Robots and rocket launchers: Kuato Studios uses gaming to teach kids the basics of coding
Kuato Studios’ new mobile strategy game Hakitzu aims to teach kids the basics of JavaScript. Read more »
Developer training company Pluralsight releases online coding courses for kids
Pluralsight, a Salt Lake City-based developer training company, has released new programming courses for kids in elementary, middle and high school. Read more »
A doctor’s office of the future? Google Ventures leads $30M investment in One Medical Group
photo: Brian A Jackson
One Medical Group, a San Francisco-based medical practice aiming to use technology to bring concierge-style medicine has raised $30 million in a round lead by Google Ventures. Read more »
What mobile health app developers need to know about looming government regulation
photo: iadams
This week, Congress held three days of hearings on regulating mobile health. The FDA hasn’t yet released its final guidance, but here are a few details on how it views the market so far. Read more »
Personalizing health online: where can you go for medical information that matches you?
photo: Mopic
By gathering personal health data, companies like HealthTap and WebMD are looking to customize health information online. Read more »
Omada Health raises $4.7M to take on diabetes and other diseases
photo: baki
With $4.7 million in new funding, Omada Health says it will support its online program that helps people with prediabetes lower their risk, as well as expand into other disease categories. Read more »
Even elite schools have fundraising challenges, and Evertrue gets $5.25M to help
TechStars-backed EverTrue has raised $5.25 million to help colleges and prep schools build alumni networking mobile apps. Read more »
Jawbone brings its UP fitness bracelet to Android, returns to Europe
photo: Jawbone Facebook
Four months after releasing its new and improved UP fitness bracelet, Jawbone has launched an app for Android users. Read more »
It’s not Skynet yet: In machine learning, there’s still a role for humans
photo: Albert Chau
Even though a perception persists that machines can increasingly solve complex problems and process large amounts of data on their own, machine learning experts say humans still play a key role. Read more »
Castlight hopes new drug shopping tool is “stepping stone” to more health care consumerism
Castlight launched a new drug price comparison tool to help consumers be more savvy about purchasing their medications and become more cost-conscious about their health purchases in general. Read more »
Tutoring 2.0: 5 startups bringing one-on-one instruction to the web
In the past year, startups bringing online education to mass audiences have gained a lot of attention. But several startups are finding success with an opposite approach — instructing online students one at a time. Read more »
Can publishing giant Wiley take on lynda.com and others with new digital learning site?
photo: mtkang
Publishing giant Wiley has launched Digital Classroom, an online marketplace of software training videos and digital books. Read more at paidContent »
Meet the 10 digital fitness startups in the new Nike, TechStars accelerator
Nike and TechStars have announced the 10 startups that will be in its new accelerator program for digital fitness startups. Read more »
Even the professors behind massive online classes aren’t sure they should count for credit
Professors pioneering the new massive open online courses have mostly positive things to say about the “MOOCs” but most don’t believe their schools should award credit, says a survey from the Chronicle of Higher Education. Read more »
Digital learning startup Benchprep expands into video-based software training courses
Benchprep, a digital learning startup based in Chicago, is rolling out video-based software training courses targeting college and high school students, not adults looking for professional development. Read more »
Noodle, backed by founder of Princeton Review, buys social education startup Lore
Noodle, a company backed by Princeton Review founder John Katzman, has snapped up Lore, a small New York startup that provides a learning management system. Read more »
Tictrac opens up to help make health tracking more mainstream
Tictrac, a startup that helps people aggregate data from various tracking devices, apps and other non-health tools, this week opened to the public. Read more »
How Unbound Concepts crunches readability, or how big data could help improve literacy
Unbound Concepts, a startup launched in Washington, DC, is applying machine learning and natural language processing to help teachers identify the most appropriate books for their students. Read more »
The “Linux” of online learning? edX takes big step toward open source goal
Moving closer toward its vision of being an open-sourced learning platform, edX on Thursday released its XBlock SDK, the underlying architecture supporting edX course content. Read more »
Online education could get big boost from Calif. bill backing web classes for credit
photo: ra2studio
A new bill proposed by a state senator in California would create a new system that would allow public universities across the state to accept college credit for online courses. Read more »
Meet Neurotrack, the winning health startup at SXSW
photo: Lightspring
Neurotrack, a startup built on years of neuroscience research, says it can identify patients at risk for developing Alzheimer’s years before the onset of the condition. Read more »
Health tech’s monthly checkup: more deals, but less investment in February (infographic)
photo: Shutterstock
Last month, total funding in digital health may have been down, but deal volume was up. Take a look at a graphic showing some investment highlights from February in health tech. Read more »
Big data bioinformatics startup Spiral Genetics raises $3M
photo: The Cancer Genome Atlas
Seattle-based Spiral Genetics has raised $3 million for its service that helps researchers in academia and industry more quickly analyze raw sequence data. Read more »
Hollywood talent agencies join tech VCs in investment in online learning site CreativeLIVE
CreativeLIVE, a Seattle-based provider of online skill-focused classes, has raised a small amount of funding from big name Hollywood agencies Creative Artists Agency and William Morris Endeavor, as well as Google Ventures and the Crunchfund. Read more »
GE and NFL take the wraps off their $40M research project for tackling concussions
photo: Flickr / schluesselbein
A new research project and innovation challenge backed by GE and the NFL aims to uncover new technologies for preventing and treating traumatic brain injuries. Read more »
Lean government? How HHS is following Silicon Valley’s lead
Government agencies will never be as nimble as a Silicon Valley startup, but, at SXSW, Bryan Sivak, CTO of the Dept. of Health and Human Services, describes how the tech world is influencing his agency. Read more »
Eric Ries-backed Neo Innovation launches new fund focused on lean startups
Neo Innovation, a web development and product design firm, has created an investment fund targeting startups that demonstrate an awareness and understanding of the “Lean Startup” principles. Read more »
A wish list for education technology
At the SXSWedu ed tech conference this week, I got an earful on plenty of new technologies aiming to remake education. But here are a few themes I still hope to hear more about. Read more »
Designing for health tech? Remember the 7 deadly sins
photo: Basis
Public health has long focused on awareness and attitude in promoting behavior change. But health behavior experts and others say that’s not enough — you need to trigger emotion. Read more »
Bill Gates: education needs much more than just 1 percent of R&D spending
Given advancements in computing, the growing penetration of technology and the rise of cloud storage, Bill Gates said now is a “special time” in education technology. But despite climbing investments, the sector still needs more. Read more »
Coursera credentials today, full Coursera-powered degrees tomorrow?
Even if providers of massive open online courses don’t intend to provide degrees or degree equivalents, that doesn’t mean degrees fully powered by informal sources aren’t on the horizon. Read more »
Basis raises $11.5M for health-tracking wristwatch, adds Deepak Chopra to advisory board
Basis Science has raised a $11.5 million for its wristband that uses sensors to track several health indicators. The company also said that Esther Dyson and Deepak Chopra had joined its advisory board. Read more »
The future of digital learning? News Corp.’s Amplify debuts its tablet for K-12 classrooms
Amplify, the education division at News Corp., on Wednesday will reveal its new education tablet that comes optimized for the K-12 classroom and fully loaded with learning and instructional tools. Read more »
Social network for education Edmodo buys Root-1 to expand its app market for teachers
Edmodo, a San Mateo-based startup that provides a social network for teachers and students, has purchased education app maker Root-1. Read more »
What ed tech can learn from health care when it comes to data access
Amid parent concern over new efforts to harness student data, an education technologist talks about how public discussion over health data could positively influence current debates over the use of student data. Read more »
Startups 101: New program provides 8-week institute for wannabe tech employees
The program formerly known as the Boston Startup School, which was co-founded by the managing director of TechStars Boston, has changed its name to the Startup Institute and is expanding to New York. Read more »
Digital portfolio startup Pathbrite scores $4M more to help students showcase learning
Digital portfolio startup Pathbrite, which lets students store and display their academic achievements, has raised an additional $4 million from testing giant ACT, Rethink Education and other angels. Read more »
WebMD and Qualcomm Life team up to bring Quantified Self tech to the masses
WebMD and Qualcomm are partnering up to help consumers sync and analyze data from wireless health and fitness devices. Read more »
Data, makers and MOOCs: 6 ed tech trends to watch at SXSWedu
SXSWedu, an annual conference on all things ed tech, kicks off Monday. From the growing role of data to debates on online education to DIY approaches to education, here’s a look at what’s ahead. Read more »
School analytics startup Kickboard scores $2M to put student data to work
School analytics startup Kickboard has raised $2 million to help teachers and school leaders capture, analyze and share student performance data. Read more »
