We are to expand our current effort on designing and developing a PocketSchool (mobile learning solution for primary literacy, numeracy, and life skill development) global network for children living in extremely underserved regions in the global community.
PSGN is a global open network distributing mlearning-based edutainment solutions to places where there are no schools. This project is to help extremely underserved children develop literacy, numeracy, and life-skills to participate in global information, knowledge, and creative content economy. The philosophy for this is “everyone can learn and contribute to world peace and prosperity.” This is initiated by a Stanford spin-off non-profit 501.C.3. named XRI Global. We believe in mobile empowerment and global open network. Mobile innovations such as m-money, m-commerce, and m-learning are certainly making inroads to the 3rd world and there are many efforts to connect “the other 3 billion” as well. We would like to create an open network environment where everyone can learn and become an entrepreneur. This means a child in Rwanda can learn to write a series of mobile blog stories (e.g., Harry Potter story ) to distribute to the world and generate revenues. A Congolese child in a refuge camp can sell his time by engaging in free French conversation for a French class in Palo Alto high school. A high school student in Guatemala can serve as a mobile video reporter for a major news brokerage firm reporting a recent flood in the region and the aftermath. The consumers in the other side of the world can simply pay a token of fractional money (e.g., 0.1 cent) for the content directly to the source generator with airtime minutes or m-money. The content providers compete to generate better contents and earn better rating like e-bay sellers would do. The consumers feel great to spend almost nothing to get real good information, knowledge, or creative content. The children and people who see the money generating opportunities in the nationhood will be more motivated to learn to write and compete. A fraction of the trading transactions will pay for the infrastructure and relevant brokerage services (m-paypal, m-cnn, m-blockbuster, etc.). The local revenues will boost the local economy and mitigate reasons for geography-specific conflicts. World consumers will enjoy more dynamic, real, and edutainment content with good sense of global citizenship. PocketSchool Global Network is to support the equal knowledge and creative content economy which will lead to shared prosperity and peace.
Conducted action research and published the results. Reports are available upon request.
Kim, P. (2008). An action research for the development of mobile learning system for the underserved. Educational Technology Research & Development. DOI: 10.1007/s11423-008-9109-2.Kim, P., Miranda, T., & Olaciregui, C. (2007). Pocket school: Exploring mobile technology as a sustainable literacy education option for underserved children in Latin America. International Journal of Educational Development. doi:10.1016/j.ijedudev.2007.11.002.
How to develop a global distribution model.
How to establish a management model that is to support local entrepreneurs with micro-financing funds.
How to market the model to world and regional government entities, local entrepreneurs, and microfinanciers.
Micro-finance will finance local entrepreneurs to market, distribute, and support the mobile learning solution to their communities. We will sell the mobile learning solutions (lease to own model) and continue to provide edutainment content to the local entrepreneurs. The profits from the sales of the solutions to the local entrepreneurs will be used to enahnce the content and expand the model to more regions.
Initial start-up fund to develop a prototype and series of learning contents.
Finalize out design, come up with learning content series, develop micro-finance options for local entrepreneurs to distribute and support the mobile edutainment solutions.
| Additional Project Idea Representative: | Sue Maunders | |
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| Additional Project Idea Representative: | Gordon Freeman |
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