Graduate student Garret Potter wins second place in EdTech competition hosted by Michigan Virtual 

SOE graduate student Garret Potter was among five Michigan educators who were chosen to advance as finalists in the Michigan EdTech Innovation Pitch Contest. At a pitch presentation on June 22, Potter took second place for Everstory, an audio/visual encyclopedia exploration environment for early learners. He will receive $6,000 in business startup grant funding, plus logo design support and legal consultation. 

“I asked my students what they wanted to learn most – one said ‘all the countries, and continents, and oceans!’ and 13 of my 23 students spoke two languages at home, so understanding the world we live in was their highest priority, but even the state’s most progressive social studies curriculum would not take them where they wanted to go,” explained Potter. “What if children had a resource they wanted to turn to before learning to read, where they could explore their curiosity on their own?” 

“Michigan schools have an opportunity to benefit from anyone who has ever thought, ‘I wish there was an app for that’ in an educational setting,” said Jamey Fitzpatrick, President and CEO at Michigan Virtual. “This contest is an opportunity for real Michigan educators to directly impact classrooms by turning their dreams into reality, with the goal of improving teaching and learning for years to come.”