As 2024 draws to a close, it’s time to look back on what has been an incredible year for Kialo Edu. From developing exciting new features to connecting with educators around the globe, we’ve been hard at work making classroom discussions more collaborative, engaging, and thought-provoking. Here are some of the highlights we’d love to share:
Moodle Certified Integration
We took a big step forward by becoming a Moodle Certified Integration. This certification ensures that Kialo Edu meets Moodle’s highest standards for security, privacy, and performance, and allows educators to effortlessly incorporate Kialo discussions directly into their Moodle courses via either Moodle plug-in or LTI!
With student groups and grading automatically synced, it’s never been easier to bring critical thinking and debate into the heart of your lessons.
LMS integration with LTI 1.3 Compatibility
In early 2024, Kialo Edu became fully compatible with LTI 1.3. This makes it possible to integrate Kialo Edu with popular Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Canvas, Blackboard, D2L Brightspace, and more.
For educators, this means smoother workflows — no need for students to juggle multiple accounts! Keep things simple so you can focus on having engaging classroom discussions.
Small Group Mode: discussions that scale
One of our favorite additions this year has been Small Group Mode. This feature lets you split your class into smaller groups, each with its own discussion space, while allowing you to oversee everything from a single dashboard.
It’s perfect for fostering more focused conversations and giving students the chance to shine in smaller settings. This makes it easy to assign Kialo activities to very large cohorts of students. Choose to assign groups manually, automatically, or — for Canvas and Moodle users — bring them over directly from your LMS!
A fresh new look
Have you noticed something different about us? This year, we rolled out a sleek redesign of the Kialo Edu website.
With an updated, user-friendly interface and improved navigation, the new design is all about making it easier (and more enjoyable) for educators and students to get the most out of our platform.
You can read the research behind Kialo’s benefits, hear from the experts who support us, or even explore a fully-developed example discussion. We hope you love it as much as we do!
Connecting at educational conferences
This year, we were lucky enough to meet many of you in person at some amazing events around the world. Here are just a few highlights:
- MoodleMoot Global 2024 (Mérida, Mexico): We were proud to be a Gold Sponsor at this vibrant event, where we showcased our Moodle integration and connected with Moodle users from across the globe.
- EDUtech Asia 2024 (Singapore): We loved meeting educators and technologists from around Asia and sharing how Kialo Edu fosters critical thinking and collaboration in classrooms.
- International Baccalaureate Global Conference 2024 (Washington, D.C.): It was an honor to engage with IB educators and discuss how tools like Kialo Edu can support the IB curriculum by nurturing students’ analytical and debating skills.
These conferences were a wonderful opportunity to learn from all of you, share ideas, and hear firsthand how Kialo Edu is making a difference in your classrooms and institutions!
Awards and recognition
We’re incredibly honored to have received recognition this year for the pedagogical value of Kialo Edu:
- HundrED Global Collection 2024: Kialo Edu was featured as one of the 100 most impactful and scalable education innovations in 2024. We’re thrilled to be part of a community that celebrates creativity in approaching the most pressing educational issues of the day.
- Learning Apps Seal of Approval: Awarded by the Austrian Ministry of Education, this recognition highlights Kialo Edu’s excellence in supporting learning and critical thinking.
This recognition is a testimonial to our dedication to providing a top-notch, easily-accessible tool to educators around the world to promote critical thinking and civil discussion.
Looking ahead to 2025
We’re excited to build on this momentum and look forward to connecting with even more of you at conferences around the world in 2025. Whether it’s through sharing insights, introducing new features, or simply learning about your experiences, we can’t wait to see what the next year has in store.
As to what you can expect from us this coming year, we can’t say too much — but keep your eyes peeled for some exciting new AI features designed to revolutionize teacher feedback and claim generation! We think you’re going to love them.
2024 has been a year of growth, connection, and innovation for Kialo Edu, and we couldn’t have done it without our incredible community of educators. As we look ahead to 2025, we’re more committed than ever to supporting you with tools and features that empower your students and transform discussions into something truly special.
