EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

Imagine Learning Acquires Robotify, Innovative New Platform Designed To Teach Coding Through Virtual Robotics Simulation

Imagine Learning | November 11, 2021

Imagine Learning, the leading provider of digital curriculum solutions in the U.S., today announced the acquisition of Robotify, a digital curriculum start-up with a mission to empower students to learn coding in an inspiring, engaging, and playful way. The Dublin, Ireland based company was founded by Adam Dalton and Evan Darcy, and offers a user-friendly curriculum aligned to CSTA and ISTE standards, with easy implementation and the resources schools need to help students develop computer science and coding skills.

The acquisition, the company's first since being rebranded as Imagine Learning, reinforces the focus on its mission: to ignite learning breakthroughs and support each student's unique learning journey.

"We are excited to welcome Robotify to the Imagine Learning family. Coding is the new literacy and Imagine Learning is a literacy leader. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) has become critical to prepare today's learners for jobs of the future—with coding in particular quickly becoming a prerequisite. We also know that too many schools across the U.S. lack the resources to properly staff or equip a robotics program. Robotify solves this with a digital-first approach to provide greater opportunity to students by using virtual robots to make coding accessible to all. Driving equity is at the heart of our commitment to students, educators, and families, and this acquisition is a meaningful step for us."

Jonathan Grayer, Chairman and CEO of Imagine Learning

"As the barriers between core and supplemental curriculum blur, impacted by data-driven digital education and assessment, we believe that Robotify will become an important element of a K-12 education offering students valuable gamified science and coding content. Through the power of digital education, we are making learning more equitable, more collaborative and personalized, always advancing with students at the center," said Grayer.

Robotify offers courses that include over 800 different coding activities and games, and even a multi-player platform that allows kids to showcase their coding skills in virtual robotics competition against teams worldwide. The platform offers 24/7 access to the most innovative robots, with no hardware purchase required, ever.

"When we founded Robotify, our mission was simple—to empower all kids to learn coding in an inspiring, engaging and playful way. We are proud of the phenomenal journey we have been on thanks to our incredible team, and this is only just the beginning," said co-founder, Adam Dalton.  "Joining Imagine Learning helps bring us closer to our goal of making programming more accessible to young minds around the globe, and we're elated to be part of the Imagine Learning family."

The acquisition of Robotify, coming on the heels of the acquisition of Twig Education earlier this year, highlights Imagine Learning's commitment to bring STEM forward in service of their mission, and prepare learners for the future.

About Imagine Learning
Imagine Learning is a PreK–12 digital learning solutions company that ignites learning breakthroughs by designing forward-thinking solutions at the intersection of people, curricula, and technology to drive student growth. Imagine Learning serves more than 10 million students and partners with more than 7,500 school districts nationwide. Imagine Learning's flagship brands include Imagine Edgenuity, provider of online courseware and intervention solutions; Imagine Learning, provider of digital supplemental and intervention solutions for literacy, language, and mathematics; and LearnZillion, StudySync, and Twig Education, providers of high-quality, digital-first core curriculum.

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This whitepaper explores how eLearning providers (Learning Management Systems, Training Management Systems, Learning Experience Platforms, and content providers etc.) can convert these challenges into opportunities by prioritizing the customer experience (CX) to increase customer satisfaction and profitability.

Spotlight

This whitepaper explores how eLearning providers (Learning Management Systems, Training Management Systems, Learning Experience Platforms, and content providers etc.) can convert these challenges into opportunities by prioritizing the customer experience (CX) to increase customer satisfaction and profitability.

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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

ViewSonic Unveils Hybrid Learning Innovations with Stunning 105" 5K Interactive Display at BETT 2023

ViewSonic | March 20, 2023

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solutions, is launching a range of comprehensive education technology (EdTech) solutions, with the new addition to ViewSonic's revolutionary 5K 105" ViewBoard interactive display. In terms of software, highlights include ViewSonic's rich digital learning tools from the myViewBoard software suite, and the UNIVERSE by ViewSonic—a 3D virtual campus for online learning. The solutions will be exhibited in in-class, online, and hybrid learning scenarios at the BETT Show 2023 (British Educational Training and Technology Show) in London from 29 to 31, March. "ViewSonic is dedicated to offering innovative visual solutions from hardware, software, service, to digital content. We will continue to implement our Ecosystem as a Service (EaaS) strategy and work with partners across the industry to create a digital education ecosystem that is truly transformative," said Clifford Chen, General Manager of the Presentation Group at ViewSonic. "At ViewSonic, we believe that technology can expand what's possible in classrooms. The digital transition is the key to the future of education, which is why we've designed a range of advanced solutions that can be seamlessly integrated into learning environments of all kinds." As a leading EdTech solutions provider, ViewSonic's ViewBoard interactive displays and myViewBoard software suites are being adopted by educational institutions around the world. Ranging in size from 24" to 105", the company's ViewBoard is one of the most popular interactive displays in the world[1]; in Q4 of 2022, ViewSonic was ranked first in the global interactive display market, while the beginning of 2023 saw the myViewBoard ecosystem swell to over 8 million users. ViewSonic's display at BETT 2023 will offer attendees the ability to experience a range of EdTech solutions across different scenarios: Taking In-class Learning with Digital Content into the Future A teacher will use ViewSonic's ViewBoard IFP8652 4K display and the company's whiteboarding software to showcase how diverse pre-made digital lesson content from ViewSonic Originals, an online resource exclusively designed for interactive displays, can be used to create engaging learning experiences in the classroom. While more and more educational institutions are digitizing, ViewSonic Originals makes planning and running lessons easier by offering thousands of pieces of content within a user-friendly database. The company's latest environmental sensor, Sensor Box, will show how educational institutions can harness technology to optimize conditions such as air quality, humidity, temperature, and automatically switch displays on and off, allowing schools to adhere to the UK Green Building Council guidelines. Additionally, demonstrations of myViewBoard Manager Advanced software will provide insights into how IT departments can remotely manage an entire school's displays—including multimedia broadcasting, permission management, and addressing technical issues, all of which avoid interrupting classes and allow students to focus on learning. A New "UNIVERSE" in Online Learning Recognized by two distinguished EdTech Awards recently, ViewSonic's innovative UNIVERSE virtual learning platform opens up new opportunities in online learning. Attendees at BETT 2023 will be able to experience how UNIVERSE allows participants to engage in interactive classrooms with new 3D educational content and create unique learning spaces. The platform addresses some of the key challenges faced during online learning by increasing student engagement, encouraging collaboration, and fostering a sense of belonging among students. Going Hybrid in with Advanced Audiovisuals To show how higher education can be advanced using hybrid setups to ensure the best learning outcome, ViewSonic will be displaying the 5K 105" ViewBoard IFP105S, which features a 21:9 ratio display and multi-touch capabilities. Attendees will be able to see how students in-class and in other locations can collaborate simultaneously with a breeze. Further, the series is flawlessly complemented by ViewSonic's new Live Mosaic View feature for their latest VB-CAM-201-2. Powered by AI technology, Live Mosaic View can provide close-ups of participants and readjust the view based on each attendee's activity, ensuring that attendees and speakers are automatically framed and focused, offering a more immersive experience for hybrid meetings. [1] Source: FutureSource. Rankings include all markets except for China. About ViewSonic Founded in California, ViewSonic is a leading global provider of visual solutions and conducts business in over 100 countries worldwide. As an innovator and visionary, ViewSonic is committed to providing comprehensive hardware and software solutions that include monitors, projectors, pen displays, commercial displays, All-in-One LED displays, ViewBoard interactive displays, and myViewBoard software ecosystem. With over 35 years of expertise in visual displays, ViewSonic has established a strong position for delivering innovative and reliable solutions for education, enterprise, consumer, and professional markets and helping customers "See the Difference."

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ONLINE EDUCATION

K12 Celebrates Teachers with New “Be Kind 365” Campaign

Stride | May 15, 2023

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CORPORATE LEARNING SYSTEMS

Teaching Strategies Wins National EdTech Award for Research-Based Early Childhood Education Curriculum

PRnewswire | April 05, 2023

Teaching Strategies, the country's leading developer of early childhood curriculum, assessment, professional learning, and family engagement solutions, has won EdTech Digest's "EdTech Cool Tool Award" for The Creative Curriculum®, its research-based, whole-child curriculum that serves children from infancy through kindergarten. The Creative Curriculum®, which earned the top honor in the "curriculum and instruction solution" award category, is designed to give early childhood educators, no matter their level of experience, the resources and support they need to implement a developmentally appropriate, content-rich program for children with diverse backgrounds and skill levels. The curriculum's digital platform includes, for example, planning tools to guide individualized instruction; a mobile app to engage families with learning in the classroom and at home; and on-demand professional development and community-building opportunities. Teaching Strategies was also named a finalist in seven award categories, spanning company leadership to assessment to credentialing. "Our youngest learners—and those closest to them— deserve comprehensive supports that meet their evolving needs. This is especially true as we continue to navigate the long-term effects of the pandemic on learning in the classroom and at home," said Teaching Strategies CEO John Olsen. "We're thrilled to be recognized by EdTech Digest for our leadership in the sector and for our ongoing commitment to offer children, educators, and families the most innovative, timely solutions." Established in 2010, The EdTech Awards recognize, acknowledge, and celebrate the most exceptional innovators, leaders, and trendsetters in education technology with three main honors: the EdTech Cool Tool Awards, the EdTech Leadership Awards, and the EdTech Trendsetter Awards. Teaching Strategies was named a finalist in various categories under all three main honors. The products recognized as finalists for "Cool Tool Awards" include the new Professional Development Teacher Membership; the widely-used and trusted GOLD® assessment; the trauma-informed coaching app Noni™; and Tadpoles®, a communication solution for child care programs. In addition, Olsen was named a finalist for a "Leadership Award" and the company's entire ecosystem of solutions was a finalist for a "Trendsetter Award." Access a full list of winners and finalists for the awards. This year's finalists and winners were narrowed from the larger field and judged based on various criteria, including: pedagogical workability, efficacy and results, support, clarity, value and potential. "A very big congratulations to all The EdTech Awards 2023 finalists and winners—and congratulations to all who endured the upheavals of the last few years only to come through stronger, more experienced, resilient, and resolute in laying out the future of learning," said Victor Rivero, who as Editor-in-Chief of EdTech Digest oversees the program. Rivero continued: "It's far from perfect but across K-12, higher education, and workforce learning sectors, an accelerated digital transformation has left in its wake hybrid schools, rapidly changing postsecondary models, and an increasingly remote-based workforce. The world has truly changed—and we will never be the same again." About Teaching Strategies Driven by research that shows a child's first eight years form a critical foundation for success in school and in life, Teaching Strategies has been an advocate for the early education community for over 40 years. Today, Teaching Strategies connects teachers, children and families to inspired teaching and learning experiences, informative data, stronger family partnerships, and professional learning through the leading early learning platform and resources. Its products, including the most widely-used curriculum and assessment solutions The Creative Curriculum® and GOLD®, are found in over 250,000 classrooms and reach over 4 million children each year. To learn why thousands of early childhood programs and many states choose to partner with Teaching Strategies to help ensure children's success in school and in life. About EdTech Digest and EdTech Awards EdTech Digest, a leading source of cool tools, interviews, and trends showcasing the future of learning, annually honors the best and brightest people, products and groups working in edtech with The EdTech Awards. Cool Tool, Leadership, and Trendsetter honorees span the K-12, Higher Ed, and Skills & Workforce sectors.

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