Literacy Bridge
How can the Talking Book increase the impact of your organization? Read below to find out.
If you would like to apply Talking Books to your program, learn more about becoming one of our partners from our partnerships site.
Reach More People
Accessible and Easy to Use
When you turn the device on, it speaks to guide you through performing tasks like listening and recording. Users navigate the audio interface which is localized in their native dialect. Even people with no prior experience with technology can learn to use the devices from their peers.
Runs on Batteries
The Talking Book does not require grid electricity, meaning people use commonly available batteries to listen repeatedly in their home.
Works by Touch in the Dark
By feeling indentations in the buttons, users listen to content at night without lights. The indentations also mean that people who are visually disabled can navigate the audio menu to find the information they need to hear.
Unique from a Mobile Phone
Mobile phone solutions require funds for network time and expensive handsets. These solutions excel at accessing simple and time-critical information but are less effective as teaching systems. Adding Talking Books to a mobile-based intervention combines timely content distribution with the means to play lengthier content on-demand at no cost.
Augments Radio Programs
While radio programs reach many people in one broadcast, they cannot be replayed or shared with those who were unavailable. We have observed that users need to listen to the some recordings multiple times before incorporating the new practices into their lives. Adding Talking Books to a radio-based intervention combines their broadcast capability with a network of devices that act as local audio libraries.
Increase Impact
On-demand access to content
Ensure your information is heard exactly as you intend by giving beneficiaries on demand access. The Talking Book disseminates complex or simple information in a consistent way—each Talking Book can contain 35 to 140 hours of information. Beneficiaries can listen to the messages they need, when they need it, and as many times as necessary to learn to read, to prevent disease, or to produce more crops.
Easy to record new content
You can collect feedback from the people you serve about any topic you would like. Ask for their opinions on the messages themselves or on your program. By incorporating their ideas, your organization will be able to refine your effectiveness over time. Beneficiaries can also create their own messages to share local expertise with each other and capture cultural knowledge and stories—many of which have never been recorded before in history.
Usage statistics and user ratings
How many people have listened to each message? What do they think of it? How many times have they copied each message to another device? These are all questions you can answer through the usage statistics on each Talking Book. Find out what people are actually listening to and how valuable they rate it.
Adjustable speed of audio
Record an audio book for your students and enable it to reach unlimited students. Your students can read along or listen at a pace that best meets their learning needs. Adjusting the speed also enables beneficiaries to improve their understanding of content that is spoken in a different dialect.
Interactive audio links and multiple-choice questions
Two unique features make learning fun and engaging for students who have little one-on-one help from teachers. ‘Audio links’ prompt students to learn the definition of words or answer multiple-choice questions about the content they are listening to. You can also get creative and create a custom audio game and work with us to make it a reality.
Low Cost Access
Extremely low energy use
Even though it runs on batteries and not electricity, the Talking Book uses very little battery energy for playback, recording, or interaction. For the cost of a few pennies of battery power, people can learn new practices.
No fees needed to access information
Once recordings are produced, people can replay them time and time again without paying for mobile network minutes.
Device-to-device copying
People can share copies of content with peers for free, unlike physical media like DVDs or tapes. A single copy can enable content to spread virally throughout a community.