Vookbag to bring social network atmosphere to the classroom

Imagine using a social network during class, except instead of browsing through pictures and statuses of friends, the network allows students to excel in their classes instead of serving as a distraction from studies.

Jeffrey Short, senior communication major, decided to create something that would bring students and classrooms together – not only allowing interaction to take place, but creating a space that offers organization and resources that college students need.

"Vookbag is an educational organization tool that will allow students to share class materials, whether it is quick notes, links or post questions for other members of the class to answer," said Short. "Vookbag will also help bring a ‘social network' atmosphere to the classroom. Students will be able to form study groups online with other students in that particular class and will also allow students taking the same course but different (sections) to come together to form study groups or share notes."

Another unique feature of Vookbag is the planner, which allows students to insert their upcoming assignments, tests and quizzes into the planner and set reminders so they can better stay on top of deadlines.

The idea of Vookbag came to Short last spring when he was trying to figure out a way to utilize an iPad in an educational setting.

"I initially just wanted to sell ebooks on the iPad or other tablet devices, but then changed my mind about what Vookbag was going to be when a good friend gave me the idea of recreating the way classrooms interact with each other," said Short.

Short's partner Matt Rice, who is a full-time programmer at the Iowa Banker's Association in Johnston, Iowa, handles all of the technical issues and web development aspects of the website.

Short admits that running a business while going to school can be tricky at times, but he has found ways to make it work.

"If you think about it, there are a lot of times that people may think they're busy, which maybe they are, but what some consider to be busy may be different than others, so setting your priorities is the most crucial aspect of running a business and going to school," said Short.

Short has many ideas on how schools, especially the University of Northern Iowa, can incorporate Vookbag into their academic programs, such as encouraging their students to use Vookbag to "keep themselves organized with their planner to help stay on top of classes."

As of right now, Vookbag is more of a student's tool, but according to Short, it might become available for teachers' use in the upcoming fall. Students at UNI will have the chance to start utilizing Vookbag after its official release on March 1.

For more information, visit www.vookbag.com.