Learning Lab India

It is estimated that one third of the world’s poor people live in India. Improving education is essential to overcoming the challenges of poverty. Enhanced education has the potential to create new opportunities and potential for young Indians that will lead to better lives. Education in traditional subjects as well as important life skills such as good health, hygiene, and social responsibility are the building blocks of a more capable and empowered generation of citizens. India only has on average one teacher for every 40 students, and the more remote schools may have half as many (UNICEF 2006).

New opportunities and strategies for engaging students can employ technology to support those without consistent access to education as well as supplement traditional education systems. Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization behind Sesame Street, has a long and successful history of employing innovative programs and platforms to deliver education to the poorest people in India. In this studio, students will work with Sesame Workshop India to develop cellphone based education tools for slum youth in India. Revolving around the concept of the cellphone as a shared social and educational device, children will be able to engage their immediate community and environment as a living laboratory in which they will collaboratively learn through play and exploration. Kannankote Sriram of Above Inc will be generously supporting the studio with technical expertise, software development, and insight into Android development in India.

Gwendolyn Floyd

Co-Founder/Design Director, Groupshot

Groupshot is a Cambridge, MA, based design and development group which creates technology for informality. Groupshot develops and consults on technology projects around the world to bridge the benefits of local systems and communities with new opportunities and strategies. Groupshot has partnered with Sesame Workshops in India as our local partner in this studio.

Gwendolyn Floyd has worked for the past 7 years developing systems and strategies for social change and strategic technology implementation. Over the last three years she has focused on the developmental promise of technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship in emerging societies. In addition to advising and consulting development initiatives and organizations around the world, she has lectured at Harvard, Stanford, University of California San Diego, Hong Kong Polytechnic, the Institute for the Future and the Southern California Institute of Architecture.

She will be assisted by Adam White (Co-Founder/Development Director, Groupshot).

links:
Groupshot

photo credit:
Jan Chipchase