TeachAids
37°25′19″N 122°12′40″W / 37.421844°N 122.211066°W
TeachAids (pronounced /ˌtiːtʃˈeɪdz/) is a nonprofit social enterprise that develops global health education technology products for HIV/AIDS, concussions, and COVID-19, based on an approach invented through research at Stanford University.[1][2]
501(c)(3) nonprofit | |
Focus | education technology |
---|---|
Location | |
Origins | Stanford University |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Piya Sorcar (CEO) |
Website | teachaids.org |
The TeachAids software for HIV education, their first area of focus, has been cited as a model health intervention.
TeachAids operates globally, with its software in use in more than 80 countries..
History
TeachAids began in 2005 as a research project at
The project's goal was to find a way to address the frequently taboo subjects associated with sexual issues and HIV/AIDS specifically. One major finding was that 2D cartoon figures were the optimal balance between comfort and clarity in terms of visual representation for sex-related topics.[7][18] On that basis, animated storyboards were created which emphasized the biological aspects of HIV transmission and used cultural euphemisms to overcome social stigma.[19] In addition, specific pedagogical techniques (e.g., instructional scaffolding) were utilized to create a coherent conception of HIV transmission for learners, as opposed to the fragmented knowledge created by mass media campaigns.[20]
Early research versions of the software were sponsored by
TeachAids was spun out of Stanford in 2009 as an independent 501(c)(3) organization, co-founded by Piya Sorcar, Clifford Nass, Shuman Ghosemajumder, and Ashwini Doshi.[4] It began developing its infrastructure and new versions of its software for additional countries and languages around the world. The first additional versions of the software in Indian English, Telugu, and Tswana were launched in 2010.[22]
Celebrity partners
The TeachAids interactive software implements animated avatars of cultural icons to improve pedagogical efficacy. Over time, numerous international actors, musicians, and celebrities have lent their voices and likenesses to the TeachAids materials.[21] These include:
- Amitabh Bachchan[8]
- Amol Palekar
- Anu Choudhury[23]
- Anu Prabhakar
- Anushka Shetty
- Jayanthi
- Imran Khan
- Moloya Goswami
- Nagarjuna Akkineni[23]
- Navdeep
- Prashanta Nanda
- Swati Reddy
- Shabana Azmi[23]
- Shruti Haasan[24]
- Siddharth
- Sudeep
- Suhasini Maniratnam
- Suriya
- Vijay Raghavendra
- Zerifa Wahid
- Zeus
The TeachAids advisory board includes film director
In 2020, Kate Courtney starred in a concussion education video for their CrashCourse virtual reality series.[25]
Worldwide use
The TeachAids tutorials are available for free online and are used in more than 80 countries around the world, distributed by over 200 partner organizations.]
In India, the
and other Indian states have also joined with official support and distribution.In Botswana, the TeachAids tutorials were adopted nationally as the standard method for HIV/AIDS education. In 2011, the Ministry of Education began distributing the tutorials to every primary, secondary, and tertiary educational institution in the country, reaching all learners from 6 to 24 years of age nationwide. June 15 in Botswana was declared "National TeachAIDS Day".[4][13]
In the
The creation of TeachAids has been cited as an important innovation in achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goal for combating the spread of HIV/AIDS.[30]
In 2012, TeachAids was named one of 12 global laureates by The Tech Awards,[31][32] referred to as the "Nobel prize of tech philanthropy".[33]
See also
References
- ^ Mahafreed Irani (24 September 2011). "Moving pictures, moving minds". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
- ^ a b Paromita Pain (5 September 2011). "Overcoming barriers through technology". The Hindu. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-8261-0122-8.
- ^ a b c d e Max McClure (25 July 2012). "Stanford-affiliated nonprofit sets standard for AIDS education". Stanford University. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ "TR35: Piya Sorcar: Software that can be localized to teach taboo topics". MIT Technology Review. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
- ^ "Star touch to animated film on HIV/AIDS". The New Indian Express. 27 November 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c Piya Sorcar (1 March 2009). "Teaching Taboo Topics Without Talking About Them: An Epistemic Study of a New Approach to HIV/AIDS Prevention Education in India". Stanford University. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
- ^ a b "Amitabh Bachchan Joins S.F. Bay Area Nonprofit TeachAids". India West. Archived from the original on 28 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
- ^ "Animated film to educate students on HIV". The Times of India. 26 November 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
- ^ "Animation lessons on HIV/AIDS awareness released". The Hindu. 27 November 2010. Archived from the original on 4 December 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
- ^ "Former President of Botswana, Festus Mogae, joins TeachAIDS Advisory Board". TeachAIDS. 16 September 2010. Archived from the original on 6 December 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
- ^ Cat Johnson (14 January 2015). "10 Game-Changing Projects from Creative Commons' Team Open". Shareable. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Barclays: Supporting our Communities". Barclays. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Tech Laureate TeachAIDS Expands in India". India West. 21 October 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ "Public Service Activities 2011" (PDF). Covington & Burling. 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ "UNICEF Botswana Annual Report 2010" (PDF). UNICEF. 20 July 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Anya Kamenetz (10 April 2013). "Research finally shows that online education works—for sex, alcohol, and health". NBC News. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- The California Tech. 5 May 2008. Archived from the original(PDF) on 30 August 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
- ^ "Let's NOT Talk About Sex, Baby". New America Media. 1 December 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
- ^ ISBN 1-60566-792-7. Chapter: Teaching Taboo Topics Through Technology.
- ^ a b c d "About TeachAids". TeachAIDS. 16 December 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
- The Huffington Post. 1 December 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
- ^ The Telegraph. 22 November 2013. Archived from the originalon November 25, 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- Indian Express. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ^ Cyclingnews (2020-07-14). "Kate Courtney presents CrashCourse concussion brain fly-through". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
- ^ "National AIDS Control Organisation of India approves TeachAIDS curriculum". TeachAIDS. 15 January 2010. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
- ^ "Karnataka government to implement TeachAIDS tutorials in 5,500 schools". TeachAIDS. 7 June 2010. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
- ^ "Partnership between APSACS and TeachAIDS". Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society. 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ "TeachAIDS Educator Handbook: A Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Prevention Curriculum". 16 December 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
- ASIN B00R5D2Z6C.
- ^ "The Tech Awards Laureate: TeachAIDS". The Tech Awards. 2012. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ "28 Award Winners Highlight Innovation in Social Entrepreneurship". Forbes. 30 September 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- San Jose Mercury News. 21 September 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2015.