STARTUP WEEKEND SWEEP: Startup Weekend is a nifty, adreneline-soaked way to learn how to start a company in 54 hours. Even better for educators is StartupWeekend-edu, which brings together mentors and innovators strictly focused on the education space. (Full disclosure: EdSurge is a partner with StartupWeekend-edu, which mostly means we write about these events and go frequently.) At a recent StartupWeekend-edu held in NYC, three teachers took all three top marks out of a crowd of 50 ideas for their ideas for new products: Jess Bialecki's "Classroom Blueprint" merges picture site Pinterest and Amazon.com to help teachers design better classrooms; Aliya Bhatia's "Dash" is parent-relationship management software for teachers and Chapman Snowden's "Kinobi" would use Microsoft Kinect and the web to help rookie teachers get realtime feedback on their classroom techniques. All three teams, headed by full-time teachers, are reportedly now considering next steps. And oh yeah, all three flew to the Big Apple event from the Bayou, thanks to 4.0 Schools!
