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Time ReDesigned: An app to help school administrators manage their time

Time Redesigned

August 31, 2017

Time is the one thing we can’t get more of, so a former teacher and college professor came up with an app to help school administrators better manage their time.

Time ReDesigned is an IOS mobile app targeted towards school administrators that collects data on activities throughout the day and allows them to analyze it to see where their time is being spent.

Jobi Lawrence has 30 years of experience in education as a teacher in the Columbus Junction and Muscatine School Districts, a professor at William Penn University and as an official in the Iowa Department of Education.

“Time is just a huge challenge because it’s the one thing you can’t buy more of,” Lawrence said. “You aren’t getting anymore than anyone else.”

Testing phase

Lawrence recruited administrators from all across the country to use the Time ReDesigned app for free this semester and provide her with feedback. In total, she has close to 130 administrators from 12 states and 40 school districts.

In Iowa, the Marshalltown and Waukee School Districts have administrators testing the Time ReDesigned app from September to December.

“As an administrator you go into your day thinking this is what it will be like, then this fire pops up and a parent stops in,” Lawrence says. “It’s constantly putting out fires and their time is constantly being gobbled up by things they didn’t plan on doing that day.”

So Lawrence says administrators can use the app to, “Stay shielded from all those distractions.”

“If they really want to improve student outcomes, they have to be able to have more focused control over their time,” Lawrence says. “This helps them stay focused on what they need to be doing, delegate and have a real strategic plan about what they will do with their time.”

Lawrence says once the data is collected and analyzed, she hopes administrators see value with the app.

“We think we know where our time is going everyday,” Lawrence says. “Once you have the data in front of you, it’s not lying. You can’t say you think you are spending all your time in the classroom, when the data shows you are only spending 30 percent of your time there.”

Lawrence says the Time ReDesigned app should be ready for Android devices in the Spring. Teacher, students and business sector versions are being developed.

Time ReDesigned: An app to help school administrators manage their time | Clay & Milk

A central Iowa ag-tech accelerator has secured more backers and finally has a name. The Greater Des Moines Partnership first announced the accelerator last year, naming four initial investors. On Monday, the Partnership said the program will be called the "Iowa AgriTech Accelerator" and named three new investors. The new investors include Grinnell Mutual, Kent Corp. and Sukup Manufacturing, all Iowa companies. They join investors Deere & Co., Peoples Co., Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co. and DuPont Pioneer. Each investor has agreed to put up $100,000 for the first year of the accelerator. Startups entering the program will receive $40,000 in seed funding in exchange for 6 percent equity. Tej Dhawan, an angel investor and local startup mentor, is serving as interim director until the AgriTech Accelerator names a permanent leader. Dhawan held a similar role with the GIA before Brian Hemesath was named as managing director. As interim director, Dhawan said his main job includes hiring the accelerator's executive director, establishing a business structure and initial recruiting for the first cohort. The accelerator will place few filters, such as location and product, on the applicant pool, Dhawan said. "When you’re seeking innovation, innovation can come from every corner of the world so why restrict ourselves," he said. One area the the AgriTech Accelerator won't recruit from is biotech. For its first cohort, the AgriTech Accelerator will work out of the GIA's space in Des Moines' East Village, Dhawan said. A future, permanent home is still to be decided. The accelerator's program will host startups from mid-July through mid-October, ending with an event connected to the annual World Food Prize. The GIA, which the AgriTech Accelerator is based on, also ends with presentations at an industry event. The accelerator has also started lining up a mentor pool. The Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Soybean Association and the Iowa Pork Producers Association have agreed to provide mentors, as has Iowa State University. While the AgriTech Accelerator is loosely based off of the GIA, it will differ in its business structure, Dhawan said. The GIA runs through a for-profit model for both operations and its investment fund. The AgriTech Accelerator will have a nonprofit model for its operations and a for-profit setup for its fund. Dhawan said the nonprofit model is being used so the accelerator can better work with other nonprofit partners, such as trade associations. "These are all organizations that are nonprofits and can be amazing stakeholders without ever having to be investors in the accelerator," he said. "It becomes easier to work with trade associations in their nonprofit role when we are also a nonprofit." When it's up and running, the AgriTech Accelerator would be one of a handful of ag-focused startup development programs in Iowa. Others include the Ag Startup Engine out of Iowa State University and the Rural Ventures Alliance from Iowa MicroLoan. Matthew Patane is the managing editor and co-founder of Clay & Milk. Send him an email at mpatane@clayandmilk.com.

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