Hyderabad based Online Publishing Provider PRESSMART (www.pressmart.com) today formally announced the launch of MOCA (Mobile Learning Classroom Application) in India and the deployment of its application MOCA for (Personal Learning Device Project) PEARL by La Salle Green Hills (LSGH) a school in Manila, Philippines. MOCA implemented on SAMSUNG tablet is basically the central hub for the students now in the school - a one-stop of sorts for all their school needs. The application houses their books, their homework's, as well as the questions and exams that teachers would be giving them.
Pressmart MOCA a paperless, tablet based end to end solution for schools is based on a private-cloud based interactive education system aimed at making learning an interesting, enjoyable and collaborative experience on mobile devices. Today, more than 600 Publishers in 33 different languages from 61 countries are reaping the benefits of Pressmart's cutting-edge cloud based publishing technology.
Nearly 4,000 students from Grade 1 to Grade 12, uses an 8.9-inch tablet from Samsung powered by Google's Android 3.2 Honeycomb mobile operating system and Pressmart's MOCA application. The e-tablet initiative involving Pressmart MOCA, which LSGH dubbed as PEARL or Personal Learning Device Project, consists of five phases of implementation. The first phase, where the project currently is, involves merely replacing textbooks with the tablet devices.
Making the announcement Vik Torpunuri , Chairman of Pressmart said "MOCA is designed for POSSIBILITY - an Education TabWorld without physical textbooks, where teachers assign, distribute, receive assignments and grade on a tablet computer. With MOCA students can receive and complete assignments, and follow their grades on their tablet devoid of paper, no heavy backpacks, instantaneous feedback, financial savings and the ability for customization to each student."
"Our idea stem's from the fact that the future school will replace textbooks and grade books with tablets for both students and teachers. The idea MOCA presented to La Salle Ignited each one of them that included Parents, Teachers, Children and above all School Management. We are now confident that MOCA has a great future not just in Philippines but even in India which will soon have Tablet's like AAKASH gaining entry into schools and child's hands that will make teaching as well as learning in digital classroom truly rewarding both in terms of value and affordability." Says Raghavan Madabhushi, CEO Pressmart.
Pressmart is hopeful the 100 years old La Salle Green Hills school in Metro Manila along school with other 17 La Salle chain of schools that is set to adopt PEARL throughout the country will create a new standard in digital education and offers Pressmart a great opportunity to be the e-publishing partner along with global tablet leaders like Samsung in this new learning revolution happening in Philippines that collaborated in this project.
"Mobile devices, and social media are part of today children's life, so instead of prohibiting them to be used, isn't it a great idea to put the technology to good use which they are so cool with? Instead of loading them with back full of textbooks, and walk them to the bus stop." Raghavan added.
Education Evangelist Rodolfo "Jun" Lozada based in Manila, says "La Salle is a classic example of being futuristic, they were convinced, for the GenNext of students, the backpack could be obsolete. We are experiencing a new sense of enthusiasm amongst our children as we enabled Tablet computers to replace their textbooks and bringing the way children learn inside the classroom and out."
LSGH President Bro. Felipe Belleza said that their initial driver in pushing for the PEARL project is the need to solve the "simple and perennial problem" of heavy bags being lugged around by students every day. Such an occurrence is so prevalent among Philippine schools that Senator Lito Lapid in 2010 decided to step in and file a bill limiting the weight of bags schoolchildren should carry to just "15% of a student's body weight," according to an earlier newspaper report in Philippines.
By replacing the multitude of books students are required to bring to school daily with an 8.9-inch tablet, they would just have to fit a 470-gram device into a small bag and make room for the other school requirements that they need.
Today technology is deeply integrated into our lives, yet our kids' classroom isn't integrated into the culture of learning. And in dealing with child's homework, given how slow the assessment cycle is, by the time the teachers hands out the assignment, the kids do it, turn it in and it's graded, a week can go by, " says Kiran Booneti COO, Pressmart.
Today, the Tablet is the most sought after device both for massive corporate deployments and usage in schools. According to a study by Gartner published in April, 70 million tablets will be sold in 2011, 300% more than in 2010. In comparison, 325 million laptops were sold last year. These stats are shocking if we realize that before the iPad this market did not exist.
According to recent media report San Diego School District spent $15 million to buy 26,000 iPads for students which show the adoption of Tablet in schools is increasing enormously with efforts not only by administration but also show remarkable acceptance from educational institutions.
Notes to Editor
About Pressmart
Pressmart is world's leading publishing expert engaged in digital conversion and delivery of print newspapers, magazines, and books. More than 600 Publishers in 33 different languages from 61 countries are reaping the benefits of Pressmart's cutting-edge cloud based publishing technology today.
Pressmart also introduced a comprehensive, tablet-based education system for schools and colleges. More than just presenting the books on the tablets, PiE is a private-cloud based interactive education system aimed at making learning an interesting, enjoyable and collaborative experience.
Pressmart offers a full suite of online publishing products and solutions to newspapers and magazines in 49 countries, using Web, Mobile, eReader, RSS, Podcast and other digital channels. Conversion, Hosting, Subscriptions, Ads and Analytics-packed a single easy-to-use service. For more information please visit www.pressmart.com
Tags: Leading Publishing
Traditional Spoken
Pressmart
Moca
La Salle Metro Manila
