[accesscomp] Great achievement
- From: "Robert Acosta" <boacosta@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "tektalk discussion" <tektalkdiscussion@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 07:56:37 -0700
From: Chip Hailey <mailto:chip@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, March 28, 2014 9:39 AM
To: Chat list <mailto:chat@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Missouri Chat] Texas Middle Schoolers Win National Contest for
AppInspired by Their Blind Classmate
Texas Middle Schoolers Win National Contest for App Inspired by Their Blind
Classmate
By Kelli Bender
UPDATED
03/27/2014 at 02:00 PM EDT
Originally published
03/25/2014 at 04:00 PM EDT
Verizon Innovative App Challenge Winners Share the Story of Hello Navi
Jacqueline Garcia Torres, Caitlin Gonzales, Janessa Leija, Cassandra
Baquero, Grecia
Cano and Kayleen Gonzalez
Ronnie Zamora
PEOPLE MAGAZINE
The way the visually-impaired navigate new spaces could be transformed by a
group of tweens
in Los Fresnos, Texas.
Six girls from Resaca Middle School recently became one of eight teams to
win the
Verizon Innovative App Challenge.
The team's concept
for a mobile application called Hello Navi earned their school a $20,000
grant from
the
Verizon Foundation.
Inspired by their blind classmate, Andres Salas,
the middle schoolers
thought up Hello Navi as a guide for the visually-impaired. The app is
designed
to measure a user's stride and combine this information with digital
building blueprints,
to then give verbal directions that can help users easily navigate
unfamiliar spaces.
This winning team consists of Resaca students Kayleen Gonzalez (12), Grecia
Cano
(12), Cassandra Baquero (12), Jacqueline Garcia Torres (12), Janessa Leija
(11),
Caitlin Gonzalez (12) and their charismatic leader, science teacher Maggie
Bolado.
"I jumped, then screamed and cried tears of joy. I got up too fast from my
chair
when they announced we won that I even hurt my leg a little. I couldn't stop
smiling,"
Grecía told PEOPLE about her reaction to winning.
Right there beside the team cheering along during the announcement was the
Hello
Navi app's inspiration, Andres. The 12-year-old says he was already "super
duper"
excited to be the group's muse, and the win has turned all of them into a
family.
Texas Middle Schoolers Win National Contest for App Inspired by Their Blind
Classmate|
Heroes Among Us, Good Deeds, Real People Stories
Andres Salas
Ronnie Zamora
"I have adopted six new sisters, because they care for me and made this
happen for
me," he shared.
From Hello Navi's beginnings, Ms. Bolado has encouraged the girls to
overlook what
would be "cool" and focus on what would fill a greater need. When they
learned it
took Andres weeks of training to navigate a new space, the girls knew they
wanted
to create Hello Navi as a gift for him.
Working with Andres and his mobility specialist, these tech enthusiasts
imagined
themselves in the place of the visually impaired, walking through Resaca's
halls
blindfolded. By experiencing these challenges firsthand, the group
pinpointed the
features needed to make Hello Navi a success.
"This app has a stretch of tech tools we hope to incorporate. Using Google
Indoor,
we hope to upload our campus digital blueprints to create a 3D picture on
the device.
VoiceOver will allow Andres to speak into the phone and request to be
directed to
pre-recorded location points. The phone will speak back and guide him with
directions
and steps to get to his desired location," Cassandra said, describing Hello
Navi's
list of features.
Texas Middle Schoolers Win National Contest for App Inspired by Their Blind
Classmate|
Heroes Among Us, Good Deeds, Real People Stories
Maggie Bolado
Ronnie Zamora
In April, the team begins building out and coding the actual app with help
from an
online course created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab
Center
for Mobile Learning. Once completed, the girls and Ms. Bolado will travel to
Washington,
D.C., and present Hello Navi at the 2014 National Technology Student
Association
Conference.
These middle schoolers are up for the challenge, and they're approaching the
production
phase with a mix of intrigue and excitement.
"Now I am open to all the possibilities with creation this app has proven
to me
that my limit is my own imagination," Caitlin explained.
It's a response that makes Ms. Bolado proud. After taking a break from
teaching,
the 36-year-old is happy to be part of a school district willing to take
chances
and a student body willing to put their trust in a new teacher.
Texas Middle Schoolers Win National Contest for App Inspired by Their Blind
Classmate|
Heroes Among Us, Good Deeds, Real People Stories
The Hello Navi team accepts their $20,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation
Ronnie Zamora
"There are 180 instructional days. Each one is an opportunity to impact a
student's
life to make them feel like they belong, like education fits, like you are
there
for them and because of them. If you keep your eyes wide open you will
become an
education 'scout' and the rest comes easy. They will trust the rigor in the
classroom;
they will rise to your expectations and surpass them. Whatever cap you place
on the
class is where the limit will be," Ms. Bolado said of her teaching
philosophy.
Teach kids that they are unstoppable, that they can change lives and
they'll become
confident and empowered to succeed.
_____
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Visit the MCB home page at:
WWW.MoBlind.Org
Robert Acosta, President
Helping Hands for the Blind
(818) 998-0044
www.helpinghands4theblind.org
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