Interview with Michael Schutzler, Livemocha.com, Innovators in E-Learning Series

New approaches to online learning take advantage of new mobile devices and the willingness of learners to engage across platforms, technologies, and infrastructures. Learning languages is no different, and the focus now with new technologies, which are used in online forums, bachelor degree programs, graduate programs (for example, and online master's in Spanish), and even Ph.D. programs is all about interactivity. Welcome to an interview with Michael Schutzler, CEO of Livemocha.com.

What is your name and your relation to eLearning?

My name is Michael Schutzler. I am the CEO of Livemocha.com, the world’s largest online language learning community. I have been formally trained as an instructor in several disciplines including Telecommunication Systems Troubleshooting, Water Safety, Zen Meditation, and Executive Coaching. I am an avid technologist, internet entrepreneur and angel investor. I am PASSIONATE about providing teachers useful technologies to make learning both exciting and effective.

What is Livemocha?

Livemocha.com is 13 million people helping each other learn skillful conversation in 38 languages. The company was founded in 2007 and is dedicated to creating a world in which every human being is fluent in multiple languages.

What is Livemocha's instructional philosophy? How does it help with learning language?

First, the team at Livemocha believes that language is a performing art, not merely an intellectual pursuit. Therefore, we emphasize skill development - in particular, we emphasize conversational competency.

We encourage and reward every language learner to try to communicate using the tools he or she learns in each lesson. Since the advent of the Internet and especially with the explosive growth of Skype, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and many other forms of communication - we encourage both typed and spoken conversation skills. Of course, we also encourage each learner to share their own native language skills with other members who are eager to learn.

In this way, everyone gets to fumble for a few minutes with a new language and then shine for a few minutes when they share insights into their own language.

In what directions would you like to see education go? Why?

About sixty years ago, our nation had a wake-up call called Sputnik. Suddenly, we were in a race to ensure that our kids were the best at math and science so we could beat the Soviet Union in military and technical development. Meanwhile, funding for public schools has eroded in the past few decades and the result is a public school system obsessed with math and science curricula while jettisoning the humanities.

We do so at our peril. The rest of the world considers bilingual a baseline requirement for higher education and professional advancement. Those powerful communication technologies I already mentioned (Skype, LinkedIn, etc.) are making it possible for even the smallest company to reach global markets. Among the Fortune 500, more than 30% of the current job openings have bilingual as a requirement. Our education system cannot meet that demand.

Livemocha wants to ensure that every person reaches their full potential through skillful conversation in multiple languages. That’s why we created the Livemocha Scholarship program. By donating 5 million dollars worth of Livemocha services to underfunded community colleges and high schools in 2012, we’re hoping to give teachers the resources they need to help students become global citizens.

What is Livemocha doing to promote language learning?

We are partnering with many organizations throughout the country and around the world. Livemocha is already in use in thousands of high schools, colleges, corporations, libraries, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and more.

Our most recent endeavor helps schools build stronger language programs with the help of native speakers and teachers from around the world.

The Livemocha Scholarship Program, which launched on January 11th, 2012, is needs-based and will give US high schools and community colleges the ability to apply for free or deeply discounted language learning solutions with the goal of rebuilding language training programs to serve our nation.

Schools can find additional information and apply for the scholarship program. Simply visit www.livemocha.com/scholarship or email scholarship@livemocha.com.

Sean McKeever, e-Instruction: Interview -- Innovators in E-Learning Series

Innovations in digital tablets to encourage collaborative e-learning have helped students of diverse learning styles and preferences engage more fully and effectively. Welcome to an interview with Sean McKeever, eInstruction, who develops new learning strategies to ways to adopt new technologies. Students can concurrently interact with and contribute to the same digital content from team activities to learning simulations to interactive lessons

What is your name, and what is your involvement in e-learning?

My name is Sean McKeever, and I’m the Director of Classroom Solutions at eInstruction. I’ve always had a strong passion for education which has driven me to develop new technologies for students and teachers for 10 years. I’ve been a team member at eInstruction since 2005.

What are Interwrite Mobi System and DualBoard (http://www.interwritelearning.com/products/mobi/detail.html), and what are their mission and vision?

The Interwrite® Mobi System

The Interwrite Mobi System is the first-of-its-kind multi tablet and multi user system. The Mobi System includes the Interwrite Mobi tablet (for teachers), two Interwrite Mobi Learner tablets (for students), Mobi Dock (charging & security station) and Interwrite Workspace® 8.0 software.

Link: http://www.interwritelearning.com/products/mobi/detail.html

The mission of the Mobi System is to support student-centered, collaborative learning where both teachers and students can concurrently interact with and contribute to the same digital content from team activities to learning simulations to interactive lessons.

This mission is, in turn, part of a larger corporate vision in which all eInstruction products – hardware, software and content – serve to help educators realize academic progress everyday…in the classroom as well as at the school and district levels.

Mobi: Students can concurrently interact with and contribute to the same digital content from team activities to learning simulations to interactive lessons


The Interwrite® DualBoard

The Interwrite DualBoard is the first operational dual pen interactive whiteboard to hit the education market. The DualBoard allows two pens to be used at the same time on a single interactive whiteboard, creating the perfect solution for two students to work simultaneously at the front of the classroom.

Link: http://www.interwritelearning.com/products/dualboard/detail.html

The mission of the DualBoard is to create a learning environment centered on teamwork and students learning from each other. Teachers can have two students at the whiteboard solving two different homework problems at the same time.

As above, this mission too is part of a broader corporate vision in which all eInstruction products – hardware, software and content – serve to help educators realize academic progress everyday…in the classroom as well as at the school and district levels.



The Interwrite® DualBoard

Who do you consider to be the target audience? Why?

The target market for the Interwrite Mobi and the Interwrite DualBoard is the K-12 classrooms. The very nature of these products creates a collaborative learning environment that encourages student-to-student and student-to teacher interaction, which definitely appeals to K-12 educators.

What makes Interwrite Mobi System and DualBoard effective?

The Interwrite® Mobi System

From the teacher’s view point, I would say that the most powerful aspect of the Mobi System lies within the assessment technology that has been integrated into the Mobi tablet (for teachers). When used with our student response systems, the integrated color LCD screen on the Mobi displays individual student answers in real time. This dynamic feature allows teachers to privately view every student’s graded answer seconds after a question has been posed. With this knowledge at hand, teachers are empowered to provide differentiated instruction as the lesson unfolds, making sure that each student understands a concept even though their learning styles may differ.

The DualBoard is an effective educational tool because it was created to be shared—students sharing information, one student working on one problem while the teacher sets up the next problem with the other pen, etc.

Have recent changes in the way online learners interact changed anything about Interwrite Mobi System and DualBoard? (social networking, Twitter, wikis, multimedia, voice boards, etc.)

Both the Interwrite Mobi System and DualBoard are designed to facilitate access to and the use of digital content, whether drawn from the instructor's own computer or via the Internet. So these products mesh very well with the growing role and impact of Web-based content and collaboration tools.

Please list and describe a few key benefits of using Interwrite Mobi System and DualBoard. Do you have any demos? (please provide links, and a jpeg or two, with captions)

Key benefits of the Interwrite® Mobi System

Collaboration- creates a collaborative learning environment encouraging teamwork;
Mobility- allows the teacher to remain mobile in the classroom and look over students’ shoulders as he/she is instructing;
Assessment results- sends real time assessment results to the Mobi tablet. This allows the teacher to re-teach any concepts that aren’t “clicking” with the kids.

Key benefits of the Interwrite® DualBoard

Collaboration- creates a collaborative learning environment encouraging teamwork,
Engagement- provides interactive lessons that engage students and make lessons come to life.

Please describe upcoming activities. (please provide links and a jpeg or two, with captions)

Both the Interwrite Mobi and Interwrite DualBoard will be demonstrated at the following upcoming trade shows:

National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), Feb. 27 – Mar. 1, 2009, in San Diego, CA

California Computer-Using Educators (CUE), Mar. 5-7, 2009, in Palm Springs, CA

FOSE, Mar. 10-12, 2009, in Washington, DC

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), Mar. 14-16, 2009, in Orlando, FL

National School Boards Association (NSBA), April 4-7, 2009, in San Diego, CA

National Educational Computing Conference (NECC), June 28 – July 1, 2009, in Washington, DC

Georgia Educational Technology Consortium (GAETC), Nov. 4-6, 2009, Atlanta, GA

National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), Nov. 13-15, 2009, in Atlanta, GA

Optional question: Do you see any applications of Interwrite Mobi System and DualBoard for developing online courses for technical / professional development?

Both products will be compatible with new "virtual" clicker software that eInstruction is developing which will make it possible for instructors to create, administer and manage assessments of both on-site and online students.