LANSING — Two Ingham Intermediate School District educators ranked among the best in this year’s Michigan EdTech Innovation Pitch Contest.
The contest allows participants to pitch their ideas to improve education and win cash, legal and marketing support to grow their idea, and this year’s winners were chosen from a pool of more than 35 educators.
Ken Turner, an instruction and technology coach for the Ingham ISD, won the contest with an online library of more than 60 live class simulations across various subject areas, allowing students to see the real-world application of what they’re learning in the classroom.
The project, unscriptED, has ready-made simulations available for teachers so they don’t have to spend time setting the lessons up.
Turner told the State Journal that students enjoy school more when they know the real-world application of the skills they’re learning,
“I believe that if we make school compelling, we can make it so kids like it,” he said. “I think that by acknowledging that the stuff that they’re learning does have real value, by giving them opportunities to practice using the new knowledge and skills that they’re being taught at school, the ability to practice using that in a simulation of how they will use that in the real world in a way that’s fun can make school feel more meaningful, can make kids want to be there.”
He said he really got the project up and running in May, and is excited to get a userbase with feedback this fall once class is back in session.
For winning the pitch contest, Turner won $10,000 prize, which he will be using for marketing, a FERPA compliance safety-review, and to cover the cost of the AI computer used to build the different simulations.
“I’ve spent my career trying to make school better in every corner that I have access touching as it relates to school,” he said. “I want school to be great, and this is just an extension of my mission to make school awesome, so the validation of a great team of people believing in that mission is very inspiring.”
David Baker, a programming and mobile applications teacher at the Wilson Talent Center, said he created a program that allows students to work on budgeting through a life-long simulator, where students pick their careers and paths while working to maximize their happiness in life.
“The end result is helping them try to navigate life in an environment where they can mess up and it won’t screw over the rest of their life,” he told the State Journal.
Baker’s project, FiscalPath, ended in third place, earning a $4,000 prize. He said he’ll be using the money for branding and user interface work. The simulator is available for people to try out at fiscalpath.org.
Both ISD winners also received startup legal consultation from FosterSwift as a part of the project.
Sarah Pilarski, a county-level school counselor and career readiness consultant for the Macomb Intermediate School District, came in second with her mobile and web-based platform Elevate-Ed that supports educator onboarding. She earned $6,000 and legal support with her second-place finish.
Finalists Amber Trishawna Merriweather from Detroit Public Schools and Jason Raddatz from Marshall Public Schools each received $1,000 in grant funding for their projects as well.
Contact Karly Graham at kgraham@lsj.com. Follow her on X at @KarlyGrahamJrn.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: 2 Ingham ISD educators earn cash for education tech startup ideas
Reporting by Karly Graham, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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By Karly Graham, Lansing State Journal | USA TODAY Network
