User:H0riz0n/tasks/merl/reply

Adam and Dietz,

Thank you for getting back to me. The term "flatten" comes from Thomas Friedman NY Times best seller book "The World is Flat ." What it refers to is the Internet and techology are creating a playing field where all have equal access. Education isn't. Online gaming, in many ways, is. And we want to merge the two. We seek to create a new kind of play-learn system (initial focus: math and science) that will enable any family with access to participate and learn. We feel this is the only way we can get our kids engaged in math and science; witness first hand the growing disparity between cultures; combat the fundamentalist hold on the western educational system; and most importantly help to prepare all kids for the future.

This is no simple undertaking, it will take key strategic partners like MERL and other to help bring it about. However, all the technology is in place for it--its just needs to be tweeked an assembled. Most importantly, our key to accessing the funding to accomplish the "tweeking and assembling" will be aligning the right mix of strategic partners.

There are three parts to this project:


 * 1) Wikitube open source platform ("The Skin")-- A multimedia wiki platform that will enable anyone to take existing multimedia and create short education modules. All the multimedia education materials for K-12 has been created and us currenlty sitting unused on hard drives and video cassettes in AV libraries all over the world (BBC, PBS, NPR, DISCOVERY, etc.).
 * 2) K12 Online ("The Skeleton")-- proprietary play-learn system that will integrates wikitube edu modules in a fun format for the learners. Games and prizes become the Pavlovian mechanism for the kids to watch, learn, compete and win prizes.  A key aspect is K12 Online is primarily audio and visually driven, text is tertiary.  The idea is all a kid needs to be able to do is "point and touch." (Partners secured)
 * 3) Point and touch Teaching Tablets (TT) -- 19" multi touch teaching tablet. The goal is for  K12 Online to run on any device that can access the net. However, we anticipate an education market that would be interested in a device that "limits/control" online access to kids and provides all the K-12+ education needs.  I'm sure many are asking the question how will China and India (and others) build a 20th Century educational brinks and mortar infrastructure to meet demand? They can't. They wont need to with our solution... we want to provide every kid with a TT and let the education start at home and allow schools to function as labs where kids apply what they have learn.

My question is can something like DiamondTouch be encapsulated in something like a Teaching Tablet? What inspired the TT was Jeff Han`s work. Would TTs be something that MERL might want to explore? We have no interest in getting in the hardware business. Olpc is looking to move significant number of laptops (over 100m per year). However, I and others feel they are a good gesture, but an inadequate education solutions where kids cant read, and teachers have just a middle school level of education. Others markets like China and India are desperately seeking a solution and we can help provide them one. However olpc is paving the way for EDUIT. We would like to offer the option for K12 Online to run on an a scaled down affordable multi touch tablet. So TTs become the teacher, classroom and the art room.

At this stage we are just researching possible players that might interested in exploring a possible collaborative relationships. Maybe an 19" multi touch PC tablet as we envisioned isn't currently doable. I am hoping you can tell me.

EDUIT is a 501c3 Education nonprofit based out of Washington DC. Currently our organization is a volunteer one. I am currently in the process of identifying the strategic partners and am pulling the pieces together to enable us to secure the necessary funding. Having MERL on board (in any capacity) would help us move in the right direction.

Sincerely,


 * Michael


 * Skype: Eduitorg
 * DC # redirect to Japan: 202 360 4467