When we talk about remote learning, we often think in terms of tools.
Chantal Maciborko, however, first thinks of a place. A place where people meet. Where learning happens together, at each person’s own pace. Where relationships are built.
And that place is Emates—Glowbl, renamed for the occasion—the collaborative digital environment she uses to bring her educational vision to life.
During this Masterclass, she shared three real-life use cases. Three stories where Emates is not just a platform… but the heart of a relational and pedagogical ecosystem. Always designed with the human in mind.
🏡 1. A Virtual Spanish Hostel
The challenge:
Creating group dynamics among students spread across 10 different universities, often with limited mobility (due to geography, financial, family, or health reasons).
The strategy:
Turn the remote experience into a real moment of intercultural and inter-university connection—like a “Spanish hostel.”
Students are matched in pairs or small groups based on their profiles, then invited to collaborate in Glowbl spaces designed like virtual shared apartments—called “emates.”
Why Glowbl made a difference:
Students can move freely, chat, and find their group informally. It’s nothing like a rigid video call. It’s a lived-in space, like a shared flat where people cross paths.
🧪 Proof it works:
Students return spontaneously to their Emates apartments outside of class time to continue exchanging ideas. No reminders needed—the space belongs to them.
“It became their place. Their hangout. Like a class apartment.”
🗣️ 2. Teaching Languages Without Losing Interaction
The challenge:
Deliver remote English classes that are anything but passive.
Encourage speaking, role-play, and interaction… despite the screen.
The strategy:
Design sessions like lively workshops, with frequent group rotations, situational exercises, and interactive materials.
Why Glowbl made a difference:
Here, the teacher isn’t stuck in a video call. They move from group to group. Students shift between tables, self-organize, and interact naturally.
The space recreates the energy of an in-person class—with the flexibility of remote learning.
🧪 Proof it works:
Extremely low absenteeism. Students are present, engaged, and ask to do it again.
“After a couple of sessions, I asked: ‘Would you want to go back to Zoom?’ They said: ‘No way!’”
🧩 3. A Safe Space for People With Autism
The challenge:
Support people with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) by providing a safe, respectful environment tailored to their sensory and relational needs.
For these individuals, the social and sensory setup is key to engaging in group settings.
What Glowbl “Emates” concretely enables:
- A non-intrusive space, where participants can be present without pressure to immediately speak or turn on their cameras.
- The ability to choose where to be in the space, sit at a table, observe before joining in—respecting the need for control and gradual engagement.
- A visually stable and calm interface, with no cognitive or sensory overload, which helps reduce the stress of digital environments.
- Softer, less abrupt interactions than in traditional video calls—movement, participation, and exchanges are more flexible and respect each individual’s pace.
The result: Over time, learners with ASD begin to join sessions willingly, without the usual tension or fear associated with group settings. The space becomes a reassuring anchor, supporting interaction on their terms.
Chantal doesn’t claim to have a “magic solution,” but rather a suitable environment—one that honors and supports each learner’s uniqueness.
🧠 Emates: A Place Where Relationships Thrive
What Chantal demonstrates is that a platform is not just about its features.
It’s the spatial and relational experience it offers that truly makes the difference.
With Glowbl “Emates,” each project becomes possible because the environment supports it:
- Open, flexible, and lived-in
- Friendly, yet structured
- Learner-centric, yet collective
That’s what allows these projects—whether they involve isolated learners, people with disabilities, or demanding programs—to truly come to life.
Glowbl isn’t just another tool.
It’s a pedagogical space, where everyone can find their place.