Mobile facilitation of science and technology awareness for preschool children

Abstract

There is an acknowledged international skills shortage in Science and Technology. TekkiTots is an initiative by the Meraka Institute aimed at introducing Science and Technology to preschools. Due to the infrastructure limitations in rural areas researchers have had to rethink the delivery method of the lesson plans as the reproduction of the lesson plans proved to be challenging. The widespread and ubiquitous nature of mobile phones in South Africa led us to convert them to a mobile format for easy distribution, side loading and access. This paper describes TekkiTots, its initiation, collaborating partners and new direction that have been taken. Researchers report on initial findings and plot a way forward.