Categories:
- Multi-format titles are an effective alternative to books and face-to-face classes for delivering STEM content to young people who are currently living in tune with new technologies.
- Unlimited learning ecosystems offer students the possibility of accessing a wide variety of content, which encourages critical thinking, contrasting theories and better use of reasoning in decision making.
- In addition, they accompany teachers in the personalization of learning experiences, the variety of formats and titles, and the different learning programs, which have already had an impact on user engagement levels, reflecting a 3 to 5 times increase, as well as learning habits.
Madrid, 28 November 2022.- The jobs of the future have yet to be discovered. According to the World Economic Forum, between 70 and 85% of the most in-demand jobs of 2030 don’t exist today. Because a large majority of professions derive from innovations or technological advances which are just now opening up to the work world or haven’t even been created yet, we lack vision on the jobs of the future. This creates endless opportunities for innovation in education.
With this knowledge, many educational centers are committed to training focused on a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) curriculum. This trend is motivated by the high expectations of the labor market in these areas. According to a number of reports,many of the jobs of the future will have the common denominator of knowledge related to artificial intelligence, data analytics and interpretation, software and programming, among others.
To support this educational plan, ODILO, the leading Spanish scaleup in the creation of unlimited learning ecosystems, has developed a STEM program that includes specialized content for the development of these competencies in students as well as teacher training and specialization in this area, ensuring that they have not only access to the resources, but also can themselves gain the skills required to work in STEM education.
The resources found in the program are organized in different collections (set of resources curated and organized on different themes). More than 60 collections are available in the program, for example: Programming and Digital Skills, 3D and 4D printing, Climate change divulgation etc.
In addition, a catalog of learning experiences is available for this program that aims to promote a complete development of competencies. These experiences have been developed around different methodologies: project-based learning, problem-based learning, challenge-based learning, flipped learning, simulation-based learning, case method.
Young people assimilate STEM knowledge better through multiformat resources
One big advantage is the fact that young people retain STEM subject matter better when it is presented through multiformat titles and interactive explanations. Videos, podcasts and multi-course lessons are a more attractive way to bring concepts closer to students who are used to consuming content through a screen on a daily basis.
In addition, students are familiarized from the outset with cutting-edge technologies that will be essential for the jobs of the future. Although many of these professions are still unknown, experts point out that many of them will require a high level of technological knowledge.
Offering more content and encouraging scientific skills and collaboration
Another benefit of using EdTech as an engine to promote STEM education is the wide variety of themed and specialized content. These platforms open the doors of knowledge by not relying exclusively on the contents of a single book or classroom explanations. This also facilitates a better interconnection between concepts that are related to each other but that correspond to different subjects, like Mathematics and Physics or Biology and Chemistry.
Having greater access to content fosters the development of basic skills for all scientific-technical professions. This is the case for critical and analytical thinking, theory comparison, or a better use of reasoning for problem solving or decision making. These competencies are considered essential ‘soft skills’ in all professions deriving from STEM studies. Thus, students who are supported through education technology introduce new fields of knowledge to the conventional educational curriculum.
In addition, these unlimited learning ecosystems employ collaborative methodologies that encourage proactivity. This is a plus when you consider that in the STEM professions, projects in which a team of professionals tackle the work, rather than a single individual, will become more important.
Supporting teachers on their way to digitization
Far from being a substitute for a teacher, these ecosystems are a support system that reinforces the teacher’s efforts. Through active and collaborative methodologies, teachers can create didactic material for students to work on directly in the classroom, while they can connect with other colleagues and professionals in the scientific sector who provide value.
This also means that teachers can respond to the challenge posed by the government in Component 19 of the Transformation and Resilience Recovery Plan, which will require nearly 550,000 non-university teachers to demonstrate that they have minimum digital skills.
The ‘escape room’, an EdTech success story in STEM approaches
To inform people about the advantages offered by EdTech in STEM education, a workshop was held at SIMO EDUCACIÓN (International Exhibition of Technology and Educational Innovation, organized by IFEMA MADRID) to present the benefits offered by virtual ‘escape rooms’ as effective learning methods in STEM education.
Along a virtual path accessed through a QR scanned with a mobile device, the student can go through several rooms and interact with information that complements the teacher’s explanation. In addition, they can face questions that the teacher has formulated as part of the tour and with which they can assess whether the student has assimilated the contents.
The Ministry of Education and Universities of the Community of Madrid has made available to teachers, students and families of the Community of Madrid the unlimited and freely accessible learning ecosystem ‘STEMadrid+’. A digital learning ecosystem based on STEM methodology, which thanks to the large amount of educational content and learning experiences developed by expert educators, will allow the development of real STEM projects with the entire educational community. In this framework, the workshop was attended by David Cervera, Deputy Director General of Innovation and Training Programs of the Community of Madrid.
ABOUT ODILO
ODILO is a B2B2C company which has created a new category in the education market: Unlimited Learning Ecosystems. The firm allows any organization to create its own fully customized learning ecosystems and offer its users unlimited access to the world’s largest catalog of educational content and create all kinds of learning experiences without restrictions. In addition, through the use of Artificial Intelligence, Odilo enables the creation of unique learning paths and experiences for both organizations and users.
More than 8,500 organizations in 52 countries – including governments in Europe, North America, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Australia and Africa; academic leaders such as Peking University and leading companies such as Vodafone, Nestlé and Banco Santander – have already created Unlimited Learning Ecosystems from the more than 3.9 million resources available on the platform. In total, Odilo is part of the learning experiences of more than 170 million users worldwide.
