Concord.org - @CONCORD: A Billion Computers

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At the inauguration of a new millennium - the so-called Information Age - there are approximately one billion illiterate people in the world, including at least ten million in the U.S. Illiteracy almost universally affects only the poorest - those who would benefit most from its power. It has been shown that people who read are healthier, have fewer children, earn more money, and, for farmers, grow more food. In contrast, illiterate populations are a huge cost to the world economy in the form of medical care, welfare, and lost opportunities. The cost of substantially reducing illiteracy could be a few billion dollars, representing a tiny fraction of what the U.S. alone spends on foreign aid.

Imagine this solution: inexpensive handheld computers, paid for by nations with more resources, in the hands of each illiterate world citizen. Absurd? Maybe not.

Although a broad implementation effort based on this technology would not wipe out illiteracy, if the right populations were reached with the right supports, and provided software that both entertains and yields immediate payoffs, low-cost computer technology could make a huge dent in the literacy problem.

What would the technology look like? First, the computer should be cheap, light, durable, low powered, and operated from solar cells and batteries. As it would have few moving parts, the cost to manufacture huge numbers of the portable devices would be trivial. It is difficult to estimate the eventual cost of making a billion computers, but since they would be made primarily from sand, plastic, and metal, most of the cost is in the design. Handheld computers have, so far, been made in the millions and their list price is approaching $100 each, which represents several times their manufacturing cost. Applying Moore's Law to the manufacture of very large quantities suggests that comparable computers might cost as little as two dollars to make by 2002, and less in the next decade.

How could this technology foster literacy? Someone who speaks a language but cannot read or write needs a way to correlate the spoken word with the text. The computer could contain dozens of engaging games, puzzles, and simulations that require the user to recognize and pronounce words; to write text based on pictures and animations; and to read for comprehension. For this to happen, the computer would need to have speech recognition, text-to-speech software, and handwriting recognition.

With the exception of good speech recognition, these features are currently available on handhelds. And as demand from business users drives the market, speech recognition is sure to follow soon. Much of the complexity of speech recognition software is related to its ability to parse words that run together in fluid speech. Software that requires the user to separate words would be an educational advantage. THE, USER, WOULD, HAVE, TO, SPEAK, LIKE, THIS. Not only would such an approach simplify the technical problem, it would force the user to do the parsing, thereby helping that person to recognize how speech is divided into words.

Like all meaningful education, literacy learning needs to be embedded in relevant topics such as farming, health, family planning, and cooking and treated in a way that is sensitive to the local culture. This content could be developed locally, in appropriate languages. A global effort could supply generalized tools and templates that could be localized efficiently, even if dozens of local languages need to be supported.

The computer should also provide alternative means of communication, at least by sharing files between computers using infrared. Low-cost or free wireless access to the Web is also feasible.

Experience in previous literacy programs has demonstrated the importance of outreach. Few people will learn in isolation, no matter how great the technology is. An outreach system that provides incentives, certification, and recognition for learners needs to be established. Perhaps the computer would link to self-help learning groups or live chat rooms on local topics. Outreach could also provide technical assistance and ways of supplying the handhelds with software updates and additional learning materials. Although such a program could easily be more expensive than the computers, most countries already have education, health, or agriculture outreach systems that could support this technology-based approach.

It is utopian to dream of greatly reducing illiteracy, but we have both new technologies that could help in the battle for literacy and the resources to make the vision a reality. With the compassion and will to undertake a major effort to overcome global illiteracy, perhaps Utopia is on the other side of the millennium?

Robert Tinker is president of The Concord Consortium.
bob@concord.org

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