A Herndon-based company, which operates a MySpace-style social-networking site for teachers and students, has received an investment from D.C.’s National Geographic Society.
National Geographic was the lead investor in a $5 million-to-$7 million round of funding for ePals, a company formed in late 2006 out of the merger of two local education companies, Chief Executive Officer Ed Fish said. The amount invested by National Geographic was not disclosed.
The investment rises from a partnership between the two companies, under which National Geographic will provide content that will appear on ePals’ Web-based network, Fish said.
“As we’re starting to take our content more digital, this is just one more step,” said Ted Prince, chief operating officer of National Geographic Ventures.
Students and teachers will be able to learn about topics such as maps, habitat issues and global warming through the new content, Fish said.
Students can access the information during school and on their own time.
“I like to say it’s rooted in the school and accessible in home,” Fish said.
Before the partnership, ePals featured educational content on several topics, such as reading and foreign-language skills. Its network serves 13 million students, has 350,000 registered teachers, and is used by schools in 200 countries. The platform is also used as an application for many low-cost laptop initiatives, Fish said.
“Social networking is exploding in the elementary school and middle school markets; everyone’s getting involved primarily because it’s an untapped market,” said Greg Hall, a psychology professor at Boston-based Bentley College.
The movement began when teen networks such as Club Penguin began gaining popularity, but more educationally bent sites are picking up steam, Hall said.
“It’s a learning tool far more alive than what you find in the books and paper medium,” Hall said. “The No. 1 major challenge is when it comes to the technology, the kids are ahead of the teachers.”
