CONNECTING THE DISCONNECTED

Our portable online/ offline cloud connected solution ensures world-class education & skill training anytime, anywhere in the remotest locations even during emergency situations. We address by Strengthening the learning process, Targeting underserved and remote locations, Using digital & mobile technologies and providing a common platform for collaborations.

1. What is your solution?

The following 4 pillars form the basis of our approach to ensuring access to Education & Skill Training for ALL.

A. Our portable education platform creates an ecosystem that combines an affordable technology Education Server (Hardware + Software + Long Range Wi-Fi), Tablets (for Autonomous Learning), Teachers (for Supported Learning), and Innovative educational content. An intermittent connection to the cloud enables the syncing of data between the remote hub and the central cloud server, thus helping us track learning progress and the effectiveness of the system.
B. Teacher/Mentor lead student interaction to build critical thinking skills using social emotional learning reinforced by Game-based teaching helps local community to take charge
C. DIY engagement activity kits for young minds, help them to understand STEM and experience it
D. We partner with corporations and industry to provide volunteers to teach 21st-century job skills using our system and in person to disadvantaged youth.

2. How does it address the challenge question as posed?

Our solution can be used even during the emergency situation with an ease and can be deployed by non-tech people. Users get relevant curate interactive content in local languages support by a pool of local teachers & volunteer, beneficiary will be people at BOP

Technology is an enabler & can make new things possible. But at the same time, it has to be integrated with the right type of content and pedagogical models. Without such integration technology will be just a fancy tool. That's why we have created four pillars approach which will enable new kind of learning opportunities for students.

If we scaled it across the world and reach remote communities then it will have a ripple effect and definitely improve learning outcomes and increase employability at grassroots which will improve socio-economic conditions.

Regional conflicts, Natural calamities, Social issues majorly impact the education of kids & youth most, esp girls. We believe brick and mortar infrastructure cannot be the solution. Our portable, solar-powered solution is a complete learning ecosystem that contains hardware, software and local interactive educational content (Skill Training / K12 etc) that enables the creation of Digital Classrooms anywhere and it can be moved from one location to another very easily impacting many lives. Our solution will act a bridge between students & industry, where we educate & train the youth for the job skills employers need and increase their employability.

Conducted several pilots with the stakeholders and interviewed more than 500+ people for the use of our solution and after having several rounds of face to face discussion we redesigned our solution ground up keeping in mind that there could be No grid power, No Internet, No Trained Tech people and tried to address it by a 360 degree approach. Ref Image1

Our solution is Affordable, Portable, Easy Setup, Solar Powered, Online/Off-Line, Focus (Skill Development and K-12) It's modular and will keep on evolving with time, things can be upgraded and services easily due to plug and play approach.

The impact we have experienced during initial pilot with BOP Kids (Grade 1 -5) is better retention, improved reading & Technology literacy, excited to do hands on STEM experiments. With BOP Youth is improved life skills, better prepared to face the interview, improved their work readiness.

The biggest beneficiary will be people at BOP (Bottom of the pyramid), Girls and women & disadvantaged Youth.

Our hybrid model (B2B & B2C) it will be through physical setup & Cloud deployed in partnership with the community, Industry,  Foundations, Govt. Technology alone cannot make the difference collaboration is the Key

Conducting baseline, middle and end-line assessment using our LMS & 3rd party organization - Improved reading & Technology literacy by 80% from current standard

Track using our LMS & get assessment of data from local schools, community & govt. - 80% girls continue education with better health & hygiene awareness

Collect & Review data from partner organizations. Conduct survey & data analysis from our cloud. - Increase in employment / entrepreneurship rate by 65% from current standard

We have designed our system for emergency & crisis situations keeping in mind that there could be No grid power, No Internet, No Trained Tech people, It has to be portable yet we want to get reports & updated over the net.

In the digital educational market, we found little similar solutions, but not identical. Our solution is Affordable, Portable, Easy Setup + Solar Powered, Online and Off-Line, Focus – Skill Development and K-12.

- Effective ecosystem without dependencies
- Scalable, Replicable, Accessible
- Use of Interactive technology & Quality content
- Cloud Connected but works offline also
- We use green energy

We have visited many rural & remote locations in India and actually showed them the prototypes the first time we failed miserably since our solution was designed in an urban corporate office after having several rounds of face to face discussion we re-designed our solution keeping the girl child in center, keeping in mind (few barrier) that there will be No grid power, No Internet, No Trained Tech people.If they can't come to a distant school then the school will go there. Also designing the UI & UX so a non-tech person can use it easily and native language integration

Our solution is a hybrid model Physical Deployment & Cloud connected (accessible on mobiles phones).The physical system can be deployed in 1 hrs and train the local resources in 2 days it’s so easy.It's modular and it will keep on evolving with time, things can be changed and services easily due to plug and play approach.

BOP people will not able to pay for the physical system directly that's why the partnership with local NON-Profit, Corporates (CSR), Foundation, UN & Govt will play an important role. we want to achieve $2 without compromising quality and learning outcome.

Our vision is to impact & empower 202,000 people by 2020 and contribute to UN Sustainable Development Goals through our green, scalable, affordable and modular solution. We will generate funds from partnerships, Advertisement, UN Funding, Govt also sell the solution to Private schools & Vocational training center, conduct STEM session at big schools.

Currently, we have self-funded the project and plan to continue to do so for the next three months. However, we are seeking out external funding as the increasing need for more production unit is there.

1. Content in native language: Currently the majority of our solution is in English with only some part of the content available in the Native language. We intend to develop grade specific content in Native language to create a larger impact.

2. Cultural Acceptability for teachers: The inclusion of a technology driven solution with a combination of hardware and software poses a paradigm change in the current teaching methodology. It can seem to be intrusive by teachers to mitigate the same by providing training to the teachers on the ease of use.

3. Low-cost hardware development

http://www.networkedindia.com/2015/08/31/digital-jugaad-puts-education-in-a-box-for-rural-kids/

http://innovatefordigitalindia.intel.in/ensuring-education-farthest-corner-india.html

https://www.linkedin.com/in/digitalbuddha

We know that it won’t be easy to connect the disconnected, collaborating with Solve community will not only help us to access the wealth of information/research but also with Mentorship & Advice. Under the guidance of MIT, we believe that we can definitely achieve better results, grass root impact and learn from other solvers.

MIT Solve will bring so much credibility to the project that it will help us to partner with local Government and expand also looking for Hardware development support and access to initial seed capital

Our early stage Mentors & Advisor

ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers)
Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley
IIM Ahmedabad's Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE)
Department of Science & Technology, Government of India
Action for India

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