Nordic EdTech News #36 : 2021-02-08
Your Week 4 and 5 update from the Nordic & Baltic EdTech ecosystems
Hello and welcome to this latest issue of Nordic EdTech News. Thanks to everyone who has subscribed in recent weeks.
As evidenced by the long list of news and stories below, it’s been another busy two weeks for Nordic EdTech and this time Danish EdTech businesses are leading the way.
CanopyLAB began the charge by securing a $3 million investment round led by Sparkmind.vc (Link). The investment will “support CanopyLAB’s international expansion in K-12 and corporate learning focusing on LATAM and Africa.”
This was soon followed by Airtame, who announced a $6 million raise to scale their screensharing solution for schools and businesses. (Link, Link) And Danish EdTech startup, Edaptio, ended the fortnight announcing a pre-seed investment round of DKK 3.3 million from angel investors and the Danish Growth Fund (Link in Danish).
If you’re interested in even more Danish EdTech content - then this article from Bootstrapping is recommended. It has three great interviews with the founders of Actimo, CanopyLAB and Learningbank. (Link in Danish)
It’s also been a busy week on the regional ecosystem front. The Teach Millions initiative has been relaunched as a learning bazaar or solutions marketplace. The team have also published their first white paper, studying the programme’s potential impact in Sub-Saharan Africa (Link). Some of the thinking behind the initiative is summarised in this blog post from N8 Chair, Märt Aro, who argues the case for the ecosystem’s role in fostering innovation and supporting inclusion.
Innovation is certainly on the agenda at the forthcoming Learning with Google virtual event on 18th February (Link). I’ll also be publishing an interview with Gráinne Rietveld, Interim Head of Google for Education, EMEA to tie in with the event next Monday 15th February. This will be the first of a regular fortnightly interview series with leading players in Nordic EdTech - we’ve got some great profiles already lined up!
As always, do let me know if you’ve got any feedback or a story to include in a future issue of this newsletter by emailing hello@10digits.org. Sharing this email with your network is also much appreciated!
Best regards, Jonathan
News from Denmark
Researchers from Aarhus University publish research on the impact of distance learning on students’ learning and wellbeing. (Danish)
Only 7% of school leaders are happy with Aula and they’re demanding change. (Danish)
EduHub announce the five companies who’ll be in the forthcoming Incubator programme - A-Klassen, Barma, Movellas, TurnIvy and WecoPlay (Link)
New free teaching resources portal, Forstå.dk, launched by publisher, Plus. (Danish)
Labster named as a Soonicorn in this list of Danish companies to watch. (Link)
New report published by the LEGO Foundation - “Learning Through Play: Increasing Impact, Reducing Inequality.” (Link)
LEGO and Universal Music launch Vidiyo, which has been widely described as TikTok for children. (Link)
Four initiatives proposed to address digital illiteracy in Denmark. (Link)
News from Estonia
Don’t miss ‘Estonia - The Baltic Tiger’ - this film gives a great overview of the steps taken to transform the country’s digital and education infrastructure.
99math are celebrating another significant milestone as students have now solved 100 million maths tasks on the site. (Link)
Margus Pedaste, Professor of Educational Technology at the University of Tartu appeared in a recent episode of The Edtech Podcast. (Link)
Also from the University of Tartu, Mai Beilmann, a Research Fellow in Sociology, led a international study exploring the importance of home-school communication. (Link)
Further international recognition of Estonia’s digital-first approach to education from Spain (Link) and Germany. (Link)
News from Finland
Visitors from 83 different countries joined the online Educa event (Link). The recordings are available here until the end of April.
Elias Robot are piloting their app with schools in Italy, Portugal and Spain as part of the IMPACT EdTech programme (Link)
Graphogame are nominated in the Inclusion category at the mEducation Alliance Awards. (Link)
Kide Science are identified as one of ten EdTech companies to watch by Edarabia. (Link)
Mightifier launch new Bitesize SEL resources for schools. (Link)
MiTale detail their recent project working with Viking Line. (Link)
Congratulations to Juha Merinen, who is the first Finn elected to the position of Vice President at the Worlddidac Association. (Link)
A recording of the EdTech webinar hosted by the Finnish Embassies of the UK and Ireland is available here.
News from Iceland
Kara Connect announce a new contract with the Icelandic Ministry of Education, Science and Culture to improve access to mental health services for upper secondary students. (Link)
News from Latvia
The Latvian government announces plans to deliver improved internet to every school. (Lat)
ICYMI - Edurio’s recent research on technology in UK schools is invaluable and gives a clear picture of the tools teachers and schools actually use. (Link)
The digital platform, O!Izglitiba, was established for teachers during the recent CrisisLab programme and has been praised by the EU. (Latvian)
Tava klase (Your class) is back and returning to a screen near you! (Latvian)
Interesting perspective from Uzdevumi on how Latvian schools and EdTechs have responded to new curricula and the pandemic. (Link)
News from Lithuania
BitDegree review their research collaboration with Vilnius University. (Link)
Teachers Lead Tech are now in over 300 schools across Lithuania. (Link)
News from Norway
Update on fundraising for Eduplaytion. (Nor)
Kahoot named by Tech.eu as one of the European tech companies likely to go public in 2021. (Link)
Recording of the excellent, recent OECD webinar on Norway’s approach to school improvement is available here.
Further debate about the balance between digital and print teaching resources. (Nor and Nor)
Norwegian government launches Start Off - a new funding stream to deliver public sector innovation. As Eilif Trondsen suggests, EdTech companies stand to benefit. (Nor, Eng)
News from Sweden
Astrid Education announce partnership with Oxford Languages to help young learners “speak English fluently and with confidence.” (Link)
GDPR and data concerns are raised about the new digital classroom. (Link)
imagiLabs included in Tech Advisor’s list of best coding and STEM toys. (Link)
Sana Labs wins Best Innovation Award at the Swedish Learning Awards. (Link)
The row over Stockholm’s school platform rumbles on (Swedish) as parents build their own solution (Link) only for the council to say it may be illegal (Link).
Further collaboration launched between Strawbees and SAM Labs.(Link)
Parents can now choose their primary school via a new e-service. (Swedish)
The Swedish Edtech Industry responds to recent criticism of EdTech solutions. (Swe)
ICYMI - New book co-authored and edited by Teresa Cerratto Pargman of Stockholm University evaluates digitalisation in schools and offers five concrete tips. (Link)
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