Digital storytelling bridges learning gulf
Today’s report features an in5-based Arabic literacy education platform in the UAE. Its mission is to address a practical problem in schools relating to the systematic process for conducting, monitoring and assessing the literacy skills of early learners. However, before diving into the subject, there is a larger problem at hand. In general, although there is high focus on education via digital channels, there is a divide between those with access to highspeed broadband net access versus those for whom even basic mobile data is not available or accessible due to economic, cultural, political or geographic constraints.
digital literacy, a vital tool for 21st century learning
In a 2016 article, Jessica Rosenworcel, a member of the US Federal Communications Commission, stated: “There is evidence all around us that the homework gap is real. According to the Pew Research Center, there are 5 million households in this country with school-aged children that lack broadband service at home. This is a problem. Without a way to get online access, they will be unable to do basic homework or develop the skills necessary for the digital economy.” Students without access struggle to take advantage of the tools, platforms, apps and resources available to their connected peers.
Even where there is Internet access, there is a relatively poor adoption of digital content. For example, In 2014, the Irish Central Statistics Office claimed that while 96 per cent of Irish household with two adults and dependent children had an Internet connection and 86 per cent of Irish people in the 16-29 age bracket used the Internet every day, in reality, only 7 per cent of Irish children aged between 9 and 16 access the Internet at school daily.
Countries that are leading the charge on reducing this imbalance include Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Iceland, Sweden and Belgium. This awareness of the divide shows that nations are reducing the gap and embracing the digital literacy culture rapidly. It is expected that by 2030, data, machine learning and artificial intelligence will power the future of personalised learning environments which in turn will enable educators and schools to transform the traditional school and classroom. The entrepreneurs featured in today’s article are wagering on closing this digital divide in the Middle East.
an arabic story
Asafeer Education Technologies was founded by Amro Abu-Hmaidan, the CEO (a.k.a. Storyteller) and cofounded by Lana Al Jayyousi, a teacher and engineer.
Says Abu-Hmaidan: “We want to build a truly lean business that produces very high quality, entertaining and educational content through a streamlined production process which is cost-efficient.”
They create Arabic literature content which they believe is compelling for kids. This content is also meant to get learners to be passionate about reading, learning and science. The education company trains authors, illustrators, voice-over actors and teachers, making them more capable of creating fascinating content and delivering literacy education in innovative ways. The entrepreneurs aim to give students the best literacy education digitally, reducing the financial burden of printed text.
The business is premised on short-term revenues and quick RoIs. However, the team believes that the larger impact on society will be through catalysing creativity, positivity and a positive outlook on life among young learners, which in tun will generate a passion for learning.
Asafeer Education Technology believes they are fundamentally supporting the UAE’s future growth. Their intent is to create a well-educated, capable and talented pool of resources that can be leveraged by local businesses to become competitive globally. For instance, in the past 30 days alone, over 2.5 million story books were read by early learners in more than 120,000 hours as a result of accessing the platform. Initially, their market was mainly targeted at elementary students in the Mena (estimated at 35 million), with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE as the most significant contributors. However, their services have been extended to wcover K-12 literacy.
Additionally, the data provided by the platform is meant to improve the management’s governance over education provided in their schools. The platform also delivers tools and resources to empower teachers. In combination with the data feed, teachers would ideally be able to focus their attention on the most important challenges their students are facing and help them overcome these. The team would like to, over time, penetrate opportunities in developed countries where datadriven decision making in education is more evolved.
the founder
Abu-Hmaidan states the company started because of the lack of imaginative Arabic literature available for Arab kids. This made him build a small website and over a short period of time, parents and educators showed great interest and response. In5 provided a platform for germinating and developing the concept. Abu-Hmaidan is a computer engineer with two kids.
The writer is founding partner at Bridge DFS, a bespoke financial advisory firm (www.bridgeto.us). Views expressed are his own and do not reflect the newspaper’s policy. He can be contacted at sanjiv@bridgeto.us