Student Entrepreneurs Create ‘Talking Stickers’ To Prep Kids For School
Student Entrepreneurs Create ‘Talking Stickers’ To Prep Kids For School
Jamie Austin and Aisha Bukhari co-founded Attollo SE Inc. as graduate students at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Attollo was selected as a finalist for the 2015 Hult Prize competition, awarded last month at the Clinton Global Initiative.
Jamie explains, “Young children from underprivileged families do not develop the vocabulary they need for success in primary school. The extent that the vocabulary of these children is behind their more privileged peers has been termed the vocabulary gap.”
Aisha notes that over 100 million under-privileged kids are not ready for primary school, adding, “A key reason less-privileged children are not primary school ready and drop out of school later in life is that they are unable to understand and communicate with the world around them. They lack the quantity and variety of words needed to develop meaning and understanding of words. They lack the vocabulary needed to succeed.”
A solution, Jaimie explains, is Attollo’s product: Talking Stickers. You can see a demo here:
You can download an audio podcast here or subscribe via iTunes.
“Talking Stickers, which is comprised of an electronic device called ollo that can scan stickers, record and play-back audio in any language or dialect, helps parents deliver educational content from our partner educational organizations to their children. Talking Stickers also enables children to learn in unstructured ways through exploration of their world and environment,” Jamie says.
Aisha adds, “Since stickers can be placed on anything, Talking Stickers transform common household items into educational toys. Talking Stickers follow proven, culturally relevant, early learning curriculum to deliver the best education for every child in their home. In essence, Talking Stickers is a teaching tool, empowering parents to talk, sing and read to their children in a playful manner and build their vocabulary.”
Aisha explains their passion, saying, “We believe that literacy is a fundamental human right.”
“Language development is just the beginning. We envision Talking Stickers as a tool to communicate information about health, nutrition and all areas of early childhood development. Millions of parents struggle with correct usage of child products (medicine, nutrition supplements etc) because they are unable to read. Talking Stickers solve this problem by providing audio instructions enabling parents to correctly use child products,” Aisha concludes.
Jamie adds, “We aim to help underprivileged children below the age of 6 to develop their vocabulary skills, making them ready for primary school. This will help them to succeed in school and will increase their chances to get a good job and lift their family out of poverty.”
On Wednesday, October 14, 2015 at 2:00 Eastern, Aisha and Jamie will join me for a live discussion about the Hult Prize competition and their remarkable technology. Tune in here then to watch the interview live. Post questions in the comments below or tweet questions before the interview to @devindthorpe.
More about Attollo SE Inc.:
Twitter: @attolloSE
Attollo provides an affordable and playful way for parents to develop their child’s vocabulary at home. We do it through our innovation – talking stickers – which is comprised of a low-cost hand-held electronic device, named ollo, that can scan stickers, record and play-back audio in any language or dialect.
Co-founders Peter Cinat, Aisha Bukhari, Jamie Austin, Lak Chinta, courtesy of Attollo
Austin’s bio:
Twitter: @jamieWaustin
Jamie has a PhD in neuroscience and a MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. He as worked as a health educator in a developing country and a project manager for Canada’s largest hospital network. Jamie is a co-founder of Attollo and currently manages the development and production of educational content and the measurement of learning outcomes.
Bukhari’s bio:
Twitter: @bukhariAisha
Aisha is a Co Founder of Attollo SE Inc and an Action Canada Fellow (2-15-2016). She is an engineer and a social entrepreneur. She enjoys work that involves creating a positive social impact, leading change and developing integrative solutions. She is passionate about energy, innovation and social justice. Prior to co founding Attollo, she was working at Toronto Hydro where she spent six years leading development and implementation of innovative smart grid solutions. A career highlight includes leading the utility aspect of a consortium-based Community Energy Storage project – the first of its kind in North America. Aisha has also been an active participant in shaping the energy storage policy and framework in Ontario. She also served on the advisory board for Women in Renewable Energy, a non-profit organization. Aisha has a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto, a Masters degree in Electric Power Engineering from the University of Waterloo and is a recent graduate of the part-time Morning MBA program from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.
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