Charles Dushek of Global Children’s Opportunities Associatio

1. Charles Dushek of Global Children’s Opportunities alliance, a non-profit humanitarian Organization, presents “Children Learning to Read to Learn”. Charles Dushekis the “Thought Leader” of Global Children’s Opportunities Alliance in the creation and development of new “Vision Projects” focused on bringing positive transformations in: Education, School construction strategies, Remedial orthopedic healthcare, Employment skills training, PC & IT literacy to children of the developing world and US inner cities. Our Systems are Vision Projects to enable and deploy innovative programs that positively transform living conditions, internal food supplies, literacy education and healthcare. This is what we do at GCOA! Global Children’s Opportunities Alliance (GCOA) is an incubator of revolutionary “Vision Projects” that are early-stage innovations in developing more efficient and richer: child education programs; more productive & efficient concrete construction systems for rural area schools, clinics & community buildings; creation & deployment of orthopedic aids for child ambulatory impairments, Ag & industrial training skills for youth & young adults.We are seeking and inviting your valued comments, concerns and strategy input to share with the volunteers within GCOA. Please read the following post by GCOA’s Executive Director and Thought Leader on the Vision Project “Children Learning to Read to Learn” and submit your comments…Thank you!. “Children Learning To Read To Learn” Educational System Project Topic:  An IT based children’s education system that teaches early-age (From age 5 and older) reading and general knowledge learning/achievement utilizing an interactive self-taught teacher supervised software platform and iTablet “Touch/View/Audio” delivery technology.  The process of “learning to read” is interfaced with general knowledge learning via animated digital picture/action visual stories that correlate to the text of the story-telling.  Similar to an “encyclopedia word/term explanation” utilizing animated action moving- picture story illustrations in conjunction with text word story/definition explanations. Charles Dushek of Global Children’s Opportunities Association

2. Project Overview We are in an early development stage of an educational system, which is a “Learning to Read & Knowledge Learning” software platform that utilizes the iPod or an iTablet as the personal computer for child student user deployment.  We believe this can be a revolutionary system for the developing world rural communities and villages and for inner city developed country settings that can teach any child to read of any cultural origin and where the child can speak any language that has a written script form for printing and/or recognition on an iTablet touch screen. To date, we do not have an awareness of any “like-kind” product or system that uses an  iTablet wireless device to offer individual-student self-taught reading instruction that combines with general knowledge topics learning skills as an integral part of a learn-to-read process.http://www.leapfrog.com/en-us/about-us/indexhttp://www.hewlett.org/programs/global-development-population/quality-education   Programmers and digital animation artists have confirmed ability to develop and produce the technical digital video elements or processes of this system. GCO has engaged university graduates that are digital animation majors to develop the animated “moving-picture story-boarding”, for story illustration and story knowledge content”.  Other collaborative advisors listed at the end of this overview contribute expertise in: literacy, IT equipment, software programing, education industry, story boarding and related topics. In essence, the combination of the child learning to read via the iTablet screen display of the text of the story has a knowledge learning value as the child reads words, and the moving picture illustrations of Characters, Objects and Background Scenery in action “Combines” to teach both “reading Skill and Topic-Matter Knowledge” achievements. The learning system utilizes the iTablet that has a “touch screen” display/keyboard.  The process involves the display of progressive animated children’s story picture settings (story book pages) on top of screen page with the “story line” in word text underneath on screen page that the child reads to the iTablet via an Ear Buds & Mic Boom rig connected to iTablet via wire or Bluetooth…similar to the child reading a story book aloud.   Each story title can have about 30 pages of different scenes with 40-60 words per page that describe the Topic-Matter on each page and the action taking place.  The full sequence of 30 scene pages is the entirety of the story as laid out through 30 different, yet related scene-settings. As the child starts to sound out the words in sentences that explain the story in the picture, the iTablet is listening, the story picture “animates” (See example:  http://www.mattegler.com/  from  http://www.fullsail.edu/  to live 2-D or 3-D action being driven by correct pronunciation of each child-spoken word(s), which the iTablet is “listening to” and judging the child’s phonetics (child wears Ear-Buds w/Mic-Boom to lips).  The story animation visually illustrates what the story-text subject matter is describing by showing function and movement. 

3. The iTablet software will coach the child’s pronunciation/phonetics with “correct word response” dialogue in whatever language that is selected for the story narration/presentation text.  Successful phonetic child reading of the “story lines” drive the picture/scene animation progression process.  When child stops reading the “story stops or pauses in its animation movement.  There would be some “buffering” to soften the “Stop-Pause-Start” animation action on the display. Child Learning System Objectives The objectives of the system are to teach integrated reading & knowledge learning skills: phonetics, speed of reading, word meaning context (i.e. To, Too, Two, TuTu, so, sow, sew), proper phrase & sentence construction, colors recognition, scenic backdrop recognition ( i.e. Sky, Sea, Forest etc.) and numeracy math skills of counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.  At end of each learning-story book session, a comprehension test is given.  Multiple choice audio-response questions are asked by the iTablet covering the story of about 30 pages and having about 40-60 words per page.  The student states audibly what he/she feels are the correct choice answers.  The testing is for general story memory, cognitive skill, and critical thinking about choices the child would make based upon the subject matter of the story…i.e.,  What is Right/Wrong, Good/Bad, Pretty/Ugly, Fast/Slow, Fun/Sad….Upon start of the child beginning to read, it would be a good idea if the child were able to name the character.  If this is possible, the child would be more engaged into the story as they would feel more connected to the character as they’ve had some input into the story.Every child progresses at his/her own pace.  There is an ease of teaching/learning to read in multi-languages because the story themes are about general life experience situations…virtual reality.  The story themes are multi-cultural and can have Christian or Secular basis with moral philosophies.  Ideal learning stories embody day-to-day family and community life, cognitive problems and reasoning, numeracy calculations, and critical thinking. Technology Elements The iTablets interface wirelessly with USB Wi-Fi plugin stick to connect to a local PC wireless modem Server within the local school community or classroom that is recording all child reading and test performance data, per individual student, and compiles & applies a student performance grading table.  The teacher is enabled via the students database file to clearly understand both above average and below average literacy skills in pronunciation, reading speed, general comprehension, cognitive memory, and “thinking right” critical thinking decision skill of each student.  The helps teacher to target remedial help on which student skills need attention.

4. This system can be economically developed for the children of the developing world or for developed country inner city distressed communities.  All the programing essentials are Widgets or Plugins that are widely used today across all kinds of interactive web sites and voice-activated knowledge & recording IT platforms.  Software development is comparable to current “web site design templates” of assembling/interfacing already developed elements or components…widget & plugins.  We need a volunteer Project Leadership Role Individual to define all the IT operating elements of the reading/learning platform that ties all the functionality together.  All the iTablets are wirelessly connective to local community/school server (LAN) and used or refurbished Servers and iTablets are typically free as donations of earlier generation tablets & servers in the US marketplace, or at very low cost refurb prices. Next Steps Next steps in the development process are interviewing many developing country youth-child educators to learn what is needed to enhance the literacy educational process.  We have recruited graduates of http://www.fullsail.edu/, see list below, who are expert and visionary in digital artists and programmers for story construction and animation. We need more precise understanding of the unmet needs, dissatisfactions and problems of currently deployed “learning to read to learn” courses and system parameters that are being offered via manual textbook instructional settings.  The Project is to “convert, support or transform” manual printed book based “reading/learning” systems to the iTabletprogram as discussed above. The goal of this Vision Project is to structure an IT based reading & learning educational platform requiring minimal teacher system training & orientation, create rich feedback in child reading/learning uptake performance statistics, identify and correct child learning deficiencies across a ratings spectrum of: pronunciation, reading speed, comprehension, broadness of subject matter knowledge, numeracy and critical thinking skill.

5. Please add your comments to this Blog Post.  Thank you. Chuck Dushek Executive Director Email: ChuckDushek@aol.com Phone: USA  630-456-2315 List of project collaborative advisors: Phillip Sweeney   Non-Profit CFO David Spencer   Sr Director of Learning Katie Butterfield   Reading Specialist Max Calderon*   Character Animator DremondTanic*   Animator AshaBishi*  Digital Animator Ali Wamahiu*  Digital Design Michele Hoekstra  Literacy Justin Francis*   Character Animator Dean Patton*   Character Animator Gordon Anderson   IT and Networking Specialist Steve Barber   Director of Linguistics Scott VanderKooy  President Comprenew James Ham*  Animation & Graphic Design Julius Figueroa*   Computer Animation Charles J Dushek and Margaret Dushek are Thought Leaders in bringing positive transformations in: Education, School construction strategies, Remedial orthopedic healthcare, Employment skills training, PC & IT literacy to children of the developing world and US inner cities. To know more about Chas Dushek ,Marge Dushek and  Charles Dushek please visit here : –https://charlesjdushek.wordpress.com/