Closing the global education divide one teacher at a time

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Reflections from TWBC '09 Final Report

(Simul-posted on wearejustlearning.ca) After weeks of reflection, I have finally composed and submitted a final report as team leader for TWBC '09 and our trip to Africa. Below are some of the highlights of the trip. Schedule: July 3 - arrival throu… Continue

Added by Sharon Peters on October 12, 2009 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Sometimes we Know it in the Heart

Is this not relly a beautiful flag? Now i want to imagine what message this flag in a heart conveys. How lovely it would be at the centre of a compass,showing the many directions love can reach out .Then each country chapter would have such a flag to symbolise loyalty,patriotism love. 2 Teach is 2 Touch… Continue

Added by Dan Andrew Otedo on September 30, 2009 at 2:17pm — 1 Comment

Obama's Speech:Let Children Get The Inspiration

What the heck of this was 'to allow /not to air the “Obamaspeech” to schools about? Denial of basic freedoms like those of listening and participation only plays reverse psychology. Someone needed schooling about this. Some food for thought, I must have read somewhere that rules are not valid because the s… Continue

Added by Dan Andrew Otedo on September 20, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Connecting with peers

As a wildlife biologist and someone whose favorite animal is the elephant, and still is I might add, I have always wanted to visit Africa. However, I didn’t want to make the journey until I had a greater purpose than merely being a tourist. Some countries it seems like being a tourist is sufficient, but I never felt that about going to Africa. Early in 2009, I wondered if there was a Teachers Without Borders, like other ‘Without Borders’ organizations, so I went online to check it out. I found… Continue

Added by Alison Stuart on September 11, 2009 at 9:54pm — No Comments

"...with tears welling up in his eyes."

It was the last day of workshops at Utumishi Academy in the Naivasha district and one of our Kenyan facilitators sat in front of me with tears welling up in his eyes. This was a teacher who was part of the workshops last year, and this year worked with us, teachers from North America, as a facilitator. He is an excellent teacher and a valuable member of the team. It would be difficult for us to go our separate ways. Last year’s experience in the Naivasha district was a wonderful one. The member… Continue

Added by Dennis Kuzenko on September 11, 2009 at 8:13am — 1 Comment

volunteer opportunities overseas in developing countries

While helping my daughter research Gap Year volunteer opportunities overseas, I've become amazed at the different opportunities by a seeming multitude of groups and organizations. I've was also surprised at the cost to be a volunteer. The six week trip will cost her many thousands of dollars. There does seem to be a wide range of costs, however. I've been subscribing for awhile to goabroad.com and these regular newsletters and described a host of volunteer as well as internship and student oppor… Continue

Added by Ida Freer on September 10, 2009 at 10:38pm — 1 Comment

Reflections on Kenya II

This was my second trip to Kenya with TWB Canada. The first trip was veiled with my own romantic notions of Africa which is so often the case when visiting countries about which you’ve already seen hundreds of images and movies. These clichés float around your head interfering with what you’re actually seeing. I felt a little wiser this time, a little more truthful in accepting what I was seeing. If idealism propelled me last year, it was inquiry that guided my trip this year. Was I doing the r… Continue

Added by Silvia Knittel on September 8, 2009 at 8:20pm — No Comments

ICT in Africa

ICT in our society is becoming a big concern as all areas requires one to have the ICT skills, especially the teachers who are in public and private schools. When will we be able to access the Internet on our own?. As individuals we need to accept on the changes around us, then we take the initiative of training on how to access the Internet. Nowadays Internet can be easily be accessed even by use of our phones or even visiting Internet cyber cafes. The I.C.T training can take long if people don… Continue

Added by Daniel Mutinda Munuve on August 27, 2009 at 5:14am — 1 Comment

Education in Africa (musings)

Working with teachers in Kenya brought home the reality that education is the only way out of poverty. Kenyan people are bright (they speak at least three languages), hard-working (small children rise at the crack of dawn to walk an hour or more to school) and highly spiritual (they believe that life is fundamentally good). They continue to smile broadly and study hard despite their circumstances. They are optimistic about the future. Drought, famine and large class sizes (+100 per teacher, in s… Continue

Added by Mary-Anne Neal on August 26, 2009 at 2:50pm — 1 Comment

Lingering Questions

Lingering Questions

This year two weeks ago I hosted a team of Teachers Without Borders Canada -Educators from North America .For four weeks, we had pedagogy and ICT integration workshops at the Suba centre in Mbita, Gilgil and Naivasha. Of course we had lots of challen… Continue

Added by Dan Andrew Otedo on August 24, 2009 at 7:03pm — No Comments

Empowering Teachers for Teachers by Teachers

Teachers Without Borders- Canada workshops in Naivasha and Laikipia were an eye opener on how a Teacher can empower a fellow Teacher. Teachers engaged in a hands-on approach empowering fellow Teachers with real passion. I traveled for two hours from Nairobi to be part of this effort. I witnessed the innovation in lessons preparation and presentation to the classrooms especially how Teachers can practically allow students to think about thinking as they learn. To me this was a constructive and p… Continue

Added by David Baraza Khalonyere on August 24, 2009 at 7:56am — No Comments

Lonely Island -Real Education Divide

During our pre-workshop visits we had the privilege of visiting Kibuogi primary school on Kibuogi Island. Like a tale of two worlds apart, Kibuogi has no road, no hospital, no police; The Island has a population between 1000 and 600 depending on the fishing season. Most of the residents are migrant fisherfolk

… Continue

Added by Dan Andrew Otedo on August 13, 2009 at 5:00pm — No Comments

Suba District Workshops

We have just completed a two week ICT integration and pedagogy workshop at the Suba youth Resource Centre, with Teachers without Borders Canada. The Suba Youth Resource Centre, has been completely re-energized by the by the powerful ICT integration workshops. Our first itinerary involved random/ arbitrary school visits with permission from the Ministry of Education-Directorate of Quality Assurance and Starndards .We took our guests to schools in the Kibuogi, Rusinga, Mfangano and Remba is… Continue

Added by Dan Andrew Otedo on August 12, 2009 at 7:00pm — 2 Comments

International Teaching As A Stepping Stone to Development Work: Update

I have arrived safely in Guatemala, and I'm working my way through the orientation process at American School of Guatemala / Colegio Americano de Guatemala. It is an amazing experience to be working at such a beautiful and well-equipped school, particularly for a teacher with a technology focus. I am especially happy to report that the connections between the work at ASG/CAG and the objectives of Teachers Without Borders are surprisingly compa… Continue

Added by Michael Peters on August 11, 2009 at 12:30pm — 1 Comment

Education for all?

Cross-posted at Autodizactic.com 29 July 09 One of the benefits of our schedule here in Mbita has been the chance to visit and speak with teachers and learners before our workshops begin. Wednesday, we made our visit official with an introduction to John Ololtuaa the District Education Officer (DEO) for the Suba School District. Ololtuaa lines up nicely with his counterparts in the States. His office was adorned with hand-stenciled… Continue

Added by Zac Chase on August 10, 2009 at 4:32pm — No Comments

'Why do you care about special education?'

Cross-posted at Autodizactic.com 30 August 09 “When I go home and walk down the street, people treat me like a traitor. They say, ‘Why did you betray us and abandon the normal students.” - Benedict, Special Education Teacher Obalwanda Special School for the Mentally Handicapped Mbita, Kenya In Kenya, according to Mama Jane, it’s not uncommon for someone to answer an inquiry as to what her child is up to by responding, “He graduated f… Continue

Added by Zac Chase on August 10, 2009 at 4:31pm — No Comments

When does the game change?

Cross-posted at Autodizactic.com 05 August 09 When Dan Otedo was talking to our team about what he’d like us to do whilst we’re here working with teachers from Suba, he said, “Inspire us.” No small order. We’ve attempted to include some sort of “wowza” factor each day using a tool that’s within reach to the teachers here. To put “within reach” into perspective, on the news last night, it was announced that non-urban areas would be… Continue

Added by Zac Chase on August 10, 2009 at 4:30pm — 1 Comment

But do you have a song?

Cross-posted at Autodizactic.com 4 August 09 Part of working with 45 teachers on ICT skills when you’ve only 11 computers available to you is the fact that not everyone can be on a computer all the time. As such, my lot this week has been to perform as song and dance man attempting to make pedagogy sexy. A few summers ago, I had the illustrious task of making data sexy for a conference presentation. That was 90 minutes. This has b… Continue

Added by Zac Chase on August 10, 2009 at 4:29pm — No Comments

Cheating (in) the System

Cross-posted at Autodizactic.com 6 August 09 So tired today. It may be the teaching of backward design. It may be the fact that I made the mistake of wearing long pants and the room I was teaching in had no air flow to speak of. It may be any number of things. My money is on the idea that we’ve been going for about 5 weeks now and there are bound to be days that are more difficult than others. Today was that day. I’d been told that… Continue

Added by Zac Chase on August 10, 2009 at 4:28pm — No Comments

A Drop in the Ocean

For the first week in Mbita, I kept asking myself (and others), "what are we doing here?" We're supposed to be teaching technology integration -- helping teachers use technology effectively to complete projects and improve learning in other curricular areas. But as we made our school visits, it became increasingly clear that they're not ready for that. Of the ten schools we visited, none had electricity. One had computers in a lab, but no reliable way to power them. Many of the schools had dirt… Continue

Added by John Schinker on August 9, 2009 at 7:34am — No Comments

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