The Great Untold EDU

Taking students on virtual adventures around the world

The Great Untold EDU

Taking students on virtual adventures around the world

The Great Untold EDU

The Great Untold EDU takes students on virtual adventures around the world. As the Co-Founder of The Great Untold EDU, my goal is centered on creating easy-to-use, tech-driven programs that develop global competency in learners and get them excited to explore our vast and incredible world!

The Great Untold EDU

The Great Untold EDU takes students on virtual adventures around the world. As the Co-Founder of The Great Untold EDU, my goal is centered on creating easy-to-use, tech-driven programs that develop global competency in learners and get them excited to explore our vast and incredible world!

ROLES + RESPONSIBILITIES:

Keep scrolling to learn about how I got here!

ROLES + RESPONSIBILITIES:

Keep scrolling to learn about how I got here!

Background

In the beginning of 2018 my co-founder and I were itching for a disruption, a challenge, and a chance to build something with impact. We asked ourselves – if you could be doing anything in the world right now, what would it be?

We decided to drive to South America in a self-converted van...but not alone!

We took classrooms spread across the United States “with us” virtually to vicariously learn from our journey and planted the seeds of an EdTech company that continues today: The Great Untold EDU.

Background

In the beginning of 2018 my co-founder and I were itching for a disruption, a challenge, and a chance to build something with impact. We asked ourselves – if you could be doing anything in the world right now, what would it be?

We decided to drive to South America in a self-converted van...but not alone!

We took classrooms spread across the United States “with us” virtually to vicariously learn from our journey and planted the seeds of an EdTech company that continues today: The Great Untold EDU.

Vision

I grew up in the south of the United States as an only child to an immigrant mom – I spent my childhood learning how to straddle multiple identities and how to build my own home between them. I grew up in a place where not many people looked like me and my mom, and I yearned to see and learn about what existed beyond my hometown. The nexus of The Great Untold EDU is an answer to my younger self, a program that I wish I had in school. 

I want to utilize my passion for education, experience in the EdTech sector, skills in design, and eye towards tech to build something with impact.

The Great Untold EDU centers on my belief that the mode of travel does not matter. You can travel to faraway places in your classroom, through visual storytelling, in a good book, or you can visit them. What’s important is sparking curiosity about the different types of people, places, and cultures that exist and discovering how we are all connected. At its core, The Great Untold EDU aims to answer the question: 

How can we use technology to make global learning more engaging & interactive?

Vision

I grew up in the south of the United States as an only child to an immigrant mom – I spent my childhood learning how to straddle multiple identities and how to build my own home between them. I grew up in a place where not many people looked like me and my mom, and I yearned to see and learn about what existed beyond my hometown. The nexus of The Great Untold EDU is an answer to my younger self, a program that I wish I had in school. 

I want to utilize my passion for education, experience in the EdTech sector, skills in design, and eye towards tech to build something with impact.

The Great Untold EDU centers on my belief that the mode of travel does not matter. You can travel to faraway places in your classroom, through visual storytelling, in a good book, or you can visit them. What’s important is sparking curiosity about the different types of people, places, and cultures that exist and discovering how we are all connected. At its core, The Great Untold EDU aims to answer the question: 

How can we use technology to make global learning more engaging & interactive?

Curriculum Design + Content Creation

Utilizing my connections with incredible educators, design skills, and the Adobe Creative Suite, I write and design our curriculum, film and edit new content from the road, and create and manage our online presence including our social media, newsletters, and website. I film video content and report on-camera as part of our informative video series called “On-the-Road lessons” for students.

Curriculum Design + Content Creation

Utilizing my connections with incredible educators, design skills, and the Adobe Creative Suite, I write and design our curriculum, film and edit new content from the road, and create and manage our online presence including our social media, newsletters, and website. I film video content and report on-camera as part of our informative video series called “On-the-Road lessons” for students.

Pilot Program --> Today

Pilot Program --> Today

PILOT PROGRAM: Explore in Real-Time

As we prepared for our journey south, I reached out to every elementary educator I knew and invited them to join our pilot program. Their classrooms followed us in real-time during the 2018-2019 school year. Educators in turn provided us with invaluable feedback and partnership.

Our pilot program students worked on our base curriculum (more on that below), participated in live video calls with us in each of the places we visited, and were sent “On-the-Road” video lessons straight from the road.

TODAY: Asynchronous Learning

On our trip to Central America, South America, and Antarctica I collected thousands of photos and filmed hundreds of hours of content for video-based lessons. 

Now, we are taking that content to create an asynchronous, robust learning program for both at-home and in-classroom learning.

PILOT PROGRAM: Explore in Real-Time

As we prepared for our journey south, I reached out to every elementary educator I knew to invite them to join our pilot program. Their classrooms followed us in real-time during the 2018-2019 school year. Educators in turn provided us with invaluable feedback and partnership.

Our pilot program students worked on our base curriculum (more on that below), participated in live video calls with us in each of the places we visited, and were sent “On-the-Road” video lessons straight from the road.

TODAY: Asynchronous Learning

On our trip I collected thousands of photos and filmed hundreds of hours of content for video-based lessons. 

Now, we are taking that content to create an asynchronous, robust learning program for both at-home and in-classroom learning. 

What Educators are saying...

[Bryce and Valerie’s] passion for the education of children and their love of travel make them the perfect school partners to have your students have the trip of a lifetime. My 200 students traveled vicariously with them as they traversed Central America, South America and Antarctica. Treat yourself and your students to this eye-opening, culturally rich, in-depth travel experience. It will rank as one of the top experiences of your life.

Peggy Campbell-Rush

Former Head of the Lower School at the Bolles School, Jacksonville, Florida. Peggy has taught primary grades and has been an administrator for more than 40 years in both the United States and England. Peggy has sailed around the world twice studying global education. Peggy has been honored as a Fulbright Fellow and two-time National Teachers Hall of Fame finalist, USA Today All American Teacher Team award, two-time New Jersey Teacher of the Year finalist, named Wal-Mart Teacher of Year twice. She is also the author of 7 professional books.

[Educators should be interested in The Great Untold EDU program] because it allows students to experience the culture and the landscape of a country first hand. It allows students to travel along and see the ups and downs of an adventure. My students loved the personal connection that they made [with Bryce and Valerie] … There was always a surprise awaiting. We also loved the variety of pictures and videos!

Jennifer Moore

Teacher-Librarian and Information Specialist

Embracing Technology

The Great Untold EDU believes that embracing technology to make learning more engaging and interactive IS the future of learning so in our curriculum, you’ll find QR code technology utilized throughout our activities.

These QR codes are linked to things like our video lessons that transport students TO the destinations they are learning about with myself as their in-country guide.

As we continue to develop content, we are also hoping to utilize emerging technologies like Extended Reality (Augmented Reality + Virtual Reality) in our lessons. 

Embracing Technology

The Great Untold EDU believes that embracing technology to make learning more engaging and interactive IS the future of learning so in our curriculum, you’ll find QR code technology utilized throughout our activities.

These QR codes are linked to things like our video lessons that transport students TO the destinations they are learning about with myself as their in-country guide.

As we continue to develop content, we are also hoping to utilize emerging technologies like Extended Reality (Augmented Reality + Virtual Reality) in our lessons. 

QR Powered Postcards

Links to video lessons!

Video Lesson Examples

QR Powered Postcards

Links to video lessons!

Giving Back

The Great Untold EDU is committed to making the world a more accessible place for young people. While we create paid product offerings for individual consumers, part of our portfolio will always include free access to digital download versions of our activities for classrooms. Our video lessons are also public on YouTube for all to enjoy free of cost. 

The Great Untold EDU will always provide free content to educators.

Giving Back

The Great Untold EDU will always provide free content to educators.

The Great Untold EDU is committed to making the world a more accessible place for young people. While we create paid product offerings for individual consumers, part of our portfolio will always include free access to digital download versions of our activities for classrooms. Our video lessons are also public on YouTube for all to enjoy free of cost. 

Gaining momentum

In the spring of 2021, we were excited to be selected as finalists for the University of Colorado Denver’s “THE CLIMB” business plan competition hosted through the Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship.

We ultimately took home first place and secured our first equity-free funding! 

After winning THE CLIMB, we were accepted into the JUMP Incubator program at the University of Colorado Denver – an intensive 7 week program that included workshops,  weekly mentorship meetings, MVP development, and culminated in a pitch night to investors. We are using this momentum to build our MVP subscription box and engage parents, educators, and students as partners to help us make our offerings the best they can be. 

Gaining momentum

In the spring of 2021, we were excited to be selected as finalists for the University of Colorado Denver’s “THE CLIMB” business plan competition hosted through the Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship.

We ultimately took home first place and secured our first equity-free funding! 

After winning THE CLIMB, we were accepted into the JUMP Incubator program at the University of Colorado Denver – an intensive 7 week program that included workshops,  weekly mentorship meetings, MVP development, and culminated in a pitch night to investors. We are using this momentum to build our MVP subscription box and engage parents, educators, and students as partners to help us make our offerings the best they can be. 

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