Dolphio, the gadget that transforms learning

​Jangaon: The children, who returned to Zilla Parishad High School in Ibrahimpur this week after a long summer layoff, had a surprise gadget to greet them. What they found at their disposal was a Dolphio talking pen that makes learning, especially speaking and listening, altogether interesting besides infusing morals and life skills.

Thanks to the joint initiative of the UNICEF and the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) that aimed at providing a new learning curve to those students hailing from the rural backdrop. To start with, the government has selected a Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya and a Zilla Parishad high school from each district in the State and provided them with a Dolphio talking pen, 100 each English and Telugu books that worth around Rs 1 lakh. 

The initiative is for those students studying Class VI to VIII.The gadget, which resembles like a pen, is nothing but a multimedia print reader. The featherweight pen has a pre-loaded chip consisting of audio files. The pen that runs on a chargeable battery has an in-built speaker.

Pronouncing, be it the English or Telugu words, the right way is a difficult proposition altogether even for the best in the business. The pen helps students to pick the right pronunciation, besides inculcating zeal to read books other than academics.

Speaking to The Hans India, Mukthavaram Jhansi, Resource Person at ZP High School in Ibrahimpur and who had participated in preparing the UNICEF’s digital lessons, said: “The gadget is much like an e-reader device that reads content. The sensor on the pen reads the barcodes printed on the books when it’s positioned over the codes of a book. Then it activates that particular pre-loaded audio file, thus enabling the user to hear it as he/she moves the pen pointer along the text.”

One of the most difficult parts of the languages is their pronunciation as it differs from place to place. The gadget which improves the vocabulary is also helpful in bringing uniformity in pronunciation among the students, she said. Moreover, the gadget has an option to record the voice too. By playing back option, the students can also check and correct their pronunciation, Jhansi said.

It’s better if the facility is extended to all the schools, she said, referring to the gadget’s huge potential in helping the students.  Chintha Sravani, Class VIII student, said that it’s a nice gadget and we are able to pick pronunciation very easily. Hitherto we had pronunciation problems. The books are also very interesting. It may be noted here that the other school to get the Dolphio pen was KGBV in Station Ghanpur.