Nordic EdTech News #121: 2024-10-14
Your Weeks 40 - 41 update from the Nordic and Baltic EdTech ecosystem
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The most significant ecosystem news of the last two weeks relates to a series of policy announcements (have they been coordinated?) relating to changes in upper secondary / vocational education. Most notably, long-awaited details have emerged about the reform of Danish youth education (Link). This includes the creation of a new business and profession-oriented stream in upper secondary education to be called epx, which will launch in 2030.
The reforms have, however, not been universally welcomed. Students demonstrated at the college where the reforms were launched (Link) and IT-Branchen are concerned that the move “will lead to fewer IT specialists” (Link).
In Norway, the 2025 national budget includes a commitment to continue “major investment in order for more people to complete secondary education” (Link). The news is less good from Finland where less money is available for the sector in next year’s budget proposal (Link).
I missed this when it was announced a couple of weeks ago, but wanted to include the announcement of a new partnership between Denmark’s Area9 Lyceum with the UK’s Hachette Learning (Link). The move will lead to the development of two new “groundbreaking digital platforms - Hachette Learning Adaptive and Hachette Learning Academy.” The platforms aim to deliver “innovative, personalised educational solutions that meet the diverse needs of students and educators worldwide.”
Great to see that Norway’s SignLab and Finland’s Pandatron have been selected to join the Google for Startups Growth Academy: AI for Education programme (Link). The 21 participating startups are “all using AI to create more inclusive, engaging and effective educational pathways.”
And finally, congratulations also to Hatla Johnsen, Co-founder at Denmark’s uQualio and Feiya Long, Co-founder at Finland’s Moi Panda. Both have joined the 6th cohort of the European Female EdTech fellowship (Link).
As always, if you’ve got a story that you’d like me to include in a future issue of this newsletter, please email hello@10digits.org, tag me on Twitter or LinkedIn or use #nordicedtech / #balticedtech.
Thanks for reading, Jonathan
News from Denmark
Vallensbæk Municipality is the first in Denmark to introduce official guidelines for the use of AI in primary schools. (Link)
Danish Employers' Association's report on the potential for generative AI in the public sector suggests 9,000 teaching jobs could potentially be saved through its use. Detailed response to some of the report’s assumptions here.
Do check out this peer-reviewed article on playful learning in foreign language education - it explores the concepts of hygge with Drama Studio. (Link)
Good case study of Eduflow’s pivots from Peergrade to Multiverse. (Link)
Interesting podcast with Anders Laustsen, Founder and CEO at Famly, talking about AI in early education. (Link)
Tiimo receives praise from Apple and is described as “intelligently conceived, sharply executed.” (Link)
UNIwise now supports LTI to bring “seamless LMS and VLE integrations to European higher education.” (Link)
News from Estonia
Great explainer for Estonia’s education system and the drivers of its success. (Link)
Good to see Märt Aro, Co-Founder of DreamApply, presenting how Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) can be “a game changer in advancing inclusive, equitable lifelong learning.” (Link)
News from Finland
Code School Finland has teamed up with Aanaab in Saudi Arabia to “provide teachers with skills to teach digital literacy and coding.” (Link)
Students using Eduten in Mongolia logged 178 million answers last month. That’s 8 times more answers per student compared to using exercise books! (Link)
The first HEI Schools are opening up in Kuwait, delivering their “proven Early Years education model.” (Link)
See the Good! has opened up a new market in the Netherlands (Link)
Congratulations to Valamis, who have been named a Top 20 LMS provider for the 5th year in a row. (Link)
News from Iceland
The Institute Of Neurodiversity is partnering with Atlas Primer to support members with the “tools to learn, teach, and share knowledge.” (Link)
Great to see that Swedish Edtest is now being tested in Icelandic schools under the leadership of Háskóli Íslands. (Link)
News from Latvia
Datorium organised Latvia’s first EdTech Conference within the framework of RIGA COMM 2024 and explored “the future of education and the transformative role of technology.” (Link)
A new Erasmus+ project will give Latvian teachers and lecturers AI knowledge and skills to improve “teaching content and processes.” (Link)
News from Lithuania
The Innovation Agency announces a new funding opportunity for EdTech startups with up to €62,000 in investment available. (Link)
Alfa erdvė and SEB join forces to teach students about financial literacy. (Link)
STEAM Academy is expanding in the US and will bring their engaging, hands-on robotics after school programmes to Dallas. (Link)
News from Norway
Curipod published a new study showing how a US teacher raised 6th grade reading and writing scores by 17% in state tests. (Link)
Kristoffer Engebø of Eduplaytion on the benefits of manager vs. founder mode. (Link)
GlobalConnect’s AI plans include a new collaboration with Oslo University, giving master's students the opportunity to participate in the company's AI projects. (Link)
Ludenso’s AR tools “sparked interest and boosted sales for Macmillan's Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia." (Link)
The London Change Partnership Programme will use AV1 robots as a part of a new agreement with No Isolation. (Link)
Pickatale Create will enable teachers to produce “a tailored book for your lessons and students in minutes.” (Link)
We Are Learning strikes a new deal with Learnify, which “will make it easier to create interactivity and animations” on the platform. (Link)
News from Sweden
Albert has restructured its Kids MBA subsidiary and written down intangible assets. (Link)
Bright has closed a deal with Wiley to add its titles to their expanding platform. (Link)
The new HP app will help students better prepare for their university entrance examinations. (Link)
AI is an “enabler in school” according to Kristina Alexanderson, project manager at the Internet Foundation. (Link)
Keep an eye on Learnster’s new “Stay hungry for knowledge” podcast. (Link)
Skolon wins a local business award (Link) and will work with Spain’s Wiris in a new partnership (Link).
Swedish Edtech Industry has launched a new guide on digital tools in preschool (Link) and has appointed Whippy’s Paulin Larsen Berglöf as vice chairman “to monitor and strengthen the organisation's B2B work.” (Link)
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