ASHAN ('Alphabets and Scripts by Hand and Audio, Naturally') - A Tool for Learning Scripts and Languages
- Resource Type
- Conference
- Authors
- Joseph, Mathew T.; Kulkarni, Mahesh; Lohokare, Ajay; Belhe, Swapnil
- Source
- 2011 Second International Conference on Intelligent Systems, Modelling and Simulation Intelligent Systems, Modelling and Simulation (ISMS), 2011 Second International Conference on. :205-208 Jan, 2011
- Subject
- Computing and Processing
Computers
Fingers
Rendering (computer graphics)
Humans
Writing
Acceleration
Software
languages and computer
tools to support literacy
literacy and language
learning alphabets
universal literacy
adult literacy
- Language
- ISSN
- 2166-0662
2166-0670
This paper describes a new tool - ASHAN ('Alphabets and Scripts by Hand and Audio, Naturally') - for learning scripts and languages. The problem of illiteracy is universal affecting about 16% of the human race. Only technological tools can accelerate the process of meeting the millennium goals as the paradigms of learning and teaching are changing. ASHAN - a computer with a touch screen and special S/W - can enhance the learning of the scripts of any language. The screen monitor may be divided into two or three logical windows. One window will render the script that is pressed on the keyboard to show how the script is formed while a recorded voice would pronounce that script. On the second window the learner draws or writes the alphabet using the index finger looking at the second window, and pronounces it. A prototype is ready for Devanagari script that is used for several Indian languages including Hindi.