By Christian Ver A. Marcelo / Special to the BusinessMirror
SMART Communications, together with the Community of Learners Foundation (COLF), launched the Smart TechnoCart, a portable digital laboratory that aims to aid basic education among Kindergarten pupils, along with their campaign LearnSmart.
Announced at Museo Pambata on June 26, the Smart TechnoCart will mainly contain 25 digital tablets for the students. It will also comprise of an extra tablet, laptop and projector for the teacher, a Smart Bro pocket Wi-Fi for Internet connectivity, and a management and analysis system called Smart One Campus.
Aside from the equipment, COLF also provided training on the basic uses of the tablet, as well as its integration to the existing education curriculum.
“The grownups are trying to catch up with what kids are doing…we might as well do it,” said Ramon Isberto, PLDT and Smart pice president and head of Public Affairs.
With the idea of bridging the age gap between the teachers and the pupils, Smart TechnoCart will also feature the Batibot mobile application, co-developed by COLF and OrangeFix, based on the local television kids’ show.
The mobile app intends for the learners to learn the basics, while being accompanied by familiar characters and sounds. It is also designed to encourage the use of the Filipino language. For its beneficiaries, Smart has partnered with the Department of Education to identify the inaugural batch of the program.
The initial lot is composed of 15 selected public Kindergarten schools across the nation, each with at least 150 pupils. Public schools may also apply directly or for sponsorship for the Smart TechnoCart.
The Smart TechnoCart program was prompted when the company commissioned a study on tablet usage among Kindergarten back in 2013 with its partner school, Culiat Elementary School in Quezon City. Smart Communication started its education programs in 2004, and continues its vision of “enabling education through technology” with its projects.
“Smart believes that digital technologies can help facilitate learning opportunities from pre-school up to college,” Isberto said.