The Snappbox is a unique e-learning solution for emerging markets
In today’s digital world, learning shouldn’t be determined by location, and limited internet shouldn’t mean limited education. Snapplify’s Snappbox has been a game-changer for schools across Africa by increasing access to digital content, especially in areas with low connectivity.
What is the Snappbox?
The Snappbox is Snapplify’s hardware distribution solution for ebooks. The device can be preloaded with educational content, which students can then access directly through their school.
Snapplify CEO Wesley Lynch remembers: ‘Launching at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2012 was a particularly great moment. We came up with the idea, built the product (the Snappbox) and launched it at a major international event. It was humbling to go over there with this South African idea and see how big, established companies actually took us seriously. Some major players signed on straight away, and we left Frankfurt knowing that this was something special.’
Snapplify’s Snappbox went on to win one of the highest global publishing awards in the book industry, the FutureBook Award for Tech Innovation, and has been used successfully in South African, Namibian, Zambian and Kenyan schools.
Why is the Snappbox important for emerging markets?
In areas where connectivity is poor, or even where there is no internet at all, the Snappbox serves as an easy solution for getting educational content to students.
The Snappbox can be preloaded with thousands of ebooks, which students can access instantly offline. Students get these digital books directly from their school’s Snappbox, rather than downloading each ebook individually from the internet.
Since each ebook is only downloaded once (onto the Snappbox), schools and students save on bandwidth costs (on average, R400 000 to R600 000 per institution) and up to 166 hours in download time. When connected, the Snappbox syncs with the Cloud, so students always have access to the most up-to-date textbook editions.
How can schools use the Snappbox?
Many institutions like to choose the content that is loaded onto their Snappbox. Schools have the option to preload thousands of ebooks onto the device (this works well for schools with poor connectivity) or to download their own ebooks later.
Snapplify also works hand in hand with education departments who wish to do bulk rollouts to multiple schools. In these cases, specific titles are preloaded onto each device and then sent to schools, with everything they need to begin e-learning.
Wherever your school is based and whatever your internet connection is like, there’s no reason you can’t bring digital education into your classroom successfully. Snapplify’s Snappbox makes implementing e-learning both possible and easy, allowing any school to offer its students world-class education.
We believe that digital learning is the future. Keep up to date with what we’re doing in education by signing up to our South African or Kenyan mailing lists.
