SIMON’S REPORT 18: The Itch to Scratch

Our OLPC project is taking a new look every day. With every new understanding of the ability of the OLPC XO’s, I am trying to make developments in the projects that will make them more appealing and satisfying to the demands of teaching various subjects at our partner institutions.

Monday: Ntugi Secondary

At Ntugi, the students are working on a Scratch project. Scratch is an animation Activity that I recently introduced to the Computer Club . Being a high school, I saw it good if they started Scratch at the more abstract level of learning about the flow charts used in programming in order to make them able to arrange the building blocks to achieve a specific objective. They were able to learn this and for demo, I had them draw a flow chart that guides a person repairing a non-functioning bulb. This was to help them learn how to use the symbols properly. They will then work on a flow chart that will directly be used to create a program with Scratch.

Tuesday: Ngare Ndare Secondary/Lewa Primary

At Ngare Ndare we are working with the teachers to develop a syllabus that integrates the computer technology into their teaching. We are focusing on two subjects (Chemistry and Physics) and we have found many areas that XO’s could assist in teaching. This will be very important since we are hoping to launch a new pilot at Ngare Ndare once they have a power supply; they are currently being served by the 4 XO’s I carry in my backpack to the school. Once they have the laptops on site, and know how to use them, it will be easy to integrate the subjects.

At Lewa Primary school, the teachers were learning to use the word processing application to prepare exams for the students. They are preparing such that when they get power and machines in the school, they will be able to process evaluation tests in school. 

Wednesday: Subuiga Primary

At Subuiga , we are working on a Scratch project that can lead the way to creativity by both the teachers and students in creating projects of their preference. We worked on the flow chart and next time we will be arranging the blocks as per the flow charts to create a program.

Thursday: Lewa Conservation Education Centre

The CEC at Lewa is another institution that is by all means trying to maximize the usage of the machines in its functioning. Ephantus has presented teaching materials that I am trying to adapt to Scratch. This week, we had students from Rugusu Primary School who had a chance to use the machines in evaluating their learning during the day and learn basic computer operation.

 Friday: Leparua Primary

At Leparua, introduced the Scratch activity to the students for the first time. I wanted to explain how a computer animation could be used as a teaching tool. To do this, I started by explaining how a person would do some activities after he/she is given some instructions, in person, in the classroom. We had one person being offered instructions to do different things and they performed those tasks as instructed. The next step was now to change the presentation from the classroom to the laptop screen and to show the students that typed commands as a script in Scratch could make an animated person, called a Sprite in Scratch, follow instructions also.

These instructions are  given by the programming building blocks in Scratch.

The students were able to move the Sprite on the screen using the motion blocks and control blocks to make a dancing sprite. We will by the next time involve sound in the sprite and use bubbles to have the script communicate. The kids learned very fast, and they are in Grade 7!

Am looking forward towards next week. Thanks to all support given to me.

Post by Simon Mwangangi

SIMON’S REPORT 17: ‘Scratching’ the Surface

Monday: Ntugi Secondary

The past week was so successful with the introduction of the Scratch Activity to some of the institutions for the first time. One of the schools where I introduced it was Ntugi Secondary, where I had made a demo project just to show them how it could work. The project was a kind of a tutorial presentation that  can be used in teaching the names of different things in the environment.

It had a script of an imported, pre-drawn ‘costume’ or sprite of a teacher teaching in front of a background of a blackboard.

As the Scratch animation runs, different items appear on the screen and the teacher says their names as they appear.

After this section is complete, the teacher then evaluates the user/player.

She asks the player the names of the pictures as they appear once more.

and the

The person using the laptop has to type in the correct name for the objects and hit ‘enter’.  

The program only allows for the correct answer for one to score points.

I haven’t yet figured what to do if someone answers incorrectly! 

They were so eager to know the way to create such a project like the one I had demonstrated… but the main problem for them was to have them put the programming instructions into the script in the order in which the which they should be executed. They were a bit impatient and din’t really understand the sequencing and cause that they need to in order to make the Sprite behave as they want!

To solve this, I plan on having a class on flow charts where I can have the students make a flow chart of  the instructions first before entering them into the  laptop  from the Scratch menu of instructions.

Tuesday: Ngare Ndare Secondary/Lewa Primary 

At Ngare Ndare, the teachers were occupied, but I involved students in a shared Speak activity where they discussed through a voice chat some questions in chemistry. The challenge here again was the typing speed but with few lessons on Typing Turtle,  I think this will be solved.

At Lewa Primary the teachers were learning on how to word process word on the XO, and Gnome operating system. They hope that once the school gets power they will be typing exams for the students. They didn’t complete the document and they saved to the Gnome desktop to continue with it on next Wednesday.

Wednesday: Subuiga Primary

I also introduced Scratch to the Subuiga teachers and we are working for the same project I have talked of earlier the basis for tutorials to help in teaching. We were able, together with the teachers involved, to come up with the required pictures and next step is to teach them to control the movement of these in Scratch.

Thursday: Lewa Conservation Education Centre

At the CEC, we had a visit from Chege, the Chief Conservation Officer at Lewa and he was happy to see the hand given by the XO’s in the teaching of conservation education. We had had students from Githongo Boys School. With the wireless ability of the XO’s, I connected the machines to the same mesh network and Ephantus, the Head of Conservation Education at Lewa asked questions through a shared chat, and students discussed the questions among themselves though the laptop’s Chat Activity and at last he gave the correct answers. The students had fun as they learned.

 Friday: Leparua Primary

At Leparua, I met with teachers where we discussed the welfare of the project in the school and they promised to give full support and get involved in applying the applications in teaching.

I am looking forward towards next week!

Post by Simon Mwangangi

SIMON’S REPORT 16: No lack of enthusiasm…but we need more laptops!

Following the fieldwork I carried out for the last week, here is a report on the performance and progress of the pilot projects around Lewa at the institutions targeted by the Ntugi group.

Monday: Ntugi Secondary

At Ntugi, the spirit of collaboration and creativity in project development has been shown by the performance of the Computer Club. The Club is growing larger every day - 35 students now - and there is much more contact time between the students and the OLPC XO’s.

Last week, I introduced the club to the Sugar operating system’s  ability to share activities between several students and now it is being well practiced and peer editing is improving the students typing speed, grammar. It is  helping more in sharing of ideas, especially the write activity. It’s a forward step in development.

Tuesday: Ngare Ndare Secondary/Lewa Primary

I carry four XO laptops in a backpack to these two schools. I use two int he morning at one school, and then two in the afternoon at the other. This is because there is no power yet at the schools, and I have to conserve two with full batteries for the afternoon school.

With only two laptops to use at Ngare Ndare Secondary and Lewa Primary, my main teaching is limited to the teachers’ PD. We are helping them expand their knowledge on the abilities of the XO’s, and on computer and Internet literacy, and with this basement of knowledge, they can develop projects to suit their preferences in teaching once they get enough laptops for the students. They are also happy to learn computer skills like typing and computer operation. In a way this is good because the teachers will be ready for the students who learn so fast at a young age that it can be hard for teachers if they are not given sufficient and advance training.

Wednesday: Subuiga Primary

I am at Subuiga all day so I can deploy all four laptops in my portable backpack kit.  Unlike Ngare Ndare and Lewa Primary, at Subuiga at least a small group of students can be included in the program. I am working with the administration to set a regular time for the students. With the whole day there I should be able to handle both the teachers and the students group.

Thursday: Lewa Conservation Education Centre

As there is constant development at the new Conservation Education Centre, one of the development targeted is the computer lab, and the development of fun environmental and conservation-related activities. I am using the Scratch Activity to develop some designed games that will help in teaching the students visiting Lewa different conservation ideas. Apart from games, there will also be presentations by use of the laptops. But, last Thursday we had a black out and were not able to do anything with the laptops.

 Friday: Leparua Primary

Leparua is a wondeful school full of ambitious students and very willing to participate in new projects. Leparua students have adapted to the new way of collaboration learning where they are using the shared Write Activity in asking and answering each other questions and competing to be the best group. This is promising to improve their learning in school since every group wants to always win by asking the toughest questions and answering many questions. The teachers are also becoming interested in this since every teacher wants his/her subjects discussed for better results.

Am looking forward towards next week.

Post by Simon Mwangangi

SIMON’S REPORT 15: The Power of Computer clubs

Monday: Ntugi Secondary

Ntugi is a center that is fully equipped and has the potential to transform the learning at school to one that is fully OLPC aided. Efforts are therefore required to see this working efficiently and it has to be everyone’s desire. I am trying to increase the contact time with the students and the laptops. The good and promising thing is that it has become a fact to everyone that there is an aiding tool in the XO in every area of study. The start point has been to start projects that are assistive, student friendly and joyful to work at. The Memorize and Fototoon Activities that have been used to develop projects have ignited the spirit of creativity and, with the introduction of Scratch, TuxMath and Typing Turtle among others, they will help students move from analog to another level of  abstraction…the digital world. The students have already completed a test project on creating a picture illustrated story in Fototoon and a Memorize game about the names of the lab equipment which is now loaded onto all 40 laptops in the school.

Tuesday: Ngare Ndare Secondary/Lewa Primary

I am still introducing the OLPC XO laptops to Ngare Ndare and Lewa schools and showing them the different things that the laptop can do. It is a slow process because I am carrying in only four XO laptops in my backback, and there is yet to be power at these two schools. And so, I use 2 laptops at Ngare Ndare, and 2 at Lewa. That gives me a couple of hours of use until the batteries expire.  I introduced The Turtle Art Activity to teachers at Ngare Ndare and they were able to design different patterns using it. I proceeded to Lewa and I showed them how to browse the web.

Wednesday: Subuiga Primary

With the whole day at Subuiga I found it good to start a club there that I can be working with when the teachers are busy. I have formed up a Computer Club, just like we have at Ntugi and Leparua,  and its activities will commence on the coming Wednesday. It has functioned as an incentive and motivation to the students as the best students are the ones offered the first chance. Every student is now struggling to get the chance. Ntugi Group’s long term goal is for the club members from the primary schools to graduate to the secondary school Computer Club, and for the best of those students to become Ntugi Group Interns like I have, teaching computer literacy back to their previous schools and beyond that. After that, the Interns can become teaching assistants and OLPC site supervisors like Godfrey is at Nutgi...and then on to certified teachers!

Thursday: Lewa Conservation Education Centre

On Thursday we had students from Nkubu High School and were the first school visiting the CEC to be involved in using the laptops in the field.

They used the Distance Activity to take measurements between trees and find out the average spacing between them.

They also used the Record Activity to take photos of the insects found in the vegetation and recorded sounds of the animals and birds .They found it very enjoyable. The last activity was done indoor which was playing the Memorize activity, a quiz about the wild animals they had seen on their game drive.

 Friday: Leparua Primary

At Leparua,  the Computer Club is doing very well with the sign-in/sign-out idea of letting the students be independent with the XO’s while still monitoring the laptops and keeping them safe and secure. I introduced the wireless ‘mesh’ sharing of activities to the students and they asked and answered questions through a shared Write Activity - and the group that got the most answers right was the winner. They now have this activity that they can use on their own time and it improves both their typing speed and word processing skills apart from class work.

Post by Simon Mwangangi

SIMON’S REPORT 14: Regional Collaboration

Monday: Ntugi Secondary

The projects have already started working and integrating the OLPC/Sugar activities in the curriculum.I introduced the Fototoon Activity which will help in improving creativity and storytelling ability of the students, as well as increasing written and media literacy.

The students were ready to use this capability of the XO’s in creating interesting stories which demonstrates the school culture to the  incoming Form Ones (Grade 9’s). I left them to create a comic which I will review next week.

Tuesday: Ngare Ndare Secondary/Lewa Primary

Walter, a chemistry teacher from Ntugi Secondary, traveled with me to introduce the Vernier LabQuest activity on the XO and how it works with USB sensors that Ntugi uses in the lab for experiments.

Faith, the teacher at Ngare Ndare is also a chemistry teacher, like Walter, and has great interest and also knowledge in ICT4E.

She found it very helpful in teaching sciences in the school. Mr Muthamia the Head Teacher showed his gratitude and said he would plan a visit to Ntugi in exchange. This kind of regional and district cooperation is one of the long term goals of Ntugi Group’s program. I then proceeded to Lewa primary where I taught the teachers  how to create a memorize game to suit different occasions like teaching the opposite of words and synonyms.

Wednesday: Subuiga Primary 

At Subuiga there was a meeting that involved the teachers and we were not able to do anything.

Thursday: Lewa Conservation Education Centre

At the CECe we had the last group from Githongo, but the room we use computers in was under construction and we were not able to access it.

 Friday: Leparua Primary 

I went to Leparua to finish up on the Fototoon project.They had taken nice photos demonstrating the life there and it features a day at Leparua and what happens there.

The students were happy with their creativity and the support of the community was encouraging. The Computer Club is now led by Moses, one of the students who is provided with  a sign-in/sign-out book which he uses to monitor the laptop loans. He has divided the club into groups of three and each group has a leader who is assigned a laptop for the group and makes sure that its in order before its returned to Moses who inspects it before returning it to teacher Doris.This ensures total security of the laptops.

Post by Simon Mwangangi