World Computer Exchange seeks teachers with students to research or develop resources to share with teachers in Africa who are working to inspire girls to pursue careers in technology. Below are some examples of what we mean by resources. We are interested in your ideas! Read more about our Inspire Girls project here…
You can read here about a resource being developed by a teacher and her students in Remera, Rwanda.
- After school girls’ tech club program: WCE will work with teachers to develop and pilot clubs that will in involve mothers, community and business volunteers, and on-line mentors. The planning will take into consideration the concerns of girls and mothers. The clubs will explore ways to make technology more inclusive of girls, overcome barriers, and to teach confidence and skills. Clubs can assist in the development of the other resources, engage in computer refurbishment, or other technology ideas.
- Professional development: WCE will work with Karen Page and her EdTech Summit to adapt the content of their teacher tech and internet training workshop and materials to adapt it to help teachers better understand how to use computers, the internet, and the Inspire Girls resources to inspire more girls to pursue careers in technology. This professional development program will include Coding for Girls developed by our Strategic Ally, WiderNet, with our Field Associate in Ethiopia, Mulugeta Assefa. We will also develop training programs for new teachers with universities in the pilot countries.
- Apps and games: WCE is recruiting university and school teams in and outside of Africa to co-develop apps and games to empower girls and make STEM and coding education more engaging and accessible to girls in developing countries.
- Digital content: University and school teams continue to expand the digital WCE Content Pack loaded in all WCE refurbished computers and other future dissemination vehicles with an expanded category of Inspire Girls Content supporting girls’ education in STEM and empowerment. This content is available when a school cannot access the internet. This will include curriculum modules shared and gathered by participating teachers.
- Student experiential-learning project: WCE will work with some of our Field Associates in Africa who are also iEARN Country Coordinators who will select teachers who have prior experience in developing an iEARN student-learning project. WCE will offer them the following: teachers and students from outside of Africa, Inspire Girls digital Content materials, an on-line tech volunteer, and a stipend if they coach an after school club. Currently iEARN has 150 projects posted on their platform. Our goal is an iEARN project about technology and empowerment for girls posted on the iEARN platform accessible to any of the 2 million participating iEARN students. This includes our developing outreach materials to recruit and orient interested teachers.
Once these resources are researched or developed and field tested, WCE will work to disseminate them through the following avenues: outreach by our Field Associates, our WCE volunteer country Development Officers, and through our network of Partner organizations. WCE will also make them available through professional development for in-service teachers, training of new teachers at universities, in the computers WCE ships each year, on the global on-line iEARN platform, and via social media and the internet.
In countries in Africa where WCE has Field Associates we offer Teacher Fellowships and 10% cost reductions for refurbished equipment. Info@WorldComputerExchange.org The countries in Africa where we have Field Associates are: Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, North West Nigeria, South West Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
We are also piloting this in Puerto Rico with the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras and Computer Science for All – Puerto Rico.
We have seen some related free on-line STEM courses.
