Our philosophy at T4 Global is that technology is a tool, not a solution. Technology does not change people. People change people.
However, technology can be a very effective tool, facilitating learning as well as providing a way to reach many people.
Technology can also be very expensive. In the West, we tend to gravitate towards the “latest and greatest.” At T4 Global, we gravitate towards the simplest and lowest cost.
We have identified a range of low-cost, portable digital audio and video technologies that facilitate the kind of learning we seek for oral learners. We believe these technologies can bridge the information access gap for impoverished oral learners.
We use simple MP3 and MP4 digital players and bundle them in a kit we call a “mobile teacher,” or MT4 for short. An MT4 kit usually contains a digital media player, a speaker system, rechargeable batteries, and a solar or electric battery charger. Content is provided on modular chips so that a growing library of training chips can be delivered to the MT4 without requiring access to a computer or the Internet. The cost of an MT4 kit is typically less than $50.
T4 Global has different versions of the MT4, depending on the context of the community.