One Media Player per Teacher

One Media Player per Teacher (OMPT) is an initiative of the parent company Polder, which is a California, USA based, non-profit organization, created by Matthew and Patrice York. OMPT is raising the awareness of the power of connecting people to crucial information that can improve health, education, and employment opportunities, even people who are far away from the Internet.
OMPT is dedicated to equipping teachers in the most remote areas with the powerful technology of portable media players (PMPs) to enhance education among villages in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) with limited opportunities. The recorded voices and lessons stored on the PMPs can be from the most proficient teachers in their nation, giving students the opportunity to learn from the best. PMPs can contain an entire year's math curriculum on one player or vital training in health care, agriculture, sanitation and rural infrastructure. PMP learning can improve health, education and employment opportunities for those who live in poverty stricken environments.
Mission
OMPT's Mission is to help educate the world's poorest billion people with low-cost technology.
This goal of equipping 10 million teachers with portable media players supports the 2015 UN Millennium Development Goals.
History
In May 2007 Matt York introduced himself to the Education Development Center EDC in Washington DC. After 20 years in the consumer electronics industry, Matt had a hunch that these products along with his knowledge and abilities could be of great service within the international development community. The hunch is that video and audio technology can be leveraged to accelerate education in emerging markets, especially the poorest of the poor (bottom billion). With all of his contacts Matt could raise funds and in kind contributions. After teaching millions of wealthy people in US how to entertain one another with video, it seemed that training teaching in developing countries would be achievable and appropriate.
Polder, Inc. (“Polder”), a newly formed California nonprofit public benefit corporation, is organized and operated for the purpose of advancing education in the developing world by addressing urgent educational challenges facing developing communities today. The organization was approved for tax exempt status.
in late August 2009. Polder’s flagship initiative is the One Media Player Per Teacher program (OMPT). Through OMPT, Polder helps provide portable media players (PMPs) equipped with audio speakers and/or video screens to teachers in remote areas of the developing world and trains them to use these devices as valuable educational tools for their students. Inspired by the One Laptop Per Child project, OMPT empowers people trapped in poverty, who have no access to the Internet, by connecting them to crucial information that can better their lives. At this time, 100% of Polder’s time is allocated to OMPT.
Currently, Polder’s work is carried out by unpaid directors, officers, and volunteers, though Polder has engaged the services of an independent contractor to test PMPs and solar panels as part of the research component of the OMPT program. The work is carried out at Polder’s headquarters in Chico, California and on-site in the developing countries where Polder conducts trainings.
OMPT is funded by fee-for-service income from the NGOs Polder works with. Polder also plans to solicit contributions from individuals and businesses and apply for foundation and government grants to support OMPT and its other planned activities. Finally, Polder anticipates receiving dividend income to support its programs from a wholly-owned, for-profit subsidiary it plans to form, Delurmo. Delurmo will design, manufacture, and distribute PMPs and related equipment.
Theory of Change
Too many people worldwide are living in substandard conditions. Half the world’s population is living on less than two dollars a day. From a moral and humanitarian standpoint, this is utterly unacceptable. Yet most of us are indifferent and complacent. We stand by as millions die each year, just because they are too poor to stay alive. Our policy leaders’ inattention and neglect lull us into believing that there is nothing more we can do.
Insufficient education is one of the main reasons for the suffering in the developing world. This can trap people for generations in a cycle of poverty. Most of the nearly two billion children in the developing world do not finish school. One-third of these children do not complete fifth grade, and many have no schooling at all.
No country has ever reached sustained economic growth without coming close to universal primary education for boys and girls. No other investment has so much potential to lift communities out of poverty.
Education for adults is even more inadequate. Millions of adults need training in health care, agriculture and sanitation, as well as knowledge about the basic services and infrastructure needed in rural communities. However, they lack access to schools, qualified teachers and/or trainers. Even when there are teachers, they often lack lessons and curriculum for critical topics like reproductive health and family planning. One result of this particular education void in many developing countries is the continued spread of sexually-transmitted disease and illness and an alarming death rate of adult populations. Because of this, many children become orphans. Countless more children die from lack of health services and education.
The information age has not arrived on a global scale. The Internet revolution has yet to reach billions of the world’s poor. Most of these lack access to computers and live far away from the Internet. Many are illiterate and cannot understand even a simple Web page. Yet, there is hope for the poor.
The information revolution can indeed reach the barely reachable. It can change their lives. For those trapped in poverty, the most valuable data on the Internet may not be Web pages, but rather sounds and images, because audio-visual files can educate even the illiterate.
IRI: Established Standard
Since the 1970s, educational radio has provided great benefits to people trapped in poverty. Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) uses interactive lessons delivered through either radio broadcast or audio cassette. Throughout Africa and South America, radio has been a tremendous resource for learning and dissemination. An “audio” teacher directs the lessons, while classroom teachers serve as facilitators. The use of IRI in developing countries worldwide has improved the quality of education across a range of school subjects, and IRI has also served as a form of teacher development. Multiple studies of IRI consistently have shown high learning gains, decreased equity gaps and cost-effectiveness. Twenty-three years after IRI’s initial launch, several major IRI projects continue to operate successfully. While there have been various updates to IRI over the years, its basic structure and methodology remain largely unaltered. Projects around the world continue to use IRI.
Too many people worldwide are living in substandard conditions. Half the world’s population is living on less than two dollars a day. From a moral and humanitarian standpoint, this is utterly unacceptable. Yet most of us are indifferent and complacent. We stand by as millions die each year, just because they are too poor to stay alive. Our policy leaders’ inattention and neglect lull us into believing that there is nothing more we can do.
Insufficient education is one of the main reasons for the suffering in the developing world. This can trap people for generations in a cycle of poverty. Most of the nearly two billion children in the developing world do not finish school. One-third of these children do not complete fifth grade, and many have no schooling at all.
No country has ever reached sustained economic growth without coming close to universal primary education for boys and girls. No other investment has so much potential to lift communities out of poverty.
Education for adults is even more inadequate. Millions of adults need training in health care, agriculture and sanitation, as well as knowledge about the basic services and infrastructure needed in rural communities. However, they lack access to schools, qualified teachers and/or trainers. Even when there are teachers, they often lack lessons and curriculum for critical topics like reproductive health and family planning. One result of this particular education void in many developing countries is the continued spread of sexually-transmitted disease and illness and an alarming death rate of adult populations. Because of this, many children become orphans. Countless more children die from lack of health services and education.
The information age has not arrived on a global scale. The Internet revolution has yet to reach billions of the world’s poor. Most of these lack access to computers and live far away from the Internet. Many are illiterate and cannot understand even a simple Web page. Yet, there is hope for the poor.
The information revolution can indeed reach the barely reachable. It can change their lives. For those trapped in poverty, the most valuable data on the Internet may not be Web pages, but rather sounds and images, because audio-visual files can educate even the illiterate.
As a result of the IRI program, development agencies have distributed hundreds of thousands of radios to people in the Developing Countries. Non-government organizations, working with private industry partners, have solved the problem of powering these radios in distant villages, by distributing solar-powered and hand-cranked radios. Millions of students in countries like Haiti, Somalia, Honduras, Zambia, Colombia and India have learned math from teachers or facilitators who use radios to tune into educational broadcast lessons. Now these lessons arrive via the Internet as audio and video files.
Since the 1970’s, educational radio and television have provided great benefits to people trapped in poverty. Programs like Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI), Distance Education, Multi-channel Learning and Educational TV are four prime examples using audiovisual aides. Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) is defined as the use of interactive lessons delivered through either radio broadcast or audiocassette. An “audio” teacher directs the lessons while classroom teachers serve as facilitators. IRI has been used in developing countries worldwide to improve the quality of education across a range of school subjects and to serve as a form of teacher development. Multiple studies of IRI consistently have shown high learning gains, decreased equity gaps, and cost-effectiveness.
Several major projects continue to operate successfully since the inception of IRI the Nicaraguan Mathematics Project in 1975. While over the years IRI has been updated in various ways, its basic structure and methodology remain largely unaltered. IRI continues to be used in projects around the world. As a result of the IRI program, development agencies have distributed hundreds of thousands of radios to people in the third world. Non-government organizations, working with private industry partners have solved the problem of powering these radios, in distant villages, by creating solar powered and hand cranked radios. Millions of students in countries like Haiti, Somalia, Colombia and India have learned math from teachers or facilitators using radios to tune into educational broadcast lessons. Now these lessons are being transmitted via the Internet as audio and video files.
PMPs: The New Portable Solution
In the developed nations, the most popular way to play audio and video files is via portable media players (PMPs). Since 2001, the iPod has created and popularized the use of PMPs as entertainment devices for listening to one’s favorite music. As PMPs were designed for the “personal audio” category, their main use is to entertain one person at a time via a set of headphones.
However, PMPs can serve a much broader purpose: as a valuable portable educational tool that enables users to listen to podcasts (pre-recorded audio) or to watch vidcasts (pre-recorded video). Technology has plenty of entertainment applications, but few know the power of digital media for education. Popularized in 2005, a podcast is like a radio program produced for a very narrow audience, much smaller groups than those currently using radio. Users can download an educational podcast by transferring files to PMPs and then, in turn, delivering them to a neighborhood, village or town. Using portable radio-sized electronic speakers connected to a PMP, a classroom group of 40 can easily benefit from listening to a podcast. With a television set connected to a PMP, the same group can benefit from watching a vidcast (video podcast).
With loudspeakers or transmitters to broadcast the radio programs over mid-sized and tiny geographic areas, portable media players also have the potential to educate and train even larger groups of people via a podcast at the same time.
When using broadcast radio programming, thousands or tens of thousands of students must all listen to the same lesson synchronously; at the time when the lesson is scheduled to broadcast. With Portable Media Players (PMPs), the teacher controls the lesson schedule.
The teacher can listen to the lesson prior to presenting it to the class. When teachers are prepared, they arrive at class with more confidence and greater capability. This gives the teacher or the facilitator the power to pace the learning. They have the ability to pause the lesson at their command. If the students are disruptive or confused, the lesson is paused. Short portions of the lesson can be replayed to fine-tune the learning. If the listeners are learning quickly, the teacher does not need to wait for tomorrow’s radio broadcast. They can move ahead to the next lesson. Teachers can also go back and review previous lessons.
The sound quality of PMPs is always perfect, with no interference from static. With PMPs, the teachers are not preoccupied with fine tuning a radio dial.
This level of control over Interactive Radio Instruction lessons is not exactly new. CDs and audiocassettes provide similar benefits to the teachers. However, PMPs are far superior.
With PMPs, audio lessons are stored on USB thumb drives, SD cards or internal flash memory. The cost for flash memory has been dropping dramatically since it was developed. As of mid 2008, one gigabyte costs as little as $5, which can store about 70 hours of voice files. The cost is 7 cents an hour. Not only is flash media far less costly than CDs and audiocassettes, but flash media is not subject to wear and tear. For USB flash drives, a 10,000 write cycle endurance would enable users to completely write and erase the entire contents once per day for 27 years, well beyond the life of the hardware.
OMPT looks for donations from manufacturers producing PMP's that match certain criteria. They have already received donations from Nextar.
, Pinnacle, Eton, and Zvue.
Services
Technology Training
One Media Player per Teacher (OMPT) offers training and capacity building services tailored to the needs of our clients and stakeholders. For Interactive radio Instruction (IRI) using Portable Media Players (PMP) programs to be successful, teachers, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) technicians, and other educational leaders must learn about the technology and how to use it pedagogically. We can customize our training programs in response to the specific conditions of each project we work with. However, for a IRI/PMP program to be successful, we consider that local implementers must build capacity in three areas: IRI/PMP program management, technical training for teacher support, and teacher training.
1. IRI/PMP Program Design and Management
An IRI/PMP program will only be successful if it is designed with sustainability and local adoption in mind from the beginning. We understand that a new technology must be introduced as part of a holistic package of educational reform, which begins with effective program design. Depending on the needs for a given project, we can provide training and technical assistance in the following key areas:
•Workshops for education leaders that introduce the IRI/PMP model
•Pilot project design and evaluation
•Program design and planning (scaling up of pilot programs)
•Situational analysis: analyzing class size, user proficiency quotient, and other data required for effective program design
•Media production: converting text lessons to audio and/or video
•Program implementation: equipment, media, and replication
2. ICT Technician Training for Teacher Support
For those of us that use information and communications technologies as part of our everyday workflow, it is easy to underestimate the amount of support teachers need to use PMPs for education. We promote train the trainer strategies that build local capacity to provide ongoing training and support for local teachers. Our services can include:
•Writing instruction manuals adapted to the local population: including only key instructions, simpler vocabulary, and localized language.
•Training in file management, lesson organization, audio format transfer, mass replication, and other technical skills.
•Training in teacher-training and teacher-support methodologies.
•Training in facilitator follow up visit procedures: effective monitoring visits
3. Teacher Training
Whether we train teachers directly or work through local teacher trainers, the educational benefit of PMPs hinges on how well teachers gain a pedagogic understanding of the IRI/PMP model and the practical skills to effectively use their new equipment. We develop and provide training in these key areas:
•Pedagogical background: the merits of audio lessons taught with PMPs.
•Care and use of their new equipment: media, players, and charging.
•Hands-on practice: Sample lessons and other group practice activities for teachers to gain necessary skills and confidence.
Evidence of Success
OMPT has played an advisory role in some of these projects. Portable Media Players (PMPs) are being deployed in a small number of intervention sites around the world.
Southern Sudan
Ravaged by prolonged civil wars, Sudan has the largest internally displaced population in the world, mostly from southern Sudan. The war has aggravated the isolation of the southern part of the country that has long been one of the most backward and underdeveloped areas in Africa. The area has a phenomenal toll in terms of disease, poverty, suffering, high mortality rates and unchecked ignorance.
Kuol Atem Bol, Director of Alternative Education systems, Southern Sudan, describes the situation: “The two decades of civil war in Sudan has claimed over 1.5 million lives and displaced an estimated four million people. The educational system in Southern Sudan has been adversely affected by the two decades of civil war, depicting one of the worst illiteracy rate indicators in the world.
About 2.5 million children, youth and adults missed their basic education which has pushed the illiteracy rate of South Sudan to 85 per cent, while the overall rate of Sudan is 57 per cent.
“In Sudan, education was frequently interrupted by wars. Accessibility to education, retention and quality education was difficult to achieve. The gross enrollment rate in Southern Sudan is hardly 22 per cent. Only 20 per cent of teachers have attained formal training. Female teachers comprise only 7 per cent of the total teacher population.”, Atem Bol said.
Our staff is working with the Southern Sudan Interactive Radio Instruction (SSIRI) Project to develop and broadcast educational radio programs including primary school subjects to children in schools, English to youth and adults, and staff development programs for teachers. Our staff is working with the Southern Sudan Interactive Radio Instruction (SSIRI) Project to develop and broadcast educational radio programs including primary school subjects to children in schools, English to youth and adults, and staff development programs for teachers. Our staff is working with the Southern Sudan Interactive Radio Instruction (SSIRI) Project to develop and broadcast educational radio programs including primary school subjects to children in schools, English to youth and adults, and staff development programs for teachers. Our staff is working with the Southern Sudan Interactive Radio Instruction (SSIRI) Project to develop and broadcast educational radio programs including primary school subjects to children in schools, English to youth and adults, and staff development programs for teachers. Our staff is working with the Southern Sudan Interactive Radio Instruction (SSIRI) Project to develop and broadcast educational radio programs including primary school subjects to children in schools, English to youth and adults, and staff development programs for teachers. Our staff is working with the Southern Sudan Interactive Radio Instruction (SSIRI) Project to develop and broadcast educational radio programs including primary school subjects to children in schools, English to youth and adults, and staff development programs for teachers.
However, there are many instances of classes or potential listening groups that would like to benefit from the radio lessons, but are unable to meet during the time of the broadcast. In addition, schools in certain parts of the country are not on the same schedule as the broadcasts or not within range of the radio signal. In any case, SSIRI is hoping to develop other technologies that can be used in place of radios.
In addition, SSIRI is initiating a new video production program at Teacher Training Institutes (TTIs) whereby staff will be trained in basic video production skills so that they can develop simple videos to support their academic program, especially in the area of pedagogy.
We are helping to identify low-cost technologies that can be implemented in schools or learning centers throughout Southern Sudan using technologies including portable media players, and boom box CD players/FM radios with the capability to read MP3 devices and flash drives. We are assessing options for recharging batteries including hand cranking generators and solar panels. We are also assisting the EDC offices in Washington and Nairobi in the procurement and solicitation of donations of these devices in sufficient quantities for initial activities in Southern Sudan; specifically Kauda, Nuba Mountains and Yambio, Western Equatoria. We will be orienting and training staff at the Maridi TTI on the use of video camcorders for the production of simple videos that can be used to strengthen the academic program, especially activities to support good pedagogy.
Haiti
Extreme poverty is widespread, 70 per cent of Haitians live on less that $1 a day. The adult illiteracy rate is 55 per cent; less than 25 percent of children of school age have access to primary schooling in rural areas.
Half of Haiti's children do not attend or have never attended primary school. Those who do attend, likely attend for less than four years, compared with 13 years in other Latin American and Caribbean Countries.
Most primary schools in Haiti are not run by the Government. Instead, they are church sponsored or privately owned. Parents pay approximately 15% of their salaries in order to send just one child to school. In a country of such extreme poverty, education is still expensive.
There is very little regulation of education and many teachers are unqualified. Schools have few books and lack basic training materials. Many schools have no running water or electricity.
The quality of education that is provided is so poor that a child will spend an average of 14 years just to reach the 6th grade. That's over two years for each grade. In Haiti, it is not uncommon to see 12-year-old attending a 3rd grade class.
OMPT played an advisory role in January 2008 by providing equipment and provided input.
Somolia
Somali Interactive Radio Instruction Program (SIRIP) aims to meet the current educational needs of Somali children while also working toward the long-term establishment of effective educational materials.
OMPT has provided 270 Lifeline Adapter Media Players to this project.
Technology
The staff at OMPT has conducted extensive research to identify the most appropriate consumer electronics hardware for use by teachers in poor communities in the developing world. OMPT members have tested dozens of products in an effort to identify products with desirable properties including reliability, long battery life, ease of use and low cost.
The Saber
The Saber is a hand cranked portable media player with high acoustical volume. For every minute of turning the handle, you should get several minutes of playing time with the Saber. This does vary, however, depending on the state of the batteries and how loud the Saber is playing.OMPT is now a designated wholesaler for The Saber.
EZ-1
The EZ-1 is a mash-up of two separate products; eton's fr500 ad ZVUE's Elvis player. We are building these in our California office of OMPT. The EZ-1 works best with an external solar panel. Solar/play EZ-1 and an external solar panel has a 2.5/1 ratio (2.5 hours of solar charging provides 1 hour of playing. Crank/play EZ-1 has a 1/2.5 ( 24 minutes of crank charging provides 1 hour of playing). The ratio improves as battery charge increases from zero (typical charging curve).
X-mini amplified speakers
The X-Mini is a tiny (pico) set of loudspeakers that can be attached to any portable media player. The X-Mini is recharged via a USB cable (5 volt). Thy are very loud for their size.
ZVUE Model 210
The manufacturer of the ZVUE Model 210 portable media player (above) is making hundreds of these available to non-profits interested in using portable media players.
Mini Public Address System (MPA)
The MPA provides the highest level of acoustical volume. This system is very loud. The large speaker and powerful battery enable the MPA to serve up to 100 listeners. It requires a large solar panel and it is not practical to recharge the batteries with a hand crank generator. The MPA is simply an amplified speaker and does not have a portable media player built in. The MPA can also be used with a microphone to amplify the voice of the teacher.
Desiree
In our first deployment (2007), we chose the 1 GB Nextar PMP which retails for $20 along with an external battery powered speaker which retails for $22 . The PMP requires one AAA battery while the speaker has an internal battery. On cloudy days the batteries are recharged with a Lenmar Pro78 which can be powered a small solar panel or powered by the Freecharge 12v hand crank.
Boomer
Boomer is much louder than the other systems, but also consumes battery power more quickly. It requires a larger solar panel and it is not be practical to recharge the batteries with a hand crank generator.This portable media player is offered by JWIN. It is a classic BoomBox that also plays MP3 files from a USB drive or an SD card. The JWIN requires 8 C batteries. On sunny days the batteries are recharged with a tiny solar panel with an integrated battery charger. However, the inclusion of this item might add more complexity (too many products to manage for the end users)

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