Effective Learning with EdTech
27. November 2023 -
Primarily driven by the impact of COVID-19, as well as the general challenges in the education sector and the increasing digitalisation of society, EdTechs are gaining increasing importance. EdTech is an abbreviation of the words "Educational" and "Technology" and stands for digital learning programmes that are now offered for all age groups and many areas: from pre-school to school and university, to leisure, the labour market or finance.
EdTechs offer many opportunities to innovate or expand teaching and learning. Personalised learning as well as individualised learning speed should ensure a more sustainable and efficient acquisition of knowledge. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) can analyse the learning behaviour of users and thus, for example, increase the level of difficulty in subsequent questions.
Two other approaches are currently revolutionising the education sector: Gamification - the use of game elements or theories - can increase learners' motivation and thus aid understanding. The trend technologies Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) have also made their way into educational media. VR and AR applications can captivate students and reach them emotionally. Learning content gets more attention through doing it yourself in immersive worlds or game environments as opposed to learning through passive methods like listening.
In Berlin, too, there are many success stories of players active in the field of educational technology. In order to gain a foothold in the capital, some of them were able to benefit from Berlin Partner's services. Among other things, the economic development agency assists companies in setting up in Berlin with its service packages, supports networking at the location, and involves founders in events and initiatives, if possible and where it fits.
Bettermarks can almost be counted among the "dinosaurs" of EdTechs, having been founded in Berlin back in 2008. It is a learning system that offers maths exercises and tasks for all topics from grades 4 to 12. From the very beginning, the target group was the public school system, but ten years passed before Bettermarks was actually used in that area.
The Berlin startup was also founded back in 2008. The idea behind it: to optimise and make learning easier with efficient tutoring videos. The app offers 9,082 learning videos, 38,935 exercises and vocabulary trainers for English, French and Spanish, covering all subjects and grade levels. In addition to parents, teachers and students, Sofatutor is now also used by entire schools.
Learn to play the piano in a playful way - with the pianini music game app, children four to nine years old are taken into a world of music that they can increasingly explore in a playful way. They learn all aspects of music - from playing the piano to rhythm and music knowledge to listening. The focus is on playing that adapts to the wishes and preferences of young users and encourages them to discover and play independently. When playing the piano, the app listens and gives detailed feedback, and the child also learns other musical knowledge while playing - without needing any reading skills. The app follows a tried-and-tested and comprehensive curriculum.
On the one hand, the virtual reality training software offers ready-made employee training courses in the areas of health and safety. However, as a company, you can also have your own courses or models created tailor-made. By making learning processes playful and immersive, Pixaera is changing the way we learn. Large corporations that are already customers include BP, Shell and General Electric.
SchoolRallye is a city rally that merges the digital and real worlds to bring Berlin's turbulent history to life. Students puzzle together and develop knowledge themselves, making learning a secondary concern. The startup's first production takes you through the heart of Berlin-Mitte and deals with the history of separation within Germany along the Berlin Wall.
This is the first world-building game for STEM formulas. The multiplayer game from the Kreuzberg-based EdTech is based on the concept that every formula the player encounters is a visual tool that assists in gradually building a farm and a town. The startup describes itself as the Minecraft for mathematical formulas.
Financial coaching for women: Finmarie describes itself as Europe's first financial platform by women for women - with the mission of making women financially strong and independent. In addition to concrete portfolio suggestions for investing and wealth accumulation, the Berlin-based startup, founded in 2018, also offers users tutorials and learning videos on financial education.
This learning app is designed to help children with dyslexia and reading difficulties overcome their difficulties in reading. The basics of reading and writing are to be reinforced and reading and writing skills improved through interactive, speech recognition-based training in just 15 minutes a day.
The Hyrise Academy offers online training for career changers who are trained to become sales experts specifically for the tech industry. As a result of increasing digital and technical products and services, the demands on sales are also changing. Through intensive courses, the Hyrise Academy trains how to be successful in the sale of software products and thus responds to the increasing shortage of skilled workers in the industry.
Further information on the topic can also be found on the website of the ICT, Media and Creative Industries Cluster.