PALO ALTO, July 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Benetech, the leading software for social good nonprofit, today announced funding from the Cisco Foundation and General Motors Corporate Giving. The funding will allow Benetech to further develop and scale Mathshare, an inclusive digital math platform that allows students to clearly show and track their work and educators to see the steps students take to solve math problems. Mathshare is designed for all students, including those with learning barriers, and builds on Benetech’s leading suite of inclusive learning tools including Bookshare and ImageShare.
“Mathshare helps teachers and students overcome everyday challenges ranging from poor handwriting to tracking a student’s work in order to pinpoint where issue areas arise,” said Anh Bui, Vice President, Benetech. “Digital math platforms often just give students a place to plug in an answer without a way to show their work. Moreover, many of these platforms are not fully accessible. By allowing students to digitally do their work and teachers to see how students are thinking through math problems, Benetech is creating an inclusive math classroom where students of all abilities can work independently, which is critical for their educational and professional success.”
Mathshare is developed in close coordination with teachers and students who have experienced difficulty with math in the classroom. In the United States, it’s estimated that between 25 and 35 percent of students in general education classrooms struggle with math application skills. Mathshare’s inclusive design ensures all types of learners can benefit from the technology, including students who are blind, visually impaired, or have a physical disability.
“Math skills developed in the classroom are critical in creating a well-trained STEM workforce,” said Hina Baloch, General Motors Manager, Global Social Impact and STEM Education. “As classrooms rapidly embrace digital learning environments, Mathshare promises to usher in a new area of digital math that better meets the needs of today’s learners and tomorrow’s employers.”
“The Cisco Foundation is proud to support Mathshare as we’ve seen its power to engage and aid students as they work through and solve math problems,” said Peter Tavernise, Executive Director, Cisco Foundation. “In particular, we are excited by Mathshare’s ability to scale quickly to meet the needs of students and teachers as they move toward a digital future.”
In addition to a stand-alone platform, Mathshare will integrate with other leading education platforms and learning management systems in order to support as many students as possible. Organizations interested in integrating with Mathshare should contact info@benetech.org for more details.
About Benetech
Benetech is a nonprofit that empowers communities with software for social good. Our work transforms how people with disabilities read and learn, makes it safer for human rights defenders to pursue truth and justice, and connects people to the services they need to live and prosper. We’re constantly pursuing the next big social impact. Visit www.benetech.org.