Prepr launched its first #EduChallenge Innovation event at Mozilla Toronto on November 28, 2014. This event brought together educators, developers, designers, and business professionals to solve real-world education challenges using technology.
The #EduChallenge used the Prepr PIE® method to facilitate successful innovation for event participants by helping them move from loosely defined challenges to testing and validating a prototype.
We hosted a panel discussion that explored the future of EdTech through the question: what’s next at the intersection of education, innovation and technology? Spanning industries, academia, non-profits and startups, the panel consisted of a diverse group: Marc Lijour, Director of Education at Cisco Canada, Ruth Childs, Associate Professor at OISE, Jason Shim, Associate Director of Digital Strategy and Alumni Relations at Pathways to Education, and Steve Tam, a leader in marketing at Indiegogo Canada.
Jason Shim led a thought-provoking discussion with inspiring questions like, “If you could wave your magic wand, what would be possible?” These topics prompted the panelists to discuss the importance of creating the right learning environment, the power of human emotion and the potential for personalized learning.
Marc Lijour stressed the influential presence of technology in the classroom. He argued that rather than viewing technology as an enemy to the education system, we should instead use it as an opportunity to introduce more “reasoning and sense-making” curriculum. This approach takes into account the instant accessibility of information—facts—on the internet. Because factual information is so readily available to students via technology, this creates more room for deeper analysis and understanding in the classroom.
Adding to the discussion of learning and innovation, Ruth Childs advised that we become more comfortable with failure in order to learn from our mistakes. Moreover, she said that students need an emotionally conducive environment to learn best. This means teaching methods that evoke students’ empathy, optimism, and other positive emotions.
Steve Tam encouraged real-world testing of learning solutions. Isolated environments do not always produce real-world results, and so, educators should not pre-determine the student response to a new learning approach.
Our first #EduChallenge was a huge success! We heard from experts in a variety of fields and delved deep into issues surrounding the intersection of modern education and technology. Our attendees felt inspired and enlightened, and so did we!
Prepr (@PreprMe) is a non-profit organization which is building a Global Lab Network to connect entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, and educators to co-LEARN, co-LAB, & co-SOLVE® real-world challenges and create business opportunities.
