Duplicability of Grassroots concept to inspire educators to

use ICT in education

By Leonie Meijerink, VVOB Zambia

Sofia Dopper, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands

Bart Cornille, VVOB Zamibia

May 26th 2010, eLearning Africa Conference, Mulungushi Conference Centre, Lusaka, Zambia

y

How can you use this in your own practice?

Practical

examples

Introduction Case DUT& Zambia

Programme

Introduction and Levels of experience 14.00

Case Study DUT 14.45

Break 15.30

Different contexts and Case Study Zambia

16.00

Work in groups and use examples: I. How would the concept of grassroots project be

transferable to your situation? II. Come up with a grassroot proposal.

Plenary Jury

16.30

17.30

Summary of Challenges and Successes DUT & Zambia 17.45

Our Slogans

“Learn to use & Use to learn“

From “learn to use” to “use to learn”

Outcomes

By the end of the session participants will: • Have been exposed to a large number of practical

experiences of how an individual teacher or lecturer can use ICT in education in an innovative way at grassroot level

• Have explored how you could use some of these practical experiences in your own context, whether it being a western university or a community school teacher from a rural area.

Outcomes cnt.

• Have explored which aspects of the grassroots concept have helped to motivate and inspire lecturers and teachers.

• Have discussed ideas on how to organise a similar project in your own context, whilst maintaining the values of grassroots: appreciate, support, guide and reward.

Target Group

• ‘Grassroot level' • ‘Educators’ who would like to learn how to inspire others

or be inspired themselves to start using ICT in education in an innovative way.

• organisations or policy makers supporting (educational) institutions.

• comparing an advanced level, of Delft University of Technology to a similar project at beginners level of Colleges of education and community schools in Zambia

Conclusion: all levels are welcome.

Levels in the group

• What is your level of experience and expertise in the use of ICT in education?

‘Our’ Grassroots projects (1)

The Netherlands

Zambia

Grassroots in the world

Delft University of Technology,

The Netherlands

Zambia, Colleges of Education & community schools Kabwe

Delft University of technology

• Context of Case study:

Grassroots

• Canada: from “learn to use” to “use to learn”

Grassroots are:• Small ICT projects initiated by individual lecturers

• Ministry of Education in the Netherlands introduced Grassroots programme in basic education and vocational education

• Grassroots programme for university level (Surf foundation)

Grassroots at Delft University of Technology

• Round 1 05/06: TPM department: 13 lecturers

• Round 2: 07/08: TU-wide: 60 lecturers spread over all 8 departments – 6 themes: Social software, Laptops, Recorded lectures, Gaming and simulation, E-assessment, Digital whiteboards

• Round 3: 09/10: TU-wide: 40 lecturers – 3 themes: Activate with ICT in classroom, E-assessment, Blended learning

• Round 4: start september 2010

What is grassroots?

• Staff support and development related to ICT in Higher Education

• Small scale ICT-projects initiated by lecturers• Bottom up approach ICT-projects

Why grassroots?

• Stimulate lecturers, with little or no experience with ICT, to get a feeling for using ICT

• Increase the use of ICT in education in your institute

What are the strengths of grassroots?

T Technical support

E Educational support

A Appreciate and reward the investment of lecturers

Why is grassroots succesful?

• Lecturer is the owner of the idea• Stimulating creativity of lecturers• Great dissemination value by using• Grassroots website

Workflow grassroots

1. Tender: call for grassrootprojects

2. Jury selects grassrootprojects - groups

3. Teachers carry out their grassrootproject – educational and technical support

4. Dissemination of results and rewarding teachers

Methodology teachers

Design ICT solution

for educational problem

Apply solution

Evaluate and

report

What kind of grassroot project would you come up with?

Example Social software group

Problem:

100 students had to do a design assignment within the same theme, but students never saw eachothers work and teacher needed a lot of time to monitor the process

Solution:

wiki: each student has a page to present their own design. Students visit eachothers sites and give feedback. So students learn from each other and see diversity to approach a theme: inspiration!

Example wiki

Example wiki

Example Laptops group

Problem:

System dynamics: ca 100 students.

Students were not able to apply theory from lectures into the computer practicals which were scheduled some days later.

Solution:

Laptops to integrate the teaching methods lectures and computer practicals. Knowledge is applied immediately. More students passed the exam.

Example Activate with ICT in class group

Problem:

470 students, how to activate and interact with

such a large amount of students? They even

didn’t fit in one lecture room (max 300 students).

Solution:

Turningpoint Responseware software which allow students to respond to MC questions by using their mobile phone or laptop, combined with clickers and recorded lectures. Students are more involved and activated. More discussions in class. Offers teachers immediate feedback.

http://collegerama.tudelft.nl/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=1173b2488246460a96046ddec01ae77e

Lectures in 2 lecture rooms

(foto’s from TUDelta. 36)

Example Gaming & simulations group

Problem:

Students didn’t understand the basic concept behind the enery market. Game (pen and paper) proved to be helpful. But very time consuming for teacher.

Solution:

Game transformed into a game played via the Internet. Groups of students run an enery company. More realistic, less time consuming for teacher although great insight in learning process.

Different contexts

World average: 25.6% (September 2009)

Netherlands• 14,304,600 Internet users in Sept/09• 85.6% p.r., per ITU. (Average of Europe is 52% Sept 2009)• 5,807,000 broadband subscribers as of Dec/09, per ITU.

Zambia• 700,000 Internet users as of June/09, • 5.9% of the population, per ITU. (Average of Africa is 6.7%

June 2009)• 5,700 broadband internet subscribers as of Dec/09, per ITU.

Taken from http://www.internetworldstats.com/ (May 20th, 2010)

ICT/ Internet at Colleges of Education in Zambia

ICT Challenges at Colleges of Education in Zambia

ICT in Community Schools in Zambia

DISTRIBUTION OF ICT MATERIALS AND TRAINING

Slides by Andre Irabishohoje, VVOB Zambia

ICT USE IN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS

• At a very beginning stage• School administration and records keeping• Pupils entry for national exams• Planning lessons• Basic use of educational software e.g. Wikipedia,

geogebra, encarta...

CHALLENGES OF ICT IN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS

• Under funded schools, which might compromise sustainability of ICT use

• Poor physical infrastructuture and no power supply in most of the community schools

• Too expensive access to internet • Lack of experience in ICT integration in education• Lack of ICT technicians in rural areas

Zambia Grassroots Projects

Zambia Round 1: Jury Meeting & Criteria

40 proposals - 25 passed

Jury Meeting:

MoE, Grassroots consultant,

VVOB Zambia

Criteria:• introduction of something new at your college, institution• will benefit education• should be potentially interesting for others to copy • should be a challenge for you, compared to your skills now.• should be clearly explained and have a rough planning.• should follow, be in line with action plans at your College of

Education, institution .

Planning

Nov 20th

• Kick off Meeting

Dec 10th

• Launch ‘showcasing’ to the Minister of Education

Dec 30th • Final and detailed proposal

and plan of action

April 2010 • Face to face meeting groups

May2010 • Writing Workshop

July 2010

• Good practices seminar & Publication ‘Tales of Grasshoppers’

Men

torin

g, E

-coa

chin

g

Expert Group: Find, Search, Collaborate

Expert Groups

• Group 2: Audio, Visual and Video Learning

“Those who make a

distinction between

education and

entertainment

don't know the

first thing

about either.“

 -- Marshall McLuhan

CLCE Video

enhanced Physical

education

Sacred HeartVisual Learning Kasama Podcast

Expert Groups

Group 3: Gadgets and Tools

• Mentor: Pier Goudappel

Expert Groups

Group 4: Language and Maths

• Mentors: Lieve Leroy and Hans Casier

Expert Groups

• Group 5: Hands-on ICT

Mentors: Andre Irabishohoje and Lukonga Lindunda

Agreement Working Together

The role of the mentor in grassroots is:

• Give feedback• Give advice on how to balance responsibilities, set

professional priorities and action plans. • Help to find technical/subject matter inputs and

resources.

Agreement Working Together

The role of the mentor continued:

• Empower participants to take responsibility for their own project, experience and learning.

• Organise meetings with the ‘peer group’. • Create linkages with colleagues from other institutions.

The website

On the website www.grassrootszambia.webs.com

• All detailed information can be found.• Formats and documents can be downloaded• Criteria and conditions can be found!• Regulations can be found• Participants can chat on the forum• Participants can be updated about news

The website

Questions for discussion in groups

Choose I. Or II.:

I. Make a flipchart in which you write or visualize:

How would the concept of grassroots project be transferable to your situation?

Use the examples for inspiration

II. Discuss your own challenges in the use of ICT in your organisation/class.

Come up with a grassroot proposal to solve this situation. Use the examples for inspiration.

Follow up questions I: How would the grasroots concept be transferable to you?

How would you organise recruitment?

Which criteria are important for a jury?

How would you coach/mentor/professionally guide participants?

Would you choose a reward and if so, which reward would you choose?

How will reporting take place for each of the projects?

How would you disseminate the projects?

Follow up Questions II.

• Does your proposal follow the criteria:Is it a challenge for you?Is it potentially interesting for others to copy?Is it sustainable?Is it affordable?....

Plenary Jury

• Act as a critical jury to each others’ proposals

I. Will this grassroots project be a success?

II. Would you select the proposal?

Summary of similarities between Delft and Zambia

In both case studies:

• successful grassroots project took place.

• Grassroots projects are based upon individually motivated teachers, or lecturers who choose to explore a specific tool for the use of ICT in the classroom.

• They received expert guidance .

• They received a motivational reward.

Shared Successes

• Empowered ‘proud’ lecturers• A lot of enthusiasm and commitment• Others want to have a project too!• Proof of practices changed in the classroom• Students are positive• Marketing, it’s an appealing concept

Some differences DUT/Zambia

• Low cost – High impact (DUT)• High turn over Lecturers (Zambia)• Outsourcing of work (Zambia)• Internet/ email access (Zambia)• Role of the mentor (Zambia)

Way Forward?

GRASSROOTS DELFT

GRASSROOTS ZAMBIA

GRASSROOTS AFRICA

GRASSROOTS: BATTLE OF THE CONTINENTS?

• http://www.icto.tudelft.nl/fileadmin/sites/icto/ICTO_inhoudelijke_content/Grassrootspagina/web_TUDelft_Grassroots_boekje_EN.pdf

• http://www.icto.tudelft.nl/en/ongoing-projects/grassroots/tu-delft-grassroots/

• http://grassrootszambia.webs.com/• http://www.vvobzambia.blogspot.com/