Future Today Edutech Hub

Future Today Edutech Hub is committed to provide technology-enabled solutions “Gamified-Education” (imaginative play, collaborative projects, and hands-on experiments) that:

• Enable and improve personalized learning and individualized instruction for African learners (at home and Diasporas) who have experienced disruptions in schooling and missed foundational milestones.
• Facilitate meaningful social-emotional learning among underserved young people {African learners (at home and Diasporas)}.
• Support timely and manageable assessments to help under-resourced African communities (at home and Diasporas) better plan, monitor, and evaluate learning.
• Lift administrative burdens on educators and support professional development as they implement new approaches {“Gamified-Education” (imaginative play, collaborative projects, and hands-on experiments)} and navigate continued disruptions.

We strive to create among underserved African young people (at home and Diasporas):

• the space, time and resources to build foundational and durable skills that promote their ability to explore their academic, extracurricular, creative passions and meaningfully engage with their peers and communities. 

We are at present working among underserved children and youth between the ages of 5 and 18 as well as teachers in five countries namely: Nigeria, UK, USA, Republic of Ireland, and Saudi Arabia. We have guided over two hundred and twenty learners (students and teachers) in gamify education from low income families with a 75% registered female in 3 years.

The commitment of The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwoolu “to establish a strong convergence between technology, economic development and governance” to serve 17.5-million Lagosians are major factors contributing to the problem relating to our solution. We contribute positively to lower youth-unemployment rate to that of adults in our host-communities and if scaled would translate to a 10 to 20% increase in Africa’s GDP, by Creating 25-Million Jobs and Equipping 50Million Youth(2016-2025 ).

If scaled globally it can help fulfill the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) 4 on equitable education and skills development; i.e. increase the proportion of youth/adults with ICT-skills and increase the number of youth/adults who have relevant-skills, including technical and vocational-skills, for employment, decent-jobs and entrepreneurship. Furthermore it can help actualize UNSDG 5 on Gender Equality, UNSDG 8 on inclusive growth, productive employment and decent work for all and UNSDG1 on ending poverty.

In the long it will fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology; UNSDG 17.

Future Today Edutech Hub guides underserved African learners (at home and Diasporas) to form collaborative Gamified-Educational gangs to explore the use of MIT-Scratch and derivatives to:

• Enable and improve personalized learning and individualized instruction for African learners (at home and Diasporas) who have experienced disruptions in schooling and missed foundational milestones.
• Facilitate meaningful social-emotional learning among underserved young people {African learners (at home and Diasporas)}.
• Support timely and manageable assessments to help under-resourced African communities (at home and Diasporas) better plan, monitor, and evaluate learning.
• Lift administrative burdens on educators and support professional development as they implement new approaches {“Gamified-Education” (imaginative play, collaborative projects, and hands-on experiments)} and navigate continued disruptions.

We create among underserved African young people (at home and Diasporas):

• the space, time and resources to build foundational and durable skills, that promotes their ability to explore their academic, extracurricular, and creative passions, as well as meaningfully engage with their peers and communities. 

We do these with our technology-enabled solutions “Gamified-Education” (imaginative play, collaborative projects, and hands-on experiments).

We respond to relevant community needs by investing in open-access resources adapted to local contexts and curricula as prescribed by UNESCO (2018)

Our Gamified-Educational gangs explore at their own pace the potentials of Games (new technologies) to disrupt education for the better, rather than explain using machine learning technology at the classroom level that enhances the effectiveness of teachers and lift administrative burdens on educators and support professional development as they implement new approaches {“Gamified-Education” (imaginative play, collaborative projects, and hands-on experiments)} and navigate continued disruptions. As well as Support timely and manageable assessments to help under-resourced African communities (at home and Diasporas) better plan, monitor, and evaluate learning.

To enable and improve personalized learning and individualized instruction for African learners (at home and Diasporas) who have experienced disruptions in schooling and missed foundational milestones. Alongside facilitate meaningful social-emotional learning among underserved young people {African learners (at home and Diasporas)}. we run “code to learn” classes, boot camps and competitions (on/off line) aimed at developing Gamified skills for underserved learners in our hub and in alliance with community based organization, to offer same to their underserved members most especially girls and young women .

We aim to ensure that all our learners have an exceptional and distinctive robust social-emotional learning experience while at our Learning Hub (on/off line) to promote learner re-engagement and helps students navigate their shifting academic, social, and familial landscapes.

Future Today Edutech Hub guides underserved African learners (at home and Diasporas) to form collaborative Gamified-Educational gangs (using imaginative play, collaborative projects, and hands-on experiments) to explore the use of MIT-Scratch, Stempedia-PictoBlox, NI-Labview, teachable-machine ,  AI, ML etc to:

• Enable and improve personalized learning and individualized instruction for African learners (at home and Diasporas) who have experienced disruptions in schooling and missed foundational milestones.
• Facilitate meaningful social-emotional learning among underserved young people {African learners (at home and Diasporas)}.
• Support timely and manageable assessments to help under-resourced African communities (at home and Diasporas) better plan, monitor, and evaluate learning.
• Lift administrative burdens on educators and support professional development as they implement new approaches {“Gamified-Education” (imaginative play, collaborative projects, and hands-on experiments)} and navigate continued disruptions.

We create among underserved African young people (at home and Diasporas):

the space, time, or resources to build foundational and durable skills, that promotes their ability to explore their academic, extracurricular, and creative passions, or meaningfully engage with their peers and communities. 

We are at present working among underserved children and youth between the ages of 5 and 18 as well as teachers in five countries namely: Nigeria, UK, USA, Republic of Ireland, and Saudi Arabia. We have guided over two hundred and twenty learners (students and teachers) in gamify education from low income families with a 75% registered female in 3 years in our hub and via our online portal in alliance with community based organization, private and government Institutions and Ministry.

We engage our underserved-learners to Gamify their Educational curriculum needs to aid assimilation by turning facts into visible action in the simplest, sustainable, collaborative and most beautiful way possible to make knowledge acquisition a joy at a living-cost. Through our solution, they develop critical thinking, creativity, collaboration & communication – the four C’s of the 21st century skills.

We enable and improve personalized learning and individualized instruction for African learners (at home and Diasporas) who have experienced disruptions in schooling and missed foundational milestones. Alongside facilitate meaningful social-emotional learning among underserved young people {African learners (at home and Diasporas)} most especially girls and young women . We ensure that all our learners have an exceptional and distinctive robust social-emotional learning experience while at our Learning Hub (on/off line) to promote learner re-engagement and helps students navigate their shifting academic, social, and familial landscapes.

We have a multidisciplinary team with diverse skills, background, and experiences that uniquely position us to deliver a cutting edge Gamified-Education:

Engr. Wasiu Oyedepo, the Team Lead is a landowner at Oke-Lisa Town (our hub host community) and serves as the Assistant Secretary of Oke-Lisa Community Development Association (An association of all aborigines, landowners and residents of Oke-Lisa Town). Also he serves as a Branch General-Secretary of NASFAT, Owode-Ajegunle and a member of NASFAT Lagos Zone-1 Quarterly-conference committee and Lead Tutor NASFATEENSCANCODE competition.

Through these positions he understands the needs of the communities’ and accept input, ideas, and agendas that guides Future Today Edutech Hub to respond to relevant community needs by investing in open-access resources adapted to local contexts and curricula as prescribed by UNESCO (2018)

Furthermore, he utilizes his experience as a mentor for NIMechE-FAFME Design and Creativity Competition, a fully funded program by Royal Academy of Engineers, UK to ensure that the design and implementation of any solution are meaningfully guided by the  9- “Living” Principles for Digital Development

Prof. Dauda is a well travelled Nigerian researcher and teacher.  He is at present the President NIGERIA - JAPAN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION (NAIJAA) and Director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development (CEED) , University of Maiduguri. Prof. Dauda provides mentorship and advisory services to the team in-line with his network, experience and exposure.

We are applying to Solve for:

• Financial Support (improving accounting practices, pitching to investors): As we expand our market segment we will need better and improved accounting practices that will position us to pitch to and win investors.

We are therefore seeking collaboration with other Solver teams and partners that can help advance this cause.

• Product / Service Distribution Support (expanding client base): As part of our immediate and future Impact goals we need support to expand our client base both in the five counties we are at present operating and in other countries. We are willing to work with other Solver teams and partners  that are working with African Communities ( with learners who are most at risk for disengagement and school drop-out most especially girls and young women) in the following countries: USA, UK, Republic Of Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Italy, Canada, Germany, South Africa etc. We are open to collaborate to organize Boot camps, Competition and regular classes via our online portal , partner’s portal or client’s portal
• Monitoring & Evaluation Support (collecting/using data, measuring impact): The transformational impact of our present effort on the communities we serve needs better measurement to meet international standard. Result from such endeavor will help us understand better the needs of those we’re serving, and how we can better engage them as we develop our solution.

We are therefore seeking collaboration with other Solver teams and partners that can help advance this cause.

Future Today Edutech Hub guides underserved African learners (at home and Diasporas) to form collaborative Gamified-Educational gangs (as an improved variant of the Code-Lagos Initiative of the Lagos-State Government) to explore the use of MIT-Scratch and derivatives to:

• Enable and improve personalized learning and individualized instruction for African learners (at home and Diasporas) who have experienced disruptions in schooling and missed foundational milestones.
• Facilitate meaningful social-emotional learning among underserved young people {African learners (at home and Diasporas)}.
• Support timely and manageable assessments to help under-resourced African communities (at home and Diasporas) better plan, monitor, and evaluate learning.
• Lift administrative burdens on educators and support professional development as they implement new approaches {“Gamified-Education” (imaginative play, collaborative projects, and hands-on experiments)} and navigate continued disruptions.

We create among underserved African young people (at home and Diasporas):

• the space, time, or resources to build foundational and durable skills, that promotes their ability to explore their academic, extracurricular, and creative passions, or meaningfully engage with their peers and communities. 

We coordinate unique Gamified-Educational gangs to explore at their own pace the potentials of Games (new technologies) to disrupt education for the better, rather than explain (significantly improved approach) using machine learning technology at the classroom level that enhances the effectiveness of teachers and lift administrative burdens on educators and support professional development as they implement new approaches {“Gamified-Education” (imaginative play, collaborative projects, and hands-on experiments)} and navigate continued disruptions. As well as Support timely and manageable assessments to help under-resourced African communities (at home and Diasporas) better plan, monitor, and evaluate learning (enable broader positive impacts).

To enable and improve personalized learning and individualized instruction for African learners (at home and Diasporas) who have experienced disruptions in schooling and missed foundational milestones alongside facilitate meaningful social-emotional learning among underserved young people {African learners (at home and Diasporas)}. we run “code to learn” classes, boot camps and competitions (on/off line) aimed at developing Gamified skills for underserved learners in our hub and in alliance with community based organization, to offer same to their underserved members most especially girls and young women .

Our Gamified-Educational gangs examine verified facts that are relevant to community needs (enable broader positive impacts) by investing in open-access resources (on/offline) adapted to local-contexts and curricula as advised by UNESCO. They archive this in a fun filled manner through deployment of technology to turn these facts into visible-action (imaginative play) in the simplest, sustainable, collaborative and most beautiful way possible to make knowledge acquisition a fun.

We aim to ensure that all our learners have an exceptional and distinctive robust social-emotional learning experience while at our Learning Hub (on/off line) to promote learner re-engagement and helps students navigate their shifting academic, social, and familial landscapes.

We take a cohesive, inclusive and personalized approach to enhancing the student experience - one that encompasses all subjects, all modes of learning (on/offline), all student services, and all parts of our campus (significantly improved approach) an improvement on teaching of coding as a single-subject practiced under the code Lagos Initiative of the Lagos State Government.

Ultimately we develop our learners’ interest in STE(A)M, via critical thinking, creativity, collaboration & communication – the four C’s of the 21st century skills {enable broader positive impacts}

Our impact goals for the next year include the following: 

Complete the 12 months training of our Advance AI and Robotics class, Cohort 1 and 2. These Cohorts include Gamified-Educational gangs taking classes in our hub and those receiving training via our online portal (Diaspora Learners).   

Organize the second edition of #NASFATEENSCANCODE-2022 (an international online programming training for Muslim teens age 7-17) in collaboration with our partners. We plan to reach more countries and more participant than last year. 

We are developing collaboration frame work with the following organizations to organize annual boot camps and competition for underserved children and youth between the ages of 5 and 18: 

• Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers Lagos Chapter( on whose Executive board our Team Lead serves as Technical Secretary with responsibilities for members professional development) 
• Nigerian Society of Engineers Lagos Branch ( Where our Team Lead is an active member) 

We are developing a joint product program with the University of Maiduguri (Prof. Muhammed Dauda, Department of Mechanical Engineering) to enhance our training with 3D-Robotics, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligent, Machine Learning and others. 

We plan to implement National Ideathons targeting Ten-thousand (10,000) Students in the next five years, with a minimum 80% Female population.

• UNSDG4: We have guided over two hundred and twenty students in gamify education from low income families with a 75% registered female in 3 years. These include Gamified-Educational gangs taking classes in our hub, via our online portal, participants of both #nasfatkidscancode and #nasfateenscancode. Through this we have contributed to the Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, thereby substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
• UNSDG 5: We promote and encourage the participation of girls in our Gamified-Educational gangs. This is indicated by the 75% Registered Female. We through this enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women. UNSDG 8: through our introduction of Gamified-Education we have achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added in a labor-intensive sectors of Education.

Future Today Edutech Hub innovatively guides students to Gamify their Educational curriculum needs to make them (learners) assimilate more (Immediate output) with an easy, sustainable and simple collaboration platform that is also fun to use.

We coordinate unique Gamified-Educational gangs to explore at their own pace the potentials of Games (new technologies) to disrupt education for the better, rather than explain using machine learning technology at the classroom level that enhances the effectiveness of teachers, improve daily lesson planning and delivery, foster collaboration, and support long-term development.

Our theory of change follows scientifically sound standard emphasized by educational pioneer Seymour Papert: Using comes before understanding

During this pandemic schooling era, we deploy our Technology-enabled innovations for teaching, learning, and assessment to help learners catch up on what they’ve been missing while building on individual strengths and gains. In collaboration with NASAFT Headquarters, Fountain University and Havek Leadership we organized an online programming competition for Muslim teens (age 7-17 yrs, and educator age >17yrs) #nasfateeenscancode-2021. Participants submitted bespoke projects that show that meaningful social-emotional learning took place during the competition.

Also pre-course survey of participant at our joint Boot camp with our partner NASAFT Lagos Zone 1 revealed that 91.3% of participants were unable to code using our base Technology, MIT Scratch.

The coding blocks of MIT Scratch Software are designed like LEGO bricks, and was designed and developed by MIT Media Lab for learning through exploring, experimenting, and tinkering.

During post-course review; most of students claimed that the program has:

• Increased their Learning Time.
• Increase Leadership Effectiveness
• assist them to build foundational and durable skills

They also view the program to have positively

• Increase Family and Community Engagement.

Peer review of projects carried out by another set of our students posted on Teaching with Scratch, a Facebook group by ScratchEd Team at HGSE earned us Two Facebook badges: Visual Story Teller and Conversation starter for three consecutive months in 2019.

The core technologies that power our Gamified-Education gangs are MIT Scratch, Stempedia Pictoblox and NI Labview, Google Machine Learning. 

According to MIT Scratch Team the “group at the MIT Media Lab designed and developed Scratch for learning through exploring, experimenting, and tinkering. Scratch coding blocks are designed like LEGO bricks. This makes it easy as “children learn by putting blocks together and taking them apart. They also pick up new ideas by seeing what others are making and collaborating to make something together.”

Furthermore educational pioneer Seymour Papert emphasized: Using comes before understanding. Researcher at MIT has found this to be true as young people who have developed broad creative, computational, and collaboration skills with Scratch usually first learned by “playing” or “messing around” with it, trying things out and seeing what worked. This playful approach helped them build their confidence in their ability to learn and problem solve. 

According to Stempedia PictoBlox was developed from the latest version of Scratch as graphical programming software that makes coding fun and easy. It has a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality, and is the ideal companion for setting the first step into the world of programming. PictoBlox has found use in learning to code, make interactive animations and games, interesting projects based on IoT, program actions for robots, and much more!

LabVIEW is a comprehensive development environment that contains all the tools engineers and scientists need to design and deploy measurement and control systems. 

Future Today Edutech Hub is committed to advance a respectful and caring community that embraces diversity and empowers everyone to learn and do their best at our Hub, cultivating a community focused on Future Today Edutech Hub’s shared values of engagement, assimilation and acquisition.

Future Today Edutech Hub is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin. 

Through Future Today Edutech Hub’s core values of engagement, assimilation and acquisition, we strive to uphold the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and are committed to anti-racism in all the work we do.

Future Today Edutech Hub is putting in place an internal DEI team of Future Today Edutech Hub staff specifically focused on three areas: 

Internal efforts (including data collection, hiring, and vendor selection)

Programming

Communications

Diversity: We appreciate and leverage the many differences of Future Today Edutech Hub staff and Future Today Edutech Hub’s larger community, and we involve and reflect the various communities we serve through partnership and open innovation. Our team include: Engr Wasiu OYEDEPO a Yoruba from Western Nigeria and Prof. Muhammed Dauda, an Hausa/Fulani scholar from Northern Nigeria.

Equity: We design our policies, practices, and resources with the goal of providing people of all backgrounds a genuine opportunity to thrive. #NASFATKIDSCANCODE an initiative of Future Today Edutech Hub in alliance with NASFAT have women represented on its implementation committee and seek to promote participation of more girls in ICT.

Further more on equity, #NASFATEENSCANCODE-2021 our first fully online international coding competition that had participants from five countries (Nigeria, UK, USA, Ireland, Saudi Arabia) had a female as the Program Convener. The Association of Professional Women Engineers, Lagos Chapter was also invited as member of the panel of reviewers. 

Future Today Edutech Hub is funded by a combination of income from: 

• B2C (Young African learners (at home and Diasporas)). We have already started to generate income (Tuition) from our personalized learning and individualized instruction for African learners (at home and Diasporas) in Gamified-Education. These learners include those receiving training at our Hub and via our online portal. We plan to have at least  600 learners in our program by September 2022,

and 

• B2B (community based organisation) who collaborate with us to train their young  members as well as those that are title sponsor for our competition do pay us honorarium for our service.

We plan to increase our funding through:

• B2C (Young African learners (at home and Diasporas)): Sale of web domain to our learners to host and commercialize their game
• Sale of Robotics tool-kits to our learners
• B2B (Angel Investors and Alumni) we also plan to get additional funding from angel investors, as well as a give back program from the alumni.

We charge our Diaspora learners a living cost of 200 USD Tuition fees per term (three terms per year).  

We were also paid honorarium by NASFAT, the title sponsor of #NASFATEENSCANCODE-2021 along with prizes for each of the winner which include computer tabs and cash