Schools worldwide are prioritizing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) to prepare students for the workplace of tomorrow. And what better way to teach technological subjects, as well as many other subjects in the 21st century, than technology itself?
A new ecosystem is growing up around more than 100 Israeli startups developing sophisticated ed-tech tools – using technologies such as augmented reality, gaming and virtual reality – to enhance and transform the learning environment for all ages, learning styles and settings.
“We want to develop Israel as an R&D center and beta site for startups in ed-tech, just as Israel already is in other tech areas,” says Doron Ish Shalom, community manager of Ed.il at the Israel Innovation Institute, an NGO involved in the prime minister’s Digital Israel Project for health, transportation and education.
Ed.il works with the Israeli education and economy ministries to advance domestic ed-tech projects such as youth coding competitions, municipal smart-education initiatives and upcoming TEDx talks in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
But ed-tech startups – like other startups in this very small country — must meet global market demands if they are to become viable.
Ish Shalom attended the January Bett Conference in London, one of the biggest ed-tech conferences in the world, to better understand those needs. Ed.il is hosting Israel’s first-ever international Israeli Ed-tech Summit in early June.
“We’re bringing delegations from Europe, China and the US so we can start building a system connecting the startups, governments and markets,” Ish Shalom tells ISRAEL21c.
An EdTech Israel Meetup Group was started in February. Recent meetups at the Google Campus in Tel Aviv have explored ed-tech opportunities in corporate learning programs and in the Chinese market.
MindCET Garage
Some Israeli ed-tech companies have already gone international.
After meeting at last year’s UK Israel Tech Hub event, Oxford University Press decided to collaborate with Israeli startups Tiny Tap, Total Boox and KIDOZ to enhance its online education services. Digitizing educational materials, providing cross-platform interactive lessons, and electronic distribution of e-books are among the projects planned.
full article: http://www.israel21c.org/israels-startup-ecosystem-makes-way-for-ed-tech/