Wikimedia CH/Grant apply/bitmark Hackathon: Together for interoperability

Infodata

Name of the project: "bitmark Hackathon: together for interoperability"
Amount requested: 5000-10'000
Type of grantee Non-Profit Association
Name of the contact: bitmark Association
Contact: bettina.kaltenberger@bitmark-association.org

In case of questions, please write to grant wikimedia.ch

The problem and the context

Wikimedias Mission: At its core, Wikimedia CH is involved in education, with our goal being to bring free educational content to the world.

Mission of the bitmark Association: We are a non-profit association “heart”-quartered in Switzerland, founded to provide the world’s first open source, content-first data standard: bitmark - the code that makes knowledge accessible

Together with Wikimedia, we can make a big step towards democratizing knowledge, education and learning content

What is the problem you're trying to solve?

Interoperability in educational technology is the foundation for the democratization of learning, enabling the seamless transfer of content across various platforms and devices. However, today, 99% of educational tools and content still use proprietary formats, restricting connectivity and complicating data exchange, which leads to significant content and user lock-ins.

What is your solution to this problem (please explain the context and the solution)?

As an open source standard,bitmark solves this issue by offering a standardized content format designed for modern needs, including AI, thereby enhancing e-learning interoperability.-

Project Goals

The bitmark Hackathon, 'Together For Interoperability,' aims to empower EdTech organizations and learning content providers (publishers) to break out of their silos by building interfaces based on the open bitmark standard, thereby making learning content interoperable.

Overall, the bitmark Hackathon aims to create a significant impact by addressing fundamental challenges in EdTech, fostering a spirit of innovation, and building a collaborative community focused on advancing education through improved technology integration.

When & Where: November 21-22, 2024 | Zurich, Switzerland Target Group Learning Content, Educational and Specialist Publishers EdTech Startups

Target Group: Publishers: Pitch Your Interoperability Problem! The bitmark Hackathon tackles interoperability issues within the publishing and EdTech sectors. After pitching interoperability problems, attendees are tasked with developing actionable concepts and prototype solutions to enhance interoperability using the bitmark standard. The event also serves as a platform for forming and strengthening partnerships, fostering future collaborations to advance technology integration and standard adoption. Hands-on problem-solving approaches to the most pressing interoperability issues Innovation through collaboration Fostering new partnerships and unexpected ideas

Target Group: EdTech Startups: Hack The Interoperability Solution! This isolation of proprietary data formats results in poor user experiences, fewer business opportunities, and less innovation for EdTech solution providers. The open bitmark standard helps EdTechs to think in ecosystems with other providers, becoming more connected, collaborative, and thereby boosting their capacity for innovation. The bitmark Hackathon 2024 aims to promote this by enabling business collaboration with other EdTech companies as well as publishers. Think of new, more collaborative approaches and solutions. Find new collaborations and business opportunities. Utilize the bitmark standard to lower entry barriers to your product, broaden your market reach, increase your user base, and enhance your business's scalability. Engage with a diverse community of EdTech professionals and build relationships that foster growth and new opportunities.

Project impact

The main impact of the bitmark Hackathon centers around enhancing interoperability within the educational technology (EdTech) sector. Here are some of the key impacts it aims to achieve:

Fostering Collaboration: By bringing together EdTech companies, publishers, developers, and other stakeholders, the hackathon promotes collaboration across different segments of the education industry. This collaborative environment helps break down silos and encourages the sharing of ideas and resources.

Enhancing Content Interoperability: The hackathon focuses on solving content interoperability issues, enabling seamless integration and exchange of digital learning materials across various platforms and systems. This makes educational content more accessible and usable across different technologies, enhancing the learning experience.

Driving Innovation: Participants are encouraged to develop innovative solutions to interoperability challenges using the bitmark standard. This not only addresses immediate problems but also pushes the boundaries of what is possible in EdTech, leading to new approaches and technologies.

Empowering Education Providers: By providing tools and frameworks to improve interoperability, the hackathon empowers schools, universities, and other educational providers to more effectively use digital resources, improving educational outcomes.

Building a Supportive Community: The event helps forge a community of like-minded individuals and organizations who are committed to improving education through technology. This community can provide ongoing support, share best practices, and drive continuous improvement in the sector.

Advancing the bitmark Standard: The hackathon serves as a platform to further develop and refine the bitmark standard, ensuring it meets the evolving needs of the EdTech industry and remains a robust tool for achieving interoperability.

How will you know if you have met your goals?

we will have direct feedback from the participants by evaluating the cretated concepts and even programmed solutions. the companies pitching their problems will assess and judge the created solutions.

Do you have any goals or metrics around participation or content?

yes, we will have a jury assessing the solutions and we will give "prices"

Based on the results of the hackathon, we will communicate actively to broaden the "bitmark message" so that more and more Edtech companies can utilize the advantages using the bitmark data standard. We have experienced the positive feedbacks after the communication of the results from the bitmark hackathon in spring 2023

Project plan

Activities

Phase I: The hackathon is currently in preparation, will be held in November 21 to 22, 2024

bitmark Hackathon Program Points: - Pitch Interoperability Problems (Publishers): Identify your challenges and what you’re looking for in potential partnerships. - Business Presentations (EdTechs): Showcase your company and its offerings. - Speed Meetings: Connect with a diverse group to build teams for the hackathon. - Design Thinking Sessions: Engage in creative problem-solving to foster innovation. - Hack Your Solution: Work directly with new partners to develop collaborative and innovative concepts and prototypes. - Get Featured on the bitmark Ecosystem Map: Gain visibility within the bitmark ecosystem

Phase II:' Based on the results, we are planning to develop a "bitmark ecosystem map" in collaboration with the European EdTech Alliance and the Swiss edTech Colllider

Budget

for the hackathon we have a calculated budget of CHF 45.000,-

Community engagement

we are currently working with our community for the preparation of the hackathon which is for example the edTech Collider (EPFL Lausanne), the European and Austrian EdTech Alliance, but also with our members and supporters