INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES KNOWLEDGE PACK Technology for Literacy EXPLORE INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES KNOWLEDGE PACK TECHNOLOGY FOR LITERACY © 2022 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433 INDEX Telephone: 202-473-1000; Internet: www.worldbank.org INTRODUCTION License: Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0 IGO Problem statement This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, WHO WHY Benefits and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Evidence Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. This report was also supported with funding from the Global Partnership for Education. Structure of solutions Evaluating and procuring The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, technology denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such Challenges and trade-offs WHAT HOW Adapting technology boundaries. What has been done Training teachers to in other countries use technology Some references may appear in this Knowledge Pack to Logos, Products, Brands or Trademarks belonging to others not affiliated with the World Bank. They belong to their respective owners/ holders and are used for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them. The World Bank does CONCLUSION not endorse, prefer or recommend any of these products. Rights and Permissions TO GO FURTHER The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank encourages dissemination of its ANNEXES knowledge, this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long as full attribution to this work is given. Please cite the work as follows: EdTech team. 2022. Knowledge Pack : Technology for literacy. Washington, D.C.: World Bank Group Acknowledgment: Much appreciation goes to Ariam Mogos took part in the development of this Any queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to World Bank resource under the guidance of Maria Barron and Robert Hawkins from the EdTech Team, and to Omar Publications, The World Bank Group, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax: 202-522-2625; Arias and Jaime Saavedra for their overall support. Also, we’d like to thank colleagues Alison Marie e-mail: pubrights@worldbank.org Grimsland, Jason Weaver and Michael Crawford for providing comments to enrich these resources. Design : Alejandro Scaff, Sarah Kleinmann 2 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Introduction What is a KP? About this KP Knowledge Packages (KPs) This knowledge pack is designed After reading the main content of this KP, some are short, pragmatic guides to support the target audience questions might pop* : on individual topics within with how to procure, adapt and EdTech, meant to provide implement interventions with • What are some common features of sufficient knowledge and technologies for literacy. The technologies to promote literacy? understanding so that non- key objectives of this knowledge technical stakeholders can pack are to: • Why is important to use literacy apps that are make key planning, design, • Understand the existing available in mother tongue/ local languages? and procurement decisions for evidence around the efficacy education. • Which are some of the most popular literacy of using technology to promote literacy applications? They can be used as a starting point for the planning of • Gain some practical know-how • What are some examples of technology deployment to around procuring technologies implementation of literacy apps? improve education, especially for literacy, evaluating and with education ministries. adapting them, and training • What are the cascading effects of teachers to effectively use reading? them to meet learning outcomes • Where can I find further resources? • Identify potential challenges and gaps in preparation for an intervention *To know more about these questions and their answers, go to the FAQ available in the annex. 3 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Introduction DESIGNING FOR INCLUSION BENEFITS ALL LEARNERS There are other vulnerable groups who should be prioritized and taken into consideration when using technology to promote literacy. When one or more vulnerable groups is centered and prioritized, it often has ripple effects for other communities. Out of school, FCV Women and girls Rural communities Disabilities settings and refugees Despite the rapid expansion of ICTs Concerning gaps in connectivity Technology is increasingly being For learners with disabilities, worldwide, women trail behind men are growing for rural communities utilized to provide educational accessible content and pedagogical in access and use of mobile phones, globally. In least developed opportunities to youth and their approaches which follow universal particularly in low and middle-income countries (LDCs), 17 percent of the teachers in FCV, refugee and designing for learning standards are countries. Across Sub-Saharan Africa, rural population live in areas with out od school contexts. Children critical to ensure quality education. women are 23% less likely to own no mobile coverage at all, and 19 in FCV countries face many There is a dearth of accessible a mobile phone than men, and the per cent of the rural population challenges including (i) overcrowded literacy applications, particularly gap widens with regard to data and is covered by only a 2G network, classrooms, and (ii) under qualified, for learners who are deaf or connectivity (UNESCO, 2014). This whereas almost all urban areas of unqualified and or unpaid teachers hard of hearing. The challenges has serious implications for women the world are covered by a mobile- (WB, 2020). Given these challenges, include the design of accessible and girls’ literacy. Evidence has broadband network (ITU, 2020). technology solutions such as content, procurement of assistive shown that the implementation of Moreover, the unaffordability of data, providing devices to children for technologies and teacher training. mobile literacy interventions at the gender inequity and lack of digital self-directed learning in such beginning of primary education can skills play a role in hindering the environments can be an important prevent gender disparities driven participation of rural communities resource for children in such Assistive Tech KP by pedagogical practice (Pitchford, in using technology for literacy contexts who would otherwise not 2019). development. learn at all. Source: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/facts/default.aspx 4 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES WHO are the main stakeholders ? STAKEHOLDERS IDENTIFIED TO LEAD THE CHANGE Individuals and organizations to support the main target audience as they work with education ministries MAIN TARGET AUDIENCE to design or implement education interventions using technology to promote literacy. These might be community-based organizations, non-governmental World Bank staff (particularly, organizations and private sector companies with Task Team Leaders) and decision- expertise in literacy, mobile apps, accessible content, makers beyond the World Bank educational multimedia design, content publishing, who support education ministries on content licensing and developing education technology education technology. products. 5 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES HOW Problem statement | Benefits | Evidence WHY is this KP designed ? PROBLEM STATEMENT It’s critical for children to achieve basic literacy by the age of 10, yet this is not the reality in low-and-middle income Textbook Procuring, transporting and tracking textbooks and countries where approximately 53% of cost and other learning materials has traditionally been a huge children cannot understand a simple procurement cost and challenge. text by the end of primary school (World Bank, 2020). Technology to promote literacy is not an all-encompassing Availability Many print materials and workbooks are not available solution, it should ideally be of content in in indigenuous or local languages and are not culturally deployed as part of a larger literacy indigenuous relevant, making literacy development more difficult program which includes some of the and local for vulnerable groups. interventions described in the WB’s languages Literacy Policy Package. Yet, there are some challenges it can help address (see the table). Inadequate In addition to issues surrounding teacher absenteeism investment and shortages, teachers require more evidence-based Note: Literacy apps with a strong evidence- in teacher strategies for literacy instruction in order to support based structure have the potential to supplement a weak curriculum. training students develop literacy skills. 6 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES HOW Problem statement | Benefits | Evidence WHY is this KP designed ? BENEFITS A GENERAL LOOK AT COSTS: LITERACY APPLICATIONS VS PRINTED BOOKS Market Research across Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana. 2.18 MONTHS TO 2.5 MONTHS OR MORE 2.06 MONTHS The average time it takes for a finished The average time it takes for a conversion bound book to be printed and arrive from a print file to ebook - when a digital in a publisher’s warehouse for shipping book is ready for digital distribution (reported by 56 percent of respondents). (reported by 55 percent of respondents citing less than a month of turnaround time). Thus the majority of publishers reported that digital production takes less than half the time of print production and shipping to the publisher warehouse. This print production time is exacerbated by the fact that the majority of publishers are printing their books internationally. Just one third of publishers interviewed reported printing their books exclusively in their own country. The majority are outsourcing at least some portion of their printing to Asia, the Middle East, Europe, or another African country. Source: Brown,N & Heavner, R. (2018). The State of Digital Publishing: Facts and figures from Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria. San Francisco: 7 Worldreader. INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES HOW Problem statement | Benefits | Evidence WHY is this KP designed ? EVIDENCE There is a range of evidence on the efficacy of technology to promote literacy in low and middle income countries, with a number of key factors to consider: When provided with instruction Evidence across technology for that includes an interactive literacy instruction has also shown reading application, children can that more comprehensive models achieve higher gains in reading, in of teaching with technology, which Globally, literacy applications comparison to teacher-led, class- include non-technology based are heavily situated in the based practice alone (Pitchford, activities are more impactful primary education space, with a 2019). (Cheung and Slavin, 2012). predominant focus on the preschool and kindergarten audience. These applications target lower order literacy skills like phonemic Evidence has shown that the awareness, alphabet knowledge Mobile literacy interventions implementation of mobile literacy and understanding upper and implemented well can also increase interventions at the beginning of lowercase letters (Vaala, S., Ly, A., & student engagement and enhance primary education can prevent Levine, M. H., 2015). teacher technical and pedagogical gender disparities driven by practice (Wennersten et al., 2015). pedagogical practice (Pitchford, [India]. 2019). 8 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Structure of solutions | Challenges and trade-offs | What has been done in other countries HOW WHAT are the potential solutions? STRUCTURE OF SOLUTIONS WHAT DOES TECHNOLOGY TO PROMOTE LITERACY COVER? Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Technology to promote literacy often Phonics and comes in the form of mobile applications Decoding which are designed to provide learners with access to a wide variety of reading Vocabulary materials, stories and texts in places where books can be scarce or costly (UNESCO 2014). Fluency Technologies to promote literacy, which often involve software and content, are Spelling designed to support the development of literacy, and can support learners acquire and strengthen their reading and writing Reading skills, which specifically includes: comprehension Writing 9 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Structure of solutions | Challenges and trade-offs | What has been done in other countries HOW WHAT are the potential solutions? STRUCTURE OF SOLUTIONS KEYS TERMS LITERACY CONCEPTS AND TERMS INTRODUCED Phonological and Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate the spoken parts of words — Phonemic Awareness including rhymes, syllables, and phonemes. Children’s reading development is dependent on their understanding of the alphabetic principle — Phonics and Decoding the idea that letters and letter patterns represent the sounds of spoken language. Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with expression. Fluency is important Vocabulary because it provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension. Vocabulary plays an important part in learning to read. Beginning readers must use the words they Fluency hear orally to make sense of the words they see in print. Comprehension is the reason for reading. Good readers think actively as they read. They use their Spelling experiences and knowledge of the world, vocabulary, language structure, and reading strategies to make sense of the text. Learning to spell is built on a child’s understanding that words are made up of separate speech Reading comprehension sounds (phonemes) and that letters represent those sounds. A child’s writing development parallels their development as a reader. Writing is a complex task Writing that balances purpose, audience, ideas and organization with the mechanics of writing (sentence structure, word choice, spelling). 10 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Structure of solutions | Challenges and trade-offs | What has been done in other countries HOW WHAT are the potential solutions? STRUCTURE OF SOLUTIONS ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION There is one key difference in technologies for literacy that you will find on the market, and they come down to technologies which support core content needs and supplemental content. CORE CONTENT (aligned to curriculum) SUPPLEMENTAL CONTENT • Curriculum-based instruction/teacher led • Content-based vs. concept/goal-based • Established learning goals • Often lacks assessments or evaluation component for the content • Clear sequence of concepts that build on each other in difficulty • Supports reading at home • Indicators of progression which support educators When reviewing literacy applications, it’s critical to evaluate if students are successfully attaining core understand the differences between applications reading and writing competencies which contain core literacy content and supplemental content. 11 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Structure of solutions | Challenges and trade-offs | What has been done in other countries HOW WHAT are the potential solutions? STRUCTURE OF SOLUTIONS TECHNOLOGY MODELS Solutions for literacy have different technological solutions that are important to take stock of for your a given context. Web-based solution • Worldreader (browser and Android-based) Software-based solution • Feed the Monster (smartphone devices) All-in-one hardware and software • Onebillion, CWTL and Kitkit School (custom built hardware and based solution software) 12 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Structure of solutions | Challenges and trade-offs | What has been done in other countries HOW WHAT are the potential solutions? STRUCTURE OF SOLUTIONS INTERVENTION MODELS Solutions for literacy have different intervention models and pedagogical strategies. These are two core examples (there are others). Facilitator-led COVID Model Self-paced (Classroom-based) (At-home) Can’t Wait to Learn is a self-paced game for out- KitKit School is a self-paced application (with of-school children. games). • Model: Groups of 5-10 students/facilitator with • Model: 30 minutes of independent learning a rotation model (COVID model). 45 minutes a everyday for 3-15 months. day, 3 days/week. • Deployments: Sudan, Lebanon, Uganda, Chad. • Deployments: Tanzania, Uganda • Devices: Tablets only. • Devices: Tablets only. NOTE: Can’t Wait to Learn is both a facilitator-led NOTE: KitKit School is both a facilitator-led and at- and at-home solution. home solution. 13 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Structure of solutions | Challenges and trade-offs | What has been done in other countries HOW WHAT are the potential solutions? CHALLENGES AND TRADE-OFFS CHALLENGE EVIDENCE Many technologies to promote literacy are not designed against standards for educational quality or child Aligning literacy development, do not leverage nationally recognized curricula and do not undergo extensive research testing goals and (Vaala, S., Ly, A., & Levine, M. H., 2015). Without understanding the pedagogical goals per grade or school level, technology there will be a big mismatch between a literacy application chosen for an intervention and the needs of learners. While some technologies to promote literacy are designed to be available in multiple languages, many do not Linguistically factor in how they might be used in various cultural contexts. The appropriate localization of a high-quality and culturally literacy application requires many moving parts and usually requires recruiting local expertise and talent for irrelevant content adaptation (Nag, Snowling, & Asfaha, 2016). If a literacy app is not appropriately localized, it will not reflect the cultural context and can create confusing and less meaningful experiences for learners (ex. Cambodia). Technologies to promote literacy can have limited pedagogical design and lack a variety of functionalities to Limits in support scaffolding, social learning, collaborative play, intergenerational engagement, content creation and pedagogical design sharing, co-use, etc. (Vaala, S., Ly, A., & Levine, M. H., 2015). Teachers and parents are not always equipped with of mobile literacy the skills to support students use literacy applications in the classroom or at home. Moreover, many literacy interventions applications challenge learners with boolean type prompts and gamification mechanisms such as puzzles, quizzes and games versus open-ended designs (Vaala, S., Ly, A., & Levine, M. H., 2015). 14 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Structure of solutions | Challenges and trade-offs | What has been done in other countries HOW WHAT are the potential solutions? WHAT HAS BEEN DONE IN OTHER COUNTRIES SPOTLIGHT : PHILIPPINES Philippines, Asia “ELLN Digital” (short for Early Language, In 2019 ELLN Digital began a two-year Literacy and Numeracy) is a program created national rollout in more than 38,000 public by the Philippines DepEd and TPD@Scale. It (government-run) primary schools, targeting is a guided independent study designed for over 300,000 teachers (TPD@Scale). The ELLN K to 3 teachers which leverages multimedia Digital model is also currently being adapted courseware, classroom application and and piloted for in-service teacher training at reflection, and face-to-face co-learning scale in Ghana, Honduras, and Uzbekistan. in school-based learning communities to support the fundamentals of teaching reading and arithmetic. 15 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Structure of solutions | Challenges and trade-offs | What has been done in other countries HOW WHAT are the potential solutions? WHAT HAS BEEN DONE IN OTHER COUNTRIES SPOTLIGHT : JORDAN Description through the game (Koval-Saifi, N., & Plass, • navigate the scaffolding and stay J., 2018). motivated Feed the Monster is a game-based literacy app designed to build the Originally designed for Syrian refugees, • Within the application, students receive foundational literacy skills and the creation of the game catalysed the positive reinforcement, and it clearly psychosocial health of children in crisis independent localization into over 50 communicates progress through contexts. The game provides children language versions downloaded in over rewards and incentives with different levels of play to collect, 120 countries, all free, creative commons hatch and grow pet monsters while and open source. learning how to read and write in their mother tongue language. Strategies they used : Children are engaged in a journey of • Students learn through a sequential hope and discovery, and tasked with knowledge-building process designed finding the eggs and feeding them with and facilitated by a teacher letters, syllables and words to hatch and evolve (Koval-Saifi, N., & Plass, J., 2018). • The application has a clean and easy to Data shows that children with previous use interface, which supports students exposure to basic literacy are able to reinforce their already acquired skills 16 Photo credit: World Bank INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Evaluating and procuring technology | Adapting technology | Training teachers to use technology HOW to implement next steps ? Key Ingredients for a Successful Intervention with technology to promote literacy 1 2 3 Evaluating and Adapting content Training teachers and procuring content and technology to other stakeholders and technology to promote literacy to use content promote literacy and technology to promote literacy 17 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Evaluating and procuring technology | Adapting technology | Training teachers to use technology HOW to implement next steps ? EVALUATING AND PROCURING TECHNOLOGY AND CONTENT TO PROMOTE LITERACY DEPLOYMENT The Early Grade Reading Rainbow applies to many alphabetic languages but not all. It is not meant to be an WHO DO YOU NEED ON YOUR TEAM? all encompassing tool. Some of these guidelines may not EARLY GRADE READING RAINBOW FRAMEWORK apply to character-based languages. • Literacy expert Students should learn: • Procurement expert with expertise in textbooks and literacy materials Lots of spoken words, and how to use them • Learning designer • Data scientist/analytics expert To hear and make the sounds that make up words DEPLOYMENT PLANNING To map sounds to letters, and understand that letters can be used to write any word #1: Which grade levels is your intervention targeting? What are the core pedagogical goals around literacy for To automatically recognize written words those grade levels? Review the Early Grade Reading plus their roots, parts, and meanings Rainbow framework to identify the target skills learners To read and write longer chains of words, need to acquire for the grade level. increasingly smoothly and automatically #2: What are your educational objectives and needs based on the target audience? What do you want to To understand the meaning of any text read achieve with the selected technologies for literacy? Work with government partners to conduct a needs To enjoy reading independently and read-to- assessment for the target audience. learn continuously 18 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Evaluating and procuring technology | Adapting technology | Training teachers to use technology HOW to implement next steps ? EVALUATING AND PROCURING TECHNOLOGY AND CONTENT TO PROMOTE LITERACY GLOBAL PROFICIENCY FRAMEWORK FOR READING In addition to the Reading Rainbow, the GPRF is another useful tool framework with clear indicators for reading skills for grades 1 through 9. To learn more by grade level, visit the website here. 19 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Evaluating and procuring technology | Adapting technology | Training teachers to use technology HOW to implement next steps ? EVALUATING AND PROCURING TECHNOLOGY AND CONTENT TO PROMOTE LITERACY EARLY GRADE READING RAINBOW FRAMEWORK: HOW TO SELECT A LITERACY APP STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4 Identify the grade or What skills should learners How do learners acquire Start sourcing and school level (s) acquire according to grade these skills? What are the evaluating literacy apps level? core pedagogical tasks or with these sites: • ECD goals? Review the Early Grade • Children’s Technology • Early grade Reading Rainbow • Phonological and Review phonetic awareness? Framework • Grades 1-3 • Smoothness in word • Digital Storytime and phrase reading? • Post-early grades • Common Sense Media • Additional vocabulary building/deepening? • Writing comprehension? Review the Early Grade Reading Rainbow Framework 20 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Evaluating and procuring technology | Adapting technology | Training teachers to use technology HOW to implement next steps ? EVALUATING AND PROCURING TECHNOLOGY AND CONTENT TO PROMOTE LITERACY EARLY GRADE READING RAINBOW FRAMEWORK: HOW TO SELECT A LITERACY APP Grade or School Early Grade Reading Rainbow Statement Technology Core pedagogical task or goal Level (“Students should learn to”) Examples (1) Oral language comprehension Lots of spoken words, and how to use (2) Phonological and phonetic awareness ECD Worldreader them (3) Writing exercises (e.g. students learn to hold a pen, make lines, etc.) Early grade (1) Phonological and phonetic awareness (Explicit Reading (1) Hear the sounds that make up words (2) Phonics activities Instruction) (2) Map sounds to letter, and know that (3) Fluency Feed the letter can be used to write any word (4) Vocabulary building Monster; Antura Grades 1-3 (3) Automatically recognize written words (5) Reading comprehension and the Letters (possibly up to plus their roots, parts, and meaning (6) Writing exercises (e.g. students move from learning grades 5-6) to write individual letters, to ‘invented spellings’) (1) Additional vocabulary building/deepening (1) Read and write increasingly longer and (2) Reading comprehension Post early grade harder chains or words, increasingly (3) Writing exercises (e.g. transition to writing more (Read-to-learn smoothly and automatically Storyweaver complicated texts (connected texts, paragraphs, and write phase) (2) Under the meaning of any text read dialogue, etc). (3) Enjoy reading and read-to-learn for life! (4 Enjoy reading and writing, and use it to achieve goals 21 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Evaluating and procuring technology | Adapting technology | Training teachers to use technology HOW to implement next steps ? EVALUATING AND PROCURING TECHNOLOGY AND CONTENT TO PROMOTE LITERACY WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A LITERACY APP SEQUENCE OF LITERACY APP READING LEVEL GOALS CONCEPTS EXAMPLES Emergent reading Code-related skills: 1) Finding all the objects or Alphabytes: helps children (0-4) words on a page that begin learn their letters, the sounds • Oral language and with a certain letter (sound). letters make, how to write comprehension both upper and lower case 2) Rhyming games using the letters and how to spell a few • Phonological and words in the story. words. phonetic awareness 3) Grouping objects Bob’s Books Reading Magic: • Writing according to how their Teaches the sounds that names begin (letter, sound). letters make and how to combine them to make short 4) Games that pronounce words. each phoneme and highlights each letter. 22 Source: “Enhancing Children’s Literacy Skills” (Long et. al., 2017). INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Evaluating and procuring technology | Adapting technology | Training teachers to use technology HOW to implement next steps ? EVALUATING AND PROCURING TECHNOLOGY AND CONTENT TO PROMOTE LITERACY IMPLEMENTATION STEPS STEP DESCRIPTION RESSOURCE The market is flooded with applications which claim to promote literacy, and #1: Effectively are not aligned to specific educational targets per grade level or curriculum Children’s Tech is a great source standards. It can be challenging to source literacy applications and it’s important resource for identifying technologies to us resources which provide reviews and ratings. For all-in one technology and literacy apps according to that promote hardware solutions, it’s especially important to consider hardware solutions grade level and reading literacy. which are already ubiquitous and accessible for learners. Click for more info skills targeted. in the Devices KP When sourcing literacy applications, it’s critical to focus on a needs-oriented Check out Five Questions #2: Review approach, rather than the more common solution-oriented approach which is not Everyone Should Ask existing evidence-based. Review any existing evidence of learning outcomes, and when Before Choosing Early evidence and that data is not available, look for data around how the literacy application has Literacy Apps produced research testing. been designed to incorporate (or not) literacy standards. When sourcing literacy by the Joan Ganz Cooney applications, review any data on research testing and design processes. Center. Once you’ve identified a set of technologies which are aligned to curriculum The Joan Ganz Cooney #3: Conduct a standards and can meet the needs of the target learners, conduct a market Center has modeled a good market analysis. analysis to compare costs. Factors might include content and subscription costs, format to evaluate literacy adaptation needs, and training needs according to implementation models. apps for Education. 23 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Evaluating and procuring technology | Adapting technology | Training teachers to use technology HOW to implement next steps ? EVALUATING AND PROCURING TECHNOLOGY AND CONTENT TO PROMOTE LITERACY PITFALLS TO AVOID LEAD LITERACY FAIL TO DISTINGUISH DISREGARD DATA ACCESS TO BOOKS INITIATIVES SUPPLEMENTAL COLLECTION FOR DOES NOT EQUAL INCONSISTENT WITH CONTENT FROM CORE JUST-IN TIME LITERACY RESEARCH LITERACY CONTENT LEARNING Designing an intervention Many literacy applications, Teachers and Providing learners with with a literacy application particularly for post early- administrators need a mobile books or content which is not aligned with grade reading contain robust data collection is simply providing research and the targeted supplemental literacy plan for formative access. It is critical not to grade level may fail, content, not core literacy assessment. Work with conflate access to books regardless of how robust content. It’s important government partners with literacy or even the the application is and the to understand how to in the early stages of promotion of literacy. features it might possess. identify the two and select planning to establish There a number of other It’s important to first the type of content which what types of data should factors aside from access consider the grade level, meets the needs of your be collected, aligned to which are necessary the targeted competences intervention. literacy standards and to design a successful and begin sourcing literacy how data analytics can be literacy intervention. applications for review leveraged throughout the with that data. intervention to support just-in time learning. Traps to avoid along the way 24 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Evaluating and procuring technology | Adapting technology | Training teachers to use technology HOW to implement next steps ? EVALUATING AND PROCURING TECHNOLOGY AND CONTENT TO PROMOTE LITERACY PATHWAYS FOR DECISION-MAKING YES Consider how you will prioritize adaptations according to learner needs and required resources. YES, BUT THEY REQUIRE Do you have ADAPTATIONS budget allocation/ funding for the adaptations? Evaluate if you can use aspects of the solution and/or fundraise for the critical adaptations. Are there literacy applications in NO the global or local market that can meet some or Consider reaching Determine how all needs of the YES out to local content involved you want target learners? publishers and to be in the creation technology designers process (ex. script Do you have budget to build a custom development, allocation/funding solution. content testing, etc.). NO, to build a custom THEY ARE NOT solution? Consider a more low-cost literacy intervention. NO 25 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Evaluating and procuring technology | Adapting technology | Training teachers to use technology HOW to implement next steps ? ADAPTING TECHNOLOGIES AND CONTENT TO PROMOTE LITERACY DEPLOYMENT This is an image capture from the WHO DO YOU NEED ON YOUR TEAM? literacy game Can’t Wait to Learn created for Sudan. • Literacy expert In the image capture, it’s clear • Multimedia expert that in addition to language, the • Procurement expert characters, environment, food, style • Ethnographic researcher of dress and overall way of life has been created to represent the local context. DEPLOYMENT PLANNING #1: Before you engage in planning you can can conduct user research and testing. for content adaptations, it’s critical It’s best to conduct user testing with the target to evaluate open-source and proprietary solutions, communities to determine what the types of permissions you will need to modify types of adaptations or additional content, and the implications around costs. This content may be necessary to meet can have a dramatic impact on the sustainability educational needs. of your project if not considered ahead of procurement. #3: Take stock of the resources you may need for adaptations and your budget. #2: Once you’ve selected a technology that Necessary resources may include multimedia can support literacy development, identify production, accessible content production, etc. communities of students and teachers with whom 26 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Evaluating and procuring technology | Adapting technology | Training teachers to use technology HOW to implement next steps ? ADAPTING TECHNOLOGIES AND CONTENT TO PROMOTE LITERACY IMPLEMENTATION STEPS STEP DESCRIPTION RESSOURCE It’s critical to conduct user research with target learners, teachers and other stakeholders who Take a look at Curious #1: Conduct need to be represented in the localized version of the application. Testing sessions with the Learning’s Localization user existing application, focus group discussions with target users and observations of how they Guide, and how to keep research for use the app are all good qualitative methods to help inform the key priorities for localization, costs low with their localization. which will enhance the learning experience for literacy. Work with government partners to design for localizability gather the needs and perspectives of the target community through user research methods. worksheets. #2: Provide Literacy content must be relevant to learners culturally and linguistically in order to support Check out IDEO’s Field context literacy goals. There are high-quality literacy apps and literacy content that can be localized Guide to Human- appropriate to meet your context, and it’s important to consider the cost-benefit analysis before moving centered design, which content and forward. Prioritize the key adaptations of the literacy application for targeted learning includes user research linguistics. outcomes, and hire local talent for this customization work. strategies. Engage in a localization process which draws from the expertise of actors like Creative Commons and Wikimedia, who know how to mobilize place-based content communities. This Take a look at #3: can also keep costs low, support the growth of the local ecosystem and contribute to open Wikimedia’s localization Localization source efforts. Before moving forward with fully customizing a literacy application, conduct and internationalization Partnerships. user testing session and focus group discussions of a small sample to ensure it will meet work. literacy goals. 27 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Evaluating and procuring technology | Adapting technology | Training teachers to use technology HOW to implement next steps ? ADAPTING TECHNOLOGIES AND CONTENT TO PROMOTE LITERACY PITFALLS TO AVOID PROCURE LITERACY INVEST IN LANGUAGE CONDUCT FAIL TO CONDUCT APPS THAT ARE TRANSLATION AND LOCALIZATION WORK USER TESTING EXPENSIVE AND NOT CULTURAL UNINFORMED BY BEFORE INVESTING IN DIFFICULT TO LOCALIZE TRANSLATION HYPERLOCAL CULTURE LOCALIZATION Literacy apps do not Literacy applications If a mobile literacy The localization and automatically transfer not only require the intervention is being adaptation of a literacy between contexts. translation of spoken conducted in a rural area, application can become Procuring a literacy and written language. To a literacy application more costly than application that may be truly effective, they which represents the necessary if assumptions have good content but is should also undergo culture and customs of are not tested with users. expensive or challenging adaptation to represent an urban area will be Engage in a full design to localize due to the a new local context. This irrelevant and confusing cycle (understand, define, nature of the content may mean the creation for learners. Drawing brainstorm, prototype, or the learning design of new assets within the from hyperlocal culture is test) and test with a may not be the best application, which would key to engaging learners diverse set of learners investment. Conduct include storylines, types of in literacy content and teachers to ensure a a cost-benefit analysis characters, environments, and keeping learners broad range of needs are of localization before etc. motivated. considered. engaging in procurement. Traps to avoid along the way 28 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Evaluating and procuring technology | Adapting technology | Training teachers to use technology HOW to implement next steps ? TRAINING TEACHERS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO USE TECHNOLOGY TO PROMOTE LITERACY DEPLOYMENT DEPLOYMENT PLANNING #1: It’s important to understand and take stock of teachers general digital literacy skills, which will vary across contexts (ex. urban vs. rural). Survey teachers within the target WHO DO YOU NEED ON YOUR audience to understand how comfortable they are with TEAM? technology, prior experience and training, knowledge of devices and how to troubleshoot, etc. This information will be • Literacy expert critical in designing teacher professional development. • TPD trainer • Data scientist #2: Before embarking on teacher training, ensure you have worked with government partners to design a feedback loop which incorporates teacher and student feedback from using the selected technology, so that this feedback goes directly back into improving every aspect of implementation (ex. technology selection, customization, teacher training). Teachers will need this information clearly laid out during training so that they understand what type of feedback/data to collect, how and where it should be sent. 29 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Evaluating and procuring technology | Adapting technology | Training teachers to use technology HOW to implement next steps ? TRAINING TEACHERS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO USE TECHNOLOGY TO PROMOTE LITERACY IMPLEMENTATION STEPS STEP DESCRIPTION RESSOURCE Support teachers understand how to customize or scaffold technology experiences Reading Rockets has a according to student level of ability.. When scaffolding is not available, learners can veer comprehensive list and #1: Provide leveling off task and fail to complete targeted activities to build their literacy skills. Moreover, if examples of literacy apps and scaffolding. students engage with themes or interactive content that do not align with their learning which are designed with needs or level, it can negatively affect story comprehension (Bus et al. 2015). appropriate scaffolding. #2: Train teachers Data captured on technologies for literacy, like time on task , can support teachers and administrators Learn more Bridge IT’s make better pedagogical decisions for their students. Teachers and administrators on how to teacher PD approach in need the skills to understand how to act on specific types of data and how it ties back interpret data India for mobile video to pedagogy. It’s also important to support teachers understand how to make these for pedagogical content. decisions in real-time. decision-making. #3: Adapt existing Families play a critical part in supporting literacy goals. Support teachers with strategies strategies and to work with the families of their students to boost reading at home. A study in the Check out the National resources to United States found that over the five years before entering kindergarten, children Center on Improving support families from literacy-rich homes hear approximately 1.4 million more words from reading time Literacy’s families and and reading at than children who are never read to (Logan, J. A., Justice, L. M., Yumus, M., & Chaparro- school’s partnering toolkit. home initiatives. Moreno, L. J., 2019). 30 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Evaluating and procuring technology | Adapting technology | Training teachers to use technology HOW to implement next steps ? TRAINING TEACHERS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO USE TECHNOLOGY TO PROMOTE LITERACY PITFALLS TO AVOID FOCUS ON FAIL TO STRENGTHEN ASSUME THAT THERE ASSUME THAT THE CONSUMPTION VS. TEACHERS’ DATA IS A TEACHER PD TEACHERS AND PRODUCTION OF LITERACY SKILLS COMPONENT CAREGIVERS HAVE BASIC KNOWLEDGE DIGITAL LITERACY SKILLS A large proportion of In order for students Teachers need TPD Teachers may have low educational apps focus literacy skills to opportunities focused on levels of digital literacy on the consumption develop, teachers literacy instruction and and need training on rather than production of and administrators pedagogical design to how to operate and knowledge, (Pegrum et al., need capacity-building achieve learning outcomes troubleshoot issues 2013), and do not tap into around data literacy to with mobile literacy around software the range of possibilities improve their overall applications. TPD is ideally applications (how to afforded by multiple practice and student continuous and fosters install, update, etc.) and literacy theories. Creative outcomes. This includes communities of practice. devices, and how to literacy apps designed for understanding data When teachers receive efficiently and safely writing and sharing digital analytics, synthesizing the in-classroom feedback charge and store devices. stories can allow more information and making a and targeted coaching, transformative practice plan for how to apply that they can rapidly accelerate (Oakley, 2017). to daily lesson planning positive practice (see and instruction. Philippines’ example). Traps to avoid along the way 31 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES HOW Conclusion WHAT CALL TO ACTION WHERE TO START ? RECOMMENDATIONS • Access to and the affordability of materials for literacy is a priority to ensure equity, reduce 1. Review the implementation slides to start learning poverty and achieve SDG4: ‘Ensure building a work plan. inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’. 2. Assess how many learners can be reached with technologies for literacy, and consider internet penetration rates and device usage. 3. Conduct a needs assessment for the target learners and conduct a market analysis of the technologies for literacy which are available, contextually appropriate and within your budget. 4. Create buy-in and build a case to invest in technologies for literacy. Photo credit: World Bank 32 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES HOW Conclusion WHAT WHO WHY World Bank staff (particularly, Task Team Technologies which promote literacy are not Leaders) and decision-makers beyond the an all-encompassing solution, but they can World Bank who support education ministries address challenges such as textbook cost on education technology. and procurement, culturally relevant and accessible content, and pedagogical training for teachers. Technologies to promote literacy, which often The key ingredients for a successful intervention WHAT involve software and content, are designed to with technologies to promote literacy include HOW support the development of literacy, and can evaluation and procurement, adaptation and support learners acquire and strengthen teacher training. their reading and writing skills, which includes: phonics, reading comprehension and read aloud, blending (combine sounds to form words), vocabulary and sentence building. 33 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES To go further CLOUD OF KPs R E L AT E D S O U R C E S AI/ML Devices Cloud Adaptive Learning Connectivity For further resources refer to the Digital Infrastructure Digital identity BE DATA last question of FAQ Data visualization DRIVEN ENGAGE the NRENs ECOSYSTEM Procurement Ecosystem Startups Data collection EMIS AssistiveTechnologies LMS LEARNER DESIGN and Mobile based S T AY C O N N E C T E D Computer based ACT AT SCALE, Digital ASK WHY? FOR ALL Assessment Literacies Follow us on Twitter Digital Content EMPOWERED TEACHERS Subscribe to our podcast channel Teachers Competencies Spotify & Anchor More updates on Medium Subscribe to our EduTech Newsletter EdTech website OTHER EXISTING RELATED KPs Assistive Adaptive Ecosystems Digital content technologies learning 34 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES HOW Annexes WHAT FAQ • What are some common features of • What are some examples of technologies to promote literacy? implementation of literacy apps? • Why is important to use literacy apps that are • What are the cascading effects of available in mother tongue/ local languages? reading? • Which are some of the most popular literacy • Where can I find further resources? applications? 35 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES HOW Annexes WHAT FAQ Back to What are some common features of technologies to promote literacy? There is one key difference in technologies for literacy that you will find on the market, and they come down to technologies which support core content needs and supplemental content. Word Highlight Tracing Story and and read letters and narration sentence aloud words builder Adaptive learning Digital Works Data (based on facilitator or offline analytics student character data) 36 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES HOW Annexes WHAT FAQ Why is important to use literacy apps that are available in mother tongue/ local Back to languages? It cannot be understated how important it is to procure literacy applications which provide learners content in their mother tongue/local language. This means that written, spoken and any visual content embodies idiosyncrasies of the language, represents cultural values, the way of life Bolo: Hindi language app (India) and overall context. Research illustrates that engaging children in school through mother-tongue based, Mzanzi Kids: Available in 6 multilingual education (MTB-MLE) can be South African languages a successful model (Benson & Kosonen, 2013; Yiakoumetti, 2012). The following literacy applications have been used for mother tongue education. Lijoch: Amharic language app (Ethiopia) 37 Source: Ahmad, F. K. (2015). Use of assistive technology in inclusive education: making room for diverse learning needs. Transcience, 6(2), 62-77. INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES HOW Annexes WHAT FAQ Which are some of the most popular literacy applications? Back to This list is not exhaustive, but includes common literacy applications and others identified by the EdTech Team. Literacy Application Software License Countries of Deployment Core or Supplemental Feed The Monster Open Source Nigeria, South Africa, TBD Core and Supplemental Can’t Wait to Learn Proprietary Uganda, South Sudan Core (aligned to curriculum) Ethiopia, Uganda, Gambia, Leap Learning Proprietary Core (aligned to curriculum) Malawi KitKit School Proprietary Kenya Core (aligned to curriculum) Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Onebillion onetab Proprietary Core (aligned to curriculum) Uganda Mzanzi Kids Proprietary South Africa Supplemental Lijoch Proprietary Ethiopia Supplemental African Storybook Open Source South Africa Supplemental Worldreader Proprietary Ghana, Kenya, South Africa Supplemental 38 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES HOW Annexes WHAT FAQ Back to What are some examples of implementation of literacy apps? 1/2 SPOTLIGHT : CAN’T WAIT TO LEARN (Uganda, Sudan, Chad Jordan, Lebanon) Description (War Child Holland, 2018). Children are • Hired local talent to create culturally involved throughout the process and relevant content for the application Can’t Wait to Learn is a games-based provide feedback on future iterations. learning application for out-of-school children which works offline and CWTL also features young people and aligned to the national curriculum. The other culturally-appropriate role models games’ video, graphics, audio and other children can identify with and look up to, aesthetic elements are designed to be which acts as a motivating feature (War culturally-relevant. It is currently used in Child Holland, 2018). accelerated education programmes, basic literacy & numeracy programmes as well Strategies they used : as in the formal school system. • Steeped their approach in games-based CWTL has been designed with target learning and literacy theory before communities to meet the needs around engaging in the design process cultural representation. Various aspects of the game including the storyline, • Co-designed with the target audience characters and settings are created to ensure the game is contextually with inputs from children, and visual relevant and corresponds to the To learn more, read a case study on this initiative assets are developed by a local designer children’s realities and dreams from the Humanitarian Education Accelerator. 39 Photo credit: World Bank INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES HOW Annexes WHAT FAQ Back to What are some examples of implementation of literacy apps? 2/2 SPOTLIGHT : WORLDREADER - INSPIRE US PROJECT (West Africa) Description per month, with the top 25% of readers campaign leveraging Facebook, Twitter spending an average of 23 minutes and Instagram, throughout West Africa IN 2019, the Inspire Us West Africa reading per day, with the highest reader to promote the collection to youth project focused on creating a digital engagement from Nigeria. across the region. collection on the Worldreader App of thirty stories featuring Ghanaian and Strategies they used : West African women role models. • A writing competition to develop The project reached over 787,000 people books focused on women’s through social media platforms, and empowerment from West African attracted over 28,000 readers to the authors Worldreader App from West African countries.  • Leveraging libraries and book clubs to engage young women between The Inspire Us digital collection the ages of 15 and 24 on conversations demonstrated a strong correlation that around gender equality and women’s if offered relevant and engaging content, empowerment. users read more and more often. Readers averaged four hours reading • A wide-spread social media 40 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES HOW Annexes WHAT FAQ Back to What are the cascading effects of reading? When children receive pedagogical support from teachers in the classroom and caregivers at home, this can accelerate learning gains in literacy for young children and reinforce the development of foundational skills. Infants and toddlers in “serve and return” conversations with “Blooming” in language engaged parents and development, acquiring Young children at caregivers background knowledge ease learning early and learning how the literacy skills and CASCADING world works By third grade: using knowledge to EFFECT Proficient readers, comprehend printed confident learners, The Potential of Connected Parents and and digital texts empowered to reach Educators Engaged with Children (0-8) their full potential Around Quality Media Source: Pioneering literacy in the digital wild west: Empowering parents and educators. 41 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES HOW Annexes WHAT FAQ Back to Where can I find further resources? “Reading in the Mobile Era: A study of mobile reading in developing countries”, Reading in a Mobile Era UNESCO, (2014). This comprehensive report developed by UNESCO, Nokia and Worldreader explores how mobile technologies can empower readers and further literacy in developing countries. The GSMA Mobile Internet Skills Training Toolkit (MISTT) is a set of free GSMA Mobile Internet resources to support communities develop basic skills to access and use Skills Training mobile internet. It leverages a ‘train the trainer’ approach and includes short lessons in that can be easily contextualized to local needs and languages. The World Bank’s Learning Poverty initiative uses three pillars of work: (1) Learning Poverty a literacy policy package (2) refreshed education approach (3) ambitious Country Briefs measurement and research agenda. Read the country learning poverty briefs for a deep dive. 42 INTRODUCTION WHO WHY WHAT HOW CONCLUSION ANNEXES Supported with funding from