The IT Nerd

At ISTE 2019, Classcraft will premiere the trailer for “Classcraft: Season 1,” an episodic adventure that helps K-12 teachers engage and motivate students by harnessing the power of storytelling. Classcraft, a Google for Education Premier Partner, provides tools to measure and promote student motivation that are used by more than 5 million students and educators.

Classcraft: Season 1 will premiere during Back to School 2019, with a new episode released each month. Teachers can use it as a year-long adventure to complement their existing lessons, creating deeper student engagement.

You can watch the trailer for Season 1 here.

Classcraft: Season 1 is a part of Classcraft’s new “Story Mode,” which is designed to help teachers improve student engagement, foster a positive school climate, and promote social emotional learning (SEL) through a series of ready-made stories set within the Classcraft world.

By providing a set of plug-and-play stories that align to class objectives, Story Mode allows teachers to harness the power of storytelling without having to spend time crafting their own narratives.

Classcraft: Season 1, which explores themes of self-discovery and the value of human relationships through a year-long adventure story, will premiere during Back to School 2019. New episodes will be released each month. The Season 1 trailer was created and animated by Classcraft’s Storytelling team of writers, designers, and illustrators, who have been recognized for their work at video game studios such as EA and Gameloft. The trailer features an original orchestral score by award-winning film composer Garth Stevenson.

Classcraft unveils a new look

Last week, Classcraft introduced a new logo that reflects its goal of making the power of games accessible to all teachers and students.

For the story of how the new logo came to be, read a blog post from Classcraft co-founders Shawn, Devin, and Lauren Young.

The all-new Classcraft Ambassador Program

At ISTE 2019, Classcraft will officially unveil its all-new Ambassador Program. Classcraft Ambassadors are a group of passionate teachers inspiring and supporting other educators with Classcraft, from their schools to communities all around the world.

Educators interested in sharing their Classcraft story, connecting with other educators, and helping Classcraft have a deeper impact for the millions of students using it are invited to submit an application or visit Classcraft at ISTE Booth #2030 to learn more.

All things Classcraft at ISTE 2019

For a complete guide to Classcraft’s activities at ISTE 2019 — including speaker sessions, a Nintendo Switch giveaway, and the Classcraft AR Experience, take a look at their ISTE round-up announcement.

The world is changing. The way students learn has to change along with that. Otherwise students will be left behind. To that end, there is a company that is based in Montreal and New York that is aiming to ensure that students are prepared for the jobs of the 21st century. That company is Classcraft.

Classcraft is a online service for educators that uses storytelling, and games along with tech to achieve this. It’s designed to encourage participation, good behavior, and 21st-century skills like collaboration. Increasing engagement with whatever lessons that students have. The actual lessons do not change. But what has changed is the way these students learn. The company has been making news lately, and most recently they’ve teamed up the University Of Montreal to Research and Advance Responsible Use of AI in K-12 learning environments. That’s an interesting tie up and one that is very much worth keeping an eye on.

Now all of this sounds interesting, but there are a few reasons why you need to keep an eye on this company. First of all the founders Shawn Young, Devin Young, and Lauren Young are in this because they really care and are passionate about making sure that today’s students are ready for tomorrow’s jobs. In fact when I spoke to Devin about Classcraft, that came through loud and clear. That’s different from some of the people I speak to who tend to speak about money, market share and the like. Another thing that jumped out at me is that they are not only trying to use their product to engage students, but they’re also stop bullying in schools which is a major problem. And they are having positive impacts on that front. Kudos to them for doing that. As for being a Canadian company, that can be a challenge for them according to Devin Young as that makes Americans in particular take a step back. But having an office in New York addressed that issue. But it does speak to the challenges that Canadian companies sometimes have when they try to expand to international markets in general, and the USA specifically.

Classcraft is a company that is very much worth keeping an eye on as they are clearly going places. I predict that beyond making a lot of money, they are going to make a massive positive social impact which in a lot of ways is more important than anything else such as making a lot of money.

UPDATE: I have a photo from the AI announcement. From left to right:

• Thierry Karsenti, University of Montreal professor and Canada Research Chair on information and communication technologies (ICTs),
• Quebec Minister of Education, Jean-Francois Roberge
• Shawn Young, Co-Founder and CEO of Classcraft

Classcraft, an award-winning Engagement Management System for schools, announced today it has been officially certified as a B Corp. In order to receive certification, companies must meet the highest standards of overall social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability and aspire to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. Brothers Shawn and Devin Young, along with their father Lauren, founded the business in 2013 and launched their innovative edtech product in 2015.

Classcraft received a rating of 86.6, compared to the average score of similar educational companies seeking B Corp certification at 50.5. Companies must score 80 or higher to be certified. Classcraft joins 2,778 companies worldwide that have received B Corp certification.

B Lab, the nonprofit that provides the certification, describes B Corporations as “a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment.“

B Lab’s Country Manager of Canada, Kasha Huk, stated, “We’re proud to have Classcraft join the ranks of the B Corp community of leaders that are driving a global movement of people using business as a force for good. It’s exciting to see this leadership within the education technology space and across the more than 150 industries and 60 countries currently representing the B Corp community globally.”

After a rigorous selection process involving hundreds of  companies across the globe, ​Classcraft​ has been selected to join 15 growth-stage ventures in the initial Unreasonable FUTURE program. ​Unreasonable FUTURE​ is a bold multi-year initiative that will  bring together disruptive innovators and entrepreneurs to design a future in which people and  technology work side-by-side to solve workplace challenges and unlock human potential everywhere.

Founded in 2013 by brothers Shawn and Devin Young and their father Lauren Young, Classcraft is an  Engagement Management System ​ (EMS) that uses the cultural phenomenon of video games to help  educators drive measurable academic performance, non-cognitive skills development, and school  climate. By blending students’ physical and virtual learning, the program reframes their progress in  school as a game they play together throughout the year Classcraft is used by 5+ million students and  educators worldwide in more than 160 countries and is available in 11 languages.

The first annual cohort of ventures will include companies creating the future of learning and  up-skilling, so underserved youth and those whose jobs are being replaced by technology will find  pathways to new opportunities in the digital era. The portfolio also includes entrepreneurs using  disruptive technologies to maximize human potential in the workplace of tomorrow. By bringing them  together, the goal is to rewrite the narrative of what it means for all humans to thrive in a new, more  equitable economy.

The first Unreasonable FUTURE program will take place from March 27 – April 7, at a private venue  outside of San Jose, California. A full list of ventures, mentors, and specialists participating in  Unreasonable FUTURE can be found ​here​. Additional details about the partnership and program can  be found on their ​website​.