VedaJunction is a new and innovative Online Learning platform that is customizable. Regained as a personalized and facilitated user community, VedaJunction connects individual learns including teachers, tutors, and parents via content that is specifically created to suit the needs of individual learners. All the content is delivered via an advanced technology ecosystem that supports and enables the implementation of customized tutorial instruction which can be accessed on demand by individual learners.
VedaJunction was designed in 2016 by Dallas/NY based founders and was created to cater to Homeschooling families.
As of now, the system has over 400 users, but the creators are now actively seeking ways to alert the public to this incredible new platform. VedaJunction enables users to design curriculums including quizzes, worksheets, project instructions, learning guides, and more. Quizzes can be graded automatically while other projects can be submitted and graded personally all via the online platform. VedaJunction even includes a cutting-edge analytic (and pie graph) tool that enables instructors to monitor the progress of each student in a clear and concise way. In fact, the entire system is designed with the purpose of being clear, concise, and easy to navigate.
Although VedaJunction operates much like online classrooms, yet the platform’s coolest feature is arguably the “marketplace” where content creators can sell their lesson plans, curriculums, and classes.
All content must be approved for sale, and once it’s online, it will be categorized by topic and age range. This makes the content structured so it can be discovered when teachers (or homeschooling parents) search for specific kinds of programs and content on VedaJunction.
VedaJunction takes pride in being a system that is learner-centric and extremely customizable.
Recently the founder and CEO Rahul Sharma discussed his company and his plans for its future via an exclusive interview.
Education, technology, and homeschooling
Meagan Meehan (MM): How did you first get interested in both technology and education?
Rahul Sharma (RS): I have been working on education technology since 2009. VedaJunction is my second venture.
I went to the University of Arizona for my Bachelors and Masters in Computer Engineering. My interest in education came in 2008 while working on an education project when I was in IT consultancy. I realized that most parents/teachers/schools/colleges do not make full use of technology that is available which can enable and help everyone achieve the fundamental goal, which is providing the best form of education to students. That is when I quit my job and started my own education technology company.
MM: You created VedaJunction for homeschoolers, so are you part of the homeschooling community?
RS: I am personally not part of the homeschooling community, but several members of our core team are.
It is the fastest growing education community in the US.
MM: How much planning went into the creation of VedaJunction and which feature is your favorite?
RS: VedaJunction has been developed over three years with research from top education innovators and technology innovators. I have two favorites. Firstly, the community center/marketplace where parents can share their ready to use learning plans with other parents. VedaJunction Marketplace allows parents to purchase course resources from VedaJunction approved vendors whose resources have been tested for compatibility with VedaJunction's advanced technologies. Also, parents can share course resources for free with the other members of the VedaJunction community.
Secondly, the virtual tutor which helps the student’s study at their own choice of time and place and automatically recommends the pace (the time student should spend on each learning resource) and the learning plan from the available resources. The virtual tutor uses the available lessons and automatically creates a learning plan as per the student's requirements.
Awareness, subjects, and the marketplace
MM: How did you first make people aware of the existence of VedaJunction and how come you targeted the states that you did?
RS: In our first phase, we are using social media marketing tools to create awareness about VedaJunction. We are also working with homeschool bloggers to advertise about VedaJunction and make homeschooling parents aware of our personalized learning platform.
We have requested differed bloggers to review VedaJunction on their website/blogs. We are also looking for top fifty homeschooling parents who can be our brand ambassadors. Besides this, our next big step is to exhibit in all conferences and conclaves.
MM: How does the approval process for “marketplace” material work?
RS: VedaJunction marketplace is an open source platform, where anyone can register for free and can share their course resources. VedaJunction uses advanced technologies to test the compatibility of resources by keeping in mind of homeschooling curriculum. All the resources are reviewed at multiple levels. And if the content is not suitable/appropriate for the marketplace, it is forwarded back to the user.
And of course, they can make needed changes and can share it again. After final approval of the content resource bundle, it becomes available to market place for the subscription.
MM: What sorts of subjects can people use this platform to teach and can entire classes be run on it?
RS: Our platform is designed by considering all aspects of learning. Users can easily design their own curriculum, learning resources and individual learning plans for any course. So, it is suitable for learning of all types of subjects. Also, our teacher classroom model is best suitable to run an entire class.
MM: What has been the best feedback so far and what are your biggest goals for VedaJunction?
RS: The best feedback has been “VedaJunction is what is needed for homeschooling parents and students.” Our goal is to enable all types of learners to have the facility of personalized and customized learning and help them attain mastery in their desired areas and to provide support to homeschooling parents in every area, to make their homeschooling easy.
We also want to provide a marketplace where different learners, parents, authors, tutors, and teachers can create and share course resources. Our main motive is to support the freedom of homeschooling parents and to make their homeschooling flexible.
