Digital skills such as computer science, programming or robotics are fundamental skills and source of the most in-demand jobs in all industries in the but they are also one of the least taught in schools around the world. To meet this global need, collaboration between startups, organizations and educational institutions.
That is why the TPrize 2022 Challenge was born, an initiative resulting from the alliance between the Technological of Monterrey and the University of Los Andes, whose objective is to reward those solutions
innovative solutions that allow young people to acquire skills and create their personal development plan and to access better opportunities and actively participate in the transformation of their
environments.
Wonderly participated in the call in mid-2022, together with 121 other interesting
proposals that sought to solve this challenge from different angles.
Among all these incredible initiatives, Wonderly was selected among the 10 finalists of the TPrize Challenge”!
Wonderly winner of the Tprize 2022 challenge: Reimagining digital skills education for children and adolescents
In our research to develop the TPrize Challenge proposal, we found that less than 10% of schools in the region offer instruction in technology skills, such as computer science, programming, or robotics.
Additionally, we will never have enough quality instructors to teach digital skills to over 100 million students in Latin America, so in addition to bringing training to students, we also need to empower more teachers to become leaders and role models for their students.
Wonderly is an educational platform that allows students from 8 to 18 years old to train in advanced digital skills with the best pedagogical practices in the world, coming from Finland. Likewise, we allow any teacher to teach these skills without being a technology expert, thanks to the use of our solution as a flipped classroom tool.
Have you tried learning a programming language? It is extremely abstract. For most children and adolescents, the experience can be demotivating. With our hybrid model, combining instructors and engaging animated videos, we offer the world’s best digital skills learning experience.
The 4 key areas of the TPrize Challenge
One of the main requirements to participate in the TPrize Challenge is that each solution must demonstrate that it is capable of adding value in one of the 4 key areas defined by the experts from Tec de Monterrey and UniAndes: Teacher empowerment, Internships for companies (insertion Labor), Inequality and Gender Equality.
One of the reasons why we were selected as a finalist for the Tprize Challenge is because our solution has positive effects in all four areas of impact:
- Teacher Empowerment:
Wonderly allows any teacher, regardless of her technological ability, to facilitate advanced digital skills classes, thanks to the flipped classroom methodology.
Internships to companies:
Students who graduate from our Computer Science, Python, Web Design, and Robotics programs are certified and ready to begin internships in companies (as long as they meet the minimum age required by them). - Inequality:
We allow girls, boys, and adolescents with limited resources and/or ethnic minorities to be certified in advanced digital skills, which substantially improves their opportunities to obtain a well-paid job and improve the living conditions of their family and community. - Gender equality
50% of our graduated students, studying and about to start their training, are girls and adolescents, thus reducing the marked gender gap that exists in the digital skills market in the region and the world.
What concrete problem are we solving in Wonderly?
Children and adolescents have limited access to software development instruction, as only high-cost private schools or academies offer digital skills education programs.
90% of students in Latin America and the Caribbean (around 100 million children and adolescents) lack access to software development instruction at school. However, more than half of the job openings today require some form of technological prowess.
It is critical to solve this problem to promote the technological development of our region, as well as to increase the purchasing power of young people with fewer resources.
We firmly believe that Latin American children and adolescents should learn these 21st century digital skills, regardless of gender, income level, or geographic area. We must make them active participants in the modern world and the teachers of tomorrow.
The only way to solve such a complex challenge is through a very high-quality, scalable, and very low-cost solution. On these three pillars we develop our solution.
Wonderly innovation elements
We have managed to identify 5 major differentiators between Wonderly and other solutions participating in the TPrize Challenge:
- Video content designed to engage students ages 8-18.
We offer a hybrid model, combining human instructors and Pixar-style animation. - The best learning experience
Our platform includes an innovative “Coding Learning Management System” (CLMS) that allows students to learn with our educational videos and code on the same screen.
unlimited learning - Our students can access all educational content without limits.
- Finnish pedagogy
We have developed our teaching methodology hand in hand with experts in pedagogy from Finland. - Development of critical thinking through projects
At the end of each course, our students present a final project that requires all of their critical thinking and creativity.
The Wonderly curriculum: what can be learned and taught with the tool?
Wonderly is a platform for learning advanced digital skills, with interactive videos and the best learning experience in the world.
We have enough educational programs to cover a full school year in Spanish, English and Italian, covering the following 21st Century Skills:
- Principles of Computer Science: How do computers work? / What is data? / Introduction to Programming Languages (Hello world! / algorithmic thinking
- Programming: Scratch students create animated stories. Python students create a video game.
- Robotics: TinkerCAD students build the electrical system of a vehicle.
- Web development: HTML/CSS students build websites.
Wonderly Benefits:
- For Students: Certifications in advanced digital skills (Cs. of Computing, Programming, Robotics, Web Design). Ready for a successful career in technology.
- For Teachers: Any teacher in Latin America, regardless of their technological ability, can be certified to teach digital skills with Wonderly. With our flipped classroom methodology, learning outcomes improve by 40% (Source).
- Schools: Any educational institution that seeks to empower its teaching team can rely on Wonderly to 1) improve the teaching skills and academic results obtained by its teachers and 2) incorporate a full year of training in advanced digital skills into its curriculum. .
A diverse, equitable and inclusive leadership team
We are a multicultural team of professionals who are passionate about education and learning. We all have different beliefs, backgrounds and points of view. 50% of our team members are women, including our board of directors.
90% of our team members are from the middle class and are more than familiar with the inequality problems that we experience in Latin America. Likewise, Wonderly is a multilateral solution: We work with remote talent in Venezuela, Bolivia, Argentina and Mexico, which allows us to access information from each of these regions to improve the reach of the platform.
What impact does it have for Wonderly to have been selected as a finalist for the TPrize Challenge?
After the launch at the beginning of the year, we have managed to optimize our educational programs, expanding the teaching offer and improving our user experience. Likewise, we have established important alliances with experts in pedagogy from Finland to develop our educational programs with cutting-edge practices.
With everything we’ve learned, we know we can:
- Provide teachers with the necessary tools to improve the academic performance of their students.
- Make relevant skills education available to everyone so that children and adolescents, regardless of their socioeconomic level, have the opportunity to opt for well-paid jobs that allow mitigating inequality in our region.
- Empower girls and young women and teachers with training in digital skills.
Thanks to the important recognition as finalists of the TPrize Challenge, we will be able to work together with the Tec de Monterrey and the Universidad de los Andes to deploy our solution throughout the region, which will allow us to:
- Grant and certify 5,000 students in digital skills, including 2,500 girls and adolescents in programming, robotics, and web design.
- Grant and certify 1,000 teachers to teach their classes through Wonderly
Education is the fundamental pillar for the development of children. We are happy to have incredible initiatives like the TPrize Challenge, which encourage hundreds of entrepreneurs from around the world to think and act collectively to empower the world’s youth with knowledge.
We are extremely grateful to the Tecnológico de Monterrey and the Universidad de los Andes for recognizing Wonderly as one of the 10 finalists of the TPrize 2022 Challenge.
The real work begins now. Join Wonderly as we imagine digital skills education for everyone.
Wonderly is selected one of the most innovative educational projects in the world.