Answerables
Principle/Founder name(s)
Mark Wu / Peter Cameron
Year founded
2011
Business description
Answerables is a learning management system developed specifically for elementary and middle school students- with their particular learning needs in mind. It takes all the traditional aspects of an LMS and allows a teacher to use them to create a 3D virtual world for their students. We call it learning management meets video game.
Teachers have a platform to create immersive virtual classrooms, where they can add their students, and curate individualized content. They can add, receive and grade assignments using Google Docs integration, as well as use voice and video chat to work with students live or invite virtual guest speakers to their classrooms.
Students experience learning management that guides them towards digital citizenship in an immersive, safe and engaging virtual environment. They will earn reward points and badges for completing assignments and quests, while exploring the fantastical 3D world of a multiplayer video game.
As educators we have always understood that the needs of our elementary students are very different than our secondary students. Answerables is an LMS that caters to K-8’s specific learning needs and focuses on the importance of discovery and play.
Milestones/Successes to date
2015 was the first year that we were really able to move out of the product development stage and start getting Answerables used by teachers and students. We began seeking out pilots in strategically chosen markets in the US and Canada: California, Indiana, Massachusetts, Texas and Niagara.
After running pilot projects with various schools in the States in the 2015-2016 school year, we have decided to focus on Fullerton School District in CA for 2016-2017. They are looking to integrate their current game based LMS with Answerables and develop content for Fullerton students.
One of our greatest milestones to date was getting Answerables into the Apple store as a free iPad app. This allows teachers and students to quickly and easily install the platform and start using it immediately. It also means that we have a great entry point into those school districts that have gone 1:1 with iPads in the US.
How has Innovate Niagara / ihub helped you?
One of the most important things that Innovate Niagara / ihub has done for us has been to connect us with researchers and post-graduate students at Brock University. Working with them will be instrumental in helping us decide what student data and analytics will be most useful for teachers and how to present this to them in a clear and concise way.