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San Francisco-based Tract Raises $7M In Seed Funding To Expand Its Platform

By
Jaswinder Singh
-
San Francisco-based Tract Raises $7M In Seed Funding To Expand Its Platform
San Francisco-based Tract Raises $7M In Seed Funding To Expand Its Platform

Tract, recently announced that it has raised $7 million in seed funding. Tract is an edtech platform which allows students to make hands-on videos for class projects. The fresh capital will be used for expanding into more schools.

Co-founded by an ex-Uber product lead Ari Memar and his former high school teacher Esther Wojcicki in 2020, Tract enables students and teachers learn through making and sharing educational videos within a safe web-based platform that other kids and teachers can engage with through likes and comments. Kids of all ages can use Tract, but most of the students using the platform are between 3rd and 8th grade.

With Tract, students sharpen their critical thinking skills and solve real-world problems as they learn, teach, create, and share their own multimedia content. All kid-created content on the platform is interactive, with built-in commenting, liking, and sharing features, as well as gamification, awards, and live community events that keep students excited and engaged.

The fresh round of investment was led by NEA, with the participation from Moving Capital, Oceans Ventures, Global Founders Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, K50 Ventures, G9 Ventures, Graph Ventures, Alumni Ventures Group, Minerva, and Correlation Ventures.

According to the company’s statement, the fresh capital will be used for expanding into more schools, and it has launched its first collection of project-based lesson plans across math, English language arts, science, social studies, and art. It also plans to remain free for teachers to use in their classrooms. Speaking about the fresh round of investment, Co-founder & CEO of Tract, Ari Memar, said:

I was talking to her about the things she was doing, like giving kids a lot of trust and respect to work on real-world projects, that’s when the light bulb went off for him. The number one thing kids want to be is a YouTube or TikTok creator. They aspire to be creators because they want to be creative, famous and teach.

 

Adding further about the company, Co-founder of Tract, Esther Wojcicki, said:

Teachers are overworked and understaffed. Parents are busy. Kids are not getting prepared for future jobs. My goal with Tract is to help make it easy for anyone, anywhere to prepare their kids for success.

Based in San Francisco, Tract provides a safe and secure space for kids to feel empowered and express themselves. It’s strong compliance practices and moderation have earned the privilege of serving schools and parents across the globe.

According to Memar, by the end of 2020, the prototype was up and running, and throughout 2021, Tract started to attract lots of attention from teachers across the US. It really picked up steam during the pandemic as parents and teachers were looking for educational content kids could use online, and investors started taking notice.

Join the Adobe Learning Summit on October 4-6 in Las Vegas

By
Jaswinder Singh
-
Join the Adobe Learning Summit on October 4-6 in Las Vegas
Join the Adobe Learning Summit on October 4-6 in Las Vegas

After 3 long years, Adobe Learning Summit is back this year in Las Vegas for a 3-day power packed conference. The Adobe Learning Summit will be organized on October 4-6 in The Mirage, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. The edtech event will be a great chance to learn about industry trends, new technologies, strategies and best practices.

The three day power packed edtech conference includes instructional design labs, design thinking workshops, strategy sessions and much more. This year there will be two different creator labs – the Creators’ Labs presenting hands-on workshops that cover end-to-end eLearning content creation, and the Design Thinking and Strategy track featuring an exclusive design thinking workshop, strategy sessions and much more.

This year the event will be returning to In-person mode and there will not be any live streaming for virtual users. This year’s speaker lineup includes celebrated speakers from Adobe, including Photoshop Hall of Famer Terry White and award-winning designer Paul Trani, analysts from Forrester, and speakers from top brands around the world.

Here are the top reasons why you should attend the event this year:

  • Creators’ lab track featuring 12 hands-on workshops covering multimedia, instructional design and eLearning development delivered by industry experts. Earn a certificate of participation upon completion.
  • First time ever design thinking workshop for leaders
  • Hear from leading analysts, top brands and Adobe experts on learning and the future of work
  • FREE access to Adobe Certified Professional: Adobe Captivate curriculum and exam
  • Exclusive preview of the latest innovations in Adobe digital learning products

You can register your spot for the Adobe Learning Summit 2022 here. Check out complete details about the edtech conference on the official website here.

What is “Stealth Activities” mode in Moodle and how to use it effectively

By
Jaswinder Singh
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What is "Stealth Activities" mode in Moodle and how to use it effectively
Moodle Stealth Activities

Moodle is the world’s most popular open source learning management system with millions of users around the globe. Over the last 20 years, Moodle has seen many creative ways of using it in different learning environments including big universities, small schools and corporates. In this post, we will look at a helpful tips for educators which is known as Stealth Activities in Moodle.

Stealth Activities mode was earlier known as Orphaned Activities in earlier Moodle versions since it was not a official feature. Since Moodle 3.3 version, the Moodle core includes an official feature to mark activities as Stealth Activities. This mode allows any activity or resource to be hidden inside “extra” weeks or topics, but still be accessible to students.

This allows the Course home page to look more aesthetically pleasing and reduce the students cognitive load while learning. You can use the Stealth Activities to hide the activities and resources from students as it may not be complete, or may require revision, or you may wish to only make it available to students at a certain time.

How to enable Stealth Activities

The stealth activities needs to be enabled by the Site Administrator role. Please follow the below mentioned steps to enable it:

  1. Log in to Moodle as Administrator
  2. Navigate to Site Administration > Advanced Features.
  3. Check the box in front of Stealth Activities. By default it is left unchecked.
  4. Click Save changes at the bottom of the page.

    What are "Stealth Activities" mode in Moodle and how to use it effectively
    Stealth Activities

*** Warning!!! – This feature is supported in “Weeks”, “Topics”, “Social” formats and on the front page included in Moodle Core. However, if you are using a different course format, then it may not be available.***

How Stealth Activities work

As a teacher you need to be conversant with Moodle interface before using Stealth activities. Let’s say for example you have lot of resources on the course page and you would like to include all of them in a single page. Now, if you will hide all the resources, it will make them unavailable for the students. So, you can use the Stealth activities as below:

  1. Turn on the editing mode.
  2. In the dropdown against each activity/resources Edit menu, click Hide – for all such activities/resources. It will show a label under the activity name as “Hidden from Students”.

    What are "Stealth Activities" mode in Moodle and how to use it effectively
    Stealth Activity
  3. Once again from the same Edit menu, click the “Make Available”. You will see something like this:
    What are "Stealth Activities" mode in Moodle and how to use it effectively
    Stealth Activities

     

  4. Make sure to put the links to these hidden activities in other activities/resources.

How to use If Admin has not enabled

There may be a case that your Moodle Administrator didn’t turned on the Stealth Activities Mode on. As a teacher you can still use them but in a quirky way 🙂

To make activities (or resources) available but not shown on the course page when ‘Allow stealth activities’ is disabled, follow these steps:

  1. Combine all such activities in a single course topic.
  2. Hide the course topic.
  3. Make individual activity Available from the Edit Menu.
  4. Again, make sure to put the links to these hidden activities in other activities/resources.
  5. You can also link to these activities or resources by turning on Activity-linking in your course settings.

What are the other useful features of Moodle LMS which can help you as a teacher? Please share with us in the comments section below.

Get ready for Online Educa Berlin (OEB Global 2022) from November 23-25

By
Jaswinder Singh
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Get ready for Online Educa Berlin (OEB Global 2022) from November 23-25
Get ready for Online Educa Berlin (OEB Global 2022) from November 23-25

Online Educa Berlin (OEB Global) is the annual global, cross-sector conference and exhibition on digital learning and training that will take place in Berlin from November 23 – 25, 2022.

The Online Educa Berlin (OEB) Global conference has a unique, cross-sector focus, fostering exchange on the use of new technologies in learning and training in the corporate, education and public service sectors. The OEB Global 2022 will bring you to the forefront of learning and technology developments. You will also get a chance to meet, discuss and network with policy makers, higher education leaders, chief learning officers, technology and learning experts, learning and development professionals, change managers, ICT administrators, online learning curriculum designers and many many more.

This will be the 28th year for the OEB Global conference since its inception in 1995. The aim of the conference since its start is about “how technology opportunities and challenges are transforming the world of learning.”

The OEB Global 2022 is a unique conference for digital educators with:

  • 2’500+ international learning professionals from over 70 countries, bringing together expertise and experiences
  • 130+ exhibitors and sponsors, ranging from established global learning and technology market leaders to emerging edtech start-ups
  • 120+ conference sessions in various formats: hands-on workshops, plenaries, interactive breakout sessions, discussions and debates, labs, demos and performances
  • 20+ free exhibition seminars

Online Educa Berlin 2022 Sessions

In a variety of plenary sessions, workshops, lightning talks, panel discussions, meetups, boardroom dialogues, lectures, networking sessions and discussions the agenda will cover topics including:

  • The power of content and curriculum development and (data-driven) instructional design
  • Interactive multimedia as powerful tools
  • Interaction in synchronous and asynchronous virtual classrooms
  • Virtual worlds teaching and training
  • AI and personalised, adaptive delivery
  • Credentials, certifications, badges and verification
  • Skills-based talent management
  • Technology integration
  • Managing and learning in complexity

For more information about this year’s conference and its topics, please check out the official OEB Global 2022 website here – https://oeb.global/

Become a leader in learning with Docebo Inspire on October 17-19

By
Jaswinder Singh
-
Become a leader in learning with Docebo Inspire on October 17-19
Become a leader in learning with Docebo Inspire on October 17-19

Docebo in a cloud based learning management system which is used in more than 80 countries around the globe. The Docebo Inspire – the 3 day conference will be organized on October 17-19 2022 completely virtually.  During the conference you will get practical tips and inspiring insights from industry leaders that you can also apply in your organization.

This year there will be additional day dedicated with the DU @ Inspire there are more ways to learn. The regular two days conference pass is available for $199 while the three day pass inclusive of DU @ Inspire is available for $498. You can register your spot for the Docebo Inspire 2022 through this link.

The event will have 25+ speakers delivering 30+ sessions. There will be three keynote speakers which includes Jaime Casap (Former Chief Education Evangelist at Google, YouTube Star, Published Author) & Melissa Arnot (World-Record Holding Adventurer and Eddie Bauer Global Ambassador). You can check out the complete schedule of sessions here.

With keynotes, product sessions, roundtable discussions, customer panels, and networking opportunities, the event is the perfect opportunity for you to become a leader in learning.

Check out the complete details about the Docebo Inspire 2022 on the official website here.

Join the Mastery Learning Summit 2022 on October 21 in Houston, Texas

By
Jaswinder Singh
-
Join the Mastery Learning Summit on October 21 in Houston, Texas
Join the Mastery Learning Summit on October 21 in Houston, Texas

The Mastery Learning Summit 2022 will be held on October 21 in Houston, Texas. This event will take a deep dive into four specific strands: Leadership, STEM, Humanities, or Elementary Mastery Learning. The edtech event will be held in Houston Christian High School, Houston, Texas.

The one day summit will help you to learn how mastery and competency-based learning can become a reality in your classroom. The Mastery Learning Summit will feature a keynote and workshop with Jon Bergmann, Flipped Learning pioneer and author of “The Mastery Learning Handbook, a Competency-Based Approach to Student Achievement.”

You can register your seat for the Mastery Learning Summit 2022 here. The price for each seat is kept at $250. You can book before September 29 to get a discounted price.

During the summit, everyone will enjoy the Keynote and then please choose one of the four conference strands to participate in Leadership, STEM, Humanities, or Elementary Mastery Learning and take a deep dive into this topic over the course of the day.

The Venue for the event will be Houston Christian High School. Check out the complete details about the Mastery Learning Summit on the official website here.

What Is Cyberbullying? What shall you teach about safe online behavior?

By
Jaswinder Singh
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What Is Cyberbullying? What shall you teach about safe online behavior?
What Is Cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying – the term refers to the use of digital devices to intimidate, upset, provoke or harm someone. It includes all apps & social media sites which can be used to share negative or harmful content about someone on purpose. In this article we will discuss about Cyberbullying and how you can teach your students to have a safe online behaviour.

What is Cyberbullying?

In simple terms it is the bullying that takes place using digital media platforms. It means that the person is not meeting in person but using social media, rude texts, tweets, posts or messages (including photos & videos)to hurt or embarrass someone else.

According to cyberbullying.org, it is “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices.” According to a study, about 37% of young people between the ages of 12 and 17 have been bullied online. 30% have had it happen more than once.

The most common places where cyberbullying occurs are:

  • Social Media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Tik Tok
  • Text messaging and messaging apps on mobile or tablet devices
  • Instant messaging, direct messaging, and online chatting over the internet like WhatsApp, Telegram etc.
  • Online forums, chat rooms, and message boards, such as Reddit
  • Email
  • Online gaming communities

What Should I Teach My Child About Safe Online Behavior?

As soon as your children start using digital devices, its important to make them understand the safe online behaviour. Under your guidance you can help them avoid cyberbullying and other inappropriate content. You can follow:

  • Communicate with respect – Children need to understand their audience and then communicate with care. A message to teacher is not the same as to classmate.
  • Agree to disagree – Most teenager’s often feel offended if someone else is not agreeing to their opinion. This may lead up to start of bullying the others who might have other opinion. The children need to be courteous and practice disagreeing politely.
  • Keep private things private – No compromise. Children must be made aware about keeping private things private without any compromise. This includes any private photos or videos, password, date of birth, finance details, address etc.
  • Be an Upstander – In case any student become aware about his classmate or any other student being bullied, he shall offer the support to speak up against the wrongdoer.
  • Report misbehavior – There may be times when the children might commit a mistake and later on realize the affects. You should encourage them to report any misbehavior as soon as possible.
  • Follow your family’ rules – As a teacher you can guide them in school but when they are in their homes, they need to follow their own family’s rules. If children parents have restricted some websites or apps, they shall respect that decision.
  • Think before you press SEND – It is not easy to take back the words which you have send in a fit of emotions. So it is always better to think before sending anything. Consider how you and other’s might feel with the same text received.

Join ePIC 2022 on October 19-21

By
Jaswinder Singh
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Join ePIC 2022 on October 19-21
Join ePIC 2022 on October 19-21

The ePIC 2022 – 20th International Conference on Open Education and Open Recognition Technologies will take place at the Lilliad Learning Center in Lille (France) on October 19-21. ePIC 2022 will welcome participants and speakers from all continents and backgrounds to explore all dimensions of the emerging culture of recognition that gave rise to open badges. This year will mark the return of the in-person face to face edtech conference.

One objective of the ePIC 2022 conference is to explore the relationship between recognition and empowerment. Open Badges have profoundly transformed the recognition landscape: diplomas are no longer the compulsory step to making one’s learning visible. With Open Badges, all learning, whether formal, non-formal or informal, can be made equally visible.

Conference tracks

  • Pedagogical practices – open education, alternative practices, ungrading, key and 21st century skills, recognising informal and experiential learning, work-based learning, team-based learning, peer and community learning, applied research as learning, …;
  • Entrepreneurship, employment and workforce development – fostering entrepreneurship, open hiring, career development, endorsement and reputation, mobility, …;
  • Beyond the usual suspects – outside EU-USA : Asia, Africa, Oceania, Latin America and the Caribbean…
  • Citizenship – civic and humanitarian commitments, mission-based learning, corporate social responsibility, recognising the talents of refugees and migrants, …;
  • Policies – recognition of prior and external learning, credit transfer, qualifications frameworks, scepticism regarding political agendas and unintended consequences …;
  • Social inclusion – learning regions and cities, tackling early school leaving, youth at risk, unemployment, disability, …;
  • Technologies – Open Badges, ePortfolios, assessment tools, Rich Skills Descriptors, reference hubs, social platforms, verifiable claims, blockchains, NFTs, DAOs…

You can register your seat for the ePIC 2022 through this link. Check out complete details including the program schedule, speakers etc on the official website here.

EDUtech coming to Europe on October 5-6

By
Jaswinder Singh
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EDUtech coming to Europe on October 5-6
EDUtech coming to Europe on October 5-6

EDUtech 2022 is coming to Europe on October 5-6 2022. Leading minds in education from across Europe will be presenting stories, showcasing innovation and inspiring educators across the region. There will be more than 300+ speakers, 220 Edtech providers and 3,500 educators from all across Europe.

The EDUtech 2022 will be held on October 5-6 in RAI Amsterdam. The theme for this conference is “Inspiration in Education”. The five stages for this edtech conference are:

  • K-12 leaders – For those driving change in K-12 schools. Debate the future of schools, how technology is facilitating a change in education delivery and how all of this change affects your staff and students.
  • Higher Ed leaders – What does the university of the future look like? How is technology changing delivery, assessment and student experience? And how can you protect the wellbeing of your students and faculty?
  • CIO – As technology adoption explodes in education the role of the CIO has expanded and become way more strategic. How do you build your tech stack so that it is scalable, agile and secure?
  • Hybrid learning – Is the future of learning hybrid, remote or blended? What impact does this have on curriculum, classrooms, and student engagement? Is your learning management system helping or hindering learning?
  • Classroom tech – How can you create an inclusive and engaging STEAM programme? How is AR/VR and AI transforming the learning experience? And how can educators leverage data and analytics?

You can book your seats for the EDUtech 2022 through this link.

Check out complete program details for the EDUtech 2022 on the official website here – https://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/edutech-europe/index.stm

Join the OLC Accelerate 2022 in November 2022 – Check out complete details

By
Jaswinder Singh
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Join the OLC Accelerate 2022 in November 2022 - Check out complete details
OLC Accelerate 2022 (image credits - OLC)

OLC Accelerate 2022 – the edtech conference by Online Learning Consortium (OLC) will be organized twice this year. First the completely virtual conference will be organized on November 1 – 3, 2022 followed by the onsite conference on November 14 -17, 2022.

You can join the OLC Accelerate 2022 to strengthen connections, find new colleagues and friends, and reconnect with presenters and conference activities. The onsite program will be held at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort.

The OLC Accelerate 2022 will give you exciting opportunities to:

  • Engaging and interactive professional development presentations given by speakers from around the world
  • Opportunities to share and advance your own work
  • A variety of session types to fit your needs and interests
  • Access to the most advanced technologies to support online and blended learning
  • Unmatched networking and collaboration opportunities with other leaders in education
  • Leadership opportunities designed to support your professional growth and increase your career opportunities

Dr. Ameila Parnell vice president for research and policy at NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, will be the keynote speaker for the virtual conference. Dr. Josie Ahlquist – digital engagement and leadership researcher, speaker, and author, will be the keynote speaker for the onsite session. The conference will include multiple session types which includes Gamified, Education, Workshops, Discovery etc. Check out the full conference program here.

Early bird registration discount available until September 19, 2022. Check out this link to book your seats.

About Online Learning Consortium (OLC)

The Online Learning Consortium™ (OLC) is a collaborative community of higher education leaders and innovators, dedicated to advancing quality digital teaching and learning experiences designed to reach and engage the modern learner – anyone, anywhere, anytime.

OLC focus mainly on driving best practices for Quality Online Learning with the platform based on the Five Pillars of Quality Online Education – LEARNING EFFECTIVENESS, FACULTY SATISFACTION, STUDENT SATISFACTION, SCALE, AND ACCESS – Essentially building blocks providing the support for successful online learning.

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