DigiEduHack hackathon

In November, Datorium and the European Commission organised the DigiEduHack 2023 education technology hackathon in Latvia. A total of 46 team solutions were submitted. The hackathon brought together 164 students from 19 Latvian secondary schools and gymnasiums. All of these students study advanced programming as part of their secondary school curriculum in cooperation with Datorium. The DigiEduHack challenge asked students to create a solution that would encourage students to engage in the learning process and increase their motivation to acquire new knowledge and skills. Their work was assessed by an international jury of education technology experts from Latvia and Finland.

The hackathon was won by the “Biedri” team from Bauskas 2. vidusskola: Henrijs Kravals, Evelīna Gateža, Rihards Fokins, Monta Poškus and Deivids Krastiņš. The team created a mobile app called “Biedri”,which helps students build communities around their interests by allowing them to create and manage student clubs and extracurricular activities, particularly in regions with limited opportunities. A video presentation of the students’ solution is available herehttps://youtu.be/Db4KUuu4Dxs

The special recognition award from Finnish jury member Peter Fagerström went to team DP*2 from Bauskas 2. vidusskola, comprising Rihards Dadžāns, Renāts Pomerancis, Maksym Dumytrovych and Niklāvs Puķāns. The students created a website that could connect students with companies and make it easier for them to gain their first work experience or secure an internship. The team received 2 mentoring sessions with Finnish experts from Educraftor to help develop their solution further and put it into practice. Video presentation of the solution:https://youtu.be/x59YeWJhT88

The Latvian DigiEduHack winners will now compete against 40 finalist teams from different countries. In December, the DigiEduHack steering group will select the 3 best teams in each category. The winners will then be determined by a public vote. The final awards ceremony will take place in March 2024.https://digieduhack.com/awards

“I am proud of the level demonstrated by our young people at the DigiEduHack 2023 hackathon. The main benefit of taking part in hackathons is gaining experience and an understanding of how IT solutions are developed by teams in real life. The students experienced sleepless nights, time pressure, disappointment when team members failed to do their part, excitement about the outcome and adrenaline – just like in real life.   I believe that every secondary school student should take part in a hackathon at least once!” said Datorium CEO Anžela Džafarova.

The Digital Education Hackathon (DigiEduHack)https://digieduhack.com/,  is a grassroots movement that aims to foster innovation, collaboration and creativity and drive positive change in digital education. DigiEduHack is a European Commission initiativeunder the Digital Education Action Plan 2021–2027.

Datorium is a leading Latvian education technology company that provides high-quality STEM lessons to around 5000 students across Latvia every week. Datorium brings together young people interested in technology through its community, which now has more than 10 000 members, mainly from the Baltic countries. The community gives young people opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills, make new connections, take part in hackathons and projects, meet industry experts, and find internships or jobs in the IT sector.

Educraftorhttp://educraftor.com/is a Finnish education technology and innovation company with extensive experience in delivering international education projects.

The DigiEduHack Latvia hackathon brought together 164  students from the following Latvian schools:

Bauskas 2.vidusskola

Ulbrokas vidusskola

Rīgas Valsts vācu ģimnāzija

Dobeles Valsts ģimnāzija

Siguldas Valsts ģimnāzija

Varakļānu vidusskola

Olaines 1.vidusskola

Rīgas 71.vidusskola

Ogres Valsts ģimnāzija

Olaines 2. vidusskola

Jūrmalas Valsts ģimnāzija

Jelgavas Tehnoloģiju vidusskola

Jūrmalas Pumpuru vidusskola

Ķeguma vidusskola

Ogres 1.vidusskola

Limbažu Valsts ģimnāzija

Rīgas 71. vidusskola

Rīgas Arkādijas vidusskola