Intel and Santillana set up one of these corners and showcased how technology can promote the habit and enjoyment of reading. At our reading corner, located right next to the elephants, Intel volunteers read the story called "Where is my treasure?" to the children. After finishing the story, the children used Santillana´s Aula Digital to test their reading comprehension through engaging activities such as puzzles, true/false activities, questions, connecting conpects, etc.
What was most amazing about the activity was that, in a setting as distracting as a zoo, the children were very engaged both with the story and with the activities in which they participated. Our neighbor the elephant was largely ignored! Another amazing thing to watch was that even though the children in the marathon came from public schools and had never used an Intel-powered classmate PC (CMPC), as true digital natives, they did not ask many questions about how to use the technology but instead focused directly on how to best resolve the activities we presented. To them, the CMPC was just a fun interface with which to approach fun activities associated with the book we read.
There were seven Intel Involved volunteers who participated in the activity, including our general manager, Esteban Galuzzi, who read the story to the children. We helped them with the activities on the CMPC. As we read to them the story about Brutus, who was striving to find his treasure, we discovered with them the real treasure: how technology can help to support and enjoy the habit of reading. I leave you with a slideshow from that day.