The 10 Most Innovative EDTech Solution Providers 2021 August2021

hereisnodenyingthattechnology

Ttransformededucationlongbeforethe COVID-19breakout.Technologyin educationbeganwithapplyingtoolsintheclassroom foramoreengagingexperience.Italsoreducedthe burdenonteachers.

Educationalinstitutionsanduniversitieshaveadopted technologieslikeartificialintelligenceandmachine learning.AutomationofbasicactivitiesbyAIandML hasenhanceduserexperience.

Easyaccesstogadgetslikecomputers,Tabs, smartphones,andAppsthatfacilitateliveinteractive classeshasalsohelpedtheindustry’sgrowth.Internet penetrationmadeEdTecheasilyaccessibletoall.

Itdidnothappenovernight,butthepastfewyears witnessedacolossalinvolvementoftechnologyin education.What,however,happenedbeforeonecould bataneyelidwastheadoptionofvirtualclassroomsin 2020.

ThereisalsonodenyingthattheCOVID-19 pandemichasbeenagame-changerineverysector, includingeducation.Digitally-assistedvirtual classroomsreplacedtheprevailingbrick-and-mortar

Reshapingtheway EducationisImparted

pattern.Ithasalsoredefinedtheroleofteachersand students.

TheEdTechindustrywasalreadytreadingonthegrowth pathbeforethepandemic.Itgainedsubstantialmomentum afterthepandemicbrokeout.EdTechcompaniesprovide easy-to-useappsandservicesforstudentsofallagegroups withdisruptivetechnologiesandinnovations.Mostschool andcollegestudentshaveshiftedtoonlineclasses,andthe numbersareonlyexpectedtoincreaseowingtothehybrid educationpattern.

EdTechcompanieshadtobracethemselvesuptomeetthe needsofeducationalinstitutionsandthelearnersasonline classroomsbecamethenorm.Theygrabbedthe opportunity,sensingthepulseofthemarket,andare offeringinnovativesolutions.

Sinceblendedlearningisheretostay,technologyitselfis transformingtoaccommodatedistancelearning.Everyday newtoolsandappsarebeinginnovated.

Theyear2020-2021willbeetchedinthehistoryof humankind,notjustbecauseofthepandemicbutalsofor thedigitalrevolutionintheeducationspace. SeveralEdTechcompaniesarecontinuouslydeveloping technologiesforeducationistsandparents,spoilingthem forchoice.Tomakethingseasyforyou,wehavefeatured

someofthebestEdTechcompaniesinourlatesteditionof TheInsightsSuccess- The 10 Most Innovative EdTech Solution Providers 2021.

Discoverhowtechnologyisevolvingandbeingleveraged forthebestofeveryone’sinterests.Thepresentandthe futurebelongtotheEdTechsector Thisistherighttimefor disruptivetechnologiestoleavetheirmarkontheteachinglearningspace.

Haveanexcitingread!

Sumita Sarkar

Project Education

Leveraging Technology, Redefining Education

Article

Ripples of the Pandemic

The Growing Need for Digital Education

34

Tech Trend

Six Trending Technologies in the EdTech Sector

ChalkTalk

Providing A Personalized Learning Platform to Drive Realtime Learning

26

Cosmico

Disrupting the EdTech Sector through Innovation

eTutorWorld SmartTerm

An Adam's Bridge for Academic Excellence

Enhancing the Future of Education with Digitalization

Rohil Shinganapurkar

Featuring BriefCompanyName

AllHere,Inc allhere.com

BrightBytes brightbytes.net

JoannaSmith CEO

AllHereprovidesintuitive,easytouseanddeploy,cloud-based solutionstochangechronicabsenteeismwithinstateeducation agencies,districtsandschools.

AaronCohen

ChiefTechnology Officer

BrightBytesisaneasy-to-use,end-to-enddataplatformforall educatorsthatempowersschool-wideimprovementthrough predictiveandactionabledata-driveninsights.

CampusLabs campuslabs.com

ChalkTalk chalktalk.com CodeAvengers codeavengers.com

JimMilton

ChairmanandCEO MohannadArbaji

Empoweringhigheredleaderswithdatasolutions.Analytics, Retention,IE/IR,StudentEngagement,DigitalBadging

Cosmico cosmico.app

FounderandCEO HamishDay CEO IbrahimFarook FounderandCEO

ChalkTalkistheonlypersonalizedlearningprogramthat createsstatestandards-alignedACTandSATcurriculum adaptedforeachclass,andpersonalizedforeverystudent.

Buildinglastingcapabilityforcareer-changers,educatorsand youngpeople.

DigitalEd digitaled.com

E-tutor etutorworld.com

JimCooper CEO MukulAgrawal Co-founderandCEO

Cosmicoisacompanyinpursuitofabetter,brighterfuturefor allchildren.Thecompanycreateseducationalgamestoeven theplayingfieldforstudents.

ProjectEducation projecteducation.net

SmartTerm smartterm.io

SteveNavarre ChiefExecutive OfficerandDirector

DigitalEdisanonlinelearningcompanywithasimpleand resonantpurpose-toshapetheworldthroughdigitallearning.

eTutorWorldisanEdTechcompanythatprovidesonline tutoringforKto12.Thecompanyalsooffersworld-classtest preparationforstudentsofallagegroups.

ShamirSaddler

FounderandCEO

Aninitiativetoempowerandmentoreducationalinstitutions worldwidetoworktowardsSDGs.

SmartTermLimitedisthefutureofeducationandweare redefiningthewayweeducateintheCaribbeanandother developingcountries.

Leveraging Technology, Redening Education

Our total-solution approach is the only customizable data management platform that also offers professional development and consulting services.

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V

R S T O R Y

Steve Navarre CEO Mellony Deuel Chief Academic Officer

Educationhasbeentheone sectorthathasundergone incredibletransformation consideringtheinfluenceofdisruptive technologiessuchasartificial intelligence.Thistransformationwas fueledbythechangingpreferences amonglearnersandtheeducators’ necessityofadaptingtothose preferences.

TheEdTechnichehasevidently showcasedthatthedeliveryofquality educationcouldonlybepossibleifthe traditionaltextbookmethods consistentlyevolvedandamalgamated withmodern,technology-based approaches.

EdTechcompanieshavebeenatthe forefrontofthistransformationand havepavedthewayforeducational institutionsandlearnersalike.One prominentnameamongsuch pioneeringcompaniesisProject EducationbasedinPlano,TX.

Foundedin2013,ProjectEducation offersweb-basedsoftwarethatadapts toschools’existingprogramsfora seamlessfitandminimallearning curve.TheProjectEducationsystemis builtonanarchitecturethatblends user-friendlydesign,smartdata management,thoroughcomplianceand communicationsstandards, connectivitywithdifferentplatforms, andtrackingofperformanceatall levels–district,campus,teacher,and student.

Inthefollowinginterview,Steve NavarretheCEOandMellonyDeuel theChiefAcademicOfficersharewith usafewinsightsabouttheEdTech nicheandhowProjectEducationhas managedtostaycompetentwithinthe market.

Pleasebriefouraudienceabout ProjectEducation,itsvalues,andits journeysofarasaleadingprovider ofeducationsoftwaresolutions.

ProjectEducationisdevotedto providingsoftwaretoolsand consultingexpertisethatschool districtsneedtohelpstudentssucceed. Ourtotal-solutionapproachistheonly customizabledatamanagement platformthatalsooffersprofessional developmentandconsultingservices. OuroriginalnamewasProjectELL becausewegotourstartbyfocusing ontheneedsofstudentswhowere EnglishLanguageLearners.The ProjectELLcustomizableplatform wasanimmediatesuccess,whichled schooldistrictstoaskusforsimilar softwaresolutionsforotherstudent populations–suchasGiftedand Talented,SpecialEducation,students withtruancyissues,orotherbehavioral orscholasticneeds.Thedistrictsalso neededexpertisetobettersupport thosestudentpopulations.

Schoolsanddistrictsarerequiredto

We help schools, administrators and educators go beyond mere compliance with more comprehensive data management and the tools to help educators make more informed decisions and enact more effective action plans.

Providers

complywithStaterequirementsand standardsinmanyoftheseareas.We helpschools,administratorsand educatorsgobeyondmerecompliance withmorecomprehensivedata managementandthetoolstohelp educatorsmakemoreinformed decisionsandenactmoreeffective actionplans.

Beingexperiencedleaders,share withusyouropiniononwhythe adoptionofmoderntechnologies suchasAIandBigDataisnecessary intheEdTechindustryandhowyou haveleveragedthesetechnologiesto delivercomprehensivesolutions? Becausemoredataisavailablethan everbefore,businessesand organizationsmustbecomemastersof thatdatainordertosurviveandthrive. Thatmaximholdstrueforschoolsand schooldistricts.Gonearethedays whenschoolscouldaffordtobealittle behindthecurvewhenitcameto technologyorautomation.Advances simplyhappentoofast–andhonestly, thedataqualityissogoodthatitwould beadisservicetonotuseittoitsfullest potential.

We expect teachers to be society’s saviors in overcoming student achievement challenges, but then we leave them under-resourced.

“

Thisapproachbenefitsstudents,who receiveanapproachtotheireducation thatismorepersonalizedthanever before.Italsoempowerseducatorsby givingthemtheinformationtheyneed tomakebetterteachingandclass managementdecisions.

Weexpectteacherstobesociety’s saviorsinovercomingstudent achievementchallenges,butthenwe leavethemunder-resourced.Despite that,educatorsreallydoimprove outcomesformanyoftheirstudents. Buttoday’stechnologyanddataallow ustoimaginetherealjumpsinstudent performancethesegiftededucatorscan achievewhentheyhavetoolsthattruly performastheyneedthemto.

Tomeetthisneed,wecreated web-basedsoftwarethatprovidesa databasemanagementandaccess solutionthatallowsteachersand administratorsinstantaccessto informationinavarietyofways–for decisionmaking,tobealertedof specificstudentneeds,andevento addresstoughbehavioralchallengesor disadvantages.ProjectEducation’s toolsalsoallowteacherstoshare informationwithadministrators,other teachers,students,andparents, includingtranslationsintheparents’ homelanguages.

WhatmakesourEdTechspecialisits capacitytounifyandrefinestudent datafrommultiplesourcestohelp improveoutcomes.Itsupportsspecific studentpopulationsbyprovidingdirect pathstoschoolanddistrictcompliance andprovidingeducatorsthetools neededtotrackprogressforallstudent populations.

TheProjectEducationplatformresides onalayer(withinaschooldistrict’s architecture)whereitcanaccess studentdatabaseslikeassessments,

What makes our EdTech special is its capacity to unify and refine student data from multiple sources to help improve outcomes.

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dailyperformance,anddemographics. Thisdatamayhavebeen compartmentalizedbefore,butby ‘knitting’ittogether,ourprograms deliveractionable,in-depthinsights andeasy-to-interpretreports–withno waiting.Wegivetheminstant, effectiveaccess.

Notwoschooldistrictsarealike,so customizationisessential.Whatwe findfromthisisthatoursystemis constantlygrowingandevolving.Each modulecanbemodifiedtoadistrict’s specificrequirementsforcompliance,

procedures,actionitemsandgoals–andfortheday-to-dayneedsofits students.

Takingintoconsiderationthe currentpandemicanditsimpacton globaleconomies,howareyou drivingyourcompanytosustain operationsandensuringsafetyof youremployeesatthesametime?

Thepandemicoverturnedall conventionsforstudents,parents, teachers,anddistricts.Almost overnight,theyallhadtobecome mastersofdealingwithdistance

learning.IthasalsoputtheProject Educationsystemthrougharigorous, real-worldtest.

Thegoodnews:thetoolsthatmake ProjectEducationaneasy,efficient, andproductivesolutionalsoequip educatorswiththetoolstofunction withseamlessremoteaccess,making workingfromhomemoreviablefor teachersandadministrators.

Thequalitiesthatmadethisworkfor schoolsanddistrictsalsomadeitwork forourownemployeeswhocould provideservicetoschooldistrictsno matterwheretheywereaslongasthey hadaninternetconnection.Allpeople cravepurposeintheirwork,andwith theurgencyofthisforceddistance learning,ouremployeesdoubledtheir effortstohelpschoolsanddistricts operateasflawlesslyaspossible.We areveryproudoftheProjectEducation team.

Manyindustrysectorshaverealized thatahybridblendofWorkfrom Office/WorkfromHomewilllikely continuebeyondthepandemic.That predictionholdstrueforeducation, too.Newstructuresofcombinedinperson/remoteteachingandlearning providebenefitsthatshouldnotbeleft behind.Districtsshouldcommitto buildingadata/technology infrastructurewithreliableaccessand intuitivedesign.

Whatwouldbeyouradviceto buddingentrepreneurswhoaspireto ventureintotheEdTechmarket?

Involveeducatorsandparents.The reasonthatoursolutionssucceedis becausetheywereengineeredaround real-worldneeds.Onceyouknowand understandtheneeds,youcanbeginto applyyourvisiontodeveloping solutions.Workingintheopposite direction—developingsolutionsin

searchofaproblem—requiresalot moreluck.

Howdoyouenvisionscalingyour company’soperationsandofferings in2021?

Worldwide,organizationsarethinking abouthowtheywillrestoretheir infrastructures.Therewillbea tremendousfocusofresourcesand attentiononeducation–andonhelping thesystemrecoverfromadisruptive year.

ProjectEducationisinaunique positiontohelpschoolsanddistricts gettheirbearings,increasetheir productivityandimprovestudent outcomes.Webelieve2021and2022 canbebreakthroughyearsforour company.

AbouttheLeaders

SteveNavarre,ProjectEducation’s CEO,co-founder,andco-ownerbuilt hiscareerontechnologyand education.Thisresults-oriented entrepreneurhasnearlytwodecadesof experienceindevelopingcompanies andmanagingwithinnationaland internationaltechnologycompanies. Hebeganhiscareerintheeducation technologiesdepartmentofTexas Instruments.Asaconsultant,Navarre haslenthisexpertisetonumerous well-knowncompaniessuchas Pepsico,Chevron,Texaco,Merrill Lynchandothers.Beforestarting ProjectEducation,Navarrewasthe CEOofaregionaleducational softwareproviderspecializingin specialeducationcompliance.

Navarre’sinspirationforeducation comesinpartfromthefactthatheisa fatherofaspecialneedschild,andhe alsohasasiblingwithspecialneeds.“I understandwhatit’slikeforthe familiesofthosewithlearning differences,andIamdeterminedto

ProjectEducation’sDistinctOfferings

improveoutcomesforstudents, families,teachersandschools,”says Navarre.

MellonyDeuel,ProjectEducation’s ChiefAcademicOfficer,co-founder, andco-owner,bringsaneducator’s awarenesstohelpProjectEducation produceprofoundlyimpactfulsoftware andservicesolutions.

Mellony’sexperiencesineducation wereasageneralandspecialeducation teacher,andasthecomplianceofficer acrossallspecialpopulationsforone ofthelargestschooldistrictsinTexas. Shehasdirectexperiencewiththe IDEA/504/ELLauditandOCR compliantprocess.Thisshapedher insightsonanddedicationtothe importanceproducingmeaningful, actionabledata.

BeforejoiningStevetocreateProject Education,Mellonyworkedasa programmanagerforaspecial educationsoftwarecompany,where sheleddevelopmentofseveral educationalprograms.This responsibilityincludedgathering customerrequirements,workingwith developers,marketing,sales,training, andproductsupport–aperfect combinationtohelppropelProject Education’sefforts.

PROJECT

Exhibiting True Excellence

“Wewerefortunatetofind ProjectEducationbecause theotherprogramwelooked atwassocostprohibitive, thatallofoureducatorswho neededitwouldnothave beenallowedaccess,which isn’taveryfeasibleformat forimpactingstudentgrowth intheclassroom.”

StephanyMoore

Federal Programs Instructional Coach – Rio Rancho (New Mexico) Public Schools

“Thebigplusforthisonline LPACmanagementprogram isthealmostimmediate responsefromtheProject Educationstafftocustomize theformsbasedonour district’sneedsand/or questions.Ihaveheardfrom acolleagueatanearby similarsizedschooldistrict thattheonlineprogramthey areusingisnotaswillingto makechangesto accommodatetheirneedsor requests.”

—Dr.SheilaGuzman

DirectorBilingual/ESLProgram–Elgin(Texas)ISD

“Middle-of-YearLPACs (LanguageProficiency AssessmentCommittees) wereamazing!TheLPAC representativesonthe campuseswerequite nervous,butnowthey’reso excited!Thisprogramhas savedourrepssomuchtime. Ican’twaitforEnd-of-Year assessments!”

—MelissaHernandez, Bilingual/ESLDirector,Lubbock (Texas)ISD (recentlypromotedtoPrincipal)

“We’vebeenworkingwith ProjectEducationsincethe startoftheyear.They’ve beenreallyfastatseeking ourdata.Wetypicallyget mostofourdatafromTXeis andEduphoriaandtheyhave beenveryflexiblebothin gettingthatdataandaswell ascustomizingtheprogram toourneeds.”

—RicardoAlonso

Bilingual/ESLCoordinator–Krum (Texas)ISD

“ProjectEducationisfocused onthecustomerneedandis builtinsuchawaythatit allowsthedistricttotailor theprogramtomirrorwhat youhaveinplace.”

—NormaGarcia

DirectorofSpecial Programs/Multi-Language–Harlingen(Texas)CISD

“ProjectEducationcares aboutthelearner.Itisevident intheprogram–student outcomesaregreatly improvedbecauseour teachershadtheinformation andtime,theyneededto fostercriticalconversations.”

—MelissaHernandez, Bilingual/ESLDirector,Lubbock (Texas)ISD (recentlypromotedtoPrincipal)

“Itrulyappreciateyour expertiseandcustomer service.Youhavedonewell surroundingyourselfwith qualitystaff.”

—SylviaHughes

Bilingual/MigrantProgram Coordinator–Amarillo(Texas)

ISD

“ProjectEducationmadeit soeasytoimplementProject ELLinourdistrict.Whenwe needassistance,wereceive almostimmediateresponse fromtheirstaff,evenacross differenttimezones.For example,oneofourusers wastrainingonthesystem andneededhelp.Project Educationstaffresponded withasolutioninundertwo minutes.”

—MayraCestero

ESOLCompliance,Manatee County(Florida)SchoolDistrict

CHALKTALK

ProvidingAPersonalizedLearningPlatformto DriveReal-timeLearning

Haveyoueverseenacowclimbingatree?Ora tigerflyinginthesky?Theanswerwouldalways beinanegative.Everyanimalhasuniqueabilities whichtheyhaveadoptedintheirlife.Similarly,every studenthasindividualthinkingandskillswithdifferent graspingcapacities.Somestudentscapturetheacademic conceptseasily,whilesomeofthemfindithardtodoso. Everyonehastheirownapproachtowardslearning.

Buttheeducationsystemhasasetstandardforall, irrespectiveoftheirinterests.Learningisauniqueand personalexperienceforeverystudent.Hence,forbetter understanding,astudent-centeredapproachisrequiredto upscaletheperformanceoflearners.ChalkTalk,oneofthe leadingfirmsintheeducationsector,recognizedthisand developeditsownpersonalizedlearningprogramfor students,teachers,aswellasadministrators.

TheChalktalkprogramistailoredtoalearner’sinterests andabilitiesandispacedtoalearners’interests.Inan interviewwithInsightsSuccess,MohannadArbaji,the FounderandCEOofChalktalksharesthejourneyofhis company,itsvalues,andtheimportanceofpersonalized learning.Belowarethehighlightsoftheinterview:

PleasebriefouraudienceaboutChalkTalk,itsvalues, anditsjourneysofarasaleadingproviderofEdTech solutions.

Personalizedattentionfrommyparentsandteachers inspiredmetolearnandopenupalotofdoorsasa16-year oldsoloimmigrantfromJordan.Manyotherstudentsaren’t sofortunatetoreceivethiskindofsupportand engagement—butChalkTalkischangingthat.ChalkTalkis softwarethatpersonalizeslearningforreal-timeteacher-led instruction,whetherin-personorremote.

We have a platform that powers ELA & Math classes within K12.

, , , ,

Currently,thiskindofpersonalizedattentionisonlyoffered throughtutoring,whichisprohibitivelyexpensiveandnot scalable,orthroughself-pacedlearningapps,whichhave completionratesofjust3.5%.Butresearchhasshownthat wecanimprovestudenttestscoresbytwostandard deviationswithpersonalizedattention(thismeansthatwe canturnCstudentsintoAstudents).

So,webuiltapersonalizedlearningplatformthatpowers real-timelearning.ChalkTalkisaplatformforteachersto build,personalize,&runtheirreal-timelearningcourses. 97%ofteachersintheUSassembleorwritetheirown lessonplans&teachingmaterials—withnomaterial relationshiptothecommercialcurriculum.Thistakesupto 2.5hrs/day,andtheoutputisoftenone-size-fits-all. ChalkTalkenablesteacherstobuildhyper-personalized coursesishardlytwominutes.

Injust10-15weeks,schoolsthatusedChalkTalktopower theirELA&mathclassessawtheirstudentsexperience2-6 timesmoregrowthontestscorescomparedtotheirpeers whoreceived52weeksoftraditionalclassroominstruction. OurcustomersincludeDuvalandPasco,the20thand53rd largestdistrictsintheUS,toindividualschoolsfromNew YorktoHawaii.Andinjust11months,wescaledfrom $45KinARRtosevenfigureswithfounder-onlysales.

ListtherangeofChalkTalk’sofferingsthroughwhich youhaveascertainedyourstrongholdwithinEdTech space.

WehaveaplatformthatpowersELA&Mathclasseswithin K12.Ittakesinthreeinputs:thetargetcurriculumtobe taught,thecourseschedule,andaplacementtest.Thenit outputsalessonplanforeverydayintheschoolschedule withactionableteachingmaterialsandpracticeactivities.

Mohannad,pleasebriefusaboutyourselfandEddie, andyourjourneyintheindustry,andhowyouboth havecontributedtowardsChalkTalk’ssuccess.

ThisismysecondEdTechcompany,thefirstoneI bootstrappedfrom$300toafranchiseacrossthree countrieswhileincollege.Beforethis,Iworkedin teaching,softwareengineering,banking,andconsultingat companieslikeErnst&YoungandPwC.Eddie,ourCOO, hasdegreesfromNorth-easterninPhysics&Electrical Engineering.He’stheauthorofthreephysicsandMachine Learningpapers.

TwoofhisMachineLearningpatentswereusedtobuild TrueMotion;hejoinedasthefirsthireandleftwhenthey wereaunicorn.Hewasthenheadofsalesandcustomer successatanotherAIstart-upinBerlin,whereheclosed anddeliveredon7-figureenterprisedeals.Priortothis,he workedatvariousresearchorganizationssuchasNASA, DARPA&CERNinSwitzerland.

Beinganexperiencedleader,sharewithusyouropinion onwhytheadoptionofmoderntechnologiessuchasAI andBigDataisnecessaryfortheEdTechindustryand howhasChalkTalkleveragedthesetechnologiesto delivercomprehensivesolutions?

Ourgoalistoempowertheteacherbyremovinganything fromtheirtasklistthattheydon’thavetodo.What machinescanautomateforateacheristurningcontentinto alessonplan,creatingandgradingassessments.What machinescan’tautomate,whichteacherswanttospend mostoftheirtimeon,isconnectingwith,understanding, andinspiringtheirstudents.

Youdon’tneedAItogenerateandgradeamultiple-choice question,butyoudoneeditinplacesthatrequirean understandingofthetext.Forexample,essayshavebeen lesspopularinassessmentsingeneralbecauseteachers don’thavethetimetogradethem.Thefirststepto automatethisprocessistoreducethegradingtimeby highlightingthingsorsuggestingpointstobereducedor

ExhibitingExcellence

“Ireallyfellinlovewiththeprogram. IlikeditsomuchthatIenrolledmy daughterwhoattendsanother school.”

–LorenzoDiBenedetto, teacher,SummitAcademyCharter School,Brooklyn.

“It’saone-stop-shopwhereour teachersareabletoteachour studentsimportantELAandMath skillstheywouldn’thavegotten otherwise.”–CherylLundySwift, Principal,SummitAcademyCharter School,Brooklyn.

“AfterusingChalkTalk,myscores haveimprovedalot.”–Aiddson RestrepoYepes,Student,EastBoston HighSchool.

The

Mohannad Arbaji Founder and CEO

added.Youcannowreducethetimeittakestogradeessays by10X,andnowwritingassessmentscanbeacorepartof teachingagain.

Takingintoconsiderationthecurrentpandemic,how areyoudrivingChalkTalktosustainoperationsand ensuringthesafetyofyouremployeesatthesametime?

ChalkTalk’sphilosophyof‘educationishuman’bringsthe essenceofface-to-facelearningtoremotelearning.If schoolsopttoteachremotely,theycanstillcontinueto engagestudentstolearnasopposedtojustsittinginfrontof acomputerscreendoingself-pacedpracticeandwatching videos.

Forourowncompany,workingremotelyisapartofwhat wedo.We’vebeenrunningateamforthepastyearacross multiplecontinentsandtimezones.Withavaccinatedteam inNYC,we’vebeenabletosafelyoperateahybridoffice environmentwherewemeet1-2timesaweek.

Whatwouldbeyouradvicetobuddingentrepreneurs whoaspiretoventureintotheEdTechniche?

Findareallyspecificpainfulproblemthatexistsandthen solvethat.Manycompaniesstartwithapremise(and usuallyareasonableone,like‘k12classroomlearningis notpersonalizedtotheindividualstudent,wewantittobe personalized’),notaproblem,andbuildaproductaround that.Theproblemwiththatapproachisthatyou’retalking bigmacro-levelideas,andit’shardtotraversethatspecific painfulproblemorneed.

HowdoyouenvisionscalingChalkTalk’soperations andofferingsin2021?

Recently,wejustclosedMiami-DadePublicSchools,the fourthlargestschooldistrictinthecountry,andsignedour firstthree-yearcontractwithHernandoCountyPublic Schools.Now,we’reexpandingfromjustfounder-ledsales tobuildingourfirstenterprisesalesteam.

TheGrowing Needfor igital Education

Sinceitsinception,theeducationsystemhasgone throughnumerousstructural,institutional,and systemicchanges.Severalfactorshaveinfluenced thesechanges,suchasthedevelopmentofspecific personalitytraitsinthestudents,emergingtechnologies, andthecontemporaryneedsofthepast.Ifweseeinthe Asianculture,thesystemofGurukulwasprevalentwherein studentswouldgoasresidentstotheirGurus(masters)to learnnecessaryskillsandsubjectsfortheirsustenance. Nowinthemodernera,theseGurukulshaveturnedinto schoolsthatareequippedwithessentialfacilitiesand technologiesforstudentstolearn.

Inrecentyears,theschoolsystemhasseenonesignificant andprogressivechange:theintroductionofsmartclassrooms.Theseclassroomsarewellequippedwiththelatest digitaltechnologythathelpsteacherstoteachstudents withintheclassroomleveragingtechnology.

Now,asthistechnologyhasfurtheredtoamoreadvanced level,studentscantakeclassesrightfromthecomfortof theirhomes,whichprovedtobeagreatbenefitduringthe COVID-19pandemicwhenpeoplewerelockedinsidetheir homestostaysafefromthevirus.

Ripples of

DigitalEducation–TheNewNormal

Nowadays,digitaleducationisnotjustlimitedtohigher educationinstitutions;ithasalsobecomeanessentialpart ofelementaryschooleducation,courtesyoftheworldwide pandemic.Itisincreasinglybecomingpopularamong studentsduetoitscountlessbenefits.Inthefollowing extract,let'sexploresomeoftheimportantadvantagesof digitaleducationthatsecureitsplaceasthepresentand futureofeducation.

Accessibility–TheCOVID-19pandemicalmostpushedall ofustofullyadoptdigitaleducationasitwastheonly mediumtokeeplearningwhilemaintainingsocialdistance. eLearningordigitaleducationcameasasolutiontoallthe problemsfacedbytheeducationsystemduetothepandemic.TeacherswereabletouseplatformslikeZOOM, GoogleClassrooms,andMicrosoftTeamstoteachstudents, assignthemhomework,assignments,andprojects,and conductonlineassessmentsandexaminations.Apartfrom this,teachersalsomadeuseofrecordedlecturesand educationalvideosavailableondifferentstreaming platformstoteachstudentsdifferentconcepts.

LearningatOwnPace–Digitaleducationalsoallowed studentstolearnthingsattheirownpace,givingthemthe libertyoftime.Studentscaneasilyrecordtheonline lecturesthatareconductedandlistentothemagaintoget moreclarityontherequiredconcept.Thisadvantage enablesstudentstogrownaturallyandlearnattheirown pace.InpopulouscountrieslikeIndia,wherethestudentteacherratioisgrowingfastandlearningintheclassroom canbealittledifficult,onlineeducationprovestobeagreat boon.

GlobalExposure-Therearenorestrictionsonschooling. Everyonehastherighttolearnfromcountriesalloverthe world.However,itisrelativelycostlyandchallengingin real-time,butvirtualclassroomsallowustoknowabout anyregionoftheworldwhileresidinginthemostremote location.Studentsmaystudyfromthebestmentorsand withthehighest-qualityresourcesintheworldthankstoelearning.

OlympiadExams,whichareheldacrossstatesandinother partsoftheworld,havegrowninpopularityinrecentyears. Itassessesinformationandaidsinthedevelopmentofthe student'scognitive,aptitude,andreasoningabilities. Olympiadsgivekidstheessentialexposuretohelpthem flourishasindividuals.Olympiadseducatestudentsfor futurecompetitiveexamsaswellasacademicexams.

LearningTechnology–Withtherapidadvancementof technologyandtheincreasingimportanceofdigital learningineducation,itisimperativethatwegeta thoroughunderstandingofthistechnology Thisenablesus todiscovernewwaysinordertoimproveoureducational system.Italsoprovidesanopportunitytoencouragekids, instructors,andparentstobecomemorefamiliarwith technologytomakebetteruseofit.

TheFutureofDigitalEducation

Theglobalpandemictaughtusanimportantlessoninthe urgencytostrengthenoureducationsystemwiththelatest technologysothattheprocessoflearningdoesnotstop evenwiththeadventofanyothercatastrophethatmighthit theworld.Itisvitaltohaveastrategyreadytoquickly transitiontoremotelearningincaseofanysuchfuture pandemics.Itisalsonecessarythattheteachingstaffbe welltrainedforsuchasituationandbefamiliarwiththe latesttechnologytoteachstudents.

Itisevidentthatdigitaleducationisthewayaheadinthe post-pandemiceraduetoitsvariousadvantages.Itistime thatwelookatconventionallearningashistorynowand fastadapttothenewfuturethatiseLearning,foritisthe latesttechnologythatwillensureabrightfutureforour children.

- TrishikaRokade

Cosmico

Disrupting the EdTech Sector through Innovation

Aleadingeducatorininnovativeteaching,George Courosoncerightlysaid,“Technologywillnever replacegreatteachers,buttechnologyinthehands ofgreatteacherscanbetransformational.”

Technologyhasindeedbecomeanintegralpartofourlives, andeducationisnoexception.Theuseoftechnologyto createmoreengaging,inclusive,andindividualized learningexperienceshasbecomeapartofregularteaching. TheEdTechsectorhas,withoutdoubt,revolutionizedthe teachingandlearningprocess.

CosmicoisaprominentEdTechcompanythatbelievesin makingstudentsfallinlovewithlearningthroughits innovativeapps.Inthefollowinginterview,Ibrahim Farook,theFounderandCEOofCosmicoshareshow impactfulthecompanyprovedtobe,thecurrentscenarioof theEdTechspace,andhisaspirationsforcomingyearswith regardstoCosmico’sofferings. Belowarethehighlightsoftheinterview:

Pleasebriefouraudienceaboutyourcompany,its values,anditsjourneysofarasaleadingproviderof EdTechsolutions.

Cosmicoisonamissiontomakechildrenfallinlovewith learning.ThisideawasfirstborninDecember2018and continuestobethebackboneofourcompany

Sincethecompany’screationthreeyearsago,wehave exploredandgrowninmorewaysthanone.However,our corevaluesremainthesame,andeverydecisionwemake stemsfromthem.

Wechampiondiversity,forweknowthatourbiggest strengthsareourdifferences.Wecontinuouslystrivefor equality,makespaceforallvoices,andactivelylistento them.

Wealsoprideourselvesinourcuriosity,forithelpsus trumpourapprehensionsandleadsustowardsknowledge andinnovation.Weupholdthesevaluesinthegameweare creating,individuallyandasateam.

Cosmicohasbeenonanincrediblejourney,andour partnershaveplayedanimportantrole.Wehavehadthe opportunitytopartnerwithBrunelUniversity,withHubert BurdaMedia,andDK,aPenguinRandomHouse publishingcompany WewerealsoawardedanInnovate UKgrant,whichhassupportedourmomentum.

Afterthesuccessfullaunchofourfirstapp,whichhadover 10kdownloadsand4ksubscribers,wewereencouragedto bebolderandmoreambitious.So,webeganplanning version2oftheappatthebeginningof2021.

ThisversionwillcoverMath,likeourpreviousversion,as wellasEnglishandScience.Weareexcitedandworking veryhardtolaunchthissecondversioninthenextfew months.

Listtherangeofyourofferingsthroughwhichyouhave ascertainedyourstrongholdwithinEdTechspace.

Cosmicocreateseducationalgamesthatadapttotheneeds ofeachchild.OurAIalgorithmlearnsaboutthestrengths andweaknessesofeachuserandadaptstothedifficultyof thegame,theamountofsupportprovided,andthe academicsubjectsemphasized.

ThefirstversionofourgamefocusedontheMath curriculum.Thebenefitswereastaggeringnumberof childrencovered15%ofthecurriculuminjust15minutes andincreasedtheirattainmentandretentionrateby20%. Wearecurrentlyworkingonthesecondversionoftheapp, whichalsodelvesintotheEnglishandSciencecurriculum.

Wearecarefullydesigningthegametomakeeducationthe mostfunithaseverbeen.

Ourplayers(orexplorers,asweliketocallthem)embark onaheroicjourneythroughtheCosmicouniverse.They undertakeexcitingmissionsandchallengesthatalso developtheirskills.Theexplorer’sinvolvementinthestory andtherewardsystemweinventedcreatesahighly motivatinggamingexperience.

Ofcourse,alltheactivitieshavebeendesignedwiththe childinmindbyoureducationexpertsandadheretothe primaryschoolcurriculum.Thisensuresthattheexplorer’s progressionthroughthegametranslatesintoacademic success.

Parents/carersarekeyplayersintheirchildren’slearning journey.That’swhywekeepthemupdatedontheir children’sprogressthroughthegame’sParentPortal.Here, theycanlearneverythingabouttheirchildren’slearning journey Theycanalsotriggerrewards,suchasHubert BurdaMediamagazines,andseeksupportfromqualified teachers.

About the Leader

Ibrahim Farook immigrated to Scotland with his family at a young age and grew up in Glasgow. As a boy, he struggled in school due to his dyslexia. He was an eager student with an effervescent desire to learn but was constantly held back by the traditional teaching methods and the lack of personalised education.

Once he nished his education, he paved his way in the nance world and worked in asset management for 3 years. In 2018, he changed course to embark on a purposeful mission: to ignite children’s learning revolution through innovation. He is now the founder and CEO of Cosmico where he’s creating the educational tools he dreamed of as a young boy

It is better to create something imperfectly than to not create anything at all.

Ibrahim Farook Founder and CEO

Ourcommitmenttochildren’swellbeingalsopromptedus tohostvirtuallessonsduringtheCovidlockdowns.Weput theseinplacetosupportparents/carer’shome-schooling efforts.

Beinganexperiencedleader,shareyouropiniononwhy theadoptionofmoderntechnologiessuchasAIandBig DataisnecessaryfortheEdTechindustryandhowhave youleveragedthesetechnologiestodeliver comprehensivesolutions?

AI,BigData,andothermoderntechnologiesareessential tobringingeducationintothe21stcentury AtCosmico,we areparticularlyinterestedinhowAIandMachineLearning canhelpuscreatemorepersonalizededucational experiences.

WeareincorporatinganAIsystemthatlearnsabouteach explorer.Ittrackshowlongittakesthemtocompletean activityandtheirsuccessrate,aswellaswhichactivities andtopicstheygobacktothemost. Withthisdata,ourAIadaptsthedifficultylevel,theamount ofsupportoffered,thetypeofactivity,andtheacademic subjectemphasized.Thegoalisforourexplorerstoalways beengaged,challenged,andfocusedwheretheyneedit most.

IncorporatingthesetechnologiesintotheEdTechsector shouldbedonecarefullyandresponsibly Weshouldalways bemindfulofdatatransparencyandprotection. Parents/carersshouldbeincontroloftheirchildren’sdata andstayfullyinformedofhowitisbeingused.

Takingintoconsiderationthecurrentpandemic,how areyoudrivingyourcompanytosustainoperationsand ensuringthesafetyofyouremployeesatthesametime?

Likemostcompanies,wewentfullyremoteforafew months.Wewantedtokeepourteamsafewhiledoingour parttosupportthefightagainstthevirus.Thankfully, today’stechnologiesmadeiteasyforustostayconnected andmotivated.Thepandemicbroughtalotofchanges,but wewereabletosustainoperationsandkeepgrowing despiteitall.

Inrecentmonths,withtheeasingofrestrictionsandthe advancementofthevaccinationprogram,wearefinally backintheoffice.

However,wehaveimplementedaflexibleworkingpolicy thatallowstheteamtoalternatelyworkfromhomeandthe

ExhibitingExcellence

“Best Math game! Great fun. Helpful and exciting.”

– Student from All Saints C of E Primary School

“The levels are accessible to all children. Learning is embedded in all the games – It is very useful for home learning and helps children be independent.”

– Headteacher of Broadmead Primary School

“Thanks for doing this! It is very helpful because of the quarantine.”

– Year 6 student

“Thank you so much for teaching me today! I have learned new things that I was not confident in.” –Year 5 student

office.Needlesstosay,weencourageourteamtostayhome iftheyfeelunwell,wearmasksinthesharedspaces,and sanitizetheirhandsregularly Wealsoencouragethemtodo alateralflowtestweekly

Whatwouldbeyouradvicetobuddingentrepreneurs whoaspiretoventureintotheEdTechniche?

Donotgetcaughtupinperfectionism.Itisbettertocreate somethingimperfectthantonotcreateanythingatall,so spendlesstimeplanningandmoretimedoing!

Howdoyouenvisionscalingyourcompany’soperations andofferingsin2022?

Thepandemichasdrasticallyaffectedchildren’seducation. WewanttohelpclosetheCovid-19learninggapwhile reducingtheloadontheeducationsystem.Hence,the primaryfocusatthismomentistodeliverquality,ondemand,tailoredlearningtochildrenathomeandonthe move.

Wewilldothisbylaunchingversiontwoofourappinthe UKandacrossfournewterritories.Hence,wearehiring toptalentandexpandingeveryaspectofthebusiness.The year2022isanexcitingyearforCosmico!

An Adam's Bridge for Academic Excellence

Thearchitectureofeducation hasremainedthesamefor hundredsofyears.Otherthan somemodificationsinthetraditional educationsystem,theprocessstayed thesameinalmostalltheworld. However,theevolutionoftheinternet createdhavocinthisconventional approachandcreatednewwaysof learning.Withthis,the long-establishedlearningapproachof 'chalk-and-talk'gotreplacedwith 'click-and-talk'.Theinsertionof technologyintotheeducationfield gavebirthtothenewnormal–online learning.

UndertheshadowoftheCOVID-19 pandemic,whenalltheschoolswere isolated,therewasaswiftglobal adaptationofonlinelearning.The significantriseoftechnologyinthe educationfieldwasthesilverliningof thepandemic.Somethingthatstarted asanexperimentintheeducation sector,today,EdTechhasbecomea buzzword.

Foreseeingthechanginglandscapesof theeducationsystem,eTutorWorld, anonlinelearningplatform,startedits journeyin2008.Inaninterviewwith InsightsSuccess,Mr.Mukul Agrawal,theCo-founderandCEOof eTutorWorldshedslightonhis

company'sjourneythusfar.Beloware thehighlightsoftheinterview:

Pleasebriefouraudienceabout eTutorWorld,itsvalues,andits journeysofarasalearningprovider ofEdTechsolutions.

eTutorWorldisanEdTechcompany thatprovidesonlinetutoringforKto 12.Wealsoofferworld-classtestprep forstudentsofallagegroups.Founded in2008,eTutorWorldstartedwithan aimtoprovidethebestonlinetutoring combinedwithaffordabilityand convenience.Inthelast13years,we havemanagedtodeliverallthatand more.

AteTutorWorld,wevaluequality educationmorethananything.Andthat iswhywegiveimmenseimportanceto thequalificationandexperienceof tutors.Wehireourteamthrougha stringentprocessthatteststhetutors fortheirunderstandingofsubject/sand theircapabilitiesasonlineinstructors. Wecomplementourbestonline tutoringwithsuperiorresources createdbySMEsandexperienced educators.

TheEdTechindustryisgrowingatan astonishingpacewiththehelpof severallatesttechnologies.Weare

strivinghardtousethebestonesto makeonlinelearningwitheTutorWorld bothconvenientandenriching. eTutorWorldisconstantlyevolvingand hassuccessfullyestablisheditselfas oneofthemosttrustedonlinetutoring brandsforKto12students.Rightnow, weoffersubjecttutoring,grade

We complement our best online tutoring with superior resources, created by SMEs and experienced educators.

tutoring,testprephelp,andspecial coursessuchascoding.

Listtherangeofyourofferings throughwhichyouhaveascertained yourstrongholdwithinEdTech space.

eTutorWorldhascarvedanichefor itselfbyofferingthefinesttutoringfor

overadecadenow.Ithelpsstudents excelatschoolwithitsgradetutoring whilehelpingthemperformattop levelsthroughitsexcellenttestprep andworksheets.

EdTechindustryismarredwiththe competition.Wearecompetingwith newbrandsthatoffertutoringata muchlowerpricethanus.Butwehave managedtoestablishandmaintainour strongholdthroughourstudent-centric teachingmethodology–'Learningby Design.’

Allourtutoringsessionsarelivewith experiencedtrainers,andweoffer flexibletimelines,customizedlesson plans,andpersonalizedworksheetsto reinforcelearning.

Beinganexperiencedleader,share withusyouropiniononwhythe adoptionofmoderntechnologies suchasAIandBigDataisnecessary fortheEdTechindustryandhow haveyouleveragedthese technologiestodeliver comprehensivesolutions?

TheEdTechsectorisevolvingevery year,andtheadoptionofmodern technologiesissomethingthatis necessarytomakelearningmore personalizedandoutcome-based.We areexploringthesetechnologiesand implementingmodernteaching techniquessuchasadaptivetestingto ensurethateverychildreceives individualizedlearning,aseducationis neverone-size-fits-all.

Ourdiagnostictoolisbasedonthese technologiesandhelpsparents

About the Leader

Mr. Mukul Agrawal is the co-founder and CEO of eTutorWorld. He is an alumnus of IIM, Calcutta, and before eTutorWorld, he has held senior executive positions in several prestigious companies such as Deutsche Bank, Citibank, Fiserv, and GMR group

Mr. Mukul has lived all over the world and has rich experience in management and technology. He has a keen interest in the power of the internet and the education industry. Needless to say, he has combined both his loves in eTutorWorld and transformed it into one of the leading EdTech companies in the US. With eTutorWorld, Mr. Mukul Agrawal has made online tutoring aordable and productive

Today, eTutorWorld, is highly acclaimed for its consistent tutoring quality over a decade and is recommended time and again when it comes to getting genuine online academic help

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Exhibiting Excellence

This is just what my kindergartener needed! It helped her get to where she needed to be for the start of the school year. I tried to teach her myself but did not have any progress. The tutors are very patient and quick to identify what works for our unique child. – Azlyn

I am very happy with the tutoring my son receives through etutorworld. He was falling behind in reading, and I have seen so much improvement. My tutor is patient and warm. It is a wonderful service. Thank you. – Elias

Our experience with eTutorWorld has been a great one. The support, care, and professionalism of the tutors are worth every penny. A special thank you note to Ms. Shanti for teaching and helping our son to prepare for SCAT (score 469 Advanced CTY Level) and PSAT. He loves attending the English sessions, and he is happy that Ms. Shanti creates a positive and personal work

environment. We highly recommend Ms. Shanti for English tutoring. – Carmen

It has been a great resource to prepare my child for the COGAT test. My child loves her tutor, and we communicate very well as far as responding to her needs and concerns. Customer service is always available and willing to help right away! I am planning on continuing with more lessons for my child. –Mariella

understandgapsintheirchild's conceptswithoutanymanual intervention.Wealsocreateourlesson plansbasedontheresultsofthe diagnostictest.

Takingintoconsiderationthe currentpandemic,howareyou drivingyourcompanytosustain operationsandensuringthesafetyof youremployeesatthesametime?

GivenourEdTechsector,thepandemic hasgivenaboosttooursalesand providednochallengestosustainour operations.Socialdistancingandother safetyprotocolswerenotreal-time issuesforus,unlikeotherbusinesses thatunfortunatelyhadtofacelosses becauseofCOVID-relatedrestrictions.

Sincethestartofthepandemic,we havebeenfullyoperationalvirtually andhaveprovided24x7servicestoour customers.Allourtutorsworkfrom thesafetyoftheirhomes.Ourother employees,whousedtoworkfromthe office,havebeenworkingremotely

fromtheirhomesformorethanayear now

Fornow,wehavealladaptedtothe newnormalandareverymuchopento whateverchangesmighthappeninthe nearfuture.

Whatwouldbeyouradviceto buddingentrepreneurswhoaspireto ventureintotheEdTechniche?

AnEdTechbusinessisthebestbetat themoment.Itishereforthelongrun. Evenbeforethepandemic,EdTechwas goingguns,andthepandemicgaveita tremendousboostintherightdirection.

Today,theEdTechindustryislooked uponasthesaviorthathelpedmillions ofstudentsacrosstheglobecontinue theireducationatatimewhenevery otheractivityhadslowedor completelyhalted.

WithEdTech,ifdoneright,youwon't havetowaitlongforbreak-even,and evenprofitswon'ttaketime.Thekeyto

successisfindingtheneed(thegap) andfillingitwithanappropriate solution.That'sit.

Howdoyouenvisionscalingyour company'soperationsandofferings in2022?

Thisyear,asschoolsstarttore-open, studentsaregoingtofeelthepinchof fallingbehindingrades.Wewantto stepinhereandprovideacademicand moralsupporttochildrenandtheir familiesbyextendingourofferings acrossgradesubjectsandtestpreps.

Apartfromthat,wearealsoadding non-academicsubjectssuchascoding, AI,andspacescienceinourcourses forthewell-roundedgrowthof children.Tosustainthisgrowthin demand,wearescalingourcompany operationsbyhiringmoretutors, customersupportmembers, technology,andmarketingteam members.

Trending TECHNOLOGIES in the SectorEdTech

EdTechisbeingrecognizedasthemostinnovative anddevelopingtechnologytopromoteeducation globally.TheadvantagesofEdTechinclude creativeteachingmethodswithnewlydesignedand improvedcollaborativeteaching;asaresult,many educatorsareembracingEdTech,replacingtraditionalpaper andpenteachingmethods.Studentsarealsogradually adaptingtothesenewteachingmethodsasEdTechmakes learningmorefunandexciting.

Theconceptoftransformingtextbookteachingandlearning toadigitalformatreceivedapositiveresponsesincethe outbreakofCOVID-19.Wecanseeteachersandstudents areusingthesecreativelearningmethodsandareableto experimentwithfascinatingthingswhenusingthese technologies.

Technologykeepsupgradingitself,andwiththerecent developments,thesearethesixmust-knowtrendswhen divingintotheconceptofeducationaltechnology.

1. E-Learning

Distantlearningbecameatoppriorityovernightas educationalinstituteswereshutdownbecauseoftherapid spreadoftheCOVID-19virus.Thisledtoincreased demandforonlineeducationalplatforms.E-learninghelped thestudentsbyprovidingthemwiththeeducationalcontent

throughsoftwareviaelectronicgadgets,savingtimeand openingdoorsforinteractivelearningaslearnerscan choosewhattheyneedtolearnquicklyandeasilynomatter wheretheyare.

Thestudentscangetaccesstoinformationthroughviewing orreadingcontentwhichisaneasywayforthestudentsto exploreandlearnnewthings,andafeweLearningcourses includeanimationandvideosthatcreateamultimodaland practicallearningexperience.

2. LearningwithVideoAssistance

The‘video-assistedlearning’isalsoboomingwhere distancelearningisatoppriority,wherestudentscan interactandlearnfromtheeducationalcontentthroughtheir electronicgadgets.Videosandanimatedvisualsare extremelybeneficialtoenrichlessonsandmakecontent comprehensibleasitimprovesstudents’learning capabilitiesandreduceteachers’workload.

3. ImmersiveLearningwithARandVR

Theclassroom-learningexperiencehasseenadrastic changesincevirtualreality(VR)andaugmentedreality (AR)spreadtheirwingsintotheeducationalsector.The demandforexperimentallearningisontheriseasitpushes thedevelopmentthatishappeningintheeducationsector.

Learninghasbecomemoreinteractivethantraditional methods,asVRprovidesaconstructivereality,andAR providesanenhancedviewofarealimage.These technologiescanhelpstudentstocomprehendcertain complexconceptsbetterthantraditionalmethods,resulting inreducedexcessiveeffortsandtimeofteachersand studentsinunderstandingsuchconcepts.

4. Gamification

Gamificationisauniquewaytoturnlearningintomorefun andengagingprocess,whichmakesthisthemostpopular trendineducationaltechnology.Gamificationallowsthe studentstospendqualitytimewhilestudying,leavingno reasonforthemtonotgetthemselvesimmersedinthe classroomactivitiescreatingafunandpositiveenvironment whilestudying.

Gamificationisabridgebetweenlearningandhavinga goodtimewherestudentscanlearnandpracticealtogether whentheyaretakingpartintheexcitinggameactivities. IntheK-12educationsystem,theadoptionofgamification isbecomingpopular,asstudentsareshowingactive participationforgettinghigherscoresinclassroom educationalgames.

5. LearningwithEnhancedArtificialIntelligence

AIisthebiggerpictureofEdTechglobally.AIisassisting inbasicactivitiesineducationlikegrading.Teachersare executingmultipletasksatthesametime,whichusually requiresalongertimeandeffortwhendonemanually StudentsaregettingthebenefitsofAItutors,automated reportsoftheirtests,especiallywhenteachersaretoobusy withothertasks.

Also,someAI-drivenprogramsareassistinginproviding helpfulfeedbacktobothstudentsandteachers.Some educationalinstitutionsareusingAIsystemstomonitor students'progressandalertteachersifthereisanyproblem orperformance-relatedissuewithanystudent.

6. LearningAnalytics

Thecurrentscenariooflearninganalyticshasexpandedon alargescale,especiallyforhighereducation.Learning

analyticsnowenablesteacherstomeasureandreport studentslearningfromtheweb,whichmakesiteasyto understandandoptimizelearning.

Whenteachersanalyzethesereports,theycanimprovethe knowledgeandrectifytheskillsetoftheirstudents,asthey canobserve;whattypeofinformationliketext, infographics,images,orvideosthestudentsareenjoying mostandaremakingoptimumuseofthatcontent.Teachers canalsomonitorthedifficultiesofthestudentsinthepieces ofinformationaboutanytopicandtryoutmoreenhanced waystoconveythatinformationmoreeffectivelyandina non-complexway,sostudentscanunderstanditproperly.

TheRoadAhead

Therearealotmoreupgradesthatwillbecomingtothe EdTechworldinthefuture,andtrendswillgoon increasing,butwhentechnologyspreaditswingsinthe educationalsector,itrenewedthebasiclearningand teachingprocess.EspeciallyeLearning,aneducationaltool thathelpstoimprovetheperformanceoflearners consistentlywithanadditionaladvantageofaccessibility andaconvenientmannerwhicheventuallyisincreasing students’desiretolearnnewthingsandimprovetheir knowledgetoalargeextent.

- AbhishekJoshi

Enhancing the Future of Education with Digitalization

Shamir Saddler CEO

DuringtheCOVID-19pandemic,educationsystemwent throughacompletetransformation.Thephysicalclassroomswere replacedbyscreens–compellingthe entireworldtoadapttodigitalization.

ManyEdTechcompanieshaveworked hardtoconvertthischallengeinto opportunityandspreadawareness amongthestudentsandteachersabout howtheycaneasilylearnandteach.

SmartTermisonesuchEdTech company,whichhashelpedtheschools todigitalize.Thecompany’splatform workstowardsimprovingtheeducationsectoracrosstheworld.

Inthefollowinginterview,Shamir Sadder,theCEOofthecompany shareshistakeontheevolutionofthe EdTechspaceandhowSmartTermis onthepathtobecomingaleading playerinthisspace.

Followingarethehighlightsof interview:

Pleasebriefouraudienceabout SmartTerm,itsvalues,andits journeysofarasaleadingprovider ofEdTechsolutions.

SmartTermisaneducationmanagementplatformthatisdigitizing schools.Theplatformisprovidinga stress-freeenvironmentforteachers andstudents,whereschoolsare managedefficientlyonline.

Listtherangeofyourofferings throughwhichyouhaveascertained yourstrongholdwithinEdTech space.

SmartTermimproveseducation systemsanddrivesstudent’sachievementbydeliveringasuiteofinnovativeeducationtechnologyproductsto maximisethepotentialofkeyeducationstakeholders.Foundedin2016,

Delivering Quality

SmartTerm is awesome! As our school grows to embrace full digitization, SmartTerm has been integral in getting us there.

• Dr. Andre Dyer (Principal)

Centralised online platforms such as SmartTerm makes online teaching and learning more manageable and accountable to our stakeholders. Over 1479 students and 71 teachers are using the platform effectively.

• Raymon Treasure (Principal)

SmartTerm helped our students connect and stay engaged with an ease of access requiring one simple login. virtual classrooms, clubs, and assignments are easily accessible to them. Our security, safety and technical support were of high priority for our school and SmartTerm ticked all those boxes expertly.

• Tisha-Marie Dayal (Senior Teacher)

We aim to create a world, where everyone has access to high quality education regardless of their ability, income, age, race, gender, language, or location.

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SmartTermissetouttobecomethe premierEdTechcompanyinthe Caribbeanbeforeexpandingtoother markets.

Ourflagshipproductisourunified educationmanagementsolution,which includesanintegratedStudent InformationSystem(SIS),Learning ManagementSystem(LMS),and EducationManagementInformation System(EMIS).

Asschoolstransitionedfromaphysical classroomtovirtualclassroom,we workedcloselywithallstakeholders involved.Oneofthechallengesthat consistentlysurfaced,specifically amongteachersandstudents,wasthe factthatsubject-relatedcontentgeared towardsaCaribbeanaudiencewas non-existent.

Thecontentthatiscurrentlyon YouTubeandothersiteswasdeveloped forotheraudiences,forexample,India ortheUS.Itwasunstructured,lacked accessandrelatability,andwas unappealingattimes.Withthisin mind,theTambrinLearningplatform wascreated.

Tambrinisanexpansionofourcore SmartTermproductoffering,theschool andlearningmanagementportal.With Tambrinweaimtoprovidestructured contentthatisfunandengagingwith regularassessments.

Studentscanwatchvideos,earn masterypointsandskills,andeven requestatutor.WithTambrin,users willbeabletobrowseorsearchfor contentpackagesaccordingtothe subject,syllabus,module/unit,and specificobjectives.Thisplatformwill empowerteachers,parents,and studentswithpowerfulcontentandan activelearningcommunity.

Solution Providers

Nowisthetimetoundothedamage donebyCovid-19.Thepandemichas wipedout20yearsofeducationgains. Anadditional101millionor9%of childreningrades1through8fell belowminimumreadingproficiency levelsin2020.(Source: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal4)

Beinganexperiencedleader,share withusyouropiniononwhythe adoptionofmoderntechnologies suchasAIandBigDataisnecessary intheEdTechindustryandhow haveyouleveragedthesetechnologiestodelivercomprehensive solutions?

Bigdataandartificialintelligenceare cuttingedgetechnologies,whichhave impactedeveryindustryfromfinance tomedicine.Yettheeducationindustry hasbeenlaggingandisyettotrulysee thebenefitsinanimpactfulway.By bringingthesetechnologiestoschools throughtheuseofourEdTech platform,wewillbeabletounlock operationalefficienciesfor governments,schoolboards,and individualadministratorswhileplacing keyfocusontheimprovementof teachingandlearningoutcomeson bothageneralindustryandindividualizedlevel.

stInthe21 century,educationconsists ofmorethananacademicprofilefor students.Currently,mostinstitutions donotevenhavethecorrectsystemin placetocreateadata-drivenacademic profileforstudents.SmartTermgoes beyondthisbytyingtogethermultiple aspectsoftheallthestudentsina singleunifiedecosystem.

Ourmodularyetintegratedapproach allowsforacompleteprofiletobe createdforeachstudent.Academic performance,secondaryassessments, mentalhealth,extra-curricular

activities,softskills,andadditional datawilldrivedescriptive,diagnostic, predictive,andprescriptiveanalytics. Theschoolsandkeystakeholdersneed tobecomedataliterateandwemakes thiseasyandaccessiblethroughsecure andself-serveanalytics.

Takingintoconsideration,the currentpandemic,howareyou drivingyourcompanytosustain operationsandensuringsafetyof youremployeesatthesametime?

Weareencouragedtofurtherdevelop sustainabledevelopmentgoals4and9 inthispartoftheworldbecausewe needbettertechnologyinfrastructurein ourschools,whichwillharnessquality educationforall.

Whenyoulookattheworldtoday,one ofthemaincausesofviolenceand crimearelimitationsinoureducation systemthatseemtohavefailedafew. Ifwewanttoeradicateviolence,crime, andpoverty,wehavetodevelop solutionsthatinfluencetherootcauses. Providingeachchildwithaquality educationanddiggingdeeperinto insightsofeducationdatahasthe abilitytomitigatethesechallengesin thefuture.

Wewilllookateducationholistically andengageallstakeholders(government,schools,teachers,parents,and students)togeneratecollaborative solutionsforimprovinginnovationand technologyineducation.

OneofthemainvisionsofSmartTerm istoreinventthewayweeducate.We arestartingindevelopingcountriesand thenmovingtoeverycontinent,where weknowourserviceswillaidabetter futureofeducation.Combining technologywitheducationisnotanew procedurebutwithoursolution,we provideaunique‘one-stop-shop’

experienceforallofourschools.

Throughresearchandconstantly listeningtoourusers,wehave combinedvariousmodulesintoone unifiedplatformforschooland learningmanagement.Insomecases, whereschoolsareutilizing8-14 systems,thiscanbereplacedwith SmartTerm,justoneplatform.

Thebeautyofworkingintechnologyis thattheinterruptionsothercompanies experiencedwerenotassevereforour company Wehadtocloseourofficein Jamaica,whichmeantworkershadto workfromhomeandthisinitselfgave alevelofcomfort,responsibility,and safetytoouremployees.However, beforethepandemicwehadalready adoptedaremoteworkingstyleof operationthatworkedbestforthe dynamicsofourorganization.

Whatwouldbeyouradviceto buddingentrepreneurswhoaspireto ventureintotheEdTechspace?

Itisveryeasytogetcaughtupin followingbuzzwordsandpushing technologicalboundariesforthesake ofit.However,mostinstitutions, particularlyinthedevelopingworld oftenhavetheoreticallysimplerissues.

Focusontheissues,whichstakeholdersactuallyhave,insteadofthe hype.Theseissuesmayseemsimple butrequireamassivechangein mindsetfromseveralkeystakeholders andthishasbeenholdingbackthe educationindustryfordecades.Help changethestatusquo,thenthedoorto trulyinnovativeandcutting-edge solutionswillflyopen.

Howdoyouenvisionscaling SmartTerm’soperationsand offeringsin2021?

Throughconstantlyandconsistently pushingthebarforimprovementsin

oureducationtechnologyproductsand services.Abigpartofthisislistening totheneedsofourusersandreadjustingtosatisfythoseneeds.Duringthe pandemicwewereabletodevelopa newfeaturecalled‘TheTambrin LearningPlatform’.Theplatform allowsteachersandstudentsto interact,sharelearningcontent,and havevirtualclassesforamore engaginglearningexperienceatno cost.

Thiscameatatime,whenother EdTechcompanieswereincreasingthe costoftheirofferingsandteachers neededanalternativesolutiontomeet thedemandsofvirtuallearning. Adoptionissteadilygrowing,andour hopeistoseeitreachfullpotential throughout2021andbeyond.

Wehavealsoexpandedoperationsin CanadawiththehelpofTheDMZat RyersonUniversity.Tilldateour operationshavescaledtoover13 countriesand1,25,000users.Weaim tomaximizethisthroughdataanalysis toprovidevaluableinsightsfrom classesandstudentstoteachersfor personalizedlearninganddevelopment.

Governmentscanalsobecomemore efficientintheirpolicymakingon educationiftheyhavemoredataatthe disposalforinformeddecisionmaking. Wewillcontinuetobuildandfoster relationshipswithgovernmentand otherstakeholdersastherestof2021 progressesinordertoprovidethemost advancedtechnologyforeducationand tomaintainleadershipintheindustry

AbouttheLeader

ShamirSaddleristheChiefEducationOfficer(CEO)andCo-founderof SmartTermLimited.Hestudied ComputerEngineeringatHoward UniversityandworkedatMicrosoft,

GoldmanSachs,JIBE,andiCIMS. Shamirwasresponsibleformanaging softwaresolutionsforFortune500 companiessuchasPepsi,American Express,Walmart,andJohnson& Johnsontonameafew

Hispassionanddrivearetoseethe Caribbeandeveloptechnologically, increasingourefficiency,and improvingthequalityofourlives. Shamirnowleadsaninnovative EducationTechnologycompany, focusedontransformingtheeducation infrastructureintheCaribbeanand otherpartsoftheworld.

Shamirisatruevisionary.Theideaof SmartTermcameaboutbyagroupof friendsincludingShamir,who travelledtotheUSfortheirfurther education.Theysawhowtechnology wasbeingusedwithintheclassroom. Theythoughtthatitcanbeextremely beneficialtotheCaribbean.SmartTerm waslaunchedin2016,ledbyShamir growinganddevelopingthecompany to1,25,000userstilldate.

ComingfromJamaica,anislandinthe Caribbeanthatisconsidereda developingcountry,Shamirwent throughtheschoolsystemnotawareof theimpactadvancedtechnologycan haveonlearning.LikemostCaribbean islands,Jamaica’sresourcesarelimited andinnovationintechnologyisafew yearsbehindthoseofdeveloped countries.ThishasfuelledShamir’s passionforeducationtechnologyashe seesitofparamountimportanceto advancestudent’soutcomes,develop hiscountryandtheCaribbeanregion.