Student success tool debuts at SXSW

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Fresh off a flight at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Jackie Doherty and her husband are in search of ways to use mobile learning in junior high and high school classrooms in Alberta, Canada.

"Our students are expecting this and so we need to learn and try and keep up with it," said Jackie, who works in the education technology field.

They are in luck because companies from across the world have brought their most innovative solutions to Austin's South by Southwest Media Conference . Among them is an online learning company called SuperFutures . CEO Jennifer Openshaw called on Principal Figgins in the hit tv-show Glee to help kick off their educational media panel Friday night.

After a year of testing, the company is beefing up their one-stop-shop website where parents and students can get college and career help.

"The single biggest question in education today is how can we make it relevant for a young person," said Openshaw.

They have created everything from online webinars students can watch to live chats with coaches trained by Harvard University experts who try to help students turn their dreams into realities.

"You don't have to have any geographical or physical boundaries," said Openshaw. "We can have coaches in Denver coaching students in Florida, or in East Los Angeles as we're doing right now."

They also plan on adding job shadowing videos to the site. For example, if a student is interested in being a veterinarian, they can watch a video hat would take them through a typical day of someone already doing it in the real world.

Certain parts of the site are free to access. Online coaches cost about $20 a month and online courses that can help a student write resumes, ace an interview run closer to $500.

The company hopes to reach parents, but even a couple of schools including a campus in Los Angeles said they are saving money by using the new learning tool in place of face to face guidance counselors.

SuperFutures says their online access will never replace people, but rather help form connections.