Globaloria

Globaloria emerged from the vision of Israeli-American entrepreneur and learning scientist Dr. Idit Harel, who has dedicated her career to advancing education through technology. The company was incubated at the World Wide Workshop, a non-profit founded by Harel in 2004 to develop innovative digital learning projects. Globaloria officially launched as an independent company in 2014, securing $3.5 million in funding after being supported by approximately $8 million in grants during its incubation. Its foundation is rooted in Harel's extensive research at the MIT Media Lab alongside Seymour Papert, a pioneer of the constructionist learning theory, which posits that people learn effectively through making things.

The firm established itself as a provider of computer science curriculum and professional development for the K-12 education market. Its business model focused on supplying a blended-learning platform to schools and districts, offering courses that teach students computational thinking via practical application in game design, coding, and website development. The curriculum was designed to be integrated into various subjects, enabling teachers without a computer science background to successfully lead the courses. Students use professional tools to ideate, build, and launch their own projects, fostering skills in STEM and preparing them for a technology-driven economy. This project-based methodology empowers students to become creators, not just consumers, of digital media.

In a significant milestone, Globaloria was acquired by Carnegie Learning in September 2017. This acquisition represented a strategic alignment of two research-based educational technology companies, combining Globaloria's coding curriculum with Carnegie Learning's established presence in mathematics and adaptive learning solutions. Following the acquisition, Globaloria's product was integrated into Carnegie Learning's portfolio and is now known as Proto. Harel transitioned into an advisory role at Carnegie Learning to support the integration. The platform continues to serve the K-12 market, allowing students to develop computational skills through end-to-end project creation.

Keywords: edtech, computer science education, K-12 curriculum, project-based learning, coding for kids, game design education, STEM education, Idit Harel, World Wide Workshop, Carnegie Learning, Proto, constructionist learning, digital literacy, educational software, professional development for teachers, blended learning, computational thinking, web development curriculum, K-12 technology, blended learning platform