This week, Brazil’s education community will gather for the 20th edition of Educar, a four-day event featuring the latest products and services for schools and educators. Among those presenting and rolling out new products during the conference will be XD Education.
The Brazilian offshoot of India-based Designmate, XD Education specializes in digital solutions for education in the areas of science and math.
Among its most comprehensive products is Eureka.in, a 3D educational software solution K-12 students. The software offers over 2,000 3D learning objects in both English and Portuguese, including text, images and interactive simulations, and covers subjects such as chemistry, physics, biology and math.
XD Education’s solutions utilize 3D technologies to stimulate students’ memories and help them to better understand abstract themes. Its software simulates science labs, allowing students and teachers to carry out experiments sans the expensive infrastructure generally entailed. XD Education currently works with more than 200 educational institutions in Brazil.
Latin America’s educational technology sector is growing at a fast clip, especially in Brazil. From startups like Descomplica, Já Entendi and OpenEnglish to major corporations like Macmillan, the edtech playing field is vast and varied. XD Education is among the more experienced players in the mix, its mother company Designmate having a 24-year trajectory in education.
Luís Carlos de Carvalho, Business Director at XD Education, spoke with us about the company as well as the outlook of technology in education overall.
Emily Stewart: As an educational technology veteran, how has XD Education seen the area evolve?
Luís Carlos de Carvalho: We believe that we are experiencing the beginning of a huge transformation in education in which technology will play a fundamental role. But this change isn’t just happening because of technology – it’s also part of a cultural revolution. The concept of Education 3.0, which is already being adopted by many schools, is leading us to rethink pedagogical models that don’t accompany the evolution of generations born after the invention of the internet.
The school of the future (and even the present) needs to be prepared to take education and learning outside of the building, providing a collaborative educational experience with tools that entertain, engage and motivate students. Technology will be one of the pillars of this transformation, as these students were born connected and don’t know the world without the internet, smartphones, tablets and 3D.
More opportunities for startups and new businesses that associate technology and education will surely arise. In the area of games, for example, many new startups will appear that develop educational games.
It is important to remember that implementing technology won’t lead to advancements if teachers aren’t prepared to use it to achieve their pedagogical goals. It is necessary to introduce teachers to this new reality, train them and include them digitally in order to prepare them to be mentors for this new generation.
ES: One of your latest products responds to mobile trends. What was your experience like getting into the mobile field?
LCC: What we will be launching at Educar is the Unidade Móvel XDS (XDS Mobile Unit), developed exclusively to meet the needs of schools that want to implement 3D technology with greater mobility. With this solution, we’ll give schools much greater flexibility in engaging students in 3D lessons without having a dedicated classroom. With the XDS mobile unit, schools can choose when and where they wish to use the technology.
We will also introduce the use of Eureka.in software in tablets, which hasn’t been launched commercially yet but will be on the market soon. It will allow 3D learning to take place on smaller screens and provide more individualized experiences for studying.
It hasn’t been necessary to make many adjustments, because our technology is fit for diverse environments.
ES: What can Educar attendees expect from you?
LCC: Apart from the XDS mobile unit, we plan to launch several other new features, such as Eureka.in software for early elementary education, a new version of the Eureka.in software for elementary and secondary education, new Eureka.in platforms, like digital whiteboards, 3D televisions, tablets, laptops and netbooks (Intel Classmate) and Imagine – a prototype for educational games.
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