BRCK Education Kio and Kio Kit Launch
BRCK Education Kio and Kio Kit Launch from BRCK on Vimeo.
When we set out to build the BRCK, we wanted to take care of the rampant connectivity and power issues that prevent many people in the developing world from being as efficient or as effective in their jobs. We did this, and we ended up becoming one of Kenya’s first consumer electronics’ companies. We were very excited about this, and the recognition we were getting, but the BRCK was built to be much more. When it was designed, we included a USB port and a micro web server, that at the time, just seemed like cool features. Over time, we came to appreciate that they were so much more. You could access content from the BRCK but we felt this was not enough, so we combined the BRCK with a Raspberry Pi computing module to give it a bit of a boost. This enabled access to rich and interactive websites and content, from the same rugged form factor as the original BRCK. There are numerous challenges facing education in developing countries. Since the BRCK together with the Pi, enables access of locally-cached and web-hosted content, we thought it could prove a useful tool to both teachers and students if they could access up-to-date educational materials, and give them an edge and enable them to compete with schools with more resources. This was in line with our ethos of promoting equality in education and levelling the playing field by using the same technologies as the rest of the world but tweaked to our particular context. At BRCK Education, we do not think the only sources of knowledge and information in a classroom should be teachers and textbooks. The four walls of a classroom should not limit a child's access to learning, playing and growing. This technology, however, cannot replace the role of a teacher. It makes access to information much easier. The easiest way to deliver educational content to students is through tablet computers. Initially, tablets, even the ones made for schools, were not durable and did not have the kind of features we needed: a long battery life, an easy-to-use interface and some sort of durability. Until now. Due to the demands of our environments, and the fact that children are bound to drop and spill fluids on the tablets, we designed and engineered the Kio Tablet, to be rugged, adaptable and unbelievably functional. We built the Kio specifically to the needs we exhaustively identified during our field tests in schools. Even with the progress we made, we felt like we had only climbed half the mountain.
Having the tablets was well and good, but tablets need to be charged. One of the barriers to using tablets effectively is the inconvenience of remembering to charge them and the fact that charging cables break frequently. Also, tablets present a security fear: they are small and can be easily stolen. So, how about a rugged kit, that provides both the charging and security needed for the tablets in one go? The Kio Kit. It comes with wireless charging and is lockable, and in case a tablet is taken away from it, we built the firmware to prevent flashing of its operating system. The Kio Kit can hold and charge 40 tablets, each of which can run for 8 hours on a single charge.
What we are doing is not just selling technology. We passionately believe in our ability to positively impact the quality of learning of students in Kenya. But, we cannot do this alone. We are proud that both local and international organizations, both big and small, have joined us to make this dream a reality. The Kio Kit will be available for pre-order today, limited availability begin on November 1st and we expect general availability from January 1st 2016. The Kio Kit will go for USD 5,000 and a Kio Tablet will go for USD 100.
For more information, you can visit our website at education.brck.com. Also, feel free to email us at [email protected] or tweet us at @brcknet. You can also find us on Facebook at brcknet.
Written by rufus
Revolutionary! It will make our work with children in remote areas possible and accessibility easier. I would like to meet up to see if you are able to tweak for a specific need.
This is great. Now it’s all about deployment and developing the idea further and wider.
This is exciting for Kenya and for education across the continent. Exciting times to be alive, gifted and African. Wish the team at BRCK all the best scaling the project across Kenya and getting Other African states on board.
Just wanting to send a “shout out” that this technology ROCKs! Sending a hugs to a smart idea, BRCK from Seattle, Wa, USA. The world is watching and smiling with hope. May your enterprise and this grassroots technology grow and prosper…
From my involvement in OLPC, there is an ecosystem that needs to be mapped. I think the technology part that you created is a good start and is usually 10% of that. The other 90% contains: educational media from local standards in a selection of local languages, teacher training, school management buy-in, dealing with repair/replacement, etc.
Would you mind if I picked your brain a bit regarding your experiences regarding your work? I’ve started a few projects centered around media training but I’m looking to try something different and I’d like to get your opinion on some things. What’s the best way to reach you?
you can ask some question here: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashKids/
Is the kit available in Nigeria?
I wonder what would happen if you tried getting financing from Oprah Winfrey.
The problem is getting good information and ideas. A lot of Black Americans behave as though there is something wrong with reading books. Science fiction presents an interesting and entertaining source. But science fiction has changed since Star Wars hit the planet. Harlan Ellison says it has been DUMBED DOWN.
But now some of the old stuff is free on the net.
Black Man’s Burden (1961) by Mack Reynolds
http://sfgospel.typepad.com/sf_gospel/2008/08/mack-reynolds-on-africa-islam-utopia-and-progress.html
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/32390/32390-h/32390-h.htm
Border, Breed Nor Birth (1963) by Mack Reynolds
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/30639/30639-h/30639-h.htm
Other SF
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Science_Fiction_(Bookshelf)
Calculus Made Easy, by Silvanus Thompson
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/33283/33283-pdf.pdf?session_id=d89e8cf522c3f62d711d833f6ea52a3809b3c5fd