Partners of the initiative
About the initiative
The Center for Educational Technologies Western Balkans, together with its partners, organized EdTech2020 Western Balkans (EdTech Western Balkans Awards EWBA), a regional initiative aimed at recognizing and acknowledging innovative examples of digital technology application in formal and informal education. EdTech2020 WB aimed to discover, highlight, and showcase outstanding individuals, products, and projects that have directly impacted and made advancements in the dynamic sector of digital technologies in formal and informal education.
In addition to the Center for Educational Technologies Western Balkans, EdTech2020 Western Balkans was supported by the Balkan Trust for Democracy in Serbia, and involved the Institute for the Evaluation of the Quality of Education and upbringing, the Institute for the Advancement of Education, and the Team for Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction. The project received support from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, as well as other partners across the region.
Why join the initiative?
We are witnessing major technological, educational, and social changes spurred by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, as well as the overall situation caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We are aware that within the entire ecosystem of formal and informal education, there are numerous enthusiasts and innovators who have used this period to overturn the traditional approach and replace it with creative and innovative application of ICT aligned with educational outcomes.
By joining the Edtech2020 Western Balkans initiative, participants have the opportunity for their work, engagement, or product to be recognized and marked with a badge of excellence, confirmed by a quality mark awarded by the expert committee and educational community. The expert committee members include representatives from the responsible educational institutions of the organizers of the Edtech2020 Western Balkans initiative: representatives of the Center for Educational Technologies in the Western Balkans, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development; the Institute for Improvement of Education and Upbringing; the Institute for Education Quality and Evaluation; and the Team for Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction.
Nominated individuals, products, or projects that receive the EdTech Excellence Award will be listed in the EdTech for the Western Balkans publication and prominently featured during the annual Digital Education 2022 conference.
Registration for EWBA and important dates
Edtech2020 Western Balkans is an initiative that will be held annually. At the end of each calendar year, applications will open covering the previous year and focusing on exceptional individuals, products, and projects in the digital technology sector from Serbia and the region. This means that individuals, companies, and/or teams can apply for Edtech2020 Western Balkans if their work/products relate to digital technologies in formal and informal education.
Applications for Edtech2020 Western Balkans are now closed.
Nomination for recognition in the categories of EdTech Personality and/or Project allows self-nomination or nomination by a third party. In the latter case, the nominated person must confirm their nomination and has the right to decline it. Only after confirmation does the nomination become valid. *In the category of Edtech Product Recognition, companies nominate their own products; it’s not possible to nominate products if you are not employed by the company producing the product.
Categories
The expert commission conducted evaluation in the following categories:
Recognition for EdTech Personality of the Year
Educators, teachers, preschool teachers, professors, parents, coaches, and/or other individuals active in the education sector;
Refers to individuals active in the education sector who have creatively and innovatively enhanced student/class/school performance through the application of educational technologies. This may include individuals employed in formal or informal education sectors (preschool institutions, primary and/or secondary schools, colleges, trainers, educators) who have significantly improved work processes’ quality through intensive use of digital technologies.
Recognition for EdTech Product of the Year
Solutions or products of companies/firms intended for education (audiovisual software, computers and equipment, smartboards, communication software, classroom management software like LMS, electronic textbooks…).
This category is aimed at companies and/or firms offering products and/or solutions for education that have been intensively applied during the previous period of distance learning/work.
Recognition for EdTech Project of the Year
Projects, initiatives, undertakings by teams aimed at applying digital technologies in formal or informal education.
This category recognizes and rewards initiatives, projects, undertakings that have utilized digital technologies to impact student/children’s education, connect local communities, network participants, support parents, and similar endeavors.
