Pocket Tales Wins Global Education Challenge

Houghton Mifflin announced the winners of the Global Education Challenge last night in Washington DC.  I kicked off the event with a quick recap of the promise of personal digital learning: customization, motivation, and equalization (as outlined in Getting Smart,  available online this week).  It just so happens that the winners reflect these three dimensions.
Pocket Tales, a social platform that inspires students to read more, took home the First Prize of $100,000 and $25k in materials.  Founder Yaw Aning is an engineer that wasn’t fond of reading as a child.  He built a platform that boosts student motivation for kids just like him.
Second prize went to Neil Dsouza of Education Hotspots.  Neil was beamed in from Mongolia where his new company is extending internet access to remote villages.
Reading Glue took home the bronze metal.  James Stubblefeild watched is wife, a first grade teacher, struggle to customize learning for each of her students.
Phoenix Wang, STARTL, was one of the judges and spoke at the ceremony.  Pocket Tales was a STARTL incubated company.
 
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