstate by state. so some times it is more difficult to become ahomeschooler if there are too many regulations. the regulations arebased on the cirriculum that is in the state, and that is precisely whata lot of homeschooling parents are trying to get away from.

Look forward to speaking with you

all the bestMonica

Monica Seggos

Thread: Posted Date:


14 of 41 3/9/15, 11:23 PM

Team 1 Defining Network UsersPost:Team 1 Defining Network Users

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January 26, 2015 12:20 AMStatus: Published

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Please find attached our submissin for the course project part 3,defining network users. We look forward to your constructivefeedback!

Best,Jamie, Cheryl and Suzanne


Cheryl Edenfield

Thread:Team 1 Defining Network Users

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Yikes! Didn't realize we had more time... our group is going to reviewand make edits to the conclusions and potential marketingstrategies. We also have some contextual research planned for thisweek – attending some homeschool information sessions in ourrespective locales. Please stay tuned.

Many thanks,Cheryl, Jamie and Suzanne

Cheryl Edenfield

Thread:Team 1 Defining Network Users

Post:RE: Team 1 Defining Network Users

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Status: Published


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Hi team 1 , it s a very good job. I like the way u used handwriten type in thispresentation. you go so deep into your research. You have analyzeddifferent user groups by using empathy map. Keep forward and ican't wait to see ur next part.

Hien Le

Thread:Team 1 Defining Network UsersRevised

Post:Team 1 Defining Network UsersRevised

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Posted Date:February 1, 2015 6:57 PM

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Please find attached our submission for part 3. We decided that usinga survey wasn't the route we wanted to take because each answervaries from one homeschooler to the next. Personal interviews andcontextual research (fly on the wall, participatory observation)worked best for us. We look forward to your constructive feedback.

Best regards,Jamie, Cheryl and Suzanne


Cheryl Edenfield


Post:RE: Team 1 Defining Network UsersRevised

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Posted Date:February 2, 2015 10:48 AM

Status: Published

Bruce Claxton


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I will look forward to reviewing the work! I am downloading it nowand will begin to go through it.Thanks,Bruce



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Hi Team 1,I think you all are on a great path here. You all understand your usersvery well and I'm sure those interviews you had really helped identifythem so strongly. I would argue that your competitors would onlycompete with SOS on certain aspect of your concept, which would bemore so the modules and lessons aspect you all are seeking toinclude. I also think it is unique because both parents AND studentsare going to apart of this social network. I wonder if they would haveboth separate and shared spaces on the site? That way the studentscould do more of the "social networking/media" thing without theirparents breathing down their necks. I can also see how this couldexpand into IM/chat and video conferencing. Obviously that's meprojecting out, but still! Great job, Team 1.- Anna

Adrianna Wilder



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Hien Le


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Hi team 1,As usual, your weekly work is always great! I like the way that youcombine the handwritting and typing layouts together in the workingwall, everything in details has showed up. I can look at it and firuredout how hard is your work. It s match! I love the idea in yourmarketing strategy that "sponsored advertising at regional zoos andmuseums during homeschooler visitation days.". This is the cool wayto link the value of outside school activities and homeschool. Goingto traditional school is not the only way that children could learninteresting thing. Can't wait for your next work. Hien



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Edited Date:February 7, 2015 2:16 PM

Status: Published

Hi Team 1First I want to complement you on the organization of your documentand your research. I read everything thoroughly and I want tomention that you have put a lot of focus on Christian homeschooling,and there is no information about Unschooling, which is anotherform of Homeschooling that has a large group of followers and isbased on child directed learning (Google John Holt). I know it is toolate in the game, but I was wondering if you might have consideredcreating your user groups by the type of homeschooling category,rather than by the participant. I would also like to mention that thereis a lot of focus on cirriculum, whereas there is a huge contingent ofHomeschoolers that have left the system because they foundcirriculum based education to be lacking, especially when it isfocused on state based testing. Home based cirriculums can be justas lacking. Also, what are the advantages of Homeschooling? Homeschooling allows children and parents an enormous amount offreedom, not just to explore their learning styles, but what theirinterests are. A lot of Homeschooled children are ahead of the gamewhen it comes to their life dreams, because they have beenencouraged to explore each interest to the fullest, rather thanfocusing on cirriculum. The other alternative is to focus your network on a specific branch of

Monica Seggos


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homeschooling-say Christian Homeschoolers-then you could focuson the participantsThank you for picking such an interesting topic-I have really enjoyedreading about your network.all the bestMonica



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Hi Anna,

Thank you for your feedback! Yes, that is what will be unique aboutours is that students will also be a part of this. Currently, from whatI've discovered, students are relegated to Facebook groups orGoogle+ communities. You make some great points, and we'lldefinitely take them to heart.

Thanks again.

Best,C

Cheryl Edenfield



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Cheryl Edenfield


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Thank you, Hien, for complimentary comments. We appreciate it!

Best,C



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Hi Monica,

Thank you for your feedback. Yes, right now, the places we've beenand folks we've interviewed have fallen into the Christianhomeschooling realm. I briefly heard a bit about unschooling at a"School Choice Week" info session. We initially had our user groupsdivided by newcomers (still considering homeschooling), experiencedhomeschoolers and organizations. I can see great value in what yousay though, about categorizing type of homeschooling category. Ithink that it may fall in to a sub-category, perhaps between theparents and students. We were talking just a few days ago aboutcurriculum. Sue's notes, I'm sorry I put them in the document sosmall, but they do talk about the advantages of homeschooling aswell as those who are ahead of the game. Exploring beyondcurriculum is where we're headed with our three tenets. So we'll getthere, and we're excited to share it soon!

Thanks again.Best,C

Cheryl Edenfield

Thread: Posted Date:


20 of 41 3/9/15, 11:23 PM

Team 1 Competitor Research andAnalysis

Post:Team 1 Competitor Research andAnalysis

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February 8, 2015 8:48 PMStatus: Published

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Our group analyzed two types of leading networks in our chosenmarket – curriculum providers and homeschool resource connectors.Our analysis and recommendations for each one are labeledaccordingly. It is with those final recommendations that we updatedand revised our creative brief, which is included in this attachment.We look forward to your constructive feedback.

Kindly,Cheryl, Jamie and Suzanne


Cheryl Edenfield

Thread:Team 1 Competitor Research andAnalysis

Post:RE: Team 1 Competitor Research andAnalysis

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Hi team 1, the fact is i m your big fan. Each week, you always makeme surprise by making an outstanding presentation. But i think thisweek is the best. I like your layout, more colorful and using icon,chart very consistence. Despite there are many information, but yourlayout and graphic design make the reader have patience and curiousto read all of it. Absolutely, your working wall is very professional. It'slook like the thing i see in CSI serie LoL! One more thing, i can't seethe pattern of your competitor buiness model (such as the long tail orthe multi-sided platform or....) Did i miss something? Hien

Hien Le


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Hi Team 1,Part 4 for you all is great. You have found great insights from yourcompetitor analyses. I think you have a solid idea of what's going onhere and will have a clear path moving forward. Also, kudos onupdating your creative brief. It makes it known that you all arecircling back and fine tuning. I really don't have any suggestions, butI'm excited to see the next Part.- Anna

Adrianna Wilder



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Status: Published

Hi Cheryl,

I really enjoy reading about your project. Homeschooling has comeso far in 12 years since I first began. It was a frightening experiencebecause at that time, schools and in general, people looked at youlike you were crazy and that there was something creepy about yourrelationship with your child. Especially being a single mom. Therewas even a movie about it starring Kyra Sedgwick called Loverboy(2005)so it is really great to know that there is a homeschooling defenseleague, because from my experience, it was needed.all the bestMonica

Monica Seggos


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Hey Team 1:I love your revised and updated creative brief-I have a clear picture ofwhy your social network exists and how it will help your user base(and your visual presentation is great! as usual)all the bestMonica

Monica Seggos

Thread:Team 1 Business Model Generation

Post:Team 1 Business Model Generation

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Please find attached our document for business model generationand our presentation video on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/oVofoz0PYoQLooking forward to your constructive feedback.

Best,Cheryl, Jamie and Suzanne


Cheryl Edenfield


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Thanks, Cheryl, and for Team 1, At a first glance you guys did a greatjob with the video! Clean and informative. I couldn't help taking aquick look even though I need to go through it again for a critique.Graphics and icons are really good. Flow is good. Voice over is good.One opportunity for improvement is the Value Proposition page.Perfect idea. Its great, but too long. You could do the full voice over,but I recommend abbreviating the actual text. Simplify. Cut it downto three points. It's too much to try to read. You are reading thepage... add something in addition to the graphics. (Thats aasuggestion for everyone ), Hit it directly visually, then expand onthe voice over. More to come when I can look at this and take a fewnotes. Overall: awesome.I will get more feedback to you by sometime Tuesday. Maybe you sawmy other post tonight. I am flying tomorrow and it will be tricky topost my feedback until then.

To all Team 1, keep up the great efforts Bruce

Bruce Claxton



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Status: Published

Hi Team 1,In your pdf, I really enjoyed your in-depth business model analysis(reminds me the final project questions for 748). I'm really interestedin seeing how the networking parts come together for the kids. Ithink I mentioned this before about having sort of 2 or maybe even 3sections that allows students to go be the young adults/kids, adultsto be adults, and somewhere they can meet in the middle. Of course,as age permits and is appropriate. I think it's important kids are still

Adrianna Wilder


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allowed to be kids/students as well as individuals with hobbies andpersonal interests.- Anna

Thread:Team 1 Part 5 Feedback

Post:Team 1 Part 5 Feedback

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Status: Published

I wanted to try something new this week. I am giving you feedbackhere, and will attach the annotated pdf here as well. It will give moreexposure to the feedback for better sharing. I wish I had thought ofthis earlier! It's so simple.Here are some highlights, and see the attachment as well for morethoughts.Feedback for Homeschool SOS:Overall, this is great work. It's clean, concise and very thoughtful.It is occurring to me that I have an emerging question on the SOSpart of your title. Is this a solid and positive metaphor? does SOSdenote emergency and is this what you'd like to say with yournetwork? Does this beg for a reframing of the title? Does that tweakyour focus in any way?The table of contents are great. It tells you where you're going. Goodidea.What exactly is iHomeschool? What am I missing? I see it crop upfrom time to time, but I may have missed your description of it andhow it fits in.I love that you include co-creation in building relationships. Thisaffects branding and value in a big way! You alos point out that youwill build these relationships through word of mouth. How does thatwork?You mention creating trust. In what way can you achieve that?As your customer segments become clearer, is it time to plug in newpersonas? Its something to think about. Illustrate who they arethrougha scenario of their life. In SWOT, how will you overcome weaknesses and threats? By doingso, you will strengthen your overall proposition.In your anlaysis, there is a comment of cost. wWhat about overheadcosts? Have you considered this? Staff costs? is it in your plan? should

Bruce Claxton


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it be?More on costs: How about letting it grow as you grow? do you needthe big bucks all at once?Finally I liked your Zag! very clear.Feedback on the Video Pitch:This was very well done. Kudos to the team!Great graphics. It's easy to follow and your pace was right on. I likedthe comparsions you pointed out early in the video... about yourcompetition, without calling it that! Talking about what you don'tcover is a bright moment in setting up the right expectations.Pointing out new opportunities help too. The schedules part was clearand the graphics supported the thought. Asking 'Is that all?' is great. It creates curiosity. Intrique. Marks of agood brand.Here's a question; Are you actually suggesting that you createcontent beyond just being a network?Overall: great job.




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Hi team 1, As usual, your work is very good. The layout of the presentation isclean and clear, i like the the u used the color, it makes your layoutmore colorful and fascinated. The value proposition is perfect. I can'tagree more than that. The way u use different color in the businesscanvas to differentiate various categories is very smart. I will keep itin my mind to apply in my own work. The SWOT is also perfect, and ilike the way you analyzed the business model by answeringquestions. Very interesting!Personally, the video pitch is very good and informative but in someslides, it's quite long, it seems like more a pdf file or power pointpresentation than a video pitch. If you reduced some slides orsentence, made it simpler and used some animations, it would beperfect. Hien.

Hien Le


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Team 1:Really nice job on your video and business model generation. I reallyknow very little about the subject so I went to IHomeschool.com andalthough the graphics and the name was excellent, I see it was notreally for the students. It seamed mostly for advertisement andpartnership. I did a quick search on the "best home-schoolingnetworks" and found Homeschool.com which seamed to be verygood, but if you wanted curriculum like you are proposing you endup paying for it. I think you have found some white space. I aminterested in seeing your business model develop and see how thefinancials will work out. I started to do a little research myselfbecause I have no idea what it costs to launch or run a network orhow you monetize one, which is really fascinating. I found someinformation which I will share elsewhere.Great job.Gregg

Gregg Lehman


Post:RE: Team 1 Part 5 Feedback

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Status: Published

Thanks Bruce, we are taking all your suggestions to heart. Some ofwhich we were able to address in our part 6 work – further defininghow we will fulfill our users needs. We will also be updating ourbusiness model to reflect the costs, which we will include in futureproject parts (appears it will be appropriate to refer back to in part 7).

Best,

Cheryl Edenfield


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Cheryl

Thread:Team 1 Defining Your Users' Needs

Post:Team 1 Defining Your Users' Needs

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Please find attached our part 6. It's coming together, and we'reexcited. Looking forward to your constructive feedback.

Team 1Cheryl, Jamie and Suzanne


Cheryl Edenfield


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Post:RE: Team 1 Defining Your Users' Needs

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Hi Team 1,You've put together a thorough pdf for this part. I really enjoyed thejourney map. I can really get a great idea of how users will navigateor being using the network. I also found yoru strategy whiteboardhelpful because it shows that you all are thinking futuristically andconsidering innovation opportunities early. I think as long as thestudent and their success stays the main focus, you will find ways toinnovate.- Anna

Adrianna Wilder


Post:Team 1 Part 6 Feedback

Author:


Status: Published

Team 1, Great work this week.I liked seeing you experimenting with the network name. Is thiswhere you will stay? I liked the idea of calling it a HomeschoolExploration Network. The idea of exploration is open ended andinvites the imagination. The empathy maps are solid. I see Jill O'Donnell's case as one of thebest overall. The scenarios come to life. Some of the others are alittle too brief. See my notes on the file. Fill them in more. On theempathy maps, for everyone, see the 'pain' category, these canindicate ideas to reinforce your network. Think and Feel can becometestimonies for users.Your working walls are rich with good material. The emerging notesand ideas are very good as well. As you go through these excersizes, you are generating a lot ofthinking and materials. Return to your core value pillars. if you don'thave them, then establish them. Find 3 core values that you can

Bruce Claxton


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measure yourself against. Stay focused. Return to these to test yourideas as they emerge. ask, Are you still on track?'Simplify' will be the most difficult thing to do. You all will have tomake tough decisions.The PESTE factors are very interesting. These are coming alive andcan build the power of your solution. POG graphics will get cleanedup and more readable as the PESTE aspects too.Finally, refer to Jan Chipchase's work on Customer Journey Maps.There are examples online. He is a master. See if you can map that?Keep up the good efforts. You are on a strong path and the networkyou are developing is coming along nicely.Let me know if you need anything I can help with.Bruce




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Thank you, Anna. Appreciate your comments!

Cheryl Edenfield



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hi team 1, Your work is also very good this week. I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE "hear"of cindy lucana. IT S EXactly what i m hearing about homeschoolnowadays. Home school is only for freak kids! Besides the mainfunction to connect parents to homeschool programs, I m very

Hien Le


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curious what you guys will use this social media to switch thestereotype of people about homeschool.hien



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Hi Team 1!You did a fantastic job on this part of the project. I was very intriguedto see the different points you emphasized from each of yourempathy maps - and how the different users needs came together tocreate somewhat of a fluid theme. This was further executed in thenotations on your working wall and displaying the progression of theuser's interaction with the network. I think that your topic is veryunique and represents a niche in the market that is currently lackinga well-known, go-to network.I really love how you have incorporated the whiteboard working wallto this, I think that the best part about a working wall is that you areconstantly adding and subtracting, adjusting and making changes,moving things around to see an idea from a new perspective. Thewhiteboard seems like a very effective way to do this - and I mightjust have to invest in one for future classes. Brilliant!

Thanks again for sharing great work,Jenn

Jennifer Johnson



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Bruce Claxton


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Jenn, Just a quick one for the whiteboard: Make it magnetic so youcan add on sketches!Bruce



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Great tip, Bruce. My whiteboard is magnetic, which is how I put thepersona in the middle. I wish it were bigger, but I do have twogigantic black foam core boards with binder clips, hanging on pushpins, below the white board for post its. I also use post it tape forprinted sheets. Then I can flip the foam core board around because Ihave a working wall for another project on the back.

C

Cheryl Edenfield

Thread:Team 1 Part 7: The H-E-N prototypeand branding

Post:Team 1 Part 7: The H-E-N prototypeand branding

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Posted Date:March 1, 2015 10:27 PM

Edited Date:March 2, 2015 1:22 AM

Status: Published

Hi class! Please find our prototype and branding package attached,and our presentation video on YouTube here:http://youtu.be/WLM3xbjiAMEor a larger, higher quality video on Dropbox herehttps://www.dropbox.com/s/gyuvxelka2xkrvv/Group1_ProjectPart7.mp4?dl=0Had some technical issues splicing together videos, but it works! We

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look forward to your constructive feedback.

Kindly,Team 1



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Posted Date:March 2, 2015 11:06 AM

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Bruce Claxton


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Sorry about that! Cheryl,You have a fantastic set up for creative thinking. Being able to seeyour thinking on a larger scale, and that it's flexible is great. There issomething powerful about getting it out of your head and turning itinto a visualization that helps.Thanks for sharing.Bruce

Bruce Claxton

Thread:Team 1 Part 7: The H-E-N prototype



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and brandingPost:RE: Team 1 Part 7: The H-E-Nprototype and branding

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Hi Team 1I really enjoyed seeing how much progress you have made with yoursocial network. I love the parent friendly graphics-they make me feelthat the social network cares about the happiness of the children. Tome that is what homeschooling is all about-making learning a funand happy experience. Many non homeschoolers feel that you aredepriving your child of having an authentic social life and dismiss thevalue of homeschooling as an education. What you present with yourgraphics is a positive inviting view of what homeschooling can be. Iparticularly like your focus on learning styles-in addition a childsdevelopmental process is key also. Boys espeically are generally latebloomers compared to girls. I think that focusing on learning styleshelps the non homeschooler to understand that homeschoolingparents want to find the best way to help their child learnThank youall the bestMonica

Monica Seggos


Post:RE: Team 1 Part 7: The H-E-Nprototype and branding

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Status: Published

Hi team 1,Your website is very good. The video presentation is very detailedand clear. It seems like you take advantage of all space in yourwebsite to provide a value to users. I love the idea of the calendar. Its absolutely helpful. For me, it s more fun than the calendar onmySCAD (lol.) The illustration is match with the target audience.Theflow and navigation of the website is clean and easy to follow too. One little thing to add. Don't bother! hahaa. Personally, it seems tome that, the color in the background may have a minor changethroughout your website, maybe you could add some colors or some

Hien Le


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graphics in several pages. Bacause of your target audience, it does'ntlook like a theme park website with colorful stuffs but i thinkadjusting or adding something in your background like 'the curriculafor videual learners" is not a bad idea.BestHien



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Great Job! The detail that you have taken it to is very impressive. Ilike the celebrity voice over as well! I know you have been working onthe name and I was wondering if you might consider making itplayful like HEN as in Mother Hen. You could create character as yourlogo. Just a thought.

Gregg

Gregg Lehman



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Hi Team 1,You all have organized your prototype very well. I thought it spoke alot to the curricula and modules than it did the networking. I didthink the network would be more connection-oriented for both kidsand parents to be social and to group up with one another, but I felt

Adrianna Wilder


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it was more parent-oriented. If that's what you're going for, that'sperfectly fine. I might have just perceived it differently. I enjoy yourbrand and your color scheme but I think the graphics might be a littleoff-putting or childlike for homeshcoolers that are high school age.Just something to consider. Nonetheless, always a great job. Can'twait to see your pitch!- Anna



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Hi Team 1!

Wonderful job here. I really felt like the mechanics of yourprototyping and branding came through in this video with flyingcolors. The flow of your prototype is very cohesive and I feel thatlogically it makes perfect sense. I would agree with Adriana below -as we have been going through each part of this project I think I wasunder the impression that it would be more focus on theinterconnectedness of us the children and parents. However, afterthis video I can see it transform in a different way - focused a bitmore on the parents' needs. I like it!I think you have created, and maintained brand consistencythroughout your video - and I think the features you have developedalso play into your brand standards very seamlessly. Great work!

Looking forward to seeing how all of this pulls together as we roundout the next few weeks!

Jennifer Johnson



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Thanks everyone! We appreciate your feedback.

Yes, our approach to the graphics and site were as Monica said,parent friendly. While HEN is also for children, it's important to haveparent buy-in for their children to use the network in tandem withtheir parents. Our goal isn't to go where networks like "kikmessenger" or "WhatsApp" have gone with pre-teens and teens arebullying or being bullied unknown to parents. Some wireframe pageswere cut out of the presentation to get it under 5 minutes, i.e. theonline safety and civility policy that should be agreed to by parentsand children (see the appendix in our PDF).

Gregg -- thank you for suggesting the pronunciation of "HEN" versus"H-E-N." I wasn't sure, even though we have the hen shaped icon. Wetalked about having a "Mother Hen" like "Mother Goose" and are gladyou brought it up! The majority of homeschooling parents andcommunity organization leaders are women, making the "motherhen" term appropriate to our target audience.

We're excited to share our pitch with you all. Cheers to the laststretch of the quarter!

Cheryl Edenfield

Thread:Team 1: HEN Homeschool ExplorationNetwork

Post:Team 1: HEN Homeschool ExplorationNetwork

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Here's our final video. We look forward to your constructive feedback.

Many thanks,Cheryl, Jamie and Suzanne

Cheryl Edenfield


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Player ControlsPlayer Controls

YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsOMn0Ro0Iw


Post:RE: Team 1: HEN HomeschoolExploration Network

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Status: Published

Hello Team 1Really enjoyed watching your video. I love how you incorporatedeveryones voice as a narrator-to me that added to the idea that youwere going to be an asset to many families. Again, I loved thegraphics-and liked how you incorporated photographs within thepresentation as well. I thought your message was clear and the copyon your dummy pages enhanced your narration. Honestly, it was funto watch. The financial pitch was a bit confusing-I thought theoffering of a 20% return extremely high for such a low ask-that is

Monica Seggos


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$100,000 out of the 500,000. This also does not allow fornegotiations on your part-starting with the lowest possible termsthat are in your favor, then maybe give points on the back end, forwhen the site becomes successful. As an investor, I think I wouldrather have seen a valuation of the social network with the additionof long term growth probabilities that would benefit me in the longrun.I have really enjoyed following your process and have learned a lotfrom your workThank youall the bestMonica



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What a great video! You all have conveyed the network very well andhave also included numbers in the video that I'm sure an investor will belooking for or asking about. Great job!

Adrianna Wilder



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Hi Anna, thank you for your comments. It's appreciated!

Best,

Cheryl Edenfield


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Thanks, Monica! Points well made for sure. Honestly, I don't havepersonal experience with equity return on investment and would haveto defer to others in the group. It makes total sense to see avaluation of the social network with long term growth probabilities.Thanks again. It sure has been a learning experience!

Best,C

Cheryl Edenfield



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Team 1:Great Job! I thought the pitch was very professional and convincing.The graphics, music and voice overs were very good.I like the Shark Tank type pitch as well. I think 500K at 20% equityvalues your network at 2.5 Million, but you might want to check mymath. Not bad!I appreciate your work this quarter.Gregg

Gregg Lehman


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