Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Open letter to an edtech company

To whom it may concern:

Our school has invested a significant amount of money in your products, sacrificing in other areas to bring in such technology. I have been an advocate for your products and have worked to integrate them into my own instruction. That being said, I realize that I am small from your perspective.
Last week I emailed two edtech companies inquiring about whether their products would soon be supported on the Kindle Fire. One email was returned within an hour by a very eager sounding software developer. He informed me of some updates that were coming and assured me he would get his hands on a Kindle to work toward a solution. I was very pleased that he took time out of his busy day to respond to me, so thanks to the folks at Desmos for your quality service for a free product!
The other email I sent to your company and, to this date, has not be returned. While this could have been a negative situation, I am writing this letter to thank you for your poor customer service.
By not responding to my email I was given the opportunity to think about ways I could apply my own knowledge and make a product, that in my opinion, has the potential to be better. Had you responded in a timely manner, I never would have taken the initiative on my own to make something that will work on all my students' devices. Unlike your product, there will not be yearly fees, and will allow for groups of up to 100 participants because those of us in the trenches know that class sizes are seldom 32. I plan to share this with other educators at a much cheaper rate because I understand the present financial struggles in education. I will not throw fancy parties, sponsor huge conferences and I will answer my emails.
Consider me your newest competitor.

Andy Schwen

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