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Moodle 4.4 QA Updates – 90% tests marked as passed

By
Jaswinder Singh
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Moodle 4.4 QA Updates - 90% tests marked as passed
Moodle 4.4 QA Updates - 90% tests marked as passed

Moodle 4.4 – the next major version of the Moodle LMS is scheduled to be released next week. As of now the QA testing for Moodle 4.4 is marked as 90% complete with another 10% tests to be carried out before the initial release.

The Moodle 4.4 version will be packed with a lot of exciting new features such as Course Page improvements, Refined look, Ordering Question type, report enhancements, Forum enhancements, section grading etc.

Moodle 4.4 version will be released in next week along with other minor version updates for all the currently supported branches of Moodle LMS. If you are looking to upgrade your Moodle site to latest Moodle version then I would like to suggest you to wait until the next Major Moodle version i.e. Moodle 4.5 which will be an LTS release.

The Moodle 4.4 QA testing is currently marked as 90% tests as completed with another 42 tests still needs to be carried out. The QA testing is a vital step before the release of any major Moodle version. Actual Moodle community members test out various features with different combinations to ensure that all features are working perfectly fine.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

Abre Raises $24M in Series A Investment to Fuel Growth

By
Jaswinder Singh
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Abre, the most prominent modern data solution for K–12 that supports the values that have made it a reliable partner for educational institutions across the country, recently announced a significant milestone with the closing of a Series A investment round led by PeakSpan Capital, with follow-on participation from JumpStart Ventures, JobsOhio Growth Capital Fund, and Golden Angels Investors. This latest funding will support the company’s mission to open learning communities by connecting what matters.

Abre serves as a one-stop shop that integrates data from hundreds of EdTech platforms across a school district. These data points are integrated to paint a 360-degree view of a student across key areas of social-emotional well-being, enrollment, attendance, intervention, academic performance, and more without requiring a huge amount of effort from administrators or building staff. The company’s commitment to streamlining processes, enhancing collaboration, and improving student outcomes has garnered widespread recognition and adoption among school districts nationwide.

Speaking on the fundraising, CEO of Abre, James Stoffer, said:

We are thrilled to have the confidence of such a distinguished group of investors at PeakSpan Capital and the ongoing support from many of our early investors. This investment validates our vision and strategy and provides us with the resources needed to accelerate our growth and deliver impactful solutions to our school and district clients as well as their administrators and staff, community partners, families, and students.

With this financing, the company will continue to innovate Abre’s data solution, a unique blend of personalized services tailored to each district partner’s specific needs and cutting-edge technology designed to enhance data intelligence for all stakeholders supporting students both inside and outside the classroom. It will also utilize the funds to broaden its market reach, fortify its team across crucial departments, and seize emerging opportunities in the EdTech sector.

Sanket Merchant, Partner at PeakSpan Capital and Head of the firm’s EdTech practice, led the investment and will join the Abre Board of Directors. He stated:

Abre sits squarely in a thesis we’ve been developing for years and highlights the importance (and opportunity) behind data intelligence. Districts nationwide need help operationalizing student data and effectively providing students with academic, emotional, and community support. The data is alarming, and we must do much more to transform student outcomes fundamentally. We could not be more thrilled to partner with the Abre team to capitalize on the forward opportunity – democratizing data intelligence, transforming student outcomes, and creating what we believe will be the central hub for the modern U.S. K-12 district.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

Ednition Raises $1.35M in Funding Round to harness AI in Edtech

By
Jaswinder Singh
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Ednition, an “infrastructure-as-a-service” platform designed for K-12 EdTech providers, has announced a $1.35 million investment round. Co-founded by Mick Hewitt and Doug Weber, Ednition aims to help EdTech developers build and scale EdTech applications.

Its platform, RosterStream, is designed to solve “vendor infrastructure needs rather than focusing on school and district tools. This approach eliminates costly vendor-side work, like SSO and LTI setup, bypasses the tolls of dated data exchange services, and allows applications to integrate with any SIS or third-party data provider.

Speaking about the company, Co-founders of Ednition, Doug Weber and Mick Hewitt, said:

Our unwavering commitment to delivering holistic data is clearly demonstrated in our recent releases, including our ”Extended Data Domains” feature, which goes beyond core rostering and includes data domains such as: attendance, discipline, assessment, school calendar, intervention, and more.

This means RosterStream users can connect with and support the smallest schools to the largest districts,” according to co-founders, Weber and Hewitt. Most importantly, RosterStream saves EdTech teams thousands of hours of integration, support, and engineering time, significantly relieving the usual workload.

Regarding the future of EdTech, Weber and Hewitt noted, “Companies are grappling with how to integrate AI-powered solutions into their products meaningfully. Seamless data flow in the EdTech ecosystem is a precondition for AI to move from experimental and theoretical to genuinely transformational in the space! Unlocking data flows empowers EdTech to harness AI’s power and actualize whole-child, learner-centered education.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

What is QuizWiz and how students are using it to ace online exams?

By
Jaswinder Singh
-
What is QuizWiz and how students are using it to ace online exams?
What is QuizWiz and how students are using it to ace online exams?

QuizWiz is the byproduct of AI tools but it allows the students to search for the answers using AI. The students can just search for the question text and get the correct answers while sitting in the online examinations.

As per the authors of the Quizwiz “the tool accelerates student learning by providing fast and accurate answers to homework and exam questions. With advanced AI capabilities and rapid fire mode, Quizwiz is the perfect tool for last-minute studying.”

What is QuizWiz and how students are using it to ace online exams?
What is QuizWiz and how students are using it to ace online exams?

However from a teachers perspective this seems to be like a tool perfectly designed for cheating in online exams. The students can make use of Quizwiz to get the correct answer without actually learning the actual content. It is available as an extension for the Chrome browser with a paid membership plan. It allows the students to search 100+ questions at once.

The problem with this extension is that it allows the students to pretend the information possessed which they have answered through AI without the actual learning taking place. This is a recipe for disaster for the future of the students as it snatches the opportunity for them to think on their own and get the correct answer.

Last week, I posted about the AI Jammer plugin for Moodle which makes it easier to block the Quizwiz to operate on the Moodle quizzes by adding random piece of text strings. However, we are developing tools to counter the use of AI for different views without actually harnessing the power of AI.

There are many other ways through we can use AI in education such as:

  • Instead of having annual curriculum based schooling, we can have personalized learning plan for each students and they can complete the learning at their own pace.
  • We can teach them about a topic in the classroom and ask them to work on a physical project to get more details about that topic instead of submitting the project online.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

Moodle 4.4 QA Updates – two-third tests marked as completed

By
Jaswinder Singh
-
Moodle 4.4 QA Updates - two-third tests marked as completed
Moodle 4.4 QA Updates - two-third tests marked as completed

Moodle 4.4 – the next major Moodle LMS version is scheduled to be released soon. Currently it is under QA testing to check the new features added in the LMS by the actual users.

The Moodle 4.4 QA tests are marked as 65% with another 33% tests are marked as open and few are marked as failed or on hold. If you are a Moodle enthusiast then you can participate in the Moodle 4.4 QA testing and contribute for a better LMS.

Moodle 4.4 QA Updates - two-third tests marked as completed
Moodle 4.4 QA Updates – two-third tests marked as completed

The Moodle 4.4 version is scheduled to be released on 22 April 2024. It will be supported till 21 April 2025 while the next major Moodle version will be the LTS version.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

Lirvana Labs Raises $5.3M in Early-Stage Funding Round

By
Jaswinder Singh
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Lirvana Labs Raises .3M in Early-Stage Funding Round

Lirvana Labs, the creator of the Yeti Confetti Kids app, an AI-powered personalized learning companion for preschool to elementary-grade children, recently announced it had raised $5.3M in early-stage financing.

The startup plans to use this funding to expand its flagship product, the Yeti Confetti Kids app, focusing on how large language models (LLMs) and generative AI capabilities can be harnessed to deliver personalized learning opportunities for globally diverse environments. It also aims to pursue efficacy studies with leading research institutions plus further its partnerships with pilot schools and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Speaking about the platform, Christie Pang, Co-founder and co-CEO of Lirvana Labs, said:

As a mother of three, I’m driven by the promise and challenge of applying generative AI purposefully. We aim to democratize education worldwide, ensuring every child, from makeshift classrooms to elite schools, benefits from innovative technology built by the best engineering minds. We’re proud that our mission is supported by parents, global investors, and school operators.

Founded in 2022, Lirvana Labs’ Yeti Confetti Kids harnesses AI and cognitive research as a versatile educational companion while empowering parents and teachers with actionable insights into each child’s mental, social and emotional development. The platform creates engaging, healthy, and multi-modal learning experiences spanning over 200 English Literacy, Mathematical Reasoning, and Social-Emotional Skills aligned with Common Core, UN CASEL, and Bloom’s Taxonomy frameworks.

Brian Dixon, Managing Partner of Kapor Capital, added:

Our partnership with Lirvana Labs is an investment and a step towards building a more equitable and impactful future for all students. I’m confident that Christie and Clement’s lived experience will improve student literacy, math, and especially social-emotional learning outcomes. As a parent, I know the importance of navigating screen time and can wholeheartedly suggest Yeti Confetti.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

Having Problems managing Web Services in Moodle? Check out this awesome plugin today

By
Jaswinder Singh
-
Having Problems managing Web Services in Moodle? Check out this awesome plugin today
Having Problems managing Web Services in Moodle? Check out this awesome plugin today

Web services in Moodle LMS allows other systems to login to Moodle and perform operations. However the managing web services in Moodle is still tough task for the Moodle Administrators.

One of our community members shared an upcoming Moodle Plugin with us for review which is perfectly able to bring all pages & information about Web services under a single dashboard. The plugin developed by Lilia Smirnova is named as Web Services Manager.

The Web Services Manager Moodle plugin simply the web services management. It allows you to:

  • Quickly check status/errors and enable or disable WS globally
  • Add a new instance
  • Switch REST and SOAP protocols
  • Manage Mobile App settings
  • Test Web Services through creating a tiny one just to look how does WS works
  • Create a new instance
  • Manage all of Web Services settings and instances in one window.
Having Problems managing Web Services in Moodle? Check out this awesome plugin today
Having Problems managing Web Services in Moodle? Check out this awesome plugin today

As of now the plugin is waiting in the Approval queue to appear in the official Moodle plugins repository. We will update you once it is approved and available in Moodle Plugins directory. Till then you can download the plugin from the GitHub repository here.

Have you faced any problems managing the web services in Moodle? You can check out this awesome plugin to ease your life.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

a2zebra Announces $542k Funding to Use AI for Math Learning Success With TukToro

By
Jaswinder Singh
-

The German educational technology company a2zebra has successfully secured a substantial funding round, raising $542,000 (€500,000). This significant financial backing is a testament to these investors’ confidence in a2zebra’s vision and the potential of its AI platform, TukToro, for math learning.

The startup plans to use this funding round to develop the AI platform, officially launch TukToro to the market, and further company growth. The next fundraising round, which will be in the single-digit millions, is already planned to increase manufacturing and sales even further.

Speaking about the platform, Co-founder & CEO of TukToro, Elisha Benner, said:

The combination of haptic experiences with the TukToro figure and digital interactions on the end device appeals to children’s various senses and increases learning progress and motivation. It is just as important to us to give children individual and direct feedback. This is a significant difference to the teaching methods commonly used in schools.

Children as young as four can learn math engagingly and amusingly with TukToro. The platform additionally offers basic media skills. Connecting the play figure to a tablet or smartphone is simple. Children can select from various math games on the companion app (iOS, Android), specifically designed for preschoolers and elementary school students. The child shakes the die-containing figurine. Sensors identify the dice’s outcomes, and the game on the end device incorporates them. AI-managed learning narratives are also employed. The app is equipped with LEDs to provide children with direct feedback. The AI suggests difficulty levels and games depending on learning behaviour and speed.

Sebastian Heide-Meyer zu Erpen, CTO at Tonies and advisor and investor at TukToro, added:

At Tonies, we have started to explore the potential of AI storytelling to engage children’s imaginations. Our goal is to give children responsible and child-friendly access to technology. We share this mission with a2zebra, and I look forward to supporting the team with my knowledge.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

Moodle Teachers – Blocks students from using AI tools with Moodle QUiz

By
Jaswinder Singh
-
Moodle Teachers - Blocks students from using AI tools with Moodle QUiz
Moodle Teachers - Blocks students from using AI tools with Moodle QUiz

With the popularity of Artificial intelligence in all areas of life, the students are also affected with the positive and negative use of AI. While the AI can be useful in many aspects of life by easing your life but there are other discouraging use cases also lies there.

Many students often tend to find shortcuts to their problems to get good grades without actually learning about the topic. In recent months they have inclined towards AI to find out the solutions to their quiz questions. With a lot of tools e.g Quizwiz, available online to suggest a correct answer it is getting difficult for teachers to judge actual learning of the students.

There is a new Moodle plugin – AI Jammer which allows to make copy-pasting of online exams subjects into third-party tools (e.g. AI-based tools) more difficult. It is a text-filter type Moodle plugin, and it will inject random letters within texts. These letters will be made invisible on pages with CSS, but will be present to jam copy-pasting or automatic page reading.

You can download the AI Jammer Moodle plugin from the official Moodle plugins repository here. However you need to enable this filter per activity and make sure to apply this filter as the last filter, as it will break words in HTML.

What are the useful tools you are using to discourage the unethical use of Artificial intelligence in online learning. Please share with us in the comments section below.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

Moodle LMS – Easily Gamify your Moodle course using the MooDuell Plugin

By
Jaswinder Singh
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Moodle LMS - Easily Gamify your Moodle course using the MooDuell Plugin
Moodle LMS - Easily Gamify your Moodle course using the MooDuell Plugin

Moodle LMS is used by more than 410 million users around the world. A collection of more than 2,200 free-to-use Moodle plugins allows the easy customization and flexibility to extend. In this post we will see how you can use the MooDuell Moodle plugin to gamify your Moodle course.

The MooDuell allows you to add questions from your Moodle course question bank and the users will be able to play the quiz questions in a multiplayer game. It allows learning and repeating learning content in a playful way. It also offers social interaction and comparison through a multiplayer context, which increases the motivation of the players.

The increased motivation to engage with the learning material as well as the learning success have already been tested in studies and it could be proven that these were significantly increased. The general gamification in the learning context shows the further development of modern society also in the areas of school and learning – it integrates a social context that was not previously present in self-study and a collaborative context is created.

It supports multiple question types such as:

  • Multiple choice with single right answer
  • Multiple choice with multiple right answers
  • True/False

PS – The plugin allows to play only one quiz per Moodle site to be played for free. For additional quizzes you need to get a license key directly from the plugin owner. We are neither affiliated nor getting any other benefits from the plugin.

You can download the Mooduell Moodle plugin from the official plugins repository here.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

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