Spending on Education Technology is expected to nearly double over the next five years, from $227B to $404B. Also, the global technical and vocational education market size is anticipated to reach $1.43T by 2030.

At the same time, social media keeps us firmly in its grasp, with billions of users worldwide. In 2022 alone, social media usage grew by more than 190 million. 

But according to the team at WeYakYak.com, a platform for learning new languages, the chasm between education and technology, as it relates to social media, could not be greater. Having identified a vacuum in learning, WeYakYak is leading the charge when it comes to the integration of social media into learning programs, so students and teachers can interact through one virtual location.  

A big part of the problem, said WeYakYak Founder and CEO Kelly Carroll, is that teachers and students typically use social media outside of class, to promote themselves and share achievements. What is missing from EdTech is teachers having the ability to communicate with students through social media. Also, students are missing out on an educational forum where they can be recognized for accomplishments. 

A platform for learning new languages, WeYakYak.com is revolutionizing education through technology. 

WeYakYak offers individual and group instruction in English as a Second Language; Spanish; French; German; Italian; and Arabic. 

“When you can speak multiple languages, it changes your life,” Kelly said. 

The platform harnesses the power of live video to connect teachers and students. 

“Live video builds relationships and trust because you see each other face-to-face,” Kelly said. “It creates a comfort to speak, allowing for mistakes in speech and pronunciation to be corrected. Learning with a real teacher brings life to the class, builds relationships and encourages casual conversation. Lessons are more interactive when live with a real teacher, and they offer real-life situations to help students speak to real people in the real world.”

Accelerating the WeYakYak business model is the focus on social media. 

According to Loyola University Maryland, social media in the classroom is beneficial for:

• Showcasing student work; promoting programs; and recognizing student achievements. 
• Extending learning beyond the classroom with shared blog posts and articles. 
• Keeping parents and students in communication with teachers and connecting students with outside experts.
• Learning digital citizenship through best practices for using social media responsibly.

One of the biggest problems with instructional platforms is that students seek out instructors, who must wait to be found. The WeYakYak model, driven by integrated social media, allows both student and instructor to seek each other out.  

“We want to make it where instructors and students can come in, build a profile, and search for each as you can on Facebook,” Kelly said. 

This convenience is just one example of how integration drives innovation at WeYakYak. 

The platform also provides students with a “wallet,” where they can add money or purchase classes; and schedule learning sessions as well. 

Kelly and her co-founder and business advisor, Bobbie Solle, take great pride in WeYakYak being a women-owned operation. The pair also likes to highlight the platform’s leadership role in offering language services in the U.S.

With media appearances in the Huffington Post and on NewsWatchTV.com, WeYakYak has been raising its profile. Also, WeYakYak has been recognized as one of the top 10 online schools in the state of Washington. 

With its user base of 1,000 and nearly two dozen instructors, WeYakYak continues to focus on its core mission—harnessing the power of technology for education.  

The WeYakYak target audience is wide—from children as young as 6 to adults in their 80s. 

Goals include adding additional languages and instructional disciplines, including music, cooking and art. Plans also include the targeting of large companies whose employees would benefit from learning English, or a second language outside of English. 

“We definitely have FOMO, the fear of missing out on the rapid pace of technology growth,” Kelly said. “It’s been a very difficult journey for us, keeping up with technology, because we’re starting out so small. But I believe what we have to offer is way bigger than what the picture shows. Just keeping up, once we do take off, will present its own challenge, but one that we’re looking forward to.” 

Driving WeYakYak.com’s next phase is the launch of an Indiegogo campaign to support marketing, a new app and social media integration in the platform. 

The app, Kelly said, will expand access beyond computers and “give teachers and students more power in the platform to interact and a reason to return to the website daily.”

The WeYakYak app will allow for communication between teachers and students; scheduling; messaging; and live video instruction.

Visit WeYakYak.com to learn more. Click here to learn more about WeYakYak’s Indiegogo campaign.