EdTech

“I realised the burden of what teachers go through here when I was living in this rural village,” says Toni Maraviglia, co-founder of Eneza Education, a mobile phone based education tool in Kenya.

As always, our NPR Ed inboxes are clogged with press releases about the latest amazeballs app or product. Like the following, edited to protect the guilty:…an unprecedented new DOODLEHICKY app optimized for iPhone® and Android™ smartphones that includes real-time monitoring of a child’s learning progress. DOODLEHICKY is the tutoring program that fuses the most effective elements of personalized teaching with a fun and engaging iPad® and Android tablet-based experience for measurably improving student DOODLE performance.

When we think of education technology, we often imagine large-scale impact and reach. But it’s not that straightforward.Stacked amidst temporary shelters, tents and thatched huts in Burundi’s Kavumu refugee camp are a pile of bright blue, green and yellow boxes. Stowed away in these 800 kg metal palette-size boxes are countless ideas to educate, entertain and foster creativity among refugees. The self-contained watertight boxes are packed with e-readers, tablets, cameras, e-books, paperbacks, board games and e-learning tools to offer educational and training opportunities to refugee children and adults and prepare them to reintegrate the world. In less than 20 minutes, the boxes are unfolded into interactive media centres with tables and chairs.

The touch-and-swipe interface of the digital marketplace makes it feel so easy. Looking for an app to teach your 5-year-old how to read? Flick your finger over to the education aisles of the App Store (or Google Play, or the Amazon Appstore), and press “buy.”

M itch Weisburgh, founder of Games 4 Ed, discusses the market for games in education and the obstacles to reach current curriculum models. Weisburgh also talks about “game jams” and other ways to engage teachers in the process of game development and deployment within classrooms.

Photo credit: BuzzfarmersBy Chris BerdikFacing some of America’s biggest education challenges, Benjamin Castleman thinks small. In his new book, The 160-Character Solution: How Text Messaging and Other Behavioral Strategies can Improve Education, the University of Virginia education professor argues that the humble text message can boost student achievement, improve study habits and help students stay on track in the transition from high school to college.Read the rest of the story at The Hechinger Report.

Ed Tech guru Richard Byrne offers general advice and three common scenarios on what to buy when classroom and teachers budgets are tight.

edCircuit recently caught up with Chad Ratliff, Director of Instructional Programs for Albermarle County Public Schools, to learn more about the district’s Startup Weekend.  Here’s our Q&A.Dr. Berger: Why organize a Startup Weekend for your teachers and what was the initial response to the idea from both teachers and administrators?

Photo credit: urban_databy Christopher PappasExploring a learning topic from a whole new perspective is a rare opportunity. Fortunately, TED talks offer the chance to dive into the minds of other educators, subject matter experts, and eLearning professionals. In this article, I’ll introduce 10 talks that are definitely worth a watch.Read the rest of the story at eLearning Industry.