The Literacy LedgerReflections, findings, stories and the lowdown

Stories by Zev Lowe

Looking forward to teacher training

October 27, 2010 By

Our iREAD project kicks off in less than 3 weeks! In the middle of next month, over 350 Ghanaian kids at three grade levels (Primary 4, Junior High 1 and Senior High 1) will get virtually unlimited access to books.

iREAD Final School Selection

August 30, 2010 By

Worldreader.org chose schools with the generous assistance of Ghana Education Service (GES). Unlike other pilot projects that had worked with GES in the past, we were determined not to gravitate towards flagship schools in Accra. Quite the opposite, we were looking for schools that were outside the capital, and that would give us insight into … Continue Reading →

Summer opportunities at Worldreader

May 3, 2010 By

We’re looking to bring on a few high-level interns this summer. We have been spreading the word at a few business schools, and have received applications from a number of very promising candidates. With the deadline coming up in a week, we thought we’d also extend the opportunity to apply to readers of our blog. … Continue Reading →

Challenges for the future

April 29, 2010 By

We just posted a new video in which we discuss the challenges that we face moving forward — specifically, the need for electricity, the durability of e-readers, creating a mechanism of paying for content (without credit cards), and the ever important human component of developing a culture of reading. Big thanks go to our videographer, … Continue Reading →

Technology is not the bottleneck

April 21, 2010 By

A recent article in the New York Times mentions Kentaro Toyama, a research fellow at the University of California – Berkeley’s School of Information. Formerly of the Technology for Emerging Markets Group at Microsoft, Mr. Toyama speaks at U.S. universities about “technological utopianism” which lies on the myth that “technology is the bottleneck in developing … Continue Reading →

Kindle setup: You are your billing address

March 9, 2010 By

Over the last two days, the Worldreader team has gathered in an empty classroom at ESADE Business School to prepare our e-readers for classroom trials in Ghana. In less than a week, we will begin working with the teachers and students of the OrphanAid District School in Ayenyah. David, Colin and Mike are leaving for … Continue Reading →

Literacy and Reading

March 1, 2010 By

In all the research we’ve done about literacy, one thing is clear: It doesn’t seem like anyone can agree on a definition. The classic Merriam-Webster definition is: able to read and write versed in literature and creative writing … having knowledge or competence, computer-literature, politically-literate But in today’s world, the word literacy takes on a … Continue Reading →

Notes from our Barcelona trial

March 1, 2010 By

One of the major parts of our strategy at Worldreader is to run extensive trials involving the use of e-readers in the classroom. We are currently running our first trial at theBenjamin Franklin International School in Barcelona, Spain. Simultaneously, we are preparing for our next batch of trials in Ghana, beginning in mid-March. We chose … Continue Reading →