by Melissa Burns
Our lives have been drastically changed by the Digital Revolution. Everything we do is different – the way we communicate with each other, the way we learn new things, the way we work, and the way we live. In this article, we are going to be focused on a particular segment of life that has been significantly changed with technology implementation – education. During the past decade, education technology has experienced huge advancement, and the investments in this industry have been tripled.
We have seen many innovative startups this year, but five of them are separated as the most revolutionary concepts. This is the list of the top 5 education startups that have blown up this year:
Writinghouse
Academic writing is not a task that comes easy for students. Besides the writing part, there are also referencing requirements that are difficult to implement. Writinghouse enables its users to maintain their focus entirely on writing, while leaving the referencing part to be instantly added according to the style they choose (it supports Chicago, APA, and MLA styles).
Learnist
Learnist is a Pinterest-like website that was developed by Grockit, a company focused on social learning and test preparation. Both educators and students can use this online tool to make their work easier. Teachers can use the pinboard to find and share educational content that can be accessed by students at any time. The project appears to be promising in terms of popularity, but we have to wait to see whether it will become as popular among educators as Pinterest is among students.
InstaGrok
InstaGrok is a search engine focused on educational contents. The users are enabled to research a topic with an interactive map, customize the results with videos, links and facts, and share the things they have learned. This online tool represents each topic through a visually stimulating interface, which allows students to grasp the important facts and concepts easily. The website also features quizzes and fun challenges that motivate students to learn new things. The search engine saves the history of the user, which allows them to come back to their research activity and use the information they need. The tool is also useful for teachers, who can monitor the progress of their students and view their researching activity.
SmarterCookie
SmarterCookie was launched with the purpose to make video coaching easy for educators. Teachers can use it to collaborate with their colleagues and get inspiration by other users’ videos. Schools and districts can also find this website useful, since it enables them to effectively manage the professional development of teachers.
Pearson, Microsoft, and Barnes & Noble Joint Project
As soon as the Pearson, Microsoft, and Barnes & Noble joint project was announced, it was clear that another great change in educational technology is in sight. Barnes & Noble’s NOOK will receive an investment of 89.5 million dollars by Pearson. We are yet to see what this project will mean for online education, but the predictions are promising.
Conclusion
Education startups have appeared in every sphere this year, and it wasn’t easy to choose the most successful ones. Additional launches are expected in near future, and the only thing that can’t be doubted is that the world of digital education continues to change the entire process of teaching and learning. Educators and students are enthusiastic about grasping new educational tools and enhancing the quality and effectiveness of their work.
Melissa Burns is a student of journalism. She is passionate about digital technologies and tries to implement them in the sphere of education. She observes all the news connected with online tools and is always ready to tell about them.
Photo Credits
hyena reality | MR LIGHTMAN | freedigitalphotos.net | Courtesy of Author
