Remember the legendary children’s show Batibot? well, there’s a more interactive version of it, and it’s now available for FREE on the Apple App Store!
Launched earlier on the Android platform, the Batibot app is offers fun games that teaches kids basic skills such as matching, sorting, and grouping. It also lets them trace letters and properly distinguish shapes, colors, numbers, and letter sounds.
There’s also “Awiting Batibot”, which lets kids sing along to Batibot songs, while “Kwentong Batibot” offers local stories that exhibit good values.
Batibot is the only app in the Filipino language that is aligned with the DepEd’s kindergarten curriculum, and is a result of a collaborative effort between Smart Communications, Community of Learners Foundation, and developer startup OrangeFix.
The app was initially available for Android devices, and a lot of inquiries were received as to when and if it will also be available for Apple devices.
“Many parents based here and abroad said their kids had grown up speaking English, and that they wanted their children to be proficient in the Filipino language too. The Batibot app will certainly help them brush up on Filipino in a fun, interactive way.”
“When you search for educational content online, you’ll find that most of them are in English. There is a need for digital learning content that promotes the Filipino language as well as Filipino values. The Batibot app addresses that need,” – Mon Isberto, Smart Public Affairs Head.
To bring the Batibot app to remote communities, Smart also installs it on tablets that are donated to public schools under the TechnoCart and School-in-a-bag programs.
Smart TechnoCart, is donated to public schools with electricity, and is a 2×2 ft mobile laboratory which contains 20 tablets for students, along with a laptop, projector, and mobile Wi-Fi with starter load for the teacher. The School-in-a-Bag on the other hand, is meant for remote public schools without electricity, and is a backpack which contains a solar panel, a laptop, five tablets, a mobile phone, a pocket Wi-Fi with starter load, an LED TV, and learning modules.
To date, Smart, along with individual and corporate sponsors have donated TechnoCarts to 40 schools, and School-in-a-bag units to 18 schools across the country. Teachers of the recipient schools are also given the necessary training on basic tablet usage and child curriculum development.
“Combined with guidance from elders, mobile devices and the internet can be powerful tools in enhancing learning among children.”
“Batibot helped shape a generation of Filipinos, many of whom are now parents and teachers. They now have an opportunity to share the Batibot learning experience with their children and students through the Batibot app”.
For more information about Smart’s initiatives to use technology for the development of different social sectors, you may follow the Smart Communities page on Facebook. Those interested to sponsor Smart TechnoCarts or School-in-a-Bag units may send an email to [email protected] for more information.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
