A new AI literacy tool, the Literacy Pen, won a Silver award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France. This global event celebrates creativity in communications and advertising.
The Literacy Pen is an innovative tool designed to help people learn to read and write. It clips onto a pen or pencil and lets users speak into a microphone, showing the words or sentences on a digital display.
“The pen helps people spell words they want to write. It’s especially useful for those who speak English but can’t write it,” said Vanessa Portilla, Chief Operations Officer of the World Literacy Foundation. “We are already in Kenya with our Sun Books program and plan to test the pen with parents and communities around the schools.”
Portilla added that the pen won’t replace classroom learning but will support it. It’s aimed at young adults aged 18-35 in Kenya and will cost about Ksh8,000 ($61.5).
Trent Smith, a 39-year-old gardener from Australia, said, “I can finally spell words to fill out forms at work. It’s changed my life.”
There are 773 million people worldwide who can’t read. The Literacy Pen offers a low-cost solution to help overcome daily challenges due to illiteracy.
The World Literacy Foundation and Media Monks developed this user-friendly digital pen to help struggling readers. Andrew Kay, CEO of the World Literacy Foundation, called it one of the most significant advances in helping illiterate people in the past 20 years.
Kay also announced a global campaign to support the rollout of the Literacy Pen in Kenya in 2025, focusing on the communities with the greatest need.
The pen has already been used in Australia, the USA, the UK, Nigeria, and Uganda. The official launch will be on International Literacy Day, September 8, 2024.
International Literacy Day, celebrated on September 8 each year, highlights the importance of literacy for a just and sustainable society. This year’s theme is “Promoting multilingual education: Literacy for mutual understanding and peace.”
Source: theeastafrican
