Id-4-Edu: Digital learning for Billions without net access
Is there a way to bring DLD (Digital Learning Design) to rural areas around the globe?
Imagine…
…a completely self-contained digital delivery tool that embeds audio, video, slides, and easy to use interactivity…ALL without the need for a web connection.
Software meets Standard
InDesign is an extremely powerful Adobe product [FYI: I neither work for Adobe nor paid to write this] that is able to create and export documents into an ePUB3 format standard. This combination of InDesign’s limitless creative ability and ePUB3 standard can generate:
· A full on Talking Textbook (that reads to students — great also for language learners)
· Interactive reader (novels, articles, poems etc.)
· Self discovery fully interactive geography / history lessons
· A complete course in a digital book format that can be viewed on multiple mobile formats
· Animation and interactivity only limited by the creator’s imagination (no coding needed)
· Media archive
· Self-paced and/or blended learning materials
Sound too good to be true? Not really, but I realize this is probably not how digital books were originally designed to be used. But having spent so much time abroad in developing countries, I began to look at ‘bridging solutions’ for digital learning in rural areas.
However, before we delve deeper into some of these DLD features, we need to discuss some potential challenges.
Distribution challenges
Fact: — almost ½ of the globe still have no sustainable or stable web access.
Education Challenges
Fact: Many second and third world countries are well behind on their rural MDG implementation.
So Jeff, how would you recommend we get digital books to these areas with little or no access? Here are a couple of ‘old school meets new school’ possibilities for both teacher professional development as well as school material:
-Satellite: A few countries (EG: India has spent a bundle on this) have used satellite to beam Master Teacher lessons throughout the country. It could also be used download digital books.
-HDD / USB: Utilize existing delivery infrastructure (rail, bus, motorcycle and bicycle) to systematically distribute eternal memory devices from central locations to rural schools.
Adobe Challenges
Adobe InDesign (and most other Adobe CC products) are amazing, BUT…
1) They are not cheap
2) They have a high learning curve
Some options to to this are to work with DLD consultants until some local staff can become in-house DLD experts.
DLD Examples
A Novel Approach
Here is a sample page from a draft 5_STAR Customer Service ‘training novel’ that is currently being reviewed.
It has a link to an internal page (yellow box) that allows reader to view the character’s report. A link on the report in the appendix brings them back to this exact spot.
It has a fully embedded video that can be controlled by the reader.
It also has a link to an external web site — which would obviously need net access to view. It can be deleted, skipped or have the page on a local computer / server.
A Discovery Approach
This is an early version of my DLD Portfolio layout.
Clicking on a circle on the map or a date along the bottom bar, the reader would jump to that page to learn details about that location / date.
From the new page, they could then use the date bar or a home button to navigate through the document. Imagine having a geography / history / socials class set up like this?
A Talking Textbook
Imaging being able to highlight different sections of a document that students can have read to them, in different voices.
Technically this is not a built-in feature, but other software can do the recordings, then these are embedded in the document and triggered by interaction buttons.
Media Archive
Hundreds of audio and/or/ video clips and thousands of images all embedded, organized and accessible with just a few navigation clicks. Great for teacher-led blended learning classes, library media display, or as a media archive that can be accessed during self-study Course in a (Digital) box.
Course in a (DIGITAL) box
All of the above organized into a complete self study course (or lesson) that students can work through at their own pace. Though there is no quiz engine, but with a little creativity there can be a series of knowledge check (and automated response) questions.
If you know of other ways to bring DLD to rural masses, please comment here.
If you would like more information about the development of DLD projects mentioned here, please contact me directly.
