A research-based, interactive application to teach phonics, vocabulary and typing.
The project idea is to develop a typing and language learning application for the target users of the 'Children's Machine' ($100 laptop)

Abstract

Our most precious natural resource is our children. Yet, many of the nearly two billion children in the developing world are inadequately educated, or receive no education at all. Almost one in five of the world’s 650 million primary school-age children are not in school (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2005).

The individual and societal consequences of this are profound. Children are consigned to poverty and isolation – just like their parents – never knowing what the light of learning could mean in their lives. At the same time, their governments struggle to compete in a rapidly globalized information economy.

In January 2005, the MIT Media Lab launched an initiative to develop a $100 laptop – a technology that could revolutionize how we educate the world’s children. The One Laptop Per Child initiative presents a unique opportunity for educators to distribute learning content to millions of children in the developing world.

For these children to participate and take advantage of this opportunity however, typing skill is essential. The ability to type on a keyboard accurately within a reasonable time is rapidly becoming an essential skill and pre-requisite for participation in a globalized information economy. Typing skill is required for higher order computer use such as writing and programming. At the same time, learning and mastering the English language is crucial. English is the predominant language of the Internet today. Today, almost six out of ten computers connected to the Internet are located in English-speaking countries (CIA World Factbook, 2007). Even if the use of the rest of the world’s languages on the Internet would eventually catch up, or that automatic language translation will become available in the future, widespread English proficiency in an economy is a distinct advantage today, and for some years to come. It opens up more job prospects, improves the quality of life and is a window to the world.

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