Asha Trust - Kanini

Project Brief: Technology and Education Initiative efforts to teach computer science and improve the educational processes happening in the classrooms at the government schools.
Project Type: Working with the Government (description)
Primary Focus: to go to formal school (description)

Secondary Focus: other

Area: Rural
Supporting Chapter Contact: Chennai
Status: current / ongoing
Project Steward: Rajaraman Krishnan
Project Partner(s): Rajaraman Krishnan
Other Contacts: Venkat Ramasamy
Project Address: , First Floor, 85/2, Luz Avenue, Mylapore, Chennai 600004,Near Nageswara rao park,Chennai,
TAMIL NADU  600004
Tel: 91 9444404060
Stewarding Chapter: Chennai
Jul 2023ChennaiINR 15660500
May 2023ChennaiUSD 3728
Aug 2022ChennaiUSD 19166
Aug 2022ChennaiINR 11120250
Jun 2021ChennaiUSD 1915
May 2021ChennaiINR 1042121
Sep 2020ChennaiUSD 9466
May 2020ChennaiINR 5775
May 2020ChennaiUSD 4298
Sep 2019ChennaiUSD 22904
Jun 2018ChennaiUSD 7429
Aug 2017ChennaiUSD 31670
May 2017ChennaiINR 166829
Oct 2016ChennaiUSD 22748
May 2016ChennaiINR 112635
Jun 2015ChennaiINR 1331889

Total = $765115.9782

Project Asha Kanini
Asha Chennai has been working with Government Schools at several places in Tamilnadu through projects such as Project Sangamam, Project Pearl, Project Thulasi, Poorna Vidhya etc. We identify schools that have low teacher-student ratio and provide teachers to these schools. We also provide learning and teaching materials. Government allocates very little money towards basic materials like chart paper or chalk piece. We provide these materials. We have also provided computers to the schools, setup libraries there etc. We help the school maintain the infrastructure so that it can be used effectively.

With our close connection with these schools Asha Chennai is in a unique position to understand and help address some of the quality issues facing Government schooling in India. Our Digital Classroom effort helps improve the quality of teaching in the classroom using technology.

Further while there is a strong desire among the parents and the teachers for children to learn computer science, there is little happening in that regard. We have designed and are implementing a bold and new curriculum for teaching digital literacy as well as programming to primary and middle school children.

Asha has been conducting assessments (oral and written) for children at all our supported schools. This provides a large volume of data. Data analysis helps us identify learning gaps as well as sociological factors that affect education.

Our website kanini.ashanet.org provides details and access to the resources created in all these three fronts as part of this project.

Digital Classrooms and Technology Aided Learning
Asha has created Asha Kanini an app that provides easy assess to the best contents for teaching all subjects and lessons. The contents include the best contents from the government as well as private organizations. Asha has also created contents that are not available and required. Asha Kanini is network independent, platform agnostic and can support any language or curriculum. It is currently available with rich contents for Tamilnadu and UP. It is easy to use with powerful features like searching, sorting by user likes/views, access through QR codes etc. Our digital lesson plans provide an easy way to access the best-curated contents for teaching all the lessons in the curriculum.

The contents packaged with Asha Kanini takes technology aided education beyond just showing videos and presentations for which all you need is a TV. Active contents engage students directly with games and simulations aligned with the curriculum. Classroom activities and lesson plans provide the resources to a teacher to conduct ideal activities with the students to help them get conceptual clarity on the subjects. Worksheets come in printable and online forms which are also categorised in our digital lesson plans to suit the specific needs of the teacher. Several other educational contents like audio-books, video stories, intellectually stimulating games etc. are also there as part of the contents.

We have also created a team of teachers who can use these effectively and assist the government teachers in using them at all the schools we support.

Digital Literacy and Programming
Digital literacy is more than mastering some set of tools like Microsoft word and excel. Digital literacy is about developing confidence to learn and perform any task with technology which may involve tools we haven’t used before, machines we haven’t seen before or just features of tools that we have not accessed before. Through our emphasis on project based teaching, we aim to develop this digital literacy in the students.

Programming is once again beyond mastering of a specific language or development environment. It is developing the required computational, design and system thinking that enables them to envision technology solutions to problems that they encounter as well as manipulate technology to perform as required to meet their goals. We have chosen the best tools to teach them programming like Scratch, Blockly etc. and again our emphasis on project based teaching aims to develop these broader skills.

Data Analytics
Asha performs basic analytics on our data to generate detailed reports identifying learning gaps that are given to the schools we support. As an ongoing effort Asha has been working with IIT Madras and IIT Bombay to analyse the data from our assessments and understand the sociological causes that impact learning in schools and children.
Feb 2024 RTC Impressions - 7th Feb 2024
Jan 2024 RTC Status Report - Jan 2024
Dec 2023 RTC Students Profile - Dec 2023
Nov 2023 Oral Assessment Report - Nov 2023
Oct 2023 Report on MOU with TN Government - Oct 2023
Oct 2023 Inauguration of ACE Program - 19 Oct 2023
Aug 2023 Status report on the RTCs - Aug 2023
Jul 2023 Report on NEP Event - July 2023
May 2023 Report on Asha Impressions - 2023
Apr 2023 Kanini_Metrics_2022.pdf
Apr 2023 Report on Written Assessment - Feb 2023
Mar 2023 Report on Student Excursions - 2023
Feb 2023 Report on RTC Impressions
Feb 2023 Report on RTCs
Feb 2023 Report on Inauguration of new RTC at Kalugumalai
Jan 2023 Report on Training for Computer Teachers
Dec 2022 Report on Teacher Excursion
Dec 2022 Report on the distribution of stationery materials
Dec 2022 Report on Oral Assessments - Nov 2022
Dec 2022 Amazons video and article on Ashas work
Nov 2022 Photo shoot at the RTCs
Oct 2022 Report on analysis assessments 2021 - 2022
Oct 2022 Report on new RTC at Kayathar
Sep 2022 Video on Amazon Future Engineer Program
Aug 2022 Amazon Future Engineer supports Ashas CS Education
Aug 2022 Report on RTCs in Aug 2022
Aug 2022 Report on Donation of laptops to Asha by Ford
Aug 2022 Report on start of Amazon Future Engineer program
Aug 2022 Asha Kanini 2022-23 Proposal
Jul 2022 Inauguration of 2 new RTCs
Jul 2022 Report on Donation of Ford Laptops by Disha
Jun 2022 Proposal to Amazon for supporting Computer Science Education
Jun 2022 Budget for Amazon CS Education Support
Jun 2022 Report on Asha Kanini
Mar 2022 Asha Kanini Annual report 2021-22
Mar 2022 Site visit reports for Thiruvallur
Feb 2022 Inauguration of the first 2 RTCs
Feb 2022 Press Coverage for the Inauguration of the 2 RTCs
Jan 2022 Report on Amazons Delivering Smiles Program
Jan 2022 Proposal for Amazon Delivering Smiles program
Jan 2022 Report on starting RTCs
Jan 2022 Asha Kanini - Quarterly Report - 4Q21
Jan 2022 Asha Kanini featured in IITM Social Impact book
Dec 2021 Report on Computer Teacher Training
Nov 2021 Report on Kanini trainers and computer teachers work
Jul 2021 Asha Kanini - Quarterly Report - 3Q21
Jul 2021 Proposal for Rural Technology Centres
Jun 2021 Budget for additional items in Asha Kanini borne directly by Asha
Jun 2021 Asha Kanini - Quarterly report - 2Q21
Apr 2021 Asha Kanini Pravartak Proposal for 2021-2022
Mar 2021 Pravartak launches Asha Kanini project with funding from John Crane
Nov 2020 Coverage of Mini-schoosl in The Hindu
Oct 2020 Report on Hybrid Curriculum
Jun 2020 Report on Teacher activities during School Closure
Jun 2020 Asha Kanini budget for 2020-2021
Feb 2020 Report on Written Assessments - 2020
Dec 2019 Report on Computer Training in Dec 2019
Dec 2019 Report on Teachers excursion to Mysore
Sep 2019 Asha Kanini budget for 2019-20
Sep 2019 Status report of Asha Kanini
Sep 2019 Report on September Teacher trainings
Jul 2019 Report on Laptop Donations to Schools
May 2019 Report on Auroville trip and Other Training Sessions
Apr 2019 Report on Asha impressions 2019 - Radhakrishnan and Sriram
Apr 2019 Report on Asha Impression - 2019
Dec 2018 Report on Term III teacher training
Nov 2018 Report on Oral Assessment at the schools
Oct 2018 Enhanced proposal Asha Kanini for 2019 and 2020
Jun 2018 Project Proposal Sangamam Kanini 2018-19
Apr 2018 Report on Asha Impressions - 2018
Feb 2018 Photos from the written assessments - 2018
Dec 2017 Oral Assessments - Results Analysis
Nov 2017 Photos from Oral Assessments - 2017
Aug 2017 Oral Assessments - Report 2017
Jul 2017 Site visit report by Venkataraman
Apr 2017 Project Proposal Sangamam Kanini 2017-18
Jan 2017 Photos from Glovis computer distribution
Dec 2016 Project Sangamam Kanini Report 2016
Dec 2016 Photo album of Sangamam Kanini in action
Dec 2016 Photos form Glovis - computer donation
Dec 2016 Photos from teacher training for third term
Nov 2016 Photo ablum of oral Assessments
Oct 2016 Site visit report 2016
Apr 2016 Project Sangamam Kanini Case Studies 2016
Apr 2016 Photo album of Sangamam Kanini in action 2016
Apr 2016 Project Sangamam Kanini Proposal_2016-17
Mar 2016 Project Sangamam Kanini Report 2015
Mar 2016 Assessments at Sangamam - 2016
Jan 2016
Dec 2015 Project Sangamam Kanini Case Studies 2015
Dec 2015 Project Sangamam Kanini Report 2015
Nov 2015 Project Sangamam Kanini Proposal_Year 2016-17
Nov 2015 Outcome metrics for sangamam Kanini
Sep 2015 Photo album of Sangamam Kanini in action
Sep 2015 Project Sangamam Kanini Report 2015
Jun 2015 Quarterly Report_Q1_2015-16
Apr 2015 Project Sangamam Kanini Proposal_Year 2014-2015