Register today for SakaiCon 2023 - In-person & Online on July 18-19, 2023
SakaiCon 2023 – the annual conference of Sakai LMS will take place on July 18-19, 2023. The edtech conference will take place as both in-person as well as virtual event. The venue for the in-person event will be Ann Arbor, MI.
At SakaiCon, you will explore examples of best practices, learn tips and tricks, and get a look at new features. The registration for the SakaiCon 2023 is free of cost. You can register your seat for the edtech event through this link.
Sakai LMS is a free, community-driven, open-source educational software platform designed to support teaching, research and collaboration. It is an open-source learning management, communications and collaboration platform and is part of the Apereo Foundation.
During the two-day edtech conference, the participants will have the chance to interact with expert educators. As per the event program, there will be many exciting sessions like:
What’s new in Sakai 23?
The Plan Unidigital: Sakai Innovations from Spanish Universities
Sakai Lessons: Julianne’s 7 Favorite Things
Sakai Lessons Accessibility Workshop
Grading outside the box: Creative approaches to alternative assessment in Sakai
Upskilling Platform Lepaya Acquires Swiss Leadership Training Provider Krauthammer
Lepaya, a provider of soft skill training that combines both online and offline learning, has announced the acquisition of Krauthammer, a senior leadership and commercial excellence training provider, to advance its mission to connect people’s potential to business impact.
With Krauthammer’s acquisition, Lepaya establishes itself as the premier upskilling and transformation company catering to the needs of large-scale corporate entities, offering top-notch leadership training to their senior management, thus facilitating the profound transformation of global businesses.
Co-founded by René Janssen and Peter Kuperus in 2018, Lepaya aims to empower professionals worldwide to be more effective in their work and to lead happier lives so that they can ignite businesses. The platform allows companies across all industries to tailor training as per employees’ and executives’ needs. The startup has been established with the belief that proper training at the right time is key to making organizations more productive. A mix of online and offline learning programmes ensures that people learn skills effectively to boost their careers or even retrain by developing new skills.
Speaking about the acquisition, Co-founder & Co-CEO of Lepaya, René Janssen, said:
The acquisition of Krauthammer is a major step forward for Lepaya – making Lepaya the leading capability platform that boosts productivity and retention of workforces of the world’s largest organizations. In just our 5th year of existence, we will touch the lives of more than 250.000 employees while aiming to help the entire global workforce of 3.3 billion eventually.
Krauthammer has evolved from a sales training-focused company to a network organization with global reach. It serves clients with a broad portfolio of human capital development solutions. The company trains more than 20,000 participants worldwide in more than a dozen languages yearly. Chief Executive Officer of Krauthammer, Frans van Kreuningen, added:
I’m really excited for Krauthammer and Lepaya to join forces. By combining Krauthammer’s long-standing training quality with delivery at scale across Lepaya’s platform, plus AI and VR-powered learning technology, we will be able to upskill and transform companies at every level of the organization.
Kidspreneurship Enters Into India With Its Entrepreneurial Mindset Programme
Kidspreneurship, a Singapore-based company that enables schools to introduce entrepreneurial mindset curriculum to their students, has recently announced plans to launch its operations in India through partnerships with schools nationwide. According to the company, it offers licenses for its Entrepreneurial Mindset Programme (EMP) to schools, a comprehensive and transformative model designed by a team of entrepreneurs, educators, socio-emotional learning coaches, and industry experts.
Kidspreneurship has created outcome-led holistic learning resources, curricula, and products to expose students to an entrepreneurial way of life. The platform’s workshops and camps are carefully designed for kids aged eight and above to equip them with tools that can help them harness their full potential. It claims to have 400+ worksheets and 100,000+ hours of content delivery for 20,000 students across five countries. The startup aims to reach 1,000,000 students by the end of 2023. It is now working with schools to integrate the course into the core curriculum.
Speaking on the partnership, Founder & Thinker in Chief of Kidspreneurship, Swati Gauba, said:
By introducing our school curriculum, educators aim to help students become better problem-solvers, critical thinkers, and collaborators. We are now looking at running pilot programmes with schools that are early adopters and at the forefront of education in India, and we already have some exciting collaborations in the pipeline.
With 40 key modules, over 120 videos, worksheets, and a platform for challenges and project uploads, EMP spans three years and targets students aged 8-14. Integrating this programme into the curriculum can help schools cultivate critical skills in their students, such as creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork. In addition, the EMP aligns with the principles outlined in the National Curriculum Framework, which focuses on equipping students with the necessary competencies and knowledge to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
Co-founder of Kidspreneurship, Tanya Sarin, added:
We believe that every student has the potential to think like an entrepreneur. By introducing our programme to schools across India, we hope to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs and leaders and also create change agents of the future.
Oneday, a London-based first formal education system built for entrepreneurship, has raised $6.2 million (€5.7 million) in its Series A round led by Ananda Impact Ventures, Brighteye Ventures, Outward VC, Flint Capital and Sparkmind.vc. With this investment round, the startup plans to launch its new MBA program.
Co-founded by Ranbir Arora and Taras Polik in 2019, Oneday is an EdTech platform creating a formal education system around entrepreneurship. It provides practical, real-world experience that prepares participants for the challenges and opportunities of the modern business landscape. The platform will allow students to participate in an 18-month programme, where they will receive one-on-one access to a seven-figure entrepreneur mentor, to assist them with the launch of their own revenue-generating business and earn a fully-accredited MBA degree at the same time.
Speaking about the company and its mission, Founder & CEO of Oneday, Ranbir Arora, said:
Following successful fundraising of €5.6 million, we are hugely excited to launch our new MBA programme, which is the first step in creating a broader education system around entrepreneurship. It’s clear that AI is fundamentally taking over routine knowledge work jobs at Oneday; we see this as an exciting opportunity to reposition our society into solving new problems for humanity by creating new businesses instead of teaching students how to do things we already know. Our mission is to provide what the current education system doesn’t – practical, real-world experience that will teach entrepreneurs the necessary skills to take on the modern business world.
Benoit Wirz, Founding Partner of Brighteye Ventures, added:
Formal education is too often theoretical, detached from the real world. Oneday breaks that mould by offering the first-ever practical degree in entrepreneurship. This isn’t just about studying textbooks and passing exams. It’s about hands-on training and building as you go, fostering a mindset of innovation and resilience. We’re proud to back Oneday as they pave the way for a new era of practical, impactful learning.
Oneday predicts this fundamental shift will see the already increasing levels of entrepreneurship rise. It will allow humans to focus less on admin tasks and more on providing creative solutions to the world’s issues. The advent of AI also means starting a business will become more economically viable by democratising access to resources, reducing startup costs, and streamlining critical business functions. The firm claims 2,000 students have already built their businesses on the platform.
General Partner of Ananda Impact Ventures, Johannes Weber, commented:
Accessible, practically-oriented entrepreneurial education holds the key to unlocking individual financial independence, driving economic growth, and fostering innovation. With Oneday, this opportunity becomes accessible to all. We are delighted to be actively involved in this transformative endeavour.
What is Kahoot! and How Does it Work for Teachers? Tips & Tricks
In today’s fast-paced digital world, incorporating technology into education has become essential for engaging students and fostering an interactive learning environment. One platform that has gained significant popularity in this regard is Kahoot.
Kahoot is one of the most popular edtech tool which uses game-style learning to engage students for more immersive learning. The platform uses quiz-style games to help students learn by making the information engaging in a fun way.
What does Kahoot mean? It is a game-based learning platform. Creators create and display questions on the screen, and the students answer them with the help of a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Teachers can even create surveys and polls through this platform. Kids can play it in real-time with an ease zone.
As one of the biggest names in quiz-based learning, it’s impressive that Kahoot! still offers a free-to-use platform, which makes it highly accessible for teachers and students alike. In this post we will see What is Kahoot! and How it can be effectively used for educational purposes.
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What is Kahoot?
Kahoot is an innovative, web-based learning platform that allows teachers and students to create, share, and play interactive quizzes, surveys, and discussions. It combines elements of gamification, such as points, leaderboards, and timed challenges, with educational content to make learning fun and captivating.
The cloud based service is accessible through any web browser. So the students can access the platform through their smartphones, laptops and tablets in class or at home.
Kahoot! offers more than 40 million games already created that anyone can access, making it quick and easy to get started. Ideal for hybrid or distance learning, when time and resources are at a premium.
What is Kahoot!
How does Kahoot! work?
At its most basic, Kahoot! offers a question and then optional multiple choice answers. This can be enhanced with rich media such as images and videos to add more interactivity.
As a teacher you can set a quiz and wait for the students to complete it. Otherwise, you can carry out a live hosted quiz using video – with third-party apps such as Zoom or Meet – to be there as students are working through the challenges.
Teachers can also review results and run analytics from game reports for formative assessments so as to better judge progress being made in class.
There is also a timer based quiz mode, which can optionally be turned off which will give more time to students for research.
How to Use Kahoot! for Education?
You can use Kahoot! for your online classroom in a lot of creative ways. Here are few use cases:
Creating Engaging Content: One of the key strengths of Kahoot is its ability to create interactive quizzes. Teachers can design quizzes that align with their curriculum, incorporating multimedia elements like images and videos to make them visually appealing. By adding a time limit to each question, Kahoot keeps the momentum going and ensures active participation.
Facilitating Classroom Engagement: Kahoot can be projected on a screen, turning any classroom into an interactive game show. Students can join the quiz using their smartphones, tablets, or computers, making it accessible to all. The competitive nature of Kahoot motivates students to actively participate, resulting in increased engagement and improved knowledge retention.
Assessing Learning Outcomes: Kahoot provides real-time feedback, allowing teachers to gauge student understanding instantly. Analyzing the results, teachers can identify areas where students may need further clarification or revision. Additionally, Kahoot offers reports and analytics that provide detailed insights into individual and class performance, helping teachers tailor their instructional strategies.
Collaborative Learning: Kahoot extends beyond quizzes, offering discussion features where teachers can initiate conversations on various topics. Students can share their opinions, ideas, and perspectives, promoting critical thinking and collaborative learning.
Gamifying Homework and Revision: Teachers can assign Kahoot quizzes as homework or for revision purposes. This transforms the learning experience outside the classroom, making it engaging and enjoyable. Students can access Kahoot from any location, allowing for flexible and independent learning.
What is Kahoot! and How Does it Work for Teachers? Tips & Tricks
Who can use Kahoot!?
Kahoot can be used by any student who can use a web-browser. It is available across most devices, including laptops, tablets, smartphones, Chromebooks, and desktop machines. It runs online in a browser window as well as in app form, with iOS and Android versions available.
What are the best Kahoot! features?
There is a wide variety of features that Kahoot offers. Some of them are given below:
Ghost
Ghost is a great feature that allows students to play against their own previous high scores, making a game out of improving performance. This allows for going over a quiz more than once and helping to make sure information sinks in at a deeper level.
Analysis
Improve each student’s understanding by using the analytics of results to see which student has struggled and with what, so you can help them in that area.
Copy
Take advantage of the wealth of quizzes created by other educators and already available on Kahoot!, which are available to use freely. You can even combine multiple Kahoots for an ultimate quiz.
Assess students first
A Kahoot quiz can be a great way to check students’ knowledge before you start teaching a subject to help avoid making it too simplistic or too complicated for the class.
Use media
Add in videos right from YouTube very easily. This is a great way to have students watch and learn, knowing they’re going to be questioned after the video ends. You can also add in images and, in the case of the iOS app, your own drawings.
Kahoot! FAQs
1. What is Kahoot?
Kahoot is an interactive learning platform that allows teachers and students to create, share, and play quizzes, surveys, and discussions. It combines gamification elements like points, leaderboards, and timed challenges with educational content to make learning enjoyable and engaging.
2. How do I create a Kahoot quiz?
Creating a Kahoot quiz is simple. Sign up for a Kahoot account, log in, and click on “Create” to start making your quiz. Enter a title, description, and select a cover image. Add questions, customize options, and incorporate multimedia elements like images and videos to enhance the quiz’s appeal.
3. Can I share my Kahoot quiz with others?
Yes, you can share your Kahoot quiz with others. Kahoot provides unique game PINs and links that you can share with students or colleagues. They can join the quiz using their smartphones, tablets, or computers, making it accessible to all.
4. How can Kahoot quizzes be used in the classroom?
Kahoot quizzes can be used in various ways in the classroom. They can be used for formative assessments, as icebreakers or warm-up activities, to review and reinforce concepts, or to introduce new topics. Kahoot’s gamified nature promotes engagement and active participation among students.
5. Can I track student performance on Kahoot quizzes?
Yes, Kahoot provides real-time feedback and allows you to track student performance. As students answer questions, you can view their responses, scores, and progress in real-time. You can also access reports and analytics that provide insights into individual and class performance.
6. Is Kahoot accessible for remote learning?
Absolutely! Kahoot is designed to be accessible for both in-person and remote learning environments. Students can join quizzes from anywhere using their devices, making it suitable for distance learning and hybrid classrooms.
7. Are there ready-made quizzes available on Kahoot?
Yes, Kahoot offers a public library of quizzes created by educators worldwide. You can search for quizzes based on subject, topic, or grade level, and use them directly or modify them to suit your needs.
8. Can students collaborate and discuss on Kahoot?
Kahoot provides discussion features that allow students to collaborate and discuss various topics. Teachers can initiate conversations, and students can share their opinions, ideas, and perspectives, promoting critical thinking and collaborative learning.
9. Is Kahoot free to use?
Kahoot offers a free basic plan with limited features. However, they also provide paid plans, such as Kahoot! Plus and Kahoot! Pro, that offer additional functionalities and options for educators and institutions.
10. Is Kahoot suitable for all grade levels?
Yes, Kahoot is suitable for all grade levels, from elementary school to higher education. The platform can be adapted to meet the specific needs and curriculum requirements of different age groups and subjects.
11. What makes Kahoot unique?
It is a unique platform because it enables fun-loving and lively learning. It allows discussions and maintains collaboration and motivation around the content based on education. It gives real-time experiences through visual backgrounds, music, game mechanics, and virtual moments that help learners find or explore their hidden innate talents and capabilities.
Join Education 2.0 Conference in Las Vegas, USA on July 10th-12th, 2023!
The Education 2.0 Conference is a three day edtech conference which brings forth all the incredible leaders of the sector on its global stage. The edtech conference will take place in Las Vegas, USA on July 10-12th 2023.
The Education 2.0 Conference attracts the most dynamic leaders in the education sector and promises to bring fresh insights and perspectives to empower, inspire, and enrich the global learning community.
The Edtech conference is a perfect opportunity for the educators, policy makers, institutes, Investors and Edtech startups to meet and collaborate with the experts. The conference offers a stage to education leaders with inspiring stories, journeys and perspectives and promote networking and collaboration between like-minded peers. You can also exhibit your ideas and present your solutions before other trailblazers and get meaningful reviews and feedback that can boost your career!
The Education 2.0 conference will take place at the following venue:
Caesars Forum
3911 S Koval Ln,
Las Vegas, NV 89109
United States
The conference will spotlight disruptive technologies, tools and practices that have the potential to reshape the future of learning as we know it.
The Education 2.0 Conference offers world-class content and spotlights effective strategies that will power the pedagogical models of the 21st century.
For more details about the edtech conference, please check out the official website here.
Moodle LMS 4.0 receives the WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility compliance
Moodle LMS has achieved the WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility compliance. In a recent announcement, Moodle HQ posted about the achievement in Digital Accessibility and compliant with all regulations and standards. The Moodle team has worked hard to ensure that the Moodle LMS complies with the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) of the World Wide Web Consortium: WCAG 2.1 AA.
In addition, the Moodle Mobile App has also achieved the WCAG 2.1 AA compliance. With this compliance, Moodle users can be reassured that Moodle meets accessibility in four key areas namely – perceivable, operable, understandable and compatible.
Brett Dalton, Head of Educational Solutions at Moodle, said:
One of the key drivers of Moodle as a company is that we want to make learning accessible to everyone.” He added that, “in staying true to our goal of constantly enhancing learners’ experience, Moodle plans to continue bringing new LMS features with accessibility in mind.
Since 2019, Moodle team has been working with Digital Accessibility Specialists to identify issues preventing users from having an optimal Moodle experience and continually work to improve this experience.
Jun Pataleta, Integration Lead at Moodle, said:
The audit was a comprehensive and time-intensive process. For each major release of Moodle LMS, we select a representative sample of pages for our platform while also covering key new features for that Moodle version and submit these pages for the accessibility audit. Their report guides us to iteratively make changes to reach WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance. The accessibility accreditation process took about a year for Moodle LMS 4.0. We have come a long way and are proud of the product we’ve built for our community.
Moodle is further planning to be prepared for the newer WCAG 2.2 standards scheduled to be released by Q3 2023. Dalton added:
Accessibility is not something you achieve. It’s a continuous journey. We will continue collaborating with WebKeyIT to ensure our newer platform pages and elements comply with accessibility standards supporting an optimal user experience for all
College of Education Gets $4.8M Grant to Launch School Improvement Leadership Academy
The University of Maryland, College of Education, has recently announced the launch of the School Improvement Leadership Academy programme to support school leaders in increasing student achievement. The programme aims to unite 180 principals and assistant principals from Title I, high-need, and targeted support and improvement schools in Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware for comprehensive professional learning and development.
The programme is funded by a $4.8 million grant from the US Department of Education Office of Elementary & Secondary Education’s Supporting Effective Educator Development Program. As a part of this initiative, the two-year academy will create webinars and asynchronous courses to teach principles of improvement science to design, implement and scale academic interventions; support culturally responsive curricula, social and emotional learning, school safety and inclusion; and lead professional development focused on methods to advance literacy and mathematics outcomes.
Speaking about the launch, Segun Eubanks, Director of the College’s Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement, which will lead the academy, said:
To narrow achievement gaps and help advance education equity, we need to provide resources and targeted support to school districts where historical trends and society have not always allowed students to succeed. We know that high-quality leaders are critical to meeting student needs, and the centre will provide school leaders with the skills and knowledge they need to help improve student achievement. We are excited about this academy and its impact on schools and districts for years to come.
Other activities include conducting an equity audit of participating schools, matching principals and assistant principals with leadership coaches, facilitating on-site visits, hosting a summer institute and evaluating and measuring progress on school improvement plans. In this work, the academy will operate under the premise that leaders can and should be developed. Eubanks added:
Obtaining a principal certification is just the tip of the iceberg; you need daily support to be an effective leader. We want to provide practical and applicable strategies that principals and assistant principals can bring to their schools and districts and share leading practices to help them demonstrate measurable improvement.
The College of Education aims to enhance the lives of individuals, families, schools, and communities through its research, teaching, and engagement. The platform creates knowledge about critical facets of education and human development, sharing that knowledge to improve lives in Maryland and the broader national and international community. It prepares students to be the next generation of scholars, educators, and transformative leaders. It offers research– and practice–oriented programmes across a broad spectrum of education issues.
Michael J. Martirano, Superintendent of Howard County Public Schools, commented:
As we experience more turnover in educational leadership across our state, this program is a terrific way to help cultivate quality leaders and ensure our educational institutions continue thriving for the betterment of our students. Moreover, the academy is a perfect example of how local school systems and institutions of higher learning collaborate to ensure we support our leaders’ continuous learning and development.
Amsterdam-Based Audio Learning Startup Anywyse Raises Undisclosed Amount of Funding
Anywyse, an Amsterdam-based audio learning platform, has announced that it has raised an undisclosed amount in funding from UvA Ventures, an early-stage investor in academic spin-off companies from the University of Amsterdam.
Founded in 2021 by Julien Jukema, an alumnus of the University of Amsterdam, Anywyse aims to revolutionise learning by making knowledge accessible through audio. The platform’s unique approach leverages generative AI to turn written content into engaging audio learning experiences in 10 to 15-minute didactic audio bites designed to enhance knowledge retention.
Speaking about the fundraising, Founder & CEO of Anywyse, Julien Jukema, said:
We’re thrilled to have UvA Ventures join our latest funding round as we continue to pursue our goal of providing innovative learning solutions for students with learning disabilities and those seeking a more convenient and time-efficient way to learn, by leveraging the powerful combination of academic research and technology.
Teachers and learning and development (L&D) experts can upload their written material, and Anywyse technology handles the audio script and voice. With a significant 32.5 per cent higher knowledge retention than traditional podcasts, users have praised the startup’s impact on their learning experience.
Anywyse is currently engaged in pilot projects with several innovative partners, including the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, Noordhoff, the International School of Amsterdam, and six colleges in the UK. Marleen Kappert, Investment Manager of UvA Ventures, added:
What drew us to this startup is audio technology’s potential to diversify learning methods. Anywyse has a cutting-edge platform that can reach over 1 billion people worldwide with dyslexia and ADHD.
What is ChatPDF? How to use it for Your online classroom? Tips & Tricks
ChatPDF is a new AI Based tool that provides the users interaction with their content in PDF files. The ChatGPT based tool interacts in a way as if the information in these files was processed by a human being. You can use it to go through lengthy PDF files to get a brief summary and ask other questions. In this post we will see what is ChatPDF and how you can use it for your online classroom?
What is ChatPDF?
ChatPDF is an AI based tool that’s here to assist you with all of your PDF-reading needs. You can simply upload your PDF file and ask any question about that. The AI Based tool will summarise the PDF File and answer your queries like another human being.
The most convenient feature of the chatbot is that it can answer any question you ask about the PDF instantly. It even provides page references for where it got its answers, so you can do your own research.
You can also use it to answer the questions in your own language. For example, you can upload a PDF File in French Language and ask questions in English language.
How does ChatPDF work?
Since it is an AI based tool so it uses the ChatGPT to generate its answers. After uploading the PDF file, in the analyzing step, ChatPDF creates a semantic index over all paragraphs of the PDF. When answering a question, ChatPDF finds the most relevant paragraphs from the PDF and uses the ChatGPT API from OpenAI to generate an answer.
What is ChatPDF? How to use it for Your online classroom? Tips & Tricks
How to use ChatPDF?
Getting started is easy since you don’t even need to create an account. You can start using the ChatPDF tool by going to its website – chatpdf.com
On the home page, you can upload your PDF file. You also have the options to upload PDF file from URL’s directly or search PDF files.
Once the PDF file is uploaded you will see the summary of the document and some initial question prompts suggested by ChatPDF. You can also start with your own questions and it will provide the answer from the document. If the document doesn’t have the answer it is smart enough to provide the answer based on the available data in ChatGPT 3.5 model.
How much ChatPDF costs?
The ChatPDF is available for free of cost as well as Plus plan. However the free plan is limited to uploading of 3 PDFs every day, each up to 120 pages, max size of 10 MB and maximum 50 questions per day.
In case you want to have more, you need to opt for the Plus plan which costs $5 per month. It comes along with additional capabilities to upload PDF files up to:
2,000 pages/PDF
32 MB/PDF
50 PDFs/day
1000 questions/day
How you can use ChatPDF in your online classroom?
You can make use of ChatPDF for your classroom by going through any PDF file and generating a summary of it. So, there is no need to go through lengthy PDF files and assess the information. You can come back anytime and ask any question to ChatPDF. You can use ChatPDF to Comprehend textbooks, handouts, and presentations effortlessly.
You can ask your students to research on a specific topic and prepare a conclusion presentation. They can also use ChatPDF to clarify their doubts and questions about the topic. So this can help you as an educator in saving a lot of time. The students can come better prepared with their basic doubts answered by ChatPDF and can engage in deeper & more meaningful discussion in the classroom.
You can also share the class material with students so that they can answer their questions through ChatPDF and come fully prepared in the classroom for the interaction.
Drawbacks of ChatPDF
As of now the ChatPDF tool is not able to understand the images as well as the tables. Generally, the PDF document contain summarized information in tabular form or in images, So it may be possible that you will miss the information depicted in the images & tables in the PDF file.
In addition, you can’t chat with multiple PDF files at once.
What about the security of my PDF files?
As claimed by the creator, “The ChatPDF tool will never share your files with anyone. They are stored on a secure cloud storage and can be deleted at any time.” You can also delete your PDF files by:
From Chat view: click gray Delete Chat button on the top right.
From the Home page: click the X next to the chat title in the My Chats section.
This will permanently delete the chat and PDF file content from ChatPDF servers.
