Tech for
good-Empowering students to change the world
Project Over view
Title :
Learners today! Scientists tomorrow!
Problem statement: The service learning
issue that my community children are addressing is the issue of ill-health regarding children’s
head sores and head fungus. We are in a rural area where most of the
parents are unemployed, depending on municipality handouts as such they are unable to meet their
children’s health needs. As such children with head sores and fungus were being bullied by their peers, being
called names, and as such they end up
being reluctant to go to school or socializing with other children due to unruly behavior by their peers towards their
demise. I and my community children found this issue very important to address
because we want to see all
children going to school without limitations and harassments, we want to see
everyone being free and happy . Beside that, every one has the right to good
health and well being
(United Nation SDG3 and
SDG4)
Plan to address the issue: As a community leader, former school principal,
teacher, MIE Fellow and Microsoft Global Learning Mentor I took it upon
myself to send requests to parents to allow me to work, teach, mentor and groom
their children in food and
medicinal herb gardening, digital literacy and reading every Saturday , during school holidays and through
facebook - Phuti Training and Motivational Speaking project. (United Nation SDG1,SDG 2,SDG 3)Get
a link: https://www.facebook.com/Phuti-Training-and-Motivational-Speaking-186898641720056 Parents gave me a go ahead. Get the link
where I explain about my community projects that I do: http://youtu.be/GVSQE2CxOJ0
Lavender
comfrey Tansy
I trained community children on how to use some apps to
address the issue:
·
immersive
reader in MS to improve
their pronunciation and reading of words.
·
To use Power Point slides to present their
projects/findings
·
Plant
snap app to identify plants in the garden that can be used for
medicinal herb making ointment .
·
Skype,
zoom and MS Teams to communicate and collaborate with their peers locally,
nationally and internationally. SKYPE reading: http://you.be/EFOR_lxZnV8
·
Whats
app
to communicate with me as a group and their parents including their children for issues relating education and to life as a whole.
·
You
tube to learn from other children globally like this one: http://youtu.be/XsinUvK7Xew
·
Writing online using Chekhov app to write short story books
online about what they learnt. https://www.lit4life.net/Story/Preview/?StoryId=4593f2a8-a156-48fe-948d-cc1dba4ee6d9
The online story book is still under review but it’s a good read for
children.
I didn’t want to
allow the scarcity of tools and poor social backgrounds to hinder children learning or participating
with other global learners. With the one laptop I have, one cellphone and my
wifi that I installed for them to access online websites, its enough to
compete, share, collaborate, communicate, create and augment and beef up their
learning materials.(United
Nation SDG4)
University of Limpopo In my home
University of Limpopo pre Covid 19 In my home pre Covid 19
Learning goals and process accomplished by leveraging
technology: For a rural child to be able to use a laptop, cellphone
and tablet is a dream come true.
·
Community children are now able to use Immersive reader to improve
pronunciation, tone and reading skills
·
They are able to write online story book about
their garden project using Checkhov
app
·
They are able to navigate through youtube or websites to
search for more information to augment their learning
·
They are able and free to communicate with me
and their parents through whats
app
·
They are able to zoom and
skype apps with me and other children globally
·
They are able to use plant snap app to identify plants
for medicinal herb making of ointments
·
They are willing to go an extra mile on their
own
·
They now see life in a bigger picture not as narrow as they used to,
before learning about digital literacy and using of technology tools.
·
Children’s confidence got boosted for good
·
They see themselves as young doctors in making and
problem solvers in their community because they now know scientific names of herbs for medicines and ointments by
using snap app
Various collaborative skype session
about the project The use of plant snap app to identify
plants
Reading
of encyclopedia books for more knowledge also played a role in this project.
They are now empowered.
How tech for good service learning action demonstrated
responsible digital citizenship: Children realize and recognize their rights,
responsibilities and opportunities in life as such they are able to use
digital tools responsibly by not
tarnishing their names and brands. They also learn to behave well in
digital world because bad
foot prints can damage their future for good. Beside that, they learn
and get adapted to working field conditions before they can even start working
as such this give them an opportunities
to start their own work companies not relying on job hunting. We are in
a new norm as such everything is digitalized. The earlier we engage them, the
better. They also learn the ethical
and moral ways of using digital tools at an early age. Values like
respect, good behaviors, kindness, greetings, humbleness are the main things
they learn as they inter
act with their peers or online teachers during skype, teams or zooming. They learnt from other
people how they address issues in cool minds, humbleness and with high respect
irrespective of who is who. They displayed responsibility in digital citizenship
during this project:
Home backyard garden for vegetables and green herbs by
community children. This shows their level of responsibility.
Community children and senior citizens
benefiting by harvesting free vegetables every week
Saturdays where they come for digital literacy and how to
use some apps and tech tools.
Support of the use of technology by community
children to broaden goal perspectives: At first it seemed to be a bit
tough because of scarcity of digital resources. But as I went on engaging them practically,
they started to see value.
·
They realized their competencies and hidden
talents that one day their digital knowledge
can be used to change the world for good. For example: I encouraged them to download plant snap on their
parents cellphones to study the plants as its one of our community
projects to broaden their perspectives in the project.
·
But they broaden the goal perspective by using the learning whats app
group for neighborhood watch and sharing family challenges where im able
to intervene if possible.
·
The what’s app group for community children
is now including parents in the block where we stay as such we end up talking about community issues
including education and cultural days.
·
Children are able to download some question papers for various
subjects to practice and study through them
·
They also play games like hour of code, mine craft on
their own. They already know how to navigate digital tools.
·
Some of them took it further to teach their parents how to
operate digital tools.
·
Some also taught their parents on how to use plant snap app to
identify medicinal plants
Strategies that community children used to help to
develop understanding and problem solving:
For community children to understand words and
sentences a properly, pronunciation,
tone, intonation and correct spelling
·
Started backyard food and herb gardening
project
·
Immersive
reader was used.
·
Playing other peoples videos also assisted in understanding
concepts
·
Power
point was used to present the findings and results of the
project
·
Inter acting with peers on line through skype helped a lot
·
I also exposed community children to the 21st century skills
that they must attain in their daily projects and learning: creativity,
communication collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, innovation and
being a change agent. I encouraged them to make sure that in whatever they learn, these
skills must form part of their objectives.
Problem solving: Playing coding in hour of code and mine craft was a
tool to share with community children on how to solve problems. http://youtu.be/Un8nuKPajbl
Engaging or telling children about challenges that affect
their communities is a good way of
grooming future leaders. E.g Teaching them on how to start food and herb
gardening for health and well being.E.g teaching them on how to control
littering by using waste bins, how to take care of the atmosphere by not
burning waste material, teaching them not to deforest or cut down trees etc……are
things that can make children to learn by solving problems.(United nation SDG 1, SDG2,SDG
3 SDG8.SDG13 )
Beside that
supporting and integrating teaching and learning with United Nation SDGs open children’s eyes and ears
about the number of challenges we have as a global nation as such they grow up
knowing and learning about life. As such they grow up being problem solvers, critical thinkers, creative and innovative
young educated leaders. E.g food and herb garden to solve ill health and
malnutrition challenges.
The planting and maintaining process
was tough due to scarcity of water.
But nonetheless I encouraged children to continue with the little that we
had.
Harvesting green herbs to prepare to
make an ointment for head fungus and head sores
These are the herbs used to cook and made the ointment
Cooking of herbs to make an ointment
The product is dished into some plastic bottles and labelled
(Do It Yourself Medicines) and ready for use by children with head fungus, head
sores and bruises.
For community children to know what they know today is because they learnt on how to browse for information from
website, you tube, inter action through skype or MS teams, how to start
a food and herb garden to fight ill health, poverty and acquire entrepreneurs
skills for future career . Education is a tool to fight ignorance and poverty.
Project Plan
Title: Learners today! Scientists tomorrow!
Community children brainstormed some
ideas before we started with Tech for
good project.
Learners
today! Scientists tomorrow! sores diseases Good health poverty doctors empowerment parents herbs responsibility Well being sad fungus garden skills unemployment unnourished Bad Good citizenship informative education technology
Learning
objectives:
·
For
the community children to learn on how to solve problems that affect their
communities and to be active community members
·
To
recognize their responsibilities, their
rights and opportunities at an early age so that they grow up being responsible
citizens of their country.
·
To
unearth children hidden talents by engaging them on practical projects because
some children are more gifted on doing than thinking
·
To
prepare them ready for the work place
·
To
improve health and well being in the community
·
To
enrich their academic records
Age group: 12 to15
Subject area: Economics and Management Sciences
Lesson length: Four weeks( due to scarcity of water and technology tools that
were not enough ,it took time to finish it)
Resources,
material required: skills, Green medicinal herbs, stove, containers,
labels, encyclopedia medicinal books and white coats, my home library and
space, calender
Technology
tools or apps used:
Cellphone , laptop, power point, MS word, Immersive reader, plant snap, skype, whats
app, facebook and Chekhov app
Description
of lesson: It’s a
project or service learning that emanate from the problem in the community,
where most children had head fungus and head sores as such some of them got
bullied at school about their health situation and their parents are unable to
meet their children’s health needs due to poor social background and
unemployment. As a community builder, MIE Fellow and Microsoft Global Learning
Mentor, I decided to engage the parents of those community children to come up
with solution. I used my home space to start a green vegetable and herb garden,
library and ICT learning space to be used for community projects to come up
with solution for children’s head sores and fungus.
Through the
medicinal herb making skills I gained from Food and trees for Africa and
University of Limpopo we used green herbs like Lavender, wild dagga,tansy,
thyme ,yarooh , mint and rose mary from
my backyard garden to come up with an ointment called all purpose ointment.
It’s a Do It Yourself(DIY) medicine that every household must have because its
an all rounder.
Evidence of learning/Assessment/Report:
I and
Community children took an Edu tour to University of Limpopo for skills in
medicinal herb making projects and how to find more information on computers.
Beside that I as a former principal of Pula Madibogo Primay school, I was
awarded a certificate by Food and trees for Africa for showing passion in
permaculture and medicinal herb projects. View the link of my projects with
former school: http://youtu.be/5-ljNs5lc-l
As such it
became easy for me to train my community children about these food garden and
herbal projects. By the end of project session children were able to identify
green herbs on their own, share ideas with parents and teaching them how to use
them. Their level of confidence would never be the same again. Every week I
gave parents report about their children’s work projects.
Their parents would sent messages of
appreciation to me based on their children’s knowledge and skills they gained
in medicinal herb making and technology. As such from March 2020 to date we communicated
the projects on line but it was too hard because most of the children are from
impoverished family background. But gradually they got used to the new norm of working.
In short, in
order to plan to address service learning issue in a community one must have a
plan to follow to be successful.
Investigate
the challenge, one must be SMART, be specific to learn about it, plan action
and set objectives, measure time, implement and replicate it, assess the work
and give report. Have time frame bound.
Skype session
for collaborative projects locally and internationally.
Pre ointment project!!!!!!!! In a form
of green herbs
Post ointment
project in a form of ointment ready to be utilized. Some of them called
themselves Young Doctors.
Through this
project they all received certificates from one of the international renowned
teacher who was working on global climate
change project. The parents were so proud of this.
In conclusion
This is a
short image summary of the process and steps in making All purpose ointment for
head sores and head fungus.
Lesson learnt
from this service learning issue in my community :
·
When
learners learn by doing they all participate
·
Learners
who not outspoken are good in doing and putting their work logically
·
The
project empowered many of them in such that they called themselves young
doctors
·
They
learnt a lot from me as a community builder and grand mother as such they
nicknamed me Techno -granny of which I’m grateful of the new name
·
Their
level of confidence got elevated because of enormous knowledge they gained
during the project.
·
Community
children can be problem solvers because they are our future leaders and for unborn generation to come
·
Pharmacy
does not start at university level, but even at this low level it can start if
there is passion skills, tools and support
·
This
service learning issue covered most of the United Nations SDGs and 21st
Century skills
·
Engaging
community children to solve global challenges open children’s eyes and mind to
see the world in a bigger picture not only their communities.
Replicability
and adaptability
·
The
project is replicable
·
Most
parents started to plant medicinal herbs at their backyard gardens after
realizing that they can produce their own drugs for their aliments from home.
·
Beside
that they can also sell the products to augment and improve their financial
status
·
This
is the facebook group message from a parent telling me that she has already
started ,she want to learn more:
Tangible
different made
·
Most
learners and community children used the ointment and head sores and fungus were
story of the past
·
Community
children’s level of confidence rocket like never before
·
The
enormous knowledge and skill they gained improved their learning and vocabulary
·
Their
self esteem will make them learn more than before
·
Their
smiles and energy…….out of this world
·
Some
are dreaming of becoming researchers and scientists of which its possible if
they get support and inspiration
Learning must
not be forced in children’s minds but it must just come automatically and
voluntarily. That’s where they will enjoy and love education.
As teachers,
teaching that is theory based most of the time does not produce good results
because learning is better through practical and doing
No head fungus
and head sores on community children’s heads. Happy faces, smiles and joy!
Integrating content,
pedagogue and technology add more spices to learning.
TPACK
United Nation
SDG4
Partnership
and collaboration works wonders and quadrantes growth. United Nation SDG 17
Enough
knowledge by the teacher play a huge role in inspiring the learners
Time frame of
two weeks:
This is due
to scarcity of resources and time hence this long time frame
3 10 17 24 31
Yellow days
was for Saturday school in my home pre COVId19 with community children learning
Digital literacy, food and herb gardening and reading.
For every
Saturday three hours I invested my time to empower, develop and groom community
children in digital literacy, Food and herb gardening and reading
So during the
week children went to school. I only contact and engage them on Saturdays and school holidays. Pre
COVId19. But now we communicate through whats app, skype and zoom.
7 14 21 28
In conclusion
Attached find
a link of recorded PPT slides about this service learning issue in my community
with community children.
Attached find
a copy of a rubric as given:
