‘School In A Box’ for schools without electricity
How
can you bring Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to far flung
schools which do not have electricity? This is a problem which a group of
community-oriented and tech-savvy individuals is trying to solve using a
low-cost and energy-efficient mobile learning kit.
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Making learning in rural areas fun and interesting
through School In A Box
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Called
the School In A Box (SIAB), the handy and affordable equipment which runs on a
motorcycle battery intends to make learning fun and interesting for students by
allowing video and audio materials to be played before the whole class, give
teachers and students an opportunity to do research online, and even serve as a
base platform to support modular tools for core subjects like Science and Math.
School
In A Box was an innovation of learning advocate Miguel Bermundo and electrical
engineer Nikko Torcita who are helping schools explore creative ways of
teaching through simple technology which only costs about P15,000 per
package. Bermundo was later on joined by Carmela David and Skye Male who
are both immersed in various corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects of
Globe.
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The winning team: Skye Male (3rd from left), Carmela
David (middle), Miguel Bermundo (2nd from right) together with Globe President
and CEO Ernest Cu (right), Globe Chief Human Resource Officer Renato Jiao
(left), and Globe VP for Product Management Pebbles Sy-Manalang (2nd from
left).
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“Rural
public schools often face learning challenges due to shortage of educational
tools and in some instances, absence of electricity. Students, on the
other hand, usually have a hard time absorbing the lessons, resulting in poor
performance. We need a solution that can help bring 21st century learning to
these kids and create for them a world of possibilities and I’m proud of our
CSR team for doing their part in making this a reality,” said Fernando
Esguerra, Globe CSR Director.
Globe
President and CEO Ernest L. Cu was highly impressed with the idea.
“Bringing technology to the rural areas to save the nation is a very good
move. This shows that innovation can come from any sector, even from
CSR.”
School
In A Box does not intend to reinvent the wheel. Rather, it uses very
common materials such as a pair of PC speakers, basic keyboard, a mouse, and a
credit card-sized computer mainframe called Raspberry Pi packed inside a hard,
water-proof plastic case. The computer uses an SD card as its hard drive
and comes with an iPhone-sized projector for video engagements. It comes
with a 17-amp motorcycle battery which can keep the computer running constantly
for up to eight hours. An optional Globe Tattoo stick can also be inserted
in the USB port for wireless internet surfing while a laser-cut acrylic
microscope setup may be hooked with a smartphone to provide amplified views of
specimens.
SIAB
bested 17 other entries presented at the iSpark pitching competition handled by
Globe Labs to encourage employees unleash their creativity and break
boundaries. Similar to other international hackathons which Globe Labs
organized, iSpark encourages employees to form groups, prepare their hack
concept, make it happen, and pitch their app.
Winning
second and third place are Globe Carpool of CB Strategy and Corporate
Development and AutoQueue of Digital Media, respectively.
iSpark
is part one of the activities at the Globe Telecom’s innovation month which
includes Mind Brew Talks, Globe City, and Globe Innovation Forum. (PR)
For writing, editing and graphics designing projects, coverage and sponsored posts, you may contact Kathy "Purr" Villalon via email: katvillalon@gmail.com
