[kictanet] {Disarmed} Re: Open Data - Where does it sit?

Wed Jul 13 09:18:35 EAT 2011

Hi Andrea

That is true to a certain extent only – the classmate is just a tool towards
the greater goal of a holistic 1:1 eLearning in which Teacher Professional
Development, content, connectivity play a bigger role.  There is no such
thing as “teaching materials developed for the Classmate and the use of
digital media”, only the fact that delivery using ICT tools requires digital
media which can be configured for a classmate, a netbook, a notebook, a
desktop etc.  Teachers if they were to integrate ICT in Education WILL
require training.

On the issue of Teacher Professional Development, this is overdue in the
Kenya education scenario because traditional pedagogical approach does not
maximize outcomes:
1. Increased amount of available knowledge and pace of change requires new
approach to acquire and develop knowledge.
2. The current methodology for teaching is outdated and needs a more
interactive approach
3. Foundation for Knowledge Creation is based on 21st Century Skills, which
are:
> *     Technology and media literacy
> *     Effective communication
> *     Critical thinking
> *     Problem solving
> *     Collaboration
4. Different learners have different abilities to learn which are not being
addressed by the current teaching practices.  We must investigate
personalized learning to a certain extent to be able to develop the majority
of the learners ability to grasp and acquire knowledge with easier methods

New technology trends mean:
1. Personalization has and can take place without technology, but not at
scale 
2. Technology dramatically increases a teacher's ability to identify and
manage the needs of many students, and for students to access a large
variety of interventions, content, resources, and learning opportunities
everywhere at anytime
3. Optimal Environment for students to develop 21st century skills and
maximize their academic potential using ICT
> * Use ICT as a tool for students to learn at their own pace, and in their own
> personal style of learning
> * Focus on the student and the actual learning environment
> * Create an immersive and personal learning experience, instead of
> ―one-size-fits-all
> * Enable learning outside the classroom (i.e. anywhere/anytime)
4. A 1:1 usage model is the ideal implementation of “Personalized Learning”

Intel signed an MOU with Ministry of Education back in 2008 to promote
training in the usage of ICT in everyday classroom.  It does not endeavour
to make ICT professionals out of teachers, but merely train them on the use
of ICT as a tool for their everyday work.  The course is Intel Teach
Getting Started makes no assumptions of prior ICT knowledge of  teachers and
takes them through a face to face training on how to integrate basic ICT in
Education and to move away from a teacher centric learning to a student
centric learning where the teacher is still as important but plays a bigger
role of facilitator instead of just spewing information.  We have trained 9
million teachers in 60 countries by 2009.  In Kenya MoE has not played its
part in funding this course so the uptake is slow.  Through CEMASTEA, MoE’s
identified training partners, we have trained 5000 preservice and inservice
teachers in the last 12 months.  The course is FREE for all teachers.

Suraj Shah

On 7/12/11 1:22 PM, "Andrea Bohnstedt" <andrea.bohnstedt at ratio-magazine.com>
wrote:

> I think I have probably mentioned this once already a while ago: A few years
> ago, I did an article on Intel's Classmate mini-netbook. When kids use this
> netbook, they made huge progress in learning. But, Intel emphasised, only
> under certain conditions: the teachers have to be trained on how to integrate
> the Classmate and the teaching materials on it into their lesson plan. And
> they had to have teaching materials developed for the Classmate and the use of
> digital media. If anything, using this gadget put higher requirements on the
> teachers.  
> 
> I think this is particularly important with young pupils because you
> effectively need to teach them how to learn first. Once they've achieved that,
> digital learning materials will be come a lot easier for them.
> 
> That's aside from issues like having power, connectivity, and having a means
> of ensuring that the gadgets don't get stolen. Those brick and mortar issues
> are important.  
> 
> Bridge International Academies here in Nairobi have chosen a different
> approach: as far as I know, they don't use such gadgets for their kids, but
> they have streamlined everything in the management of the schools as much as
> possible to bring costs down. They invest a lot of money into their teaching
> materials and lesson plans, though, and also in teacher training. That allows
> them to keep school fees down to about the same sum that parents have to pay
> in 'free primary education schools' for desk fee, motivation fee etc, but
> provide a teaching quality that is infinitely higher.
> 
> Have a good afternoon,
> Andrea 
> 
> On 12 July 2011 12:35,  <bitange at jambo.co.ke> wrote:
>> Barrack,
>> You can never replace the teacher.  By providing content to students, you
>> only force the teacher to be more prepared or else the student gets bored.
>>  You will enable lively discussions instead of teachers reading notes to
>> studentsm
>> 
>> There are content opportunities on tertiary education especially on how to do
>> it yourself.   These opportunities lie from plumbing to carpentry.  We talk
>> about unemployment yet we have broken cistern pouring expensive water, broken
>> sewers spewing diseases, broken furniture, broken vehicles etc.
>> 
>> Then there are economic opportunities in delaying consumption.  How to dry
>> tomatoes, potatoes, mangoes etc.
>> 
>> We must start to think beyond our selfish ends.
>> 
>> Ndemo.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my BlackBerry®
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com>
>> Sender: kictanet-bounces+bitange=jambo.co.ke <http://jambo.co.ke>
>> @lists.kictanet.or.ke <http://lists.kictanet.or.ke>
>> Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2011 07:17:26
>> To: <bitange at jambo.co.ke>
>> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
>> Subject: {Disarmed} Re: [kictanet] Open Data - Where does it sit?
>> 
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>> 
>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for
>> people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation.
>> The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support
>> of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>> 
>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online
>> that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share
>> knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam,
>> do not market your wares or qualifications.
>> 
>> 

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