Desire2Learn Kicks Off Edge Challenge

Ontario-based Desire2Learn is inviting students and professional developers to come up with new educational apps through the Edge Challenge 2012 competition.

The winning team will receive $25,000 the opportunity for two team members and a mentor to attend Fusion 2012, Desire2Learn's annual user conference, in San Diego, CA, where they will get to show off their prototype during the course of a one-hour demo and question and answer session.

The theme of the competition is "Create and Collaborate," and the challenge calls for teams of five individuals or fewer to create a working software solution to illustrate an innovative approach to creating or collaborating within an active learning experience.

The contest is open to individuals, teams of individuals, and business entities worldwide.

Submissions, which must be created using a mobile Web platform and entered by April 30, should include the app itself along with a short video that demonstrates the app in use.

Preliminary finalists will be decided by May 12. A panel of eLearning professionals will then select a grand prize winner by June 1, 2012.

The competition is also offering a Learners' Choice Prize that includes airfare and a hotel stay in San Diego for two team members and a mentor to attend the conference, demo, and question and answer period.

"Education is at its best when learners pool their collective talents to reach a common goal," said John Baker, president and CEO of Desire2Learn. "We envision the Desire2Learn Edge Challenge acting as an outlet for developers' unlimited creativity and innovation. It is also an opportunity for educators to gain access to even more transformative tools that will make their jobs easier on a daily basis. This is really about 'building something that matters' to students and instructors."

For more information, or to register for the contest, visit desire2learn.com/edgechallenge. Further information is also available via email at [email protected].

Featured

  • stylized human profiles, tablets, and floating icons

    From Feedback to Flexibility: 5 AI Tools Teachers Should Try

    As a fifth-grade teacher and AI School Champion in the St. Vrain Valley School District, I've seen firsthand how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming education. Here are five AI-enabled tools I've found especially powerful in my classroom and professional practice.

  • computer monitor with a bold AI search bar on the screen

    Google Rolls Out AI Mode in Search

    About a year after introducing AI Overviews for its flagship search offering, Google has announced broad availability of AI Mode in Search.

  • portable Wi-Fi hotspot rests on a stack of books and a laptop in a library

    Senate Votes to Rescind E-Rate Program Funding Loaner WiFi Hotspots for Schools and Libraries

    The Senate has passed a joint resolution to overturn "Addressing the Homework Gap Through the E-Rate Program," a July 2024 expansion to the FCC's E-Rate program that allowed schools and libraries to utilize E-Rate resources to loan out WiFi hotspots to students, school staff, and library patrons.

  • silhouetted student stands before the White House, surrounded by abstract digital graphics of brains, circuits, and AI elements

    White House Sets Sights on AI Education

    A new executive order from President Donald Trump aims to advance America's position in artificial intelligence technology by incorporating AI into education and providing AI training for educators.