Illiteracy is a global issue, with 757 million people worldwide -- about one in 10 -- unable to read.
To help tackle some of the enormous challenges facing both students and teachers, Mashable and Project Literacy are teaming up to host the Project Literacy Makeathon on Sept. 12 in San Francisco, California.
With an emphasis on literacy projects, the goal is to encourage the most creative minds in design, programming and education to build new tools, web apps, websites or data visualizations that can make learning to read more accessible, fun and effective.
Topics include:
Assessing student reading levels in a positive way that encourages progress
Increasing the discoverability of books in libraries and of content on e-readers or mobile phones
Getting students more excited about reading and writing
Increasing access to creative writing workshops and classes that act as a safe space for students to share their work
Addressing a lack of access to books and resources due to poverty and poor funding for public institutions that tackle literacy
Project Literacy is a global movement convened by Pearson to make advances in the fight against illiteracy and ensure people are able to fulfill their potential regardless of geography, language, race, class or gender.