ThinkDrop and MACILE Collaborate on creating Internet Technology Curriculum for Kids

We are proud to announce that Kickstarter has accepted our recent proposal for a Pilot Program to introduce open-source technology and Drupal to children living in less-advantaged communities, helping them overcome the hurdles that prevent them from openly accessing and sharing information.

We are developing this Pilot Program in conjunction with MACILE (Math Science Language Engineering), a COSOLA educational program focused on improving the quality of primary education in impoverished communities. COSOLA is an independent multidisciplinary, collaborative research lab that connects business leaders, government agencies, and NGOs to existing research and invites them to be part of the solution. MACILE has successfully implemented innovative education programs by using active teaching methods, collaborating with American universities and utilizing available local resources.

In July, we will travel to Itabo, Dominican Republic to teach a two-week class to 6th-12th graders and educators. We are seeking $8,000 in funding through Kickstarter, an innovative website that allows users to fund creative endeavors. The funds we are seeking will pay for full-time coding and project development, travel and housing expenses in the Dominican Republic, and additional computers for educators and students. As we will be working in less advantaged communities, maintaining access to consistent electricity and the internet will be a challenge, so a portion of our time will be spent developing a model approach to this problem. Our ultimate goal is to establish a hub, providing communities with local, reliable internet access to facilitate the free and secure exchange of information.

Although we have set our funding goal at $8,000, we hope to exceed it. Any additional funds we receive will be used to continue expanding the programs of COSOLA and MACILE. These organizations create model education systems whose framework can be lifted, modified, and applied globally. Our hope is that this system will shape the structure of education throughout Latin America. We also plan to continue working with MACILE by developing a platform for them to catalog and organize their programs and sessions. In the spirit of collaboration and empowerment, we plan to have MACILE participants generate this content and play an active role in the system.

We will also be reaching out to and collaborating with Drupal users in the Dominican Republic, to ensure students have mentors and leaders from their own country with whom they can continue to collaborate. We believe this program will be a great step forward in bringing technology and internet programs and awareness to the MACILE students and their surrounding communities. But, even greater, we plan to lay the groundwork for strengthening the Drupal and open-source communities within the Dominican Republic and hopefully across Latin America.

Lastly, we believe in sharing our work, in all stages of progression, and are open to suggestions from all who wish to contribute. We will be documenting the entire process and sharing it under Creative Commons Licensing. To learn more about COSOLA and MACILE visit beta.cosola.org, viewable in English and Spanish. If you like what you’ve seen, we ask that you create a free account at Kickstarter to view our full proposal and lend your financial support. If you’d like to get involved contact us at thinkdrop.net. Follow us on Twitter @thinkdropLLC.