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Technology operates at lightspeed, so you need confirmed, discerning news to inform your big decisions. Progress in education, and educational policy, however, can often be slow. At EDUCATE we run multiple news and information channels designed to keep you abreast of EdTech's latest developments, aware that the pace of change for the two partners in the marriage won't always be the same.
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Published frequently, the EDUCATE Newsletter brings you the main talking points and news from the EdTech sector, both in the UK and internationally.
Our Medium Channel contains reflections and insights from the EDUCATE team into data analytics, industry investment, AI, educational challenges, and the future of teaching and learning.
Research News
Cognassist wins UK semi-final of GESAwards, hosted by EDUCATE Ventures
Cognassist, a digital cognitive assessment platform, is through to the global finals of the 2020 Global EdTech Start-ups Awards (GESAwards) after beating nine other high-flying EdTech companies in the UK semi-finals, organised and hosted by EDUCATE Ventures.
The online event saw each company give a three-minute presentation to judges after being short-listed to pitch for the prestigious prize. The runners-up were Enroly and Little Bridge.
The companies had to demonstrate, among other criteria, what challenge they were addressing, provide an innovative pedagogical approach and produce a sustainable business model.
They were judged by Anissa Moeini, Business Strategist and EdTech Doctoral Researcher, EDUCATE Ventures; Samantha Raven, Education Strategy and Venture Fundraising, PwC; Nick Kind, Strategy Consultant & Education Specialist, Tyton Partners and Paul Nicholls, EdTech Lead UK, Amazon Web Services.
Cognassist was founded by Chris Quickfall four years ago following a diagnosis of dyslexia in adulthood. The experience of going through cognitive tests gave him the idea of developing a tool that was quick and inexpensive, to enable people with learning challenges to access education more effectively.
He said after the semi-final: “Our cloud-based platform identifies neurodiversity in under 30 minutes, provides personalised learner journeys which increases learner success, and delivers applied neuroscience training to enable providers to drive real change.
“Over the past year a lot of hard work has gone into growing and developing the company, so this is a recognition of the achievements of our team and we were absolutely thrilled to have been announced as the winners.
“Winning the semi-final will help to solidify where we are as team, giving us the confidence to go out there and discuss and raise awareness of neurodiversity.”
EDUCATE Ventures sponsors prestigious AIED 2020
EDUCATE Ventures is to sponsor one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious AI in education events.
The organisation is joining Squirrel AI and Google in supporting the AI in Education (AIED) academic research conference, which will be held online from 7-10 July.
The theme of the 2020 conference will be "Augmented Intelligence to Empower Education", as AI's development in educational contexts continues to gather attention, due to its transformative power with academic outcomes and misunderstanding over its limitations.
Experts fear that AI runs the risk of evolving in a vacuum, engineered by researchers and private business developers, so more work is required to educate the public in what this technology can and can't do, and to highlight the ethical concerns around its development and use.
The AIED conference plans to showcase how AI augments human decision-making, rather than replacing it, and although this paradigm is not new, solid theoretical and empirical work in the hybridisation of AI and human intelligence is lacking - as is communication to the public.
This year’s conference is inviting EdTech developers, academics, teachers, researchers, the public and other stakeholders to participate and examine the latest research and to think about the current gaps and opportunities in the AI in education ecosystem, and to investigate how teachers, learners, researchers, and developers, can empower one another to create robust, ethical AI systems that help educate everyone.
Commons select committee publishes written evidence from EDUCATE Ventures for its inquiry into the impact of Covid-19 on education
The all-party Commons Education Select Committee has today published EDUCATE Ventures’ response to its inquiry into the impact of Covid-19 on education and children’s services.
The evidence, written by Professor Rose Luckin, director of EDUCATE Ventures and Dr Carmel Kent, its Head of Educational Data Science, focuses on the use of educational technology and its availability both to educators and learners during the period of the school shutdown as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
It offers recommendations relating to the creation of technology, social communications and human infrastructures that would create a more level playing field for learners to access education during times of future school shutdowns. Early reports on the prospects for effective home learning pointed to a disparity in opportunity between schools and different socio-economic groups, with some of the most disadvantaged children having little or no access to the technology required.
The submission from EDUCATE Ventures urges the UK government and Department for Education to engage with governments, educators and researchers worldwide to put in place a sustainable plan for future breaks in school-based learning resulting from health or other crises.
The submission can be found here, under reference number CIE0143.
The select committee is expected to report back on its findings later this year.
EDUCATE Ventures and Cambridge University Press enter partnership to deliver major study on home learning during pandemic
EDUCATE Ventures and the world-renowned publishing arm of Cambridge University Press have joined forces to gather information on home learning during school closures resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Education stakeholders around the world – teachers, school leaders, school governors, students, parents, and content developers – are encouraged to complete a short questionnaire and respond to a daily question. Participants will receive findings from the research, which it is hoped will help understand the successes and challenges of this period of rapid innovation.
Jane Mann, Director, Education Reform at the Press, said: “The coronavirus crisis represents the largest peacetime disruption to education in living memory. We can draw parallels with previous crises – SARS, MERS, Ebola – but never before has so many children's education relied on so many new, rapidly implemented, and previously untried interventions.
“We know that the impact of this period of disruption will be felt for years to come, and that there may be subsequent outbreaks or new epidemics that force mass school closures in the future. That is why Cambridge is proud to collaborate with EDUCATE Ventures on this important research, because the more we know about the impact of the crisis and what works, the better prepared teachers and systems can be for the future.”
Interested parties can answer the Daily Question, which is posted every morning on EDUCATE Ventures’ Twitter or sign up for the full survey here =>
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