Washington, DC (September 8, 2014) — All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development (ACR GCD) and University of California, Berkeley today announced a partnership to include a “Mobiles for Reading” category within the annual Big Ideas@Berkeley competition.
The “Mobiles for Reading” challenge encourages students to develop novel mobile technology-based innovations to enhance reading scores for early grade children in developing countries. Alternatively, proposals may use existing mobile-based technologies to improve early grade reading scores by adapting or applying those technologies in new and innovative ways.
“Students are vital problem solvers in addressing the challenge of improving child literacy. Students’ understanding of how they learned to read, and appreciation of it, along with their creativity and knowledge of technology empowers them to craft breakthrough innovations. We look forward to their submissions,” states Rebecca Leege, project director for ACR GCD.
Student teams applying to the “Mobiles for Reading” category must include at least one matriculated graduate or undergraduate student from an eligible campus. For the first time, Berkeley has expanded its network of eligible campuses beyond the Higher Education Solution Network (HESN) campuses to two Australian schools, Monash University and University of South Australia, to represent the ACR GCD Partners.
“The Big Ideas contest harnesses the boundless creativity of university students and provides a platform to turn their ideas into viable projects with real-world impact,” said Phillip Denny, manager of the Big Ideas contest. “We’re extremely excited to be collaborating with All Children Reading and look forward to working with students across the U.S., Uganda and Australia on this challenge.”
Big Ideas@Berkeley provides funding, support, and encouragement to interdisciplinary teams of students with “big ideas.” Big Ideas@Berkeley has inspired innovative and high-impact student-led projects aimed at solving problems that matter to their generation.
All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development, established in 2011 as a partnership between USAID, World Vision and the Australian Government, is soliciting creative, cost-effective innovations to improve reading for children in early grades. Round 2, launched in 2014, seeks technology-based innovations to improve literacy outcomes by focusing on mother tongue instruction and reading materials, family and community engagement, and children with disabilities. To learn more about ACR GCD and the “Mobiles for Reading” competition visit AllChildrenReading.org.
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About World Vision:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization conducting relief, development, and advocacy activities in its work with children, families, and their communities in nearly 100 countries to help them reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information, please visit www.WorldVision.org/media-center/ or on Twitter @WorldVisionUSA.
Highlights
- “Mobiles for Reading” competition launches, extends eligibility to Australian universities.
- The Challenge seeks technology-based innovations to improve literacy outcomes by focusing on mother tongue instruction and reading materials, family and community engagement, and children with disabilities.