Just as it takes a community to raise a child, so too it takes a community of peers and advisors to launch a new business idea. That's roughly the thinking behind Bloblive, which we covered last year, and it's also at the heart of UK-based Bethnal Green Ventures, a new school for people who want to use the web and mobile tools to create social change.

Starting next month, Bethnal Green Ventures Nightschool aims to help further early-stage, socially oriented web projects by bringing them together with all the people, advice and support they need to launch and grow. The 10-week program will meet every Monday evening in London to help social projects answer the question, “What do I do next? ” Answers might include coding the product or service being built, for example, or focusing on the project's own future sustainability; either way, the goal is to help projects reach the next phase in their development.

The application deadline for participation in Bethnal Green Ventures Nightschool was Sept. 1. In early 2011, meanwhile, Bethnal Green will also launch a Ventures program, through which three carefully selected teams will get a small stipend, a work space and community support for three months to help build, test and launch their startups. At a time when incubators are growing in number, according to BusinessWeek, this will be one to watch.

Website: www.bethnalgreenventures.com
Contact: anna@sicamp.org

We've already seen a variety of open education initiatives—including, recently, Betterfly and the University of the People—but we couldn't resist sharing news of one more. Peer 2 Peer University (P2PU) is an online community of open study groups for short, university-level courses.

Aiming to enable “learning for everyone, by everyone, about almost anything,” P2PU creates small groups of motivated learners and supports the design and facilitation of free courses. Currently, the project is in a pilot phase, and offers scheduled courses that run for six weeks and cover university-level topics. Each course package—organized by a volunteer—contains the syllabus, study materials and a schedule; learning takes place in small groups of between eight and 14 students. Peers in each course assess each other's work, and online certificates are granted upon completion of a course; P2PU is working towards gaining format credit as well. Ultimately, the goal is to become more of a platform so anyone can use P2PU to organize, design and offer courses. In the meantime, signup for the next round of courses will begin in September.

P2PU is supported in part by the Hewlett Foundation, the Shuttleworth Foundation and the University of California at Irvine. Social entrepreneurs: another one to be inspired by! (Related: Platform lets anyone create and monetize an online school — Five new business ideas focused on education & learning.)

Website: www.p2pu.org
Contact: www.p2pu.org/contact-us

Spotted by: Diricia De Wet

P.S. And be sure to check out the Khan Academy, too! Different set-up (one-man faculty), but also free and definitely worth sharing.

For those who want to learn a new language—or even brush up on a current one—there's already Popling for instruction one small bite at a time. Now a new alternative from Berlitz takes a similar approach but adds a social element with multimedia instruction and Twitter-like capabilities.

With support for 15 different languages, Vocabu offers a social way to build vocabulary. Users begin by entering the words they want to master—input can be done manually, or via the “Vocabu Wordclipper,” which lets them highlight any word on a page and drag it to their browser for automatic inclusion. A series of preset libraries are also available. Users can set goals as well in terms of the number of words they'd like to master each week, with badges to look forward to when they do. From there, Vocabu helps users learn the words from their “wordstreams” by trawling the web for visual references using sites like Flickr or for examples of the words used in sentences from real-time tweets on Twitter. Users of Vocabu can form groups for mutual learning and inspiration, and a “follow me” function mimics the one on Twitter for sharing and comparing the wordstreams being studied. Vocabu will soon be available as a desktop application, with an added word trainer function. Apps for iPhone and Android are on the way, too. Currently free and in beta, Vocabu will operate on a business model that offers both freemium and premium services.

When we wrote about Popling early last year, we were impressed by its bite-sized approach to educational instruction; now, Vocabu's addition of social elements makes just as much sense. Purveyors of other educational material—time to bring a social element to your own instructional offerings?

Website: www.getvocabu.com
Contact: vocabu@berlitz.dk

Much the way TeachStreet helps consumers find nearby experts who can teach them something new, so Betterfly aims to connect them with teachers, tutors, coaches, trainers, stylists or anyone else who offers a service that can help them learn, look or feel better.

Now in beta, New York-based Betterfly deliberately excludes companies from its list of service providers, focusing instead on individuals with specific expertise. "When searching for someone to teach you Spanish, give you a massage or improve your yoga technique, it's more important to know who the best person is, rather than knowing just the name of a language school, spa or yoga studio," founder Joshua Schwadron explains. "Imagine if eHarmony.com told you that your future wife worked at Citigroup, but left it up to you to figure out who she is. Now what?" Such experts can create a free, highly customizable page on which they can promote their qualifications, services, locations, special offers and payment policies; display reviews from verified clients; upload resources like instructional videos and lesson plans; maintain real-time booking systems, complete with last-minute deals; and even create their own blogs. Users seeking an expert of some kind, meanwhile, can search for free based on more than 20 factors such as availability, friends' recommendations, verified reviews and value.

Ad-supported Betterfly is currently available only to U.S. users. One to partner with or emulate for aspiring self-improvers in your part of the world...?

Website: www.betterfly.com
Contact: www.betterfly.com/site/contactus

Regular Springwise readers may recall Brightstorm, the company we covered back in 2008 that offers an online video network designed to help teens prepare for college. Aiming to update drivers ed with a like-minded dose of technology for today's digitally savvy youth, New York-based Fresh Green Light combines simulators and online tutoring with on-the-road instruction.

Billing itself as a driving school for the 21st century, Rye, NY-based Fresh Green Light serves multiple communities in Westchester County with its updated driving lessons incorporating driving simulators, behind-the-wheel driving lessons and online instruction. Its full USD 1,495 package aimed at beginning teen drivers, for instance, includes four 90-minute sessions on a state-of-the-art driving simulator, which lets students experience routine and extreme driving situations without risk to themselves or others. New drivers learn how to drive in rain, snow, fog and darkness on both suburban streets and highways; they also experience the consequences of texting while driving, going too fast or running a red light. Seven 90-minute lessons behind a real wheel are also included, as are an online skill-building program, a 5-hour DMV pre-licensing class, the DMV road test and an online insurance-reduction program. Also available from Fresh Green Light are smaller-scale packages for more advanced teen drivers as well as focused skill drills and a la carte options for drivers of all ages.

If anything, today's teens rely even more heavily on online oxygen than the rest of us do, so it makes good sense to adapt drivers education accordingly. One to partner with or emulate in other parts of the world? (Related: Greener drivers ed — Using video games to make seniors safer drivers.)

Website: www.freshgreenlight.com
Contact: info@freshgreenlight.com

By virtue of the sheer numbers of students typically involved, most school yearbooks don't include more than one or two shots of each individual child. Aiming to make school yearbooks more about the student and less about the school, TreeRing is a platform that lets schools create yearbooks that can be customized.

By combining the efficiency of just-in-time digital printing, the collaborative power of online social networks and an array of DIY customization features, California-based TreeRing strives to create personalized yearbooks for each child while also reducing the financial burden for schools. Toward that end, it has built a solution that allows schools to create a traditional "core" yearbook that includes the entire school, but to also invite parents and students to customize their own yearbook pages. Customization can be achieved via templates and drag-and-drop functionality using a combination of personal and shared photos and information captured about each student's stage in life—best friends, favorite activities, future aspirations, etc.—making the end result a record of each student’s entire year, both in and out of the classroom. Once a student's yearbook is complete, TreeRing's state-of-the-art digital printing technology then prints that custom version. Pricing is between USD 10 and USD 25, Examiner.com reports, including four free customizable pages.

By allowing families to order online directly, TreeRing eliminates all yearbook costs for schools, including burdensome yearbook deposits. The company also offers a greener alternative to the traditional yearbook by planting a tree for every yearbook sold, thanks to its partnership with Trees for the Future. Could this be the next model for yearbook publishing? (Related: Personalised newspaper targets young readers — Customised magazine from Lexus, Time & Amex — Personalised music mag — Customised cookbooks stir in online recipes.)

Website: www.treering.com
Contact: www.treering.com/Contact-TreeRing.php

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

University of the People—which we covered last week—may be tuition-free, but plenty of other schools around the globe are profitable. Just launched earlier this year, Supercool School is an education platform that lets anyone create and monetize an online school of their very own.

For USD 15 per month, users of San Francisco-based Supercool School can create real-time classes and make them available to an unlimited number of students from all around the world. The white-label platform offers streaming audio and video as well as the ability to share documents and presentations over the web. Every live class is recorded and stored, enabling thousands of students to view them afterwards. School creators can offer their classes for free or charge for them as part of a global education business that's customizable, brandable and scalable. Professional accounts with unlimited access to Supercool School are now in invitation-only beta; in the meantime, a free version of the platform can be used to offer up to 15 classes per month.

More than 45,000 companies and 300,000 entrepreneurs post revenues of roughly $30 billion per year in the U.S. education and training services industry alone, says Supercool, which now enables more than 100 schools, 700 classes and 2,500 users. Time to start a little global education business of your own...? (Related: Peer-to-peer '(un)classes' match interest with passion.)

Website: www.supercoolschool.com
Contact: contact@supercoolschool.com

Spotted by: John Greene

Similar to Hamburg's Language Lounge, which we covered back in 2008, Spanish restaurant chain Fresc Co now provides a way for customers to practice their English while they eat. But while Language Lounge charges a monthly fee for its lessons, Fresc Co's initiative is free.

Fresc Co operates some 40 restaurants in 11 Spanish cities, focusing on fresh ingredients and Mediterranean dishes. Starting last month, two of its Barcelona locations have teamed up with local instruction firm English Metas to help patrons improve their English skills while also doing a little networking. Targeting professional workers, English Metas' native speaking teachers focus primarily on everyday language and work situations in the relaxed, two-hour sessions.

Corporate generosity is always good, but when it can help your target customers through tough economic times—and drum up a little extra business along the way—it's a win-win for everyone. Other restaurants, bars and cafes around the globe: time to give out a little free love of your own? (Related: English lessons and eyelash extensions.)

Website: www.frescco.com

Spotted by: Leticia Pérez Prieto

We've seen the crowdsourcing contest model applied to everything from business documents to doughnut design. The latest spotting? One Billion Minds, a prize-led innovation platform that connects problem-solving scholars with solution-seeking companies and non-profits.

One Billion Minds challenges student and alumni crowds from universities worldwide to come up with innovative solutions to real-world problems. Challenges range from designing a USD 1 teaching aid for the education of children to developing an innovative solution for the garbage disposal problem in Kolkata. Prizes from the participating corporations include cash, professional recognition, and opportunities to interview for full-time or internship positions. Members can compete as individuals or teams.

In public beta as of September 2009, One Billion Minds is on a mission to change the world by unleashing the power of a billion minds on challenges in the areas of design, engineering, science, business, technology and social innovation. Something to get involved in to make that happen? (Related: Crowdsourcing economic solutions for Ireland.)

Website: www.onebillionminds.com
Contact: general.inquiry@onebillionminds.com

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann 

If ever there was a compelling reason for a school to build sustainably, it's the one faced by Vermont's Putney School not long ago. Namely, warmer winters resulting from global climate change had reduced the cold-weather sports opportunities the private boarding school traditionally relied on, leaving it with a sudden need for gym space for the first time. Its solution? A net-zero field house that's on track to be one of only five platinum LEED-certified school buildings in the nation.

By definition, net-zero energy buildings generate as much energy as they consume over the course of a year, and that's at the heart of the Putney School's 16,800-square-foot athletics building, which opened its doors last fall. Designed by Maclay Architects, the super-insulated, super-energy-efficient building uses the sun for its heating and electricity needs. Specifically, 16 sun-tracking photovoltaic solar panels power the building, feeding excess energy during sunny months back into the grid and earning the school 6 cents per kilowatt-hour as they do. In the winter, the building draws energy out again, but in an average year, it's expected to do better than break even on its energy use. Other green features of the USD 6 million field house, include low-water fixtures and composting toilets, a white reflective roof and local materials such as site-harvested wood.

“We want to show the world that net-zero energy technology for public buildings exists right now,” explains Putney School Director Emily Jones. “It’s time to move net-zero energy buildings from the theoretical realm into reality.” Indeed, we couldn't have said it better ourselves. An eco-iconic innovation to emulate at the earliest opportunity—particularly for schools with sustainability on the curriculum. (Related: Green school with an entrepreneurial bent.)

Website: www.putneyfieldhouse.org
Contact: info@putneyschool.org

Spotted by: Rick Noyes