We can throw money to third world countries to feed them, to give them shelter. If children and adults are struggling to get by…why consider educating yourself? Right?
My first assignment for my social innovation class was based off an innovation introduced by Cliff Schmidt – the “talking book”. Here is a video (though it’s rather long) that explains how the technology works and how it will help empower children and adults and improve their lives.
*
For more info, see http://literacybridge.org/
“Knowledge is power; but most knowledge is tied up in text. So how do the 774 million illiterate adults in the world access knowledge crucial to preventing disease, creating economic opportunity, and defending their political and human rights?
Cliff spent six weeks in a remote region of Ghana to understand rural poverty and sustainable development. He saw many impressive local organizations sharing valuable information for development; but he also experienced the inefficiency of delivering all this information in person.
In response to this problem, Literacy Bridge was founded to empower children and adults with tools for scalable knowledge sharing and literacy learning. The Talking Book Project is Literacy Bridge’s major program, developing new and affordable digital audio technology to provide vital, locally generated information and literacy training to people with limited access to either. Imagine a $5 iPod used to play locally generated podcasts, plus a decentralized, digital content distribution system that reaches villages without electricity but also enables global content sharing. Aside from the innovative use of technology, partnerships with local businesses, civic organizations, and government agencies play a pivotal role in the Talking Book Project.
During this talk, Cliff will share his observations from Ghana and discuss Literacy Bridge’s Talking Book Project.”
Speaker: Cliff Schmidt
Executive Director of Literacy Bridge
Literacy is Freedom 
Recent Comments