Enterprise and educational device management firm Jamf is helping a group of 150 Haitian students to engage with the digital world, by shipping an 'innovation pod' providing iPads and other technology, as well as a digital curriculum, to a school in one of Haiti's impoverished areas.
An extension to Jamf's 2017 project to provide students and teachers with Internet access, hardware, and training, Jamf's innovation pod will be stationed at Hope School, located in one of the overpopulated areas near Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. The school itself is part of Healing Haiti, an organization that aims to improve the lives of the country's citizens.
The innovation pod is a portable classroom fitted into a shipping container, constructed by Modular Life Solutions. Each pod includes five collaborative workspaces for children to use during lessons, along with an interactive display powered by an Apple TV.
Every student and teacher in the pod has access to an iPad while working, with each enclosed in a Logitech Rugged Combo case that adds the flexibility of an integrated keyboard along with the iPad's existing usefulness. Teachers will be able to set up filters with Securly, preventing students from viewing inappropriate content, with eSparkLearning used as the main platform for teaching the students.
As well as taking advantage of apps like Duolingo and Khan Academy, students will pass through Apple's Everyone Can Code curriculum, providing a vast array of resources. Lastly, Sphero SPRK+ robots will be included for hands-on activities, specifically focusing on coding skills and STEM, including the use of Swift Playgrounds.
"We want to get technology into the hands of kids as an avenue to a brighter future," said Jamf CEO Dean Hager. "It is our mission to not only introduce these kids to iPads, but more importantly, to get them excited about the possibilities that technology could bring into their lives."
The equipment included in the innovation pod was installed before an unveiling event at Modular Life Solution's facility in Jacksonville, Florida on March 1. The pod will soon ship to Hope School, with the aim of arriving at its destination sometime in the spring.