2020 has proven to be far from the best year for education, or was it?
Closer of schools reduced contact-teaching lessons, senior teachers learning how to Zoom – these are but a few of the challenges this year brought on. But in the entrepreneurial world, where everyone else sees obstacles, entrepreneurs see possibilities. And that was the case for innovation in education.
1. Gamification
Although gamification is not something new, as it’s been around for a while (I got my first virtual educational games back in 2007), it gained the attention of start-up founders this year.
Briefly, gamification means adding gaming elements to non-gaming contexts, in our case, education. For example, 10Monkeys focuses on practicing pupils’ Math skills, while Language Clubhouse makes English learning easy and fun.
2. Immersive learning programs
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are here to stay, so of course, they tried their hand at some educational innovation as well.
AR could potentially offer students additional digital information on the topic or make complex notions easier to grasp. For example, when doing their homework, they could get extra pre-recorded indications from the teacher by scanning the textbook.
VR intends to tackle the primary challenge posed by most online education: lack of interaction. VR might have the potential of making online courses as interactive as classroom lessons.
Finnish company Visuon is an example of a company offering training based on VR.
3. Learning platforms for companies
Who said only the little ones need to learn? As top skills required in job advertisements are changing from one year to the next, keeping your employees one step ahead of the game is crucial, and a learning platform for your company can help you do just that. One example of such a company is Claned.
4. Foreign language learning with AI apps and robots
With all the travel restrictions, you are probably worried that you won’t have the chance of practicing foreign languages with native speakers any time soon. Well, worry no more, because now AI guided apps and robots are the new conversation partners.
5. School-home collaboration platforms and apps
Home-school collaboration is a significant factor in supporting a child’s positive engagement in school life’s learning and social aspects. Still, last year’s exceptional circumstances and restrictions made home-school collaboration more difficult.
As a result, apps and platforms became an essential tool in allowing the communication between the teaching staff and the parents to run smoothly.
In 2020 we shared the story of Sari Hurme-Mehtälä, the co-founder of Kide Science, a platform helping parents and teachers to collaborate in developing pupils’ STEAM skills.
If interested, check out more EdTech innovation from Finland here.
