millee:
mobile
and immersive
learning
for literacy
in emerging
economies
the problem: formal schooling has limited impact on children in developing countries due to child labor, inadequate teacher training, etc.
·
Literacy levels in several underdeveloped regions can
be shockingly low, sometimes under 50%
·
Sub-Saharan Africa has highest rate of children out of
school (36.2%), followed by South Asia (20%)
·
School-age children cannot attend school regularly
when they need to work for the family
the opportunity: mobile phones enable access to quality learning resources - anytime, anywhere.
·
4 billion mobile phones today, of which 2.2 billion
are in developing countries
·
United Nations estimates that half of all residents in
remote areas will have mobile phones by 2012
· With mobile technology, we have an opportunity to significantly increase the reach of education
our solution: educational games on mobile phones.
·
Brings education to learners who cannot attend school
on regular basis
·
Game-like learning experiences that are engaging
·
Compatible with public schooling and other educational
delivery models
·
Target learners: (i) rural children, (ii) urban slums
children, and (iii) other near-poverty children whose
families view MILLEE games as next best alternative to
private classes (which they cannot afford)
the evidence: over 5 years of academic research and peer-reviewed publications.
·
Carnegie Mellon University and the University of
California, Berkeley
·
Semester-long pilot that demonstrated learning
benefits
· Received several competitive grant awards
·
Appeared on television –
ABC News and
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation documentary
·
Featured in national-level press in India, where the
last 10 rounds of field research
took place
our expansion plan: technology transfer from academia to social enterprise.
·
More robust, second generation of educational games
·
Open courseware development platform for third-party
content localization
·
Partnerships to develop distribution channels in
India, China, Africa and elsewhere
