Nordic EdTech News #27 : 2020-09-28
Your Week 38 and 39 update from the Nordic & Baltic EdTech ecosystems
Welcome to today’s newsletter and as always there’s lots to update you on!
Despite the restrictions and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s great to report that some of the key events in the Nordic EdTech calendar will still be happening this year.
Firstly, it’s confirmed that XcitED will take place online on 3rd and 4th November 2020! For the fourth consecutive year, the event will gather education professionals, EdTech entrepreneurs, impact investors and innovators from all around the world. XcitED will be virtual and free of charge. To register and to find out more, full details here.
XcitED will also play host to the online Nordic and Baltic regional semi-final of the GESAwards (Global EdTech Startup Awards). The event will be hosted on 3 November and judged by expert representatives from across the ecosystem. The winner of our semi-final will then get a spot at the global finals in London in January 2021. Entries close on 30th September, so if you run the most promising Nordic EdTech startup of 2020, apply here NOW!
The biggest story over the past two weeks has to be Kahoot’s acquisition of Danish startup Actimo, which provides a platform for businesses to train and communicate with their employees. The deal is worth up to $33 million and should be completed in October. (Link) As this report from TechCrunch outlines, although education users provide much of its audience, Kahoot’s revenues are driven by corporate accounts, so it’s unsurprising that the business is seeking to add new products and services to that segment.
The acquisition reminded me of an interview with Eilert Hanoa, Kahoot! CEO in June, where he made the company’s position pretty clear.
Overall, I think it makes sense to think about Kahoot! more as a business-to-business company that has an educational dimension or EdTech dimension versus the other way around.
But it’s not just the big boys who are growing and scaling in our ecosystem at the moment. As you’ll see below, the reach and impact of Nordic and Baltic EdTech continues to expand with every update!
Finally, welcome to new subscribers and thanks to everyone who shares, replies or comments on this newsletter - it’s very much appreciated!
Best, Jonathan
News from Denmark
Interesting provocation from Ditte Jensen, Clio’s Editorial Director, on analogue vs. digital learning. (Danish)
Fantastic coverage on the BBC for Labster showing how VR can support university teaching (Link) as they announce first Science Online CPD session. (Link)
Two further education data breaches at Lectio (Danish) and Ludus (Danish).
"Et klik kan ændre alt" campaign launched to educate families about safe internet usage. (Den, Eng)
Shape Robotics announce plan to appoint Merete Riisage, former Minister of Education to their Board of Directors. (Link)
In-person versus online teaching - which is best? New insight from Aalborg University. (Den, Eng)
Fascinating to see how schools on the Faroe Islands have handled the shift to online learning. (Link)
News from Estonia
99math launches in the US (Link) and rapidly gains traction. (Link)
Clanbeat launch new Pioneers scheme to support co-creation programme. (Link)
DreamApply announce new partnership with Flywire. (Link)
Edubest 2020 virtual conference has been launched. Find out more here.
Education Nation share Estonian best practice at the recent online Oslo Innovation Week. (Link)
News from Finland
Atea Finland, Google and HP host webinar on 30th September highlighting ‘The role of well-being and technology in schools’. Sign up here.
Code School Finland launch new online course - Finnish Lessons on Teaching Coding. Find out more here.
Eduten pen agreement with Oman Educational Services to expand into Oman. (Link)
Kide Science announce move into Latin America with Sankt Henrik School. (Link)
Kindiedays extend into their 17th country, delivering their pedagogical management solution to Väike Päike, Estonia’s leading private early childhood education chain. (Link)
After 2 years’ work, Lyfta 2.0 will be launched this month. (Link)
New Nordic School partners with Kinteract to deliver ‘future-ready education to students worldwide’. (Link)
Panda Training named 'Best Leadership Strategy Consulting Firm - Nordics.' Congratulations! (Link)
Reactored sign deal with the City of Helsinki to give primary and secondary schools access to the platform for the 2020-2021 school year. (Link)
News from Iceland
The University of Iceland plan and prepare for pandemic response. (Link)
Brilliant to see Utís Online in full flow as the Icelandic community comes together to share best practice and inspiration. See #UtísOnline for more.
News from Latvia
Edurio release latest report supporting school leaders with recommendations on how to mitigate against further Covid-19 disruption. (Link)
Further government investment planned to to provide laptops and associated equipment to schools. (Lat, Eng)
VBTAI develop interactive materials to reduce to abuse and bullying in schools. (Lat, Eng)
News from Lithuania
Great to see the hugely successful launch of EdTech Lithuania - see here for pictures from the event (wow!).
If you’re an EdTech working in Lithuania, then now’s the time to get involved. Sign up to join here.
News from Norway
Great article highlighting how Norwegian EdTech businesses responded to the opportunities of the pandemic. (Nor, Eng)
Kahoot! launch Study Leagues for students to connect and learn together. (Link)
Learnlink raises NOK 6.4M to fuel continued growth. (Nor, Eng)
E-learning company Mintra has raised NOK 500M prior to listing on the Merkur Market next month. (Nor)
No Isolation named as the winner of the Oslo Innovation Award 2020. Congrats! (Link)
Pickatale scale up for the global launch of their new school app. (Nor, Eng)
SpareBank 1’s AR economics app to be introduced into Japanese schools. (Nor)
Find out how the University of Oslo taught students from 80 countries in 17 different time zones this summer. (Nor, Eng)
Textbooks vs. online resources - the debate continues in Aftenposten. (Nor, Eng)
News from Sweden
Falköping, Lidingö and Skellefteå municipalities share their experiences of online, distance learning via Spaningen. (Swe, Eng)
EdAI Technologies and Kollin are among the 15 startups accepted to join the Sting accelerator. (Link)
Research from Linköping University highlights challenges associated with online, remote education in Sweden. (Swedish)
Matteappen outline their plan to raise maths standards across Gothenburg schools. (Swe, Eng)
Sana Labs launch an online event to share their vision for the future of learning. (Link)
Three new members join the Swedish Edtech Industry - Förento, Good Learning and Integrato. (Swe, Eng)
Thanks for reading and see you again on 12 October!
Many thanks, Jonathan
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