Dot Learnt

Edtechistas and Edtechers – back again for your global education technology fix. Dig in for this month’s most talked about topics unearthing across the globe:

Too Cool for School

These days it is all about mobility. School in a Box brings the very concept of portability and convenience to the notion of schooling. The new non-profit initiative providesaccess to education ICTs in rural populations throughout India and sub-Saharan Africa. Weighing in at 11 KG, the $1600 boxes will set up teched out schools. Each box contains an iPad, solar panel, projector and speakers. Looks like officials in Zimbabwe are liking what they see…

Samsung Africa is shedding some light on education. The new Solar Powered Internet School in Boksburg, South Africa is one of the first of its kind. The Internet accessbile and solar-powered school grants students more accessibility to education, especially throughout areas that lack connectivity.  Shine on Africa!

Spreading that Tech Love

Looking for free Wi-Fi can be tough, but when it comes to emerging markets, finding any Wi-Fi can be a challenge. Last month, the Global Education Challenge, a competition to find original ideas that can improve student outcomes across the globe, announced their annual winners. Prizewinner Neil Dsouza introduced Education Hotspots, a program that provides mobile hotspots and free educational courseware to emerging communities lacking Internet connection. Neil’s in good company – check out the other GEC winners, here. (more…)

• Best individual Blog: Good.is/category/education
  • Liz Dwyer, GOOD’s education editor, continually inspires me. Her posts explore the hottest and freshest topics, and have a unique way of appealing to individuals across sectors.

• Best group blog: http://blogs.worldbank.org/education/blog
  • In an effort to explore global education policy, the World Bank writers delve into the most crucial issues unfolding across emerging markets in terms of education. Their lucid global perspective helps link the development process across the globe.

• Best ed tech blog: http://mobileactive.org/blog
  • This blog taps into the mobile tech developments unearthing in the global community. By doing so, readers instantly begin to understand the true ability of technology to both enhance and reinvent the learning process. (more…)

I recently had the honor of participating in a conference with Sal Khan, the founder of the Khan Academy, a free education service providing over 2,700 videos on topics ranging from calculus to sentence structure and used by over 3.5 million students across the globe.

Walking away from my morning session with Sal, I could not help but reflect on the web platform I was working on for the Peer to Peer University (P2PU).  In much the same way that Sal is impacting the world of education by speaking directly to the students, P2PU hopes to impact the world of education by supporting and connecting teachers and administrators.

With over 1,300 posts on its platform, P2PU is on a trajectory to deliver as many open educational materials to professional-level students as the Khan Academy now provides to school-age children. Bon Education has been a part of P2PU’s expansion, offering new courses aimed at providing high quality training to teachers across the globe. (more…)

In the pursuit of an education? These 5 apps have the ability to transform any classroom in any location into an engaging platform of discussion and self-reliant learning.

Name: Word Lens

Cool Factor: A language translator that fuses the best of translation and augmented reality! Just point the camera to a piece of text and watch the translation appear instantaneously on your screen.

EduApp: A pile of textbooks in a different language? No problem! Just point, shoot and let your mother tongue come alive.

Enlighten Me: Browse the entire Khan Academy curriculum, with access to hundreds of videos organized by subject and curriculum

Teched on the Go: Students can tap into over 2,700 videos, delving into everything from physics or art history to healthcare and medicine. (more…)