Startup Launches 'Built by Students for Students' Tech Incubator

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 04/18/17
Startup Launches 'Built by Students for Students' Tech Incubator

An education technology start-up that intends to offer a platform that uses artificial intelligence to help people break down their education goals into achievable segments has just acquired a bot created by a 14-year-old to remind users to do their homework. A "bot" is a program intended to act like a personalized assistant, sounding human and automating tasks.

myKlovr announced the acquisition of Christopher Bot by Canadian student Alec Jones just weeks after it was profiled in a BBC article. The student enters his or her schedule, and Christopher Bot prompts for new assignments, subject by subject. If the user answers "yes" to any prompts, the bot responds with a "friend-like" response ("that sucks more than a vacuum") and sends a "homework summary" at the end of each day. When the homework is done, the student notifies the bot, and the assignment is removed. When the student is on vacation, the bot goes quiet.

The acquisition kicks off a new program for myKlovr called "For Students, By Students." It's intended to encourage students to create innovations in education and development and make them available through an eventual marketplace the company will host.

In this case, the bot integrates into myKlovr's own goal of helping people "who have big dreams," as Founder and CEO, Gustavo Dolfino, noted in a press release. myKlovr is expected to launch in June 2017 with an AI goal-setting recommendation platform and the education-focused marketplace.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • classroom scene with students gathered around a laptop showing a virtual tour interface

    Discovery Education Announces Spring Lineup of Free Virtual Field Trips

    This Spring, Discovery Education is collaborating with partners such as Warner Bros., DC Comics, National Science Foundation, NBA, and more to present a series of free virtual field trips for K-12 students.

  • glowing padlock shape integrated into a network of interconnected neon-blue lines and digital nodes, set against a soft, blurred geometric background

    3 in 4 Administrators Expect a Security Incident to Impact Their School This Year

    In an annual survey from education identity platform Clever, 74% of administrators admitted that they believe a security incident is likely to impact their school system in the coming year. That's up from 71% who said the same last year.

  • horizontal stack of U.S. dollar bills breaking in half

    ED Abruptly Cancels ESSER Funding Extensions

    The Department of Education has moved to close the door on COVID relief funding for schools, declaring that "extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion."

  • pattern of icons for math and reading, including a pi symbol, calculator, and open book

    HMH Launches Personalized Path Solution

    Adaptive learning company HMH has introduced HMH Personalized Path, a K-8 ELA and math product that combines intervention curriculum, adaptive practice, and assessment for students of all achievement levels.