The secret weapon of Estonian education – educational technologists
To use the possibilities of technology wisely at school, you need someone who can find suitable solutions for the field of education. An educational technologist is like an interpreter between teachers and the field of technology. Diana Veskimägi, the head of the Estonian Association of Educational Technologists, believes strongly Estonian schools need many more educational […]
An endless river for bits and bytes – how Estonia ensures internet access for students and teachers
Estonia’s efforts to leverage technology for teaching and learning began in the 1990s with an ambitious Tiger Leap program to provide internet access to all schools. By 2001, Estonia had already met this goal. But of course, the infrastructure created two decades ago needs to be upgraded. Especially in a country where access to the internet […]
Distance learning: how is e-Estonia doing it? Tips and recommendations
When schools in Estonia had to change to distance learning again, this small school was ready. Learn what distance learning tips and decisions helped a teacher and mother of three to jumpstart learning in a way that could set an example. “I know what many parents are facing with their workload having soared, but it […]
Tallinn library wins European Citizens prize for online reading initiative
Tallinn Central Library has won an award for an initiative which sees librarians read books to children over the internet, helping parents when they need to work from home. This article was first published by ERR News. The library’s initiative “Loeme ette!” (“Let’s read for them!”) won the European Parliament’s European Citizens Prize 2020. The […]
Crisis brings focus on home-school communication
With the extensive use of distance learning in 2020, patterns of communication and cooperation between the home and school have changed, a study led by University of Tartu researchers reveals. The importance of informal communication has grown. Schoolchildren and their families need more advice and information to adapt to new routines and new learning environments. […]
What are Estonian schools doing differently during the second wave?
The digital solutions became a lifeline, which helped Estonia continue learning and teaching in the corona spring. And Estonia did well. The survey showed that in comparison with neighbouring countries, students in Estonia were more satisfied with distance learning. (Telia Survey, Spring, 2020). However, in the new school year, Estonia has avoided full distance learning. […]
Estonia shared its digitalisation experience at the World Bank seminar
Experts from World Bank and Latin American and Caribbean countries discussed digital technology in education in times of pandemics. The online event was organized around three aspects of digital technology: access for all, access to digital finance and the importance of digital technology in education. Heli Aru-Chabilan from Estonian Education and Youth Board shared the […]
The Guardian: Lessons from Estonia – why it excels at digital learning during Covid
Studies in the Baltic state moved seamlessly online thanks to its early adoption of education technology. As hundreds of thousands of children in the UK found themselves shut out of education during lockdown, without access to a laptop or internet, pupils in Estonia reaped the rewards of the Baltic country’s long-term investment in digital learning. Read more
University of Tartu and Lithuanian start-up company are developing an open learner model to enhance e-learning effectiveness
The Institute of Education of the University of Tartu and the Lithuanian start-up company BitDegree have started a cooperation project that is expected to significantly increase the effectiveness of e-learning. To this end, they research and develop an open learner model. According to Danielius Stasiulis, the founder and CEO of BitDegree, distance learning does not […]
What helped Estonian schools successfully handle the corona crisis?
In spring, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic put students, teachers, and parents to test. Estonian schools managed to adapt to new situations quickly and therefore handled the crisis well. Although there is no one right formula for a successful distance learning programme, there is still a lot to learn from an Estonian example. Although the COVID-19 […]
