Having struggled with learning disabilities as a child, I had to work with special educators throughout elementary and middle school. I learned how important it was to use visual tricks to break learning into smaller steps. After several conversations with professionals and learning disability specialists, Glotto was conceptualized.
Glotto is an application for 5–10 year old children who are in the early stages of enhancing their written and spoken English skills. It aims to improve spelling, increase vocabulary and introduce grammar rules by turning intuitive games into structured lessons. In planning and designing the app, I utilized the techniques that helped strengthen my own language learning to create bite size, customizable modules.
The Glotto name comes from glottonomy, which is the study of the origin of language. It’s used like a prefix meaning “tongue” and is simple for young children to pronounce. Glotto’s interface is also intentionally simple for a child to independently navigate. The color palette is muted and the app is layered with illustrations that have a handmade, whimsical quality. These choices are designed to be mentally stimulating and interactive and help make each game feel exciting and personal.
Unlike existing learning apps, Glotto takes into account slower and faster learners. Users can go at their own pace, learning without parent or teacher supervision by using Glotto’s visual and auditory cues. It allows each user to eventually build their own unique glossary and even has a section to assist with reading comprehension. It is meant to upskill alongside classroom learning, rather than replace regular curriculum or pose a contrarian threat to a teacher’s methods.
I really believe that advantaged group members have the power to either promote social change or perpetuate the status quo in any social issue. In this case, I’m referring to the role of men in fighting for gender equality. For a lot of people, there is stark disagreement on how pervasive the issue is and if anything should be done about it at all.
We’ve made a lot of progress amongst women when it comes to making this an open conversation & not feeling shame or guilt about things out of our control. However, I think sometimes the people that we leave out of the hardest hitting conversations are men. I’m guilty of this as well.
I wanted this to be a call for audiences of all genders because it is not just a women's issue - it's a societal issue. Inequality and sexual assault culture thrive on social ambiguity. It’s always going to be more comforting to be far removed from the issue and convince yourself that this is not something that concerns you or the people around you.
Yes, awareness is great, but only goes so far without action. The ask is small. Be a part of the conversation.
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Thanks to everyone who helped out and thanks to @laura_bates__ for being the original inspiration to spark the conversation.
