International Nonprofit Equips Teachers in Remote Areas of the World with Low-Cost/High-Reward Technology to Help Educate the World’s Poorest People
Nextar™, a designer and marketer of bold and new consumer electronic products with mass appeal, announced it is donating 101 units of its 1GB-capacity MA715 portable media player to One Media Player per Teacher (OMPT). The nonprofit organization equips teachers in remote areas of the world with PMPs, which allow the educators to give students enhanced learning via recorded instructions from the most proficient teachers or experts in a specific topic. The Nextar donation will be sent to Southern Sudan.
“Technology has plenty of entertainment applications, but few know the power of digital media for education,” said Matthew York, Executive Director of the charitable organization One Media Player per Teacher. “Nextar has the insight to see how their products can help lift people out of poverty by improving the educational systems. It is a real pleasure to work with Nextar on this project for the people of Southern Sudan.”
The Nextar MA715 1GB portable media player’s many features include high quality audio playback of MP3 and WMA files, photo display in JPEG and BMP format, document and data storage and video playback (video conversion software included). It also includes an FM radio and the ability to record FM programs in WAV files. A specialized folder management system makes it easy for instructors to choose the folder or audio file desired. Content is viewed on a 1.5″ 65K color CSTN LCD display.
A cost-effective, built-in rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery eliminates need for extra batteries, while providing up to 11 hours of continuous audio playback or 4 hours of continuous video playback when fully charged. It also includes a full-speed USB 2.0 interface. It is totally upgradeable to future formats and features with software downloaded off the Internet. It measures 3.0″ x 1.65″ x 0.6″.
“We are delighted to help One Media Player per Teacher with this donation,” stated Eddy Zheng, Nextar founder. “Their mission to help educate the world’s poorest people through technology is truly altruistic. While portable media players are used strictly for entertainment purposes in developed countries, they have the potential to save lives, alleviate suffering, and improve the quality of life by educating and training scores of people in third-world countries.”
One Media Player per Teacher is a collaborative initiative with several non-government organizations to select portable media players, speakers, battery-powered video projectors, and power generators (solar and human kinetic) for use in international educational development projects. It specifically targets teachers and students in remote areas in the third world, many of whom are far away from the reach of the Internet. Its goal of equipping 10-million teachers with portable media players supports the 2015 UN Millennium development goals.
The nonprofit states that teachers in developing nations need more resources. In schools and universities, teachers are rare and generally under-qualified in most developing nations, making PMPs a vital asset. Additionally, adult education, professional development, and agricultural extension are teaching areas where PMPs can help.
It believes that if every teacher in the developing world had access to professional training and a portable media player, people’s lives even in the remotest parts of the world would be enriched.
About Nextar
Nextar, headquartered in Southern California, is a global designer and marketer of consumer electronics. From the categories it enters to the products it develops and the manner in which it goes to market, Nextar’s decisions are based on its unique “bold and new” philosophy. It currently offers products in the following categories: portable personal audio and video; digital photo frames; portable navigation devices; and Bluetooth. In addition to tried-and-true consumer electronic retail outlets, Nextar products also are boldly marketed through non-traditional avenues such as department stores, automotive, mass merchants, food and drug, and do-it-yourself.
Nextar is an affiliate of Tofasco(SM), a rapidly growing company that sells products worldwide in a variety of industries.
