the learning box
Ascend International School & Castilleja School | Mumbai & Palo Alto
Project Invent 2020-2021
Created by students in Mumbai and Palo Alto, The Learning Box is the first Project Invent innovation born from an international team. The device is a response to students with poor internet connectivity and limited access to technology, inspired by community partner Bhakti. Bhakti, a sixth grader from a rural area of Mumbai, has struggled in a world of remote learning due to her rural location and limited financial resources, relying on her mother’s phone as her sole source of internet connection. To help with this problem, the team designed a low-cost, at-home learning device, in which audio lectures can be uploaded from a connected device – such as a phone or tablet – and then replayed asynchronously, enabling the user to learn without a constant source of bandwidth. The invention also possesses an LED screen that shares feedback and quiz questions to maintain a sense of interaction with the instructor, even when the student is listening to a lecture after-the-fact.