<p>Irene Pepit is our school lead educator for Zawadi Yetu in Mogotio, Kenya.</p>

School Lead Educator

<p>Today, my story comes from a grade 5 boy called Bowen. Since word processing was introduced, he has been really into it. Bowen likes documents more than other specialties.</p><p>He has been practicing bolding and editing words since the first day. At first,it was a bit challenging for him. He was really figuring out how at the end he can have his own written document.</p><p>So now, during breaks and lunch hours, he comes to the lab to work on a new project: a notice to other students about the environment. Bowen asks for my help every time. His aim was to make sure that he wrote the notice on the computer.</p><p>His classmates weren’t sure what to use word documents for. Some were just writing their names and others were typing the names of their friends and school. Bowen was the first student to think of how to use word documents.</p><p>During his 35 minute class on Wednesday he finished his notice. The rest of the class were asking him where he got the idea. He told them that some might write compositions and others might write recipes. They were happy because now they had ideas about how to use word documents.</p><p>I am confident that we have a typist, script writer, speech writer in the making.</p>

Zawadi Students Learn Documents - Primary School Lead Educator Irene Pepit Inspires Students to Create Their Own Documents

<p>This week, a student of mine wrote a notice for his school about Environment Celebration Day. He was so inspired that he came to the computer lab between classes to practice.</p>

Zawadi Students Learn Documents

Zawadi Yetu

<p>Nelly Cheboi is a celebrated social entrepreneur, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/nelly-cheboi/?sh=179de9a85764" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Forbes 30 under 30</a> honoree, and<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/14/world/education-technology-recycling-kenya-poverty-cnnheroes/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> CNN Hero</a>. After growing up in rural Kenya and lifting her family out of poverty, she focused on her community.</p>

CEO | CNN Hero | Forbes Under 30

<p>Every Thursday, we all gather around on Zoom to share stories from the classroom. Every educator writes a story to share from their week about student achievement.</p>

Classroom Stories | TechLit Africa

Stories From The Classroom

LibreOffice Writer

Document Editing

<p>Scratch is block-based programming built for kids.&nbsp;</p><p>This week at Zawadi Yetu academy, we decided with the fifth graders that they are going to create their own project. The previous weeks they have been practicing combining blocks of code and so they were only making basic animations</p><p>This week they started on their projects. Everyone in the class is really working hard to make sure that before the end of the term he/she must have created his/her game in scratch. First, i encourage them to use different sprites and now they are in the level of making their own sounds and inserting them in their game</p><p>I look forward to encouraging them to discover new things day by day for their game and presentable look. They are very happy that at the end each one of them will have his/her game.</p>

Making Their Own Games in Zawadi Yetu | TechLit Africa

<p>This week in Zawadi Yetu academy, students spend 30 minutes every day building their own video game in Scratch. By the end of the week, they will have completed a complete game.</p>

Scratch

Software Engineering

Making Their Own Games in Zawadi Yetu

<h2>Well-Rounded Students</h2><p>This is a story about the fifth graders at Zawadi Yetu Academy. They have enjoyed every single one of the specialties that have been introduced to them, from Coding, Music Production to Personal Branding and Graphic Design.</p><p>They can do all the specialties without the help of their specialist and have shown great passion for learning TechLit programs. They keep asking me what is next. “<strong>What are we learning next?</strong>” they would say, almost in unison</p><h2>Self-Teaching with Computers</h2><p>So today I felt challenged and decided to introduce Word Processing and Document Editing to them. They were really happy to see a new skill they could learn. I used LibreOffice to show them the basic elements of word processing.</p><p>I only knew how to type and format the texts. I didn't know some of the other elements. To my surprise, the fifth graders started doing a lot more than what I had shown them. I even asked them to show me how they were able to insert images and where they got it from.</p><h2>Self-Expression and Creativity</h2><p>Most of them made a document with a computer image in it. Some wanted to recreate the QWERTY Touch-Typing application screen. So they wanted a computer with three icons on it that said “You Did It!” just like the feedback screen on our Touch-Typing application QWERTY. Almost all of them had “TechLit Africa” somewhere on their document.</p><p>Manu even wrote a thank you note to Nelly and Tyler and also TechLit Africa. It read “I thank Nelly and Tyler because since I joined this school i have been attending computer classes. Now I know how to use Inkscape and OpenShot. If it was not for TechLit I would not have known what a computer is.”</p>

Students at Zawadi Academy Learn More Than Their Teacher in Word Processing / Document Editing Digital Literacy Specialty Lesson

<p>This week, I introduced my students to Document Editing because they are hungry for new computer skills. After just one lesson, they already know more than I do. They created such complicated documents and even a thank you note.</p>

Document Editing at Zawadi Academy

<h2>Internet Skills Specialty</h2><p>Social is one of our specialties at Techlit Africa. In Social, kids are taught on how to create to&nbsp;create their own passwords and also to save their work in the internet <em>(but in a local, offline version of the internet so they are safe)</em>.</p><h2>Creating Anything</h2><p>Marion is a Grade 3 kid in Zawadi. She really likes Inkscape <em>(also a specialty in TechLit Africa)</em>. She likes drawing very much, and inn Inkscape, she can draw anything she wants.</p><h2>Securely Saving Artwork</h2><p>During her free time, Marion comes to draw what she wants and upload her work. She is so happy that social was introduced because she has her own password and all her drawings are kept safe there.</p>

Grade 3 Student Learns Internet Accounts and Security Through Saving Specialty Projects Creative Artwork | Effective Digital Skills Lessons

<p>We have a student called Marion in Grade 3 at Zawadi Academy. She really likes to create art in Inkscape, and now that she has her own account and password on our local, offline internet  program called Social, she can securely save her artwork.</p>

Internet Security With Specialty Projects

Internet Security

<h2>Improving With Vectors</h2><p>Jepchirchir Cate is a Grade 3 student in Zawadi. Today being her second week working with Vectors, we decided that we are not going to draw shapes any more. Grade 3 were already used to drawing shapes. Cate said that today she wanted to make something different, to write her name on it and also include the name of her school.</p><h2>School Pride</h2><p>She drew boxes coloured with different colours, made something like a star in the middle. First, when writing her name and the school name, she didnt know how to write capital letters. She was complaining that the words were in small letters and she wanted in capital letters. I had to show her how it is done. She was very happy with her own work.</p>

Grade 3 Student in Zawadi Yetu Academy Learned to Type Uppercase Letters through Specialty Vector Design Project

<p>A grade 3 student in Zawadi, named Jepchirchir Cate, learned how to type uppercase letters today in order to create her design project. I challenged her to make something more than just shapes and labels, so she created a school pride design.</p>

Designs of School Pride in Zawadi

Inkscape

Graphic Design

<h2>Reviewing Audio Production</h2><p>Brian Ogutu is a Grade 5 student in Zawadi Academy. Since Grade 5 has now been introduced to all the specialties, they reviewed LMMS in today's lesson. Since they are taught all steps, Ogutu decided that he is going to make his own beat today.</p><h2>Making Custom Beats</h2><p>Ogutu concentrated very hard in the lesson saying he must make his own beat before the lesson ends. He tried his best and even before the lesson came to an end, he had made his own beat and saved it.</p><h2>Examples of Success</h2><p>Dogo <em style="font-size: 1rem;">(their LMMS teacher)</em> told the rest of the class that he was going to use Ogutu’s beat to teach the whole school. The rest of the class was very excited seeing one of their colleagues work being used as an example. They all also wanted their work to be used as an example. Ogutu was very happy seeing that.</p>

Zawadi Grade 5 Student Ogutu Makes a Beat with LMMS Digital Audio Workstation and Becomes Example of Success for Entire School

<p>Ogutu, a Grade 5 student in Zawadi Academy, decided to make his own beat today. It has been many weeks since his class learned LMMS, but he was still able to make his music. Their LMMS specialist Dogo shared his work as an example for the whole school.</p>

Making Beats in Computer Class

LMMS

Audio Production

<h2>Learning To Code</h2><p>Coding is one of our specialties at Techlit Africa, lead by Evans. To teach coding, we use MIT Scratch, a block based coding program. But scratch can be overwhelming for lower grades.</p><h2>Struggling With Block Coding</h2><p>Eugene, a Grade 3 boy at Zawadi really struggled on his first day of Scratch. The class had students dragging code blocks, changing backgrounds <em>(called backdrops)</em>, and changing characters <em>(called sprites).</em></p><p>Eugene could not drag the code blocks at all. Even when Evans showed him how dragging works, he would just stare at the screen.This was on the first day.</p><h2>Scratch Junior To The Resuce</h2><p>On the next coding class, Evans introduced Scratch Junior, an easy version of Scratch made for the young kids. In Scratch Junior, students don't have to drag and drop. Eugene really enjoyed scratch junior.</p><p>He was happy seeing different coloured sprites, now that he could easily add and remove sprites. Scratch Junior worked so well for Eugene that he said he wanted to make a busy environment full of moving vehicles, bicycles and airplanes. He was so to proud of his work that he stood happily and showed the whole class.</p>

Grade 3 Boy at Zawadi Struggled With MIT Scratch, But Learned To Code With Scratch Junior | He Shares Work With Classmates

<p>Eugene, a Grade 3 boy at Zawadi, really struggled on his first day of Coding lessons. Luckily, our coding specialist Evanso introduced Scratch Junior and Eugene became so very productive. He was so excited that he shared his work with the whole class. </p>

Eugene Learns To Code With Scratch Junior

Scratch Jr.

Eugene Learns To Code

<h2>Struggling With New Skills</h2><p>Bowen, a grade 4 student had a problem with Inkscape vector editor this week. He was not able to use some of the shape tools and didn't know how to colour them. He was just saying “<strong>Mi sielewi.</strong>" <em>(I really don't understand.)</em></p><h2>Examples of Success</h2><p>Other students were telling Irene, a girl in their class: "<strong>we saw your photo in a phone making shapes changing colours.</strong>" We shared a story about Irene on TechLit's Facebook page last week, so all the students had seen her on their parents' phones. Irene was so happy hearing that her photo was in the phone.</p><h2>Overcoming Challenges</h2><p>So Bowen said i want also my photo to be in the phone. So he really focused on it struggled with it, asked Irene to show her how it is done. He was shown everything and made different shapes with different colours. Bowen, after completing, was just saying "<strong>take a picture of me! I want also to be in the phone.</strong>"</p>

Zawadi Yetu Grade 4 Student Bowen Struggled In Computer Class. After Seeing Classmate Succeeding, Worked Harder And Overcame His Challenges

<p>This week, a Grade 4 student named Bowen was struggling in class. But when he saw how one of his classmates was achieving in the same area, he decided to work harder and overcame his challenges.</p>

Grade 4 Student Overcomes Challenges

Irene Pepit

<p>Tyler Cinnamon is a American programmer and entrepreneur. He started TechLit Africa with Nelly Cheboi in 2018 to disrupt poverty with used IT devices.</p>

Founder & COO

Zawadi Yetu School Lead Educator Irene Pepit | Teaching Digital Skills & Self-Efficacy for Kenya Primary Schools

Posts by Author: Irene Pepit