From his essay “Why Do Bad Schools Cost So Much?”

Before the so-called “progressive” era in this country there was a vast and impressive non-system of great diversity and autonomy in American education. No one claimed there was any one “best system” and attempted to force it on everyone. According to Lawrence Cremin, a historian of American schools, “Virtually anyone who could command a clientele could conduct classes…Anyone could teach and anyone could learn — and the market, rather than the church or the legislature, governed through many types of contractual relationships.” It was this interplay of opportunities that created the resourcefulness, the industry, and the ingenuity that President John Adams associated with the New England town and which dazzled the world.

Wow. I haven’t read any passages that do a better job of summing up the change that we’re going to help empower through eduFire.

Today marks the first official day of summer and if you’re one of the fortunate ones who will be traveling to another country this year you’re in luck. There are more sites than ever to help you learn to speak at least enough of the language to get you out of trouble (or perhaps into trouble!). Lists like this have been put together before but given all the great resources that have come online in the last couple of years we thought it was time for a fresh one:

Rosetta Stone “Lite”

Rosetta Stone is software that you’ve no doubt heard of (at least if you’ve opened a SkyMall Magazine anytime in the last 5 years). They have great products but are also a bit pricey. Fortunately there are a few websites out there that offer lighter weight versions of the type of stuff you’d find in Rosetta Stone:

LiveMocha - LiveMocha now offers lessons in over 10 languages plus has a great network of students available for language exchange.

Mango Languages - While Mango Languages’ Premium Course Subscription costs a bit their Discovery Courses are free and a great way improve your vocabulary and grammar. Plus, their downloadable MP3s are perfect for listening on your iPod during your travels.

Babbel - For the more visually inclined Babbel is a treat. It’s an easy way to improve your vocabulary and listening skills. Plus, you can compete against others in the ultimate war of the polyglots!

Language Exchanges

Know English and want to speak some French? Chances are that there’s someone in France who is in the opposite boat. A number of websites now exist to help you connect with someone and trade off speaking and listening in each others’ language. Most of these services utilize Skype so you don’t have to pay anything to talk. Here are some of the best we’ve found:

italki.com - italki.com is one of the larger language exchange sites and is popular in the Middle East, China and India.

MyHappyPlanet - MHP is a well-designed site that is big in Asia (India, China and Japan) and very popular in Columbia.

FriendsAbroad - FriendsAbroad is one of the longest-running language exchange sites and popular with people in Europe.

Podcasts

The tremendous growth in podcasting over the last several years is a boon for people interested in learning languages. There are literally hundreds of podcast episodes available for many languages and this is a great way to turn drive time into study time and learn without taking any additional time out of your day. Here are a couple of resources for finding new language learning podcasts:

Open Culture - Open Culture’s list is a bit old (October 2006) but it’s a good one. You’ll find a lot of podcasts here for over two dozen different languages.

LearnOutLoud - Our sister site, LearnOutLoud has done a good job indexing language learning podcasts. They currently have 55 different podcasts in their languages category available to download or stream.

Of course, iTunes is a great place as well to find language learning podcasts!

Blogs

OK, this is cheating because there are really a ton of cool blogs out there that will help you learn languages faster. We spent some time tracking down the best ones this week and put it all into a post entitled The Top 21 Language Bloggers on the Web.

Videos

Nothing is bigger on the Internet than video these days. Take advantage of those minutes on your coffee break or lunch hour and watch a video or two in the language you’re learning. It’s amazing how quickly you can pick up a language from video (just ask all those people who learned how to speak English from watching Hollywood movies!).

YouTube - YouTube has a ton of foreign language learning videos. You can search for your favorite videos and then when you find good ones be sure to subscribe so you can be notified when they post new content. In addition, you can find innovative tips for how to go about learning a language including my personal favorite Play Video Games to Learn Languages Online.

(Also, we found that it was time-consuming to wade through YouTube to find the best language learning videos so we assembled the best ones in our videos directory. Enjoy!)

Tutoring

One of the best recent inventions on the Internet is the ability to connect to teachers for one-on-one live video learning. A number of websites have cropped up to help you find good teachers and engage in private tutoring sessions. It might not be free but there’s no faster way to learn a language and because you can find someone from anywhere around the world the costs tend to be lower.

Myngle - Based out of the UK, Myngle connects tutors and students for Skype-based sessions. Myngle also offers free student-to-student language exchanges.

Phrasebase - There’s a lot going on at Phrasebase including the ability to learn words and phrases and take lessons or classes plus very cool “Phrasebooks” that you can access through your mobile device.

eduFire - At eduFire we offer one-on-one private tutoring sessions using a Flash-based video chat system. In addition, we also have a number of other tools to help you learn languages including a fun Flashcard game, a Resources blog and the previously mentioned Videos section.

Indeed, it’s a great time to be a language learner given all the outstanding resources available to you. If you know of other great sites that we’ve missed feel free to add them in the comments.

Thanks and best of luck as you learn to Habla Espanol, Parlez-Vous Français?, etc.!

Been scanning the blogosphere lately looking for people who are blogging on the subject of learning languages. There aren’t a *ton* of them but I have come across some really good blogs. So, here we go, in no particular order, with the Top 21 Language Bloggers on the Web. And I know I’m leaving some people out…my apologies in advance! Feel free to add others in the comments!

#1 - Omniglot - This blog covers a wide spectrum of languages and offers up fun stuff like Mystery Language competitions and Words of the Day. If you’re passionate about languages in general (vs. simply looking to learn one particular language) this one’s a must-read/must-subscribe.

#2 - ForeignLanguageBlog.com - This appropriately named blog focuses on a variety of aspects of language learning including stuff like intensive learning and raising bilingual children. This blog updates frequently and is full of lots of interesting language-related links.

#3 - Language Hat - Language Hat is definitely one of the smartest language-related blogs you’ll find. There’s a great community of people reading and commenting on the blog as you can see evidence of here. Highly recommended if you’re looking for something a bit more academic.

#4 - Free Language - If you’re one of those people who can never have too many resources or links in your quest to learn than this one’s perfect for you. By far one of the best collection of language-related learning links on the web as you can witness here and here.

#5 - Babelhut - Want to know how to set up a Spanish keyboard in Vista? Looking for insight into study habits for Japanese? You’ve come to the right place. Babelhut hasn’t been around very long but I like what I see so far!

#6 - Confessions of a Language Addict - Perhaps the most basic blog design ever but don’t let that fool you. There’s some great content here. For example, take a look at these recent posts on language immersion and the best language learning methods. Well worth the read.

#7 - Tower of Confusion - I love people who approach languages with the same intensity that Kevin Garnett approaches basketball. The author of Tower of Confusion definitely fits the bill. Check out recent posts on Migration to Anki and Shadowing Alone. Good stuff…

#8 - The Linguist on Language - Steve Kauffman is one of the most well-known language bloggers. He’s the author of The Linguist and has developed LingQ, a very cool language learning system. Given Steve’s deep expertise on language learning this is a good one to keep tabs on.

#9 - Polyglot To Be - Polyglot To Be is an interesting look at multiple ways to learn languages ranging from mnemonics to context reading. Seeing the variety of approaches and languages up close and personal is great…language learning voyeurism at its best!

#10 - Language Study Blog @ Suite101.com - You can think of Suite101.com as kinda like About.com. Their Language Study Blog is very well done. For example, check out this article on learning languages with an iPod.

#11 - Learn Spanish with Tomísimo - If you’re learning how to speak Spanish this one’s a must read. While not every post has to do specifically with learning the language for the most part there’s a high signal-to-noise ratio here and some fresh ideas (e.g., 6 Reasons You Should Talk to Strangers in Spanish). Two thumbs up from this end!

#12 - Behind the Curtain - Stuart Jay Raj is the self-proclaimed “Language Guy” (interesting background article here). He backs it up with some very solid content and resources on his website. What can we say…the guys knows his stuff!

#13 - Dr. Goodword’s Language Blog - More linguistics than foreign language learning, Dr. Goodword is interesting to follow nonetheless. Reading this blog gives you an increased sense of appreciation for the richness of language (e.g., this recent post on rapeseed oil) which is an important thing for all aspiring polyglots to have.

#14 - Learning Spanish Blog - Another must-read if you’re learning Spanish, I’ve been very impressed with this blog. Totally awesome links, reviews and more. Plus, if you really want you can learn to swear in Spanish.

#15 - Italian Language, Grammar and Usage Resource - Since I’ve offered up a couple of Spanish-specific blogs I’d be remiss to ignore my Italian friends. This blog has a ton of Italian lessons and even an opportunity to follow their word of the day via Twitter. Gotta love technology huh?!

#16 - Learn Japanese - One fo the best Japanese learning blogs on the Net, Learn Japanese is chock full of helpful hints on subjects ranging from flashcard usage to whether or not to take Japanese classes. A must-have for all of you learning Japanese. (UPDATE: The author of the blog has moved it to here.)

#17 - Keith’s Voice on Extreme Language Learning - Extreme Language Learning?! I like it. Posts on stuff like the Iversen Method and using YouTube to learn languages make this blog worth checking out, especially if you’re learning Kanji.

#18 - The Four Hour Workweek - This one’s a bit of a cheat because most of Tim Ferriss’s posts *aren’t* about learning languages but the ones he has posted (e.g., How to Learn (But Not Master) Any Language in 1 Hour) are very interesting and the comments tend to be well worth the read as well. Let’s hope Tim posts more on language learning in the future!

#19 - The Language Chronicle - Very good yet very broad. Everything from Zulu to Hebrew to Ahmaric can be found here. Lots of links here and other interesting stuff. This is a good blog to put in your feedreader and scan from time to time.

#20 - The Linguist Blogger - Not to be confused with #8 on our list, The Linguist Blogger is a solid collection of articles and links. It’s a blog that seems to be picking up a lot of steam, both in terms of quality and quantity of posts as well as comment activity. If this was a Billboard chart The Linguist Blogger would have a bullet by it.

#21 - All Japanese All The Time Dot Com - This one almost didn’t make the list but a couple of our commenters pointed out what a great blog this and upon further review it definitely deserves to make the list. Khatzumoto has a very inspirational story, learning Japanese in all of 18 months. I think you’ll definitely dig this one.

Thanks for bearing with me through all 21 and I hope you find these helpful. Also, don’t forget to check out and subscribe to our Resources Blog in addition to this blog. And as I mentioned before, please post comments and tell me about all the great language learning I missed!

Today’s new feature is pulled straight from the eduFire idea board: Sortable Tutors. What we’ve done is added several links to the top of the tutors display so you can sort by:

• Featured
• Online Now
• Top Rated
• By Price
• Time Zone

I’d like to extend our thanks to Liz, one of our students for so succinctly requesting this and describing it clearly.

We also released a partial fix to a call for More Profile Info.

But What about My Feature …

Just to address a question that I expect will come up, the order in which we address these isn’t always strictly most votes / highest ranked. Sometimes its going to fall victim to engineering realities. Both of these features really fall into the “low hanging fruit” category — small enough to get done in an afternoon. Jared and I knocked out a bunch of bugs this morning and then needed to pick something that was self contained enough to be doable. No favoritism here to Liz; just being practical.

eduFire’s latest feature is, admittedly, a small one but one that shows our committment to listening to our users and taking direction from them. Why what am I talking about, well the Ideas Board:

What the ideas board gives you, the eduFire user, is a way to tell us what features you want (the ideas) and then let the overall eduFire community rank those features and comment on them. Here’s a same feature from Tina, one of our students:

What Tina has asked for is more search features and given us details as to how she wants them to work. Now we, the eduFire team, can also see that its rated as 4 stars and has (currently) 2 votes for it. We can also see any comments that other users have on it. This is a huge win for us because while everyone usually says they want every feature possible, we can see how important those features are to the community as a whole based on the amount of interaction (comments, votes and ratings) a feature has.

Kudos to Matt Mullenweg
I’d like to extend a thank you to Matt over at Wordpress for giving us an awesome model of an idea board to start from (note — I suspect Matt didn’t personally write the WordPress idea board and this is really a thank you to be transferred to someone else). Thanks man.

*Chime*

That’s right.  You’ll now hear a chime when you use eduFire and a student requests a session, sends an instant message to you or requests an introduction.  When we released Instant Sessions, well, yesterday, the first thing our teachers said to us was “Make the notifications more apparent”.  Hm… Well lets review what a notification looks like:

And this really illustrates a key difference between how users think and engineers make assumptions.  Jared and I looked at this as “well the buttons are big; heck actually enormous, how can we make them more apparent”.  Our founder, Jon, however made it very clear:

Make it audible!!!

And now you’ve got audio notifications for both teachers and students.  Enjoy.  Our thanks to our users for suggesting this and Jon for helping make it clear.

Very early on with eduFire we set the intention to only grapple with extremely meaningful problems. We set out to do something very challenging and yet very meaningful: Revolutionize education. There are a million other things we could have done and to be honest a lot of roads that would be have been “easier” depending on how you define success (be it raising money, getting acquired, etc.). However, that didn’t have much appeal to us. Instead we want to take a really big swing and try to shake an industry to its core in the hopes that something much better would emerge on the other end. That’s exactly what we’re trying to do with eduFire.

Umair has a great post up on the HBS blog which I think everyone who’s an entrepreneur or a VC needs to read. In it he takes issue with the incrementalism that he sees coming out of the Valley.

But today’s revolutionaries are sheep in wolves’ clothing. They’re lost in the economically meaningless, in the utterly trivial, in the strategically banal: mostly, they’re cutting deals with one another to…try and sell more ads. That is, when they’re not too busy partying.

I gotta say it…Umair’s dead on. Instead of looking for the New New Thing that could revolutionize the *fill in the blank* industry it seems that a lot of people are instead looking for the New New Alert Thingy. You now, that service that aggregates all of my friend aggregators which in turn aggregates all of my friend feeds that aggregate all of the things that my friends do on all of the social networks that aggregate all of my friends…

I agree with Umair that there’s something more out there that we’re missing. Our time has an opportunity cost which is that the time spent on the trivial and banal is not time spent on meaningful innovation and creative disruption. In a world with so many (real) problems to solve my concern is that so many young, creative, ambitious people are chasing after stuff that while cute and cuddly perhaps doesn’t solve these real problems.

Maybe we have the luxury to not worry about food and education and energy and health. Maybe those problems will take care of themselves.

But maybe not. Maybe we’ll all look back one day and see that we spent way too much of our time focused on the stuff that didn’t matter and not nearly enough time focused on the stuff that did. As Tony Robbins puts it, maybe we’ll realize that we “majored in minor things.”

And that I fear is indeed the real Serious Business at hand.

Google’s goal is to index all of the world’s information.

How close do you think they are?

Certainly they’re doing a really good job of indexing a lot of the text information on the Web. But there’s a lot of other information on the Web that’s in the format of audio, video, etc. that Google doesn’t do a very good of indexing.

Then there’s all of the information/intelligence that never makes it to the Web. All of the college classes that aren’t being recorded. All of the corporate training sessions. All the one-on-one conversations where wisdom is exchanged.

So what % of all of the information/intelligence in the world does Google have?

10%?

1%

0.1%

Less?!

Back when we were hatching the plans for eduFire I talked to more than a few people who were sure it wouldn’t work. One person (a successful guy who I respect) told me “Dude, you really think that will happen? I’d *never* invest in that.”

Then we went out and built what we said we were going to build and while we’re far from ultra-successful yet, people are using it and the feedback we’re receiving from tutors and students is overwhelmingly positive.

Now when I talk to most people their consensus is “that’s a pretty good idea.”

Which makes me wonder…are we missing something?

I think when a good percentage of people tell you you are insane (assuming of course, that you’re not *actually* insane) then it probably means you are indeed on to something.

I’m sure people told Ev he was insane when he was fooling around with Twitter (or Blogger for that matter).

I’m sure some people thought Stewart and Caterina were insane when they shifted from a video game to a photo sharing tool.

And I know a bunch of people told Pierre that he was insane…

“Don’t let people who you may respect and who you believe know what they’re talking about, don’t let them tell you it can’t be done, because often they will tell you it can’t be done, and it’s just because they don’t have the courage to try.”
-Pierre Omidyar

So I guess the question is when you’ve told your plans to someone recently have at least a few of them looked at you like you were insane? Or perhaps actually vocalized that opinion?

If not, maybe revising those plans is in order.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Here are a couple of interviews I did recently about eduFire that I wanted to pass along.

First is with Zorianna Kit of BNET on the Dog & Pony Show. They somehow managed to edit out all the dumb stuff I said so it turned out pretty well.

eduFire on BNET

Second is with the TechZulu guys. This one is a little longer and I go into a little more depth into what our model is.

eduFire on TechZulu

Thanks to the people at Dog & Pony and TechZulu for the exposure!