Toronto-based EdTech startup Habitat Learn has acquired Temmer Enterprises Limited, a computerized note taking company. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Habitat Learn noted that it shares a vision of bringing equality and equity to education with Temmer.
Founded 26 years ago by Marilyn Rognvaldson, Guelph-based Temmer provides speech and print interpretation services to business, educational institutions, and individuals. In compliance with services required as set out in Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), Temmer offers access to information in a variety of communication formats such as video, film, and webinars.
“We look forward to integrating the technology developed by Habitat Learn to offer our established customer base a wider range of enhanced services,” said Rognvaldson.
Habitat Learn noted that it shares a vision of bringing equality and equity to education with Temmer through universal design for learning frameworks.
With a mission to create accessible learning experiences, Habitat Learn was incorporated in 2014 to provide products and services that are created to eliminate barriers in education. Its tech-enabled suite of offerings includes a proprietary video conferencing platform, real-time captions, analytics, note-taking for class summaries, and a camera to broadcast classes remotely.
Daniel Goerz, Habitat Learn’s North America CEO and co-founder said the Temmer acquisition will enable Habitat Learn to offer remote in-class note taking and live captioning.
Habitat Learn said its affiliated companies in the United States and United Kingdom serve over 300 educational institutions and government organizations.
Multiple industries have been accelerating its adoption of technology, however some reports indicate that the educational sector is lagging behind.
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Promethean’s State of Technology in Education report for 2021–22 found that some educators have expressed frustration that a targets-driven culture can apply unproven strategies, particularly if technology is overlooked.
The report also highlighted that most educators champion technology, yet many are slow to adopt. Fifty-one percent of educators said tech is a strategic priority, but one in five (22 percent) said they don’t have an IT strategy.
Habitat Learn is only one such Canadian company that aims to bring the educational sector up to speed when it comes to tech adoption.
Other Canadian players in the edtech space include Kitchener-Waterloo-based D2L, which debuted on the Toronto Stock Exchange in November. The company is the developer behind Brightspace, a cloud-based software platform for the delivery of courses, learning-based games, and assessments online or in-person.
Featured image from Habitat Learn.