Traditionally, education has always been on the back foot regarding the digital and technological movement. However, a stream of innovative new eLearning platforms that have been developed over the last year indicate that this is all about to change.
What’s even more exciting is that many of these platforms and technologies have been developed by Australian companies. At the start of this year the online publication ‘StartupSmart’ made a list of the of the 6 most innovative new technologies brining education into the 21st century, all of which were developed by Australian start ups.
One of these is Kanopy, an online streaming service which allows access to a database of over 26,000 curated documentaries and films to educational institutions.
Another is Velpic, an online eLearning platform designed specifically for the induction and training process within the workforce. It allows administrators to create PowerPoint-style presentations with graphics quizzes, media and voiceovers and provides trainers with the options to schedule in lessons and provide weekly or monthly reports.
SmartStartup also mentioned Ediply, an online service which is able to match students to tertiary institutions based on study interests and budget. Designed specifically for those looking to further their education abroad, Ediply can map out study opportunities throughout Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia for a prospective student.
Another educational platform making headlines recently (and created by a Brisbane company no less) is GO1. GO1 helps organisations train their employees through a number of highly customised online training and eLearning programs, that uses the organisation’s own material or from a library of popular courses provided by GO1. Companies can upload any PowerPoint or web document to the platform which then automatically converts it to a format for employees to download.
The platform has gained much ground since its creation two years ago and has recently landed an investment from one of the world’s most prestigious learning institutions, Oxford University. Furthermore, GO1 has also recently closed a $US1 million ($1.36m) investment round backed by Steve Baxter and Tank Stream Ventures in July last year and is currently finalising a further round.
While the system is primarily geared to schools and universities, GO1’s chief executive officer Andrew Barnes points out that the system has a universal need. “Learning and Training is a universal concept that applies to government, not-for-profit and large enterprise and the way we learn and train others is going to drastically change over the next 5 years,” he said.
Indeed, the financial backing and hype surrounding GO1, as well as the myriad of new education technologies being developed, indicates that the education and training sector is recognising the need to change the way we teach and train and the resources we use.
“These investments, particularly from Oxford, indicate that the industry is looking towards the future of education and acknowledging that the traditional forms of learning in a classroom are no longer relevant. People don’t have to be placed in a classroom setting to learn and are demanding higher levels of flexibility and accessibility with their training,” Andrew Barnes has said in a recent interview in the Australian.
It is definitely something on the minds of many educational and training institutions as they try and remain relevant to their growing ‘digital age’ learner base. Thankfully eLearning platforms and tools like GO1 are helping to make this a possibility and are paving the way to open source learning.
To find out more about the education technologies listed above, click here: http://www.startupsmart.com.au/advice/growth/innovation/six-innovative-australian-startups-bringing-education-into-the-21st-century/