Eldrok BLR ’24 Q&A Highlights: Addressing General Queries on the Newsepick Initiative
Punam Kanodia
Founder Newsepick. Regardless of technological innovations, people are still people with a heart, soul and mind. Rules of human behaviour still apply.
Summary:
Eldrok India K-12 Expo 2024 in Bengaluru was an intriguing experience that offered a dedicated platform to introduce our Newsepick initiative to educators and delegates in the educational landscape. It allowed our team the opportunity to address pragmatic queries, helping us decode the communication barriers to our innovation. Gathered insights and enthusiastic responses validated our mission and inspired us to strive for even greater heights. Delve deeper into the core of Newsepick’s mission with insightful Q&A highlights from the event.?
General Queries about Newsepick
What is Newsepick???
Newsepick is an innovative digital platform designed to enhance the educational ecosystem through five distinct solutions aimed at Educators, Institutes, Teachers, and Students:
Develop by Media Literacy: This feature encourages children's love for news reading by providing age-appropriate current events, helping them stay informed in a safe, filtered environment.
Evolve for Effective Practice: This solution supports reinforcing classroom learning through effective practice and creating a question bank, which can also serve as an additional revenue source for educators.
Reuse with Purpose: A platform promoting the exchange of educational materials, fostering responsibility among students to preserve and recycle resources, benefiting both society and the environment.
Voice with Responsibility: This solution helps digitize articles and opinions from students, teachers, parents, and administration, enabling easy access and quick compilation of school magazines.
Collab with Confidence: A project collaboration tool that allows students to collaborate on academic projects and preserve their work for future reference, enriching the school’s academic library for future batches.
These solutions work together to optimize educational content and processes while promoting collaboration, sustainability, and responsible media consumption.
Are your products ready?
We began our journey in January 2024, and our products are gradually rolling out. Currently, Develop and Evolve are live and ready for use. Reuse is set to launch by November 2024, while Voice and Collab are planned to go live by May 2025. As we continue to receive feedback from our users, we are committed to consistently updating and optimizing all our products to enhance the overall experience.
How did you get such a unique idea???
The idea for Newsepick emerged from my daily experiences as a student and a mother. Observing everyday situations and reflecting on them, I began to weave these insights with my professional knowledge. Through surveys and discussions with peers, the concept evolved into Newsepick. You can read the full story here.
Who are the founders???
The founding team consists of myself Punam Kanodia , Praveen kumar , Durga Vara Prasad Jonnalagadda , Dheeraj Khanna and Sandip Sanpui . Together, we lead a dedicated team of passionate individuals and tech experts, all focused on innovating within the education ecosystem while maintaining a sustainable approach.?
The Common WOW Factors
Queries on Develop
Why is news required as an addon when children are already under pressure?
In today's rapidly changing world, developing critical thinking and leadership skills is essential for shaping future-ready individuals. Develop offers a solution that fosters these skills through exposure to current events, general knowledge enhancement, and awareness promotion without adding academic pressure.
The solution is flexible, allowing institutes to customize its use in various ways. This ensures students stay informed and engaged with news that aligns with their interests and promotes compassion without overwhelming them.
We already provide news from top publications. Why do we need this???
While top publications provide news through monthly or daily newsletters for children, these are often limited in scope, offering selected news and lacking the ability to be customized according to an institute's or individual’s specific interests.?
At Newsepick, we curate news from over 40 publications and summarise them, allowing students to learn more in less time. We've also integrated quizzes to motivate students, linking their engagement with rewards and scholarship opportunities. Schools can generate daily newsletters according to their preference for school assembly, avoiding screen time for children.
How can we keep children updated on the news without screen time???
To reduce screen time, we've introduced features like listening to the news, downloading content as PDFs, and offering 100-word summaries or headlines for schools to use in assemblies, whether read aloud or listened to. This creates a more flexible and enriching news experience tailored to educational needs.
Can we automate news generation for daily assemblies???
Absolutely! Develop offers an automated daily summary newsletter, making it easy for schools to generate and present news content for assemblies. With features like concise summaries, headlines, and options to listen to or download, it ensures a seamless and efficient way to keep students informed during daily assemblies.
WOW Factors on Develop
Queries on Evolve
Why do we need to digitalize daily homework? Won't teachers lose value???
Newsepick believes every teacher has a unique teaching style and value; hence, we do not provide content for conducting assessments. Our solution is designed to support teachers and institutions by facilitating the creation of a digital library that can be used continuously. This library can be utilized for effective practice without requiring teachers to evaluate or provide feedback. The daily efforts teachers put in are not only stored but are also available for future batches as a valuable reference and practice resource.
We aim to create an asset bank for teachers, allowing them to focus on their regular teaching while generating an additional source of revenue through the library's ongoing use. Digitalizing daily homework enriches the educational experience without diminishing the value teachers bring to the classroom.
What is the Question Bank Library???
The Question Bank Library is a curated repository of questions educators create during their teaching. It allows educators to develop assessments or provide students with additional practice. The question bank can be easily downloaded as a PDF or accessed digitally, allowing students to practice based on their preferred screen time and device usage.
Will digital formats detract from traditional learning???
Digital assessments enhance traditional learning methods by delivering real-time insights into student performance and highlighting areas for improvement. Evolve preserves every effort teachers make, ensuring that valuable teaching resources are retained. Eliminating the need for repetitive tasks in each session saves time and enables educators to explore a broader range of adaptive learning strategies. This ultimately boosts classroom success and enriches the overall educational experience.
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Why don’t you provide readymade curriculum questions???
We recognize that every institute and teacher has their own unique educational philosophy and teaching style. Instead of offering ready-made curriculum questions, we encourage customization to ensure that assessments align with each school’s specific values and methodologies. The library created through continuous use serves as a valuable resource, readily available for future reference by both the institution and its teachers. This approach helps maintain the integrity of each teacher's style while supporting tailored assessments that resonate with their educational goals.
WOW Factors on Evolve
Queries on Reuse
Is it mandatory to exchange products for another product??
No, it’s not mandatory to exchange a product for another. Newsepick’s Reuse platform allows you to list items you no longer need, which can then be used by others. These products aren’t sold; they are offered voluntarily for reuse. Students earn nature credits for successfully reusing items, which can be redeemed at the Newsepick Store. They also have the chance to be featured in our Hall of Fame as sustainable heroes for their environmental contributions.
Will the needy benefit from this initiative despite the lack of digital devices???
Yes, we will work with schools partnered with NGOs to ensure that these voluntary contributions reach those in need, even if they don't have access to digital devices. This ensures that everyone can benefit from the initiative, regardless of their access to technology.
Who delivers the products listed under Reuse???
The products listed under Reuse must be picked up directly by the individual who wants them. We provide location-based filters to make it easier to find items that are physically available for pickup. Alternatively, individuals can arrange a courier service at their own cost, based on mutual convenience.
Won’t random people exploit the system for profit???
Only students from registered institutes, verified through proper channels, can access the Reuse feature. This ensures that materials are distributed to those who genuinely need them. Users can report any misuse to our team at [email protected], and we will take necessary action to prevent unfair practices. It requires a collaborative effort from everyone to make this initiative a meaningful contribution to society and the environment.
WOW Factors on Reuse
Queries on Voice
Who can share the articles???
Students, teachers, parents, and school management can contribute their opinions, views, and updates to the platform. Selected articles will be available to school students, with the option of sharing them with the outside world. To encourage participation, the top five selected articles, chosen by a panel of journalists, will be recognized and receive awards.
Can we customize the creation of the school magazine???
You can customize the school magazine using various templates and AI-suggested formats. Our platform provides easy selection and editing tools, allowing you to tailor the magazine to your school’s unique style and preferences.
Can pictures be incorporated???
Pictures can be seamlessly integrated into the digital magazine to enhance the overall experience. When submitting an article, writers can include images. Profile pictures and details will be automatically populated for a cohesive presentation.
Can the school magazine be emailed directly???
Yes, the magazine can be emailed or downloaded for distribution within the school community.
WOW Factors on Voice
Queries on Collab
Will children create the projects digitally???
While students can collaborate on digital platforms for project development, hands-on, project-based learning remains vital to their educational experience. Selected projects can be preserved as assets in the school library for peer group learning and reference by future batches.
Can students copy previous projects???
To inspire fresh ideas, school authorities will control the visibility, duration, and timing of previous projects, ensuring that students are encouraged to create original work.
Will this restrict exploration???
Collab actively encourages students to collaborate, share ideas, and explore topics more deeply, fostering a rich environment for creativity and discovery.
Can we download the projects??
Yes, all projects can be downloaded for review and presentation based on the permissions granted by the school authorities.
WOW Factors on Collab
Preparing for the Road Ahead
Encompassing the conventional ways to pursue innovation poses a significant challenge: communication hurdles.?
The Newsepick team is on a journey of contributing proactively to the educational landscape. The ardent support, welcoming outlook, and insightful discussions reaffirmed our vision and motivated us to continue innovating.
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