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MILLEE – a project on Mobile phones and literacy in developing regions

M is for Mobile WorkshopMarch 1st, 2011 – New Delhi, India

+Human Development Lab @ CMU Research how people learn under “developing

regions” conditions Differences due to exposure to print, formal schooling, etc. Educational games on low-cost devices, literacy and

second language learning, women’s empowerment

Multidisciplinary research group Computer science Human-computer interaction Reading literacy Second language acquisition Speech and language technologies Videogame design

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+What drives us

“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” – T.J. Watson, IBM chairman, 1943

Bill Gates' bold vision in the 1970s:

“A computer on every desk and in every home.”

Inventing the Future…. “A mobile language lab in every

underserved learner community.”

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+MILLEE: Mobile and Immersive Learning for Literacy in Emerging Economies

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+ Our support system

Partnering NGOs

Current and previous funders

University connections

Suraksha

+Project timeline

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2005

Exploratory Study in Village and Slums

2007

Additional Testing and field iterations

2009

Feasibility Study in Village and Slums

Class room pilot study

Curriculum Development for half academic year

Out of school pilot study

Developed 12 new games and usability testing

+Case Study Pilots

Classroom pilot study – Deployment throughout Spring 2008

Thrice a week. After-school program at private village school

Quantitative study with 27 participants (grades 2-9) Demonstrated significant post-test improvements on spelling skills Learning gains correlated with grade levels

Out of school pilot study – First study on rural children’s voluntary use of cell phones in their

daily lives over extended time Participant observation with 20 rural households Identified 9 scenarios by different times of the day , specific to

caste and gender (learning at the fields, learning at home etc)

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+Pilot Results – Usage

Duration of mobile usage for learning Despite electricity challenges, participants were able

to keep cell phones charged for mobile learning 2 hours, 23 min per week (on average)

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Electricity generatorat homeReliable power outlets at homeUnreliable power outlets at home

+Pilot Results – Learning benefits

Average participant covered 46 new words over 16 weeks of unsupervised usage of cell phones At this rate, each participant is expected to learn 150

new words in a calendar year Benchmark is 500 words, given good learning

conditions

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+Design methodologies Creating culturally adaptive designs by analyzing

traditional games Studied 28 traditional games from Indian villages and

analyzed how they differed from contemporary western videogames.

Combined theory and practice Theory: applied latest education research on second

language acquisition and reading literacy acquisition Practice: reviewed a sample of 35 commercial language

learning applications Sample selected has a balance between listening,

reading, speaking and writing skills

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+Opportunities to scale

Explorative pilot with Affordable Private Schools (APS) with existing funds from Nokia and 450 donated phones What is the best way to integrate MILLEE into their existing

model to add value , differentiate school owners from their competitors, cover costs

Is there a sustainable business model??

Evaluate partnership opportunities with: Cell phone manufacturers Wireless carriers Third-party content developers Education service providers

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+Connect with us!

Phone: 889-754-4335

Email: indrani@millee.org

Homepage: www.millee.org

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