Abá PROJECT

Having hope does not mean waiting, technological literacy for everyone, now!

Brazilian communities do not have access to technology, and not even have access to Wi-Fi networks. The proposal is to present feasible solutions to help teachers and professors to utilize technological tools in the classrooms, in order to optimize learning and provide access to the digital world to the students. Thus, the Abá PROJECT arose, which in Afro-Brazilian means HOPE.

We have chosen to develop a methodology based on a collection of digital books. These digital books will be used to guide teachers and students in how to use computers and laptops as a work tool to complement the content developed in the classroom for other subjects.

We have heard so much about DIGITAL INCLUSION, but in practice, the use of technologies in schools presents itself as a challenge for teachers and students. Even after many years of attempts to implement digital inclusion in our country, the main question is still: "How to make technology a tool of work?". Assuming that simplicity is fundamental to the success of the project, we present a unique, easy-to-understand, and handy solution that enables us to use programs and tools that can be useful both inside and outside the classroom.

We will work with five activity books:

Book 1 - contents and activities suitable for the 1st Grade – Elementary School;

Book 2 - contents and activities suitable for 2nd Grade – Elementary School;

Book 3 - contents and activities suitable for the 3rd Grade – Elementary School;

Book 4 - contents and activities suitable for the 4th Grade – Elementary School;

Book 5 - contents and activities suitable for the 5th Grade – Elementary School;

Each book will consist of research and work activities, an activity thumb drive, and in the future, a password and access login for the @bá Project Portal. This portal will be used to exchange information and content between teachers and students. Every member will be able to do research, download, and upload projects, ClipArt’s, videos, games, texts, and suggestions of classes.

Teachers will also have access to tools to create personal blogs. Through the blogs, they will be able to establish contact with their students, and other education professionals, to exchange information and enrich their classes.

The tools selected in the software of this project will be directed to each age group, respecting the individual limits: both in their handling, as well as in the possible motor difficulties, or the little previous knowledge of the resources offered; but without underestimating the ability of the children, so that does not requires the students to have any previous knowledge, no matter the series in which they will be worked.

Although the activities are arranged in the format of a book, they can be worked in randomly order according to the projects seen in the classroom.

We chose the computer/laptop because not all the communities that the project will be destined have access to the internet.

There are many proposals for using technology in schools, but most of them involve high costs with equipment to activate Wi-Fi networks.

As our project is aimed at low income communities, we present activities that, a priori, do not require access to the Wi-Fi network, but provide teachers and students with dynamic computers or laptops, aiming to optimize learning, and effectively includes them in the technological universe, truly providing their digital literacy.

Our project is about digital literacy and our proposal is based on the use of computers and notebooks to provide digital literacy for low-income students.

Bring digital inclusion to as many low-income schools as possible, providing training for teachers to be the multipliers of the project.

Through teacher training, our intention is for them to become multipliers by taking the project to other communities. Our intention is that, through these multiplier teachers, digital literacy solutions can also be presented to parents and caregivers, thus involving the entire community.

We will look for private corporations, city halls and the state government for financial support.

The project is still a prototype.

To start, in the low-income areas. The project, if funded, will have an impact in around 7,000, among students and teachers.

Our teams is composed by people from different backgrounds, from areas of education, technology, and social responsibility. Our team is formed by a person who has been working for more than 30 years in education, and information systems, aligning educational methods for children of all ages  and relating them to local political organizations (City Hall and Councilmen); three people in the technology field, with technical knowledge and the tools needed for future implementation of the project; and a person in the area of social responsibility; engaged in social-educational projects of non-profits institutions in the city, and region. 

The sustainability of the project will depend on the support of public, and private policies.

We strongly believe that the project will have a huge impact in low-income communities, and their inclusion in technology and accessibility to the digital environment that the world is nowadays. We will promote the use of technology in education, making technological literacy for students, and also their families.

The main barriers to our solution are:

Funding – getting support from private and public policies;

School culture – teacher bias about the difficult of technology. Through this project, we want to show them that technology can be very accessible and can help them achieve better results in class.