- eCampus News - https://www.ecampusnews.com -

Silicon Valley invests in micro-learning

Entrepreneurs give “10 minute” micro-learning insights on social knowledge platform EdCast.

It’s not for credit or credentials, but Silicon Valley is lending two invaluable things to the education community: its time and its experience-based knowledge.

Hosted on the increasingly growing social knowledge network platform EdCast [1], the micro-learning classes began almost like a Silicon Valley startup: there was a need, there’s an altruistic element, and someone knew someone who knew someone.

“A friend of mine, venture capital investor Tim Draper [2], showed interest in being part of this series for incredibly talented, experience-based entrepreneurs hosting quick-hitting sessions on topics of their choice,” explained Karl Mehta, founder and CEO of EdCast. “And he talked to some of his friends who talked to other friends and it grew from there.”

The “10 Minute Insights [3]” series, which are mobile-enabled live-streamed/live-cast and then archived, are mini-discussions hosted by Silicon Valley innovators representing a broad range of expertise is various subjects, and each host chooses his/her topic for discussion.

What makes these series more than just a mini-MOOC is that every person watching the live stream is able to ask questions directly to industry leaders, even on their mobile devices—an opportunity that moves beyond merely trend-setting and into the realm of an invaluable knowledge resource for learners seeking real-world advice.

“A lot of these entrepreneurs have a wealth of experience, and in true Silicon Valley-style, want to share what they’ve learned in order to help the community and spur even more innovation,” Mehta elaborated. “The problem was that there wasn’t really a platform to do this; wasn’t really a platform that could live-stream with the click of a button and allow for this level of interactivity. But EdCast can provide that now.”

(Next page: More about the micro-learning lessons; expanding the concept)

Looking on the 10 Minute Insights webpage, archived micro-lessons range in hosts and subjects from an interview with [4] Founder and CEO of Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes (the youngest female billionaire) to advice from [5] celebrity publicist, Anita Chatterjee.

Each host can live-cast at any time on the EdCast platform, but many schedule their micro-lesson in advance to allow learners to tune-in accordingly. Mehta says that while hosts certainly have the option to just do one live-cast micro-learning class, many also come back to discuss other topics of interest.

Expanding on micro-learning and entrepreneurship

EdCast also recently announced that it has added HP’s online Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs (HP LIFE) to its network. HP LIFE 2.0 [6] will harness the influence of EdCast’s social learning platform as it offers 25 interactive micro-courses.

The micro-courses are aimed at providing baseline business skills development for the underserved, as well as helping aspiring entrepreneurs, students and small business owners. Offered in seven languages, HP LIFE 2.0’s self-paced micro-courses cover a spectrum of topics including strategic planning, leadership, sales, social media marketing, energy efficiency, funding and finance.

“There is a huge demand for knowledge and skills in entrepreneurship right now,” said Mehta, “as often it can be more efficient to create a job than to find one in today’s economy. Silicon Valley, specifically, is well-suited for imparting advice on how to scale entrepreneurial skills rapidly.”

As part of HP LIFE 2.0 on EdCast, the informal learning offered through the micro-courses will be complemented with a personalized feed of bite-sized content that users can consume every day, which is chosen based on the individual’s interests, knowledge base and learning behaviors, so that they can collaborate with their peers.

For more information on 10 Minute Insights, click here [3].

For more information on HP LIFE 2.0, click here [7].