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Draft:SolarSPELL

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The ASU SolarSPELL Initiative

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SolarSPELL Logo
SolarSPELL Logo

SolarSPELL is a global educational initiative based at Arizona State University that combines curated digital libraries, solar-powered, offline technology, and training with the intention of building information literacy and internet-ready skills.[1][2] Their mission, per their website, is to empower learners globally by providing localized educational information and the training to build 21st century skills in primarily offline environments. Their initiative aims to encourage student success, both around the world and at Arizona State University.[3]

History

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The ASU SolarSPELL (Solar Powered Educational Learning Library) initiative was co-founded in 2015 by Dr. Laura Hosman and Bruce Baikie, faculty members at Arizona State University (ASU).[4] During fieldwork visits to remote schools in the Caribbean, West Africa, and the Pacific Islands, Hosman and Baikie gathered insights from teachers who described the challenges of teaching in resource-constrained environments, often without access to electricity or the internet.[4] In response, Hosman, Baikie, and their students[5] developed SolarSPELL, a solar-powered, offline, portable digital library that provides locally relevant educational content to communities with limited infrastructure.[6] SolarSPELL’s initiative employs a train-the-trainer model aimed at fostering sustainable skills development among local users of the library.[7][8]

Current Work

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SolarSPELL’s digital library collections include primary and secondary education, health, and agriculture, with each collection localized for the country where it will be used, and in the language(s) in which it will be used.[7] SolarSPELL has implemented libraries in the Pacific Islands, Africa, and Middle East.[1][5][8][9]

Organization

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The SolarSPELL Initiative is based at Arizona State University (ASU).[2] SolarSPELL’s work is collaborative, involving partnerships with institutions and organizations worldwide, including the Peace Corps.[7] University-level students can also become involved in SolarSPELL. These students contribute to the initiative in various ways including content curation and technology.[5]

Wikipedia for Schools

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Wikipedia for Schools (WFS) is a curated selection of approximately 10,000 Wikipedia articles designed for offline use in primary and secondary classrooms. Originally developed by SOS Children’s Villages UK and launched in 2006, WFS saw multiple updated versions until 2013.[10][11]

In 2020, SolarSPELL took on the role of maintaining and updating Wikipedia for Schools, and they created an updated version of WFS.[10] SolarSPELL collaborated with Kiwix, a nonprofit organization that hosts websites for offline use, to make WFS freely available to download worldwide. Additionally, SolarSPELL created the first Arabic-language Wikipedia for Schools.[10] SolarSPELL released the first updated version of WFS in 2021, hosted on the Kiwix platform.

References

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  1. ^ a b Pacheco, John Arby G. (2021). "SolarSPELL and Its Effects of Student Engagement and Test Scores" (PDF). Micronesian Educator, A Journal of Research and Practice on Education in Guam and Micronesia. 30: 39–48 – via University of Guam.
  2. ^ a b Ro, Christine. "What A Solar-Powered, Portable Library Looks Like". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
  3. ^ "ASU SolarSPELL Initiative – Empowering learners globally". Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  4. ^ a b Hosman, Laura; Walsh, Coreen; Comisso, Martín Pérez; Sidman, Jared (2020-06-15). "Building online skills in off-line realities: The SolarSPELL Initiative (Solar Powered Educational Learning Library)". First Monday. doi:10.5210/fm.v25i7.10839. ISSN 1396-0466.
  5. ^ a b c Hosman, Laura; Ross, Heather; Petersen, Stephanie; Jalaghi, Amira; Andrusaitis, Katie (November 2020). "Developing an offline digital library for South Sudan - the SolarSPELL Health: nursing and midwifery library". South Sudan Medical Journal. 13 (4).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Bauer, Carrie; Gallagher, Matthew J (2020-06-01). "Education for Humanity: higher education for refugees in resource-constrained environments through innovative technology". Journal of Refugee Studies. 33 (2): 416–436. doi:10.1093/jrs/feaa040. ISSN 0951-6328.
  7. ^ a b c Ross, Heather M.; Hosman, Laura; Baikie, Bruce; Blau, Emily; Simpson, Carol J. (2022). "SolarSPELL health and education: global solutions with local impacts" (PDF). Journal of Global Health Reports. 6. doi:10.29392/001c.38734.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ a b Paget, Emily (2024-03-23). "Online Skills in an Offline Environment: Creating Information Literacy Tutorials for the SolarSPELL Offline Digital Library". Journal of Learning for Development. 11 (1): 165–171. doi:10.56059/jl4d.v11i1.1006. ISSN 2311-1550.
  9. ^ Hosman, Laura; Nova, Rachel; Naji, Osamah Abdullah Ahmed Mohammed; Alsaka, Lubna (2024-09-03). "An Overview of Arabic Language Open Educational Resources (OER) for Primary and Secondary Education and Their Use in Offline Environments". Electronic Journal of e-Learning. 22 (9): 01–14. doi:10.34190/ejel.22.9.3616. ISSN 1479-4403.
  10. ^ a b c Al-Khmisy, Rashad; Hosman, Laura; Nova, Rachel (2023-11-10). "Curating an Offline Wikipedia for Schools in any Language: A Road Map". International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (IJET). 18 (21): 129–148. doi:10.3991/ijet.v18i21.44313. ISSN 1863-0383.
  11. ^ "Wikipedia for Schools — SOS Schools". samplecontents.library.ph. Retrieved 2025-01-23.

External Resources

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