Swarmob

Empowering new generations to collaborate for global sustainability

A b-learning system that empowers students, teachers and school communities through the Network Project Based Learning methodology, developing skills to collectively transform the world. Students create projects that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, collaborating with a network of other schools as well as social and environmental institutions.

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HundrED 2024

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Overview

HundrED has selected this innovation to

HundrED Global Collection 2024

HundrED Global Collection 2023

Web presence

2017

Established

11.9K

Children

4

Countries

Target group

Students lower

Updated

June 2023

Promoting the systemic thinking that will change our world

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

We created Swarmob to reduce the school access gap in three current educational challenges: global citizenship for sustainable development, online collaboration and, project-based learning for the development of 21st century skills. We seek to create a global, diverse and inclusive network of schools from all sectors for the education of social and environmental changemakers.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

We provide a blended learning web platform to be used by students, teachers and management teams of all school levels and subjects. With this platform, users learn to use the Network Project-Based Learning (N-PBL) methodology and manage their processes in a simple, autonomous and effective way. Thus, they teach and learn in a collaborative and interdisciplinary way, interrelating all the knowledge of the school curriculum and creating sustainable impact solutions together with a network of schools. The platform helps with project planning, monitoring, feedback, inter-institutional network collaboration and measurement of 21st century skills (creativity, collaboration, digital literacy, global citizenship, communication, critical thinking and self-awareness). In addition, Swarmob conducts practical teacher training workshops to enhance N-PBL within the institutional culture.

How has it been spreading?

We work with 23 schools and 11.422 students and 455 teachers in Chile, Mexico, Peru Ecuador. We are currentily in the process of expanding to other schools and countries, thanks to a scalable digital system adapted to diverse contexts. In 2020 we won the VIVA Idea awards. In 2021 we were the only Latin American innovation to win the UN call for Global Innovations for the SDGs, participating in the STI Forum. In 2023 we won the TPrize educational innovation contest organized by the Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico) and the Universidad de los Andes (Colombia).

In addition, we conducted open reflection and professional development activities for teachers on education for sustainable development, with participants from 12 countries in Latin America, Spain, Canada and Australia.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

We work with K12 educational institutions (schools, high schools) and local governments. We offer individualised modalities of participation according to each institution culture and degree of innovation, so that all of them can be part of it. To join our network, please contact us at info@swarmob.com.

Impact & scalability

HundrED Academy Reviews

Swarmob's underlying principles are based on power of collaborative learning and design thinking. This should be the face of education in the new world. Highly impactful peer learning model.

By using the Network Project-Based Learning (N-PBL), Swarmob offers various forms of participation depending on each institutional culture and degree of innovation, so that everyone can take part. The concept is clearly scalable.

- Academy member

Academy review results

High Impact
Low Scalability

High Impact
High Scalability

Low Impact
Low Scalability

Low Impact
High Scalability

Media

Article in the newspaper El Mercurio about the triumph of Swarmob in the TPrize Challenge of the Tec de Monterrey (Mexico) and the Universidad de los Andes (Colombia).

Swarmob was one of the 16 ventures selected from a total of 29,000 for the national Entrepreneur Challenge contest in Chile. This allowed us to be broadcast on national open television on May 5 in a simile of the "Shark Tank" program that can be seen here: https://www.tvn.cl/programas/desafio-emprendedor/capitulos/desafio- entrepreneur-chapter-9-

In January 2023 Swarmob was one of the 5 winning Edtechs of the TPrize Challenge, organized by the Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico) and the Universidad de los Andes (Colombia). This triumph implies participation in an acceleration process with Tecológico de Monterrey to scale Swarmob in Mexico and Latin America, as well as an economic prize.

Dialogue with 4 Ministers of Education - Pacific Alliance

Swarmob was invited to represent Chilean educational innovation in a dialogue with the four education ministers of the Pacific Alliance countries (Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Peru), in the livestream meeting "Reinventing the academic sector". See video of the event.

Swarmob in the print media

Due to the success of Swarmob participating in the Startup Chile acceleration program and the victory in the United Nations innovation award for the STI Forum 2021, Swarmob received the attention of important print media in Chile. See El MercurioSee Diario Financiero (Financial Journal)

UN STI Forum 2021: Winners call for innovations 2021

Swarmob was recognized by the UN and R4D as one of the ten innovations around the world that contribute the most to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, being the only Latin American innovation selected in the 2021 version of the call. For this reason, Swarmob was invited to participate in the 6th United Nations Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation, to share its experience with an audience from 34 countries made up of government officials, financiers, sector experts and UN officials, among others. See background and list of winning innovations.See UN press releaseSee the video of the panel.See press release 1.See press release 2.

¿Cómo innovar en educación para la ciudadanía global y el desarrollo sostenible? | Diálogos Swarmob

Video of the first international teaching conversation organized by Swarmob, dedicated to the challenge of innovating in education for global citizenship and sustainable development. It was attended by Araceli Serantes, PhD from the research groups in Educational Policy, History and Society (University of Coruña) and Environmental Education, Communication and Art (University of Mato Grosso) and Luciana Silvestri, Language and Literature teacher at the College Tomás Alva Edison and director of the Probot School. Professors from 12 Latin American countries joined us in this dialogue.Video: https://youtu.be/pKVJnMVwGgw

Second Swarmob's Interschool Encounter: students for the SDGs

Video of the second interschool meeting for the Sustainable Development Goals, organized by Swarmob in 2019. It included the participation of students and teachers from 15 schools of the Swarmob network, in which they presented the projects they created during the year, participated in recreational activities 21st century skills training and attended talks from allied social and environmental institutions. Visit experience:https://youtu.be/auxpBx79GGE

Redes de aprendizaje para un futuro sustentable by Voces Cotidianas

Interview of the Voces Cotidianas podcast, where the founders of Swarmob were invited to talk about the social background that inspired the creation of this project, the essential work of teachers and students in education for global citizenship and the need to generate networks to multiple levels to build a harmonious relationship with the Earth: http://bit.ly/2LB7n2M

¿Cómo educar para la igualdad de género desde el aula hacia la sociedad? | Diálogos Swarmob

Video of the second international teaching conversation organized by Swarmob, dedicated to education for gender equality based on the sustainable development agenda and innovation with PBL. It was attended by Rosario Olivares, Philosophy professor member of REDFEM and doctor in American Studies (USACH) and Canela Bodenhofer, educational policy researcher at SUMMA. Professors and assistant professors from 12 countries in the region also participated in the dialogue.Video: https://youtu.be/kdXf4RfTr4E

VIVA Schmidheiny Awards Winners 2020

Swarmob won second place at the VIVA Schmidheiny 2020 Awards, company with social impact category.

Podcast: Transformar a las nuevas generaciones con educación colectiva - Swarmob

Interview of the Próxima Frontera podcast with the founders of Swarmob and the work they do promoting education to transform the world from collective intelligence. Listen here: https://delfino.cr/audio/transformar-a-las-nuevas-generaciones-con-educacion-colectiva-swarmob

Implementation steps

0. Contact us

We work with K12 educational institutions (schools, colleges, institutes) and local governments. We offer various forms of participation depending on each institutional culture and degree of innovation, so that everyone can take part.To join, visit our website www.swarmob.com or write to us at info@swarmob.com

1. Implement a small-scale pilot

We suggest starting a small-scale pilot in each school, involving 3-5 teachers to plan a PBL challenge. This can then be applied to 1 or 5 classrooms.

2. Expand implementation at the school level

After a successful experience with the initial pilot, we support the process of involving more teachers and classrooms in the school, promoting the transfer of know-how. We have a system differentiated by stages, which adapts to each school reality.

3. Strengthen network collaboration

Schools that have successfully engaged a critical mass of teachers and classrooms in the PBL methodology continue to use the Swarmob platform to facilitate PBL management processes. In addition, they begin a phase where network collaboration with other PBL schools and social and environmental institutions takes on more prominence.