<p>Irene Jebungei is our school lead educator in Chepyuan Primary School.</p>

School Lead Educator

<h2>Envisioning Future Lives</h2><p>Vectors (Graphic Design) has been one of our specialties for a while. Vectors has students make different designs using Inkscape, a vector editing program. Mercy, a Grade 6 Group B student made her fellow students enjoy their lesson this week.</p><h2>Healthy Competition</h2><p>Mercy's drawing was the best in class. She drew her future house using basic shapes, then decorated it with stars and colors. Everyone in class liked her drawing and they all promised that in their next lesson they will come with ideas just as good as hers.</p><h2>Improved Confidence</h2><p>Mercy was the first student that captured her ideas so well. She even started teaching other students in her groups, which was a great sign. She surprised the class when she shouted "I must be the best!"</p>

A Grade 6 student became very confident this week after capturing her design ideas. She drew her future house in Inkscape with decorations that everyone in her class liked. Now she thinks she's the best designer in the world!

<p>A Grade 6 student became very confident this week after capturing her design ideas. She drew her future house in Inkscape with decorations that everyone in her class liked. Now she thinks she's the best designer in the world!</p>

Improved Confidence from Design Lessons

Chepyuan Primary

<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

Inkscape

Graphic Design

<p>Denis is our school lead educator in Mogotio Primary School.</p>

<h2>A Normal Week of Computer Class</h2><p>This week&nbsp;at Mogotio&nbsp;Primary&nbsp;we were&nbsp;dealing with how&nbsp;the kids can save their work. So from Monday&nbsp;to Friday our target was to ensure every&nbsp;kid is able to save their work.</p><h2>A Surprise Visitor</h2><p>On Monday afternoon this week our&nbsp;CEO Nelly Cheboi came into the lab and surprised&nbsp;everyone in the lab. The children&nbsp;were not expecting her! While she was there, Kosi uploaded a video on social.</p><p>I was not aware that Kosi uploaded&nbsp;it onto the computer until one kid by the name Dorah found it. "<strong>Watch kosi talk about&nbsp;techlit on cnn!</strong>"</p><h2>Just Like Us</h2><p>What shocked her is that&nbsp;in that video&nbsp;she saw a Kosi with a uniform like&nbsp;they have. Dorah called me over. "<strong>Teacher kuja! Uone kosi na uniform&nbsp;ya mogotio primary?</strong>" She asked&nbsp;me in kiswahili, "<strong>Kosi alisomea hapa?</strong>"</p><p>"Y<strong>eah! Alisomea hapa</strong>" I told Dorah. All the children jumped from their computer and gathered to Dorah's computer. (They didn't&nbsp;notice that all computers have the video.) They were very happy.</p><p>After watching&nbsp;that video, I told them go and watch on your computer. I told them that every computer has that video.They crashed on their computer&nbsp;by saying in kiswahili "<strong>kumbe kosi alisomea hapa?</strong>"</p>

Students from Mogotio Primary Can Achieve | A Surprise Visit From CEO Nelly Cheboi Motivated Students

<p>This week started normally, but when our CEO Nelly Cheboi came to visit computer classes at Mogotio Primary, we had more than one surprise. My students learned that starting from Mogotio Primary they can go on to do great things.</p>

Hopeful Message, Surprise Visit

Mogotio Primary

Social

Personal Branding

Hopeful Message From A Surprise Visit

<p>Stanley is a community developer by profession, and a freelance writer on the side. At Techlit Africa, Stanley has been a school lead educator for many schools, including Logiri Primary and Barrina Primary in and around Mogotio, Kenya.</p>

<h2>Becoming A Producer</h2><p>Video production is one of our&nbsp;specialties in Techlit Africa. You may think that you have to be 18 years or older to become a video producer. That's not true for Barrina school.</p><h2>Inspiring Self-Discovery</h2><p>Meshack, a fourth grader at Barina quickly changed his career to a producer when Allan introduced video production to his class. He was particularly motivated when Allan explained that they too can make cool music videos like the one they see of Dogo and even Diamond, a very famous talent artist from Tanzania. </p><h2>Self-Efficacy Mastery Experiences</h2><p>This nine year old Meshack impressed all his classmates after he cut all the videos and stitched them together to make one amazing video. </p>

Video Production Specialist Allan Kiprono Inspires Young Students To Follow Role Models And Work Hard In Computer Class

<p>A 9-year-old in Barrina school decided that he could become a video producer like his favorite artists. He was so motivated that he learned and taught his whole class how to edit videos.</p>

9-Year-Old Discovers His Potential | TechLit Africa

Barrina Primary

Open Shot

Video Production

9-Year-Old Discovers His Potential

<p>Lucy is our internet skills and touchtyping specialist.</p>

Specialist Educator

<h2>Internet Skills Specialty</h2><p>Internet skills is one of the specialties we teach in TechLit Africa. Creating accounts in our local, offline internet program called Social enables students to save and upload their work so that they can always make progress when attending computer class.</p><h2>The Effects of Social</h2><p>Since I started introducing Social accounts in Mogotio Primary and showing them how to open the account they have been showing less interest in it. But from the day I started reviewing Social with them and showing them how they can communicate to their colleagues by chatting they have really developed interest in it. Most of them really enjoy that. Now they are able to save their work and upload it on Social.</p>

Students Learn Internet Skills - Security, Storage and Communication - Now Enjoying Computer Classes and Progressing With Creating Skills

<p>Now that we are teaching Internet Skills as a TechLit specialty, students are able to save their work and chat with their friends. They are making more progress and having more fun now and learning internet skills in the process.</p>

Effects of Internet Skills on Computer Classes

Internet Security

Effects of Internet Skills

<p>Irene teaches the introductory lessons to graphic design. She explains how students can use Inkscape to create vector graphics.</p>

<h2>Hussein The Artist</h2><p>Hussein, a seventh grader at Saint Mary has been the best designer amongst all my students so far.&nbsp;</p><p>He knew about inkscape and vectors even before I introduced it to his class. So Hussien has been taking any opportunity he gets to come to the computer lab. For example if he has a free lesson in class, instead of staying in class like his classmates, he would come to TechLit lab and offer to help teach. </p><h2>Following Your Passion</h2><p>“So, Irene, because I am already an artist, how can I benefit from my talent? ” he asked shortly after I introduced vector art to his class.</p><p>I told him all about graphic designers and how they are crucial in so many companies. From designing logos to even fonts. I also went on to explain free lance, how he can have his own agency and be self-employed designing logos for people. </p><p>He was so happy to hear that. “I can’t wait to benefit from my designs.” He said and went on to design really cool hats, shoes and even abstract art.</p>

7th Grader from Saint Mary's Primary Is An Artist With a Bright Future | Motivating Conversation with Irene Sheey About Future Opportunities

<p>This week, I shared all the possible things one can do with Graphic Design talents. Hussen, a Seventh Grader in Saint Mary's Primary was inspired and hopeful about his future as an artist.</p>

Future Designer from Saint Mary's

Saint Mary's

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

<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

Zawadi Yetu

LibreOffice Writer

Document Editing

<p>Milka is our school lead educator in Saint Mary's Primary in Mogotio, Kenya.</p>

<h2>Creating Digital Art</h2><p>For a while now, we have only been teaching graphic design to fourth graders and up. For lower classes we had our students use Potato Guy, an application to learn drag and drop skills. For Potato Guy the goal is to dress a potato.</p><p>I had always wondered how young is too young to introduce our students to Inkscape. At the moment we thought fourth graders were the youngest.&nbsp;So today we decided to experiment with second graders. They are about eight years old. </p><h2>The Youngest Artists</h2><p>I was particularly impressed with Allan, a second grader who drew a person wearing a green shirt and white pants. His design was so detailed with black hair, brown skin, one white shoe and the other shoe was barefoot. Of each of the colors, he had to pick the specific colors from the color wheel.</p><p>Most students had no problem using Inkscape. Now I am excited to try Inkscape with even the youngest of our students.</p>

We tried to teach 8-year-olds to use Inkscape, a vector editing program. They impressed us with their creativity and how quickly they learned to create digital art with Inkscape.

<p>We tried to teach 8-year-olds to use Inkscape, a vector editing program. They impressed us with their creativity and how quickly they learned to create digital art with Inkscape.</p>

8-Year-Olds Creating Digital Art

<p>Allan is a photographer, journalist and the founder of KE Media. With TechLit he inspires students with his passion for video production. Students learn to use video editing software with Allan.</p>

<h2>From Baringo to Mombasa</h2><p>On Monday, I traveled from Mogotio hub to Mombasa hub with Magda. Our goal was to introduce students there to video production and design.</p><blockquote>Our school lead in Victoria Baptist, Mwinyi, had already prepared the students for our arrival.</blockquote><p>When we arrived at Victoria Baptist, one of our two schools in Mombasa, the kids were very excited. Mwinyi, our school lead at Victoria Baptist, had already highlighted to them that a specialist was coming from Baringo.</p><h2>Introducing Video Production</h2><blockquote>The students were prepared with a lot of questions.</blockquote><p>When I introduced myself as a specialist the kids were more excited. When I introduced video production to them, they were really calm and ready to hear what I had to say.</p><p>The students at Victoria Baptist asked a lot of questions:</p><ol><li>How will video production <strong>help them</strong>?</li><li>Why is video production <strong>important</strong>?</li><li>Can they do video production <strong>at home</strong> or <strong>at a higher level</strong>?</li></ol><p>They really liked it when I told them they really could make good videos like they watch on TV. I even got two student teachers to help me run the class.</p><h2>A Self-Teacher Named Fabrin</h2><p>I had a student by the name Fabrin who was outstanding. He was in Grade 4, Group 1. He easily understood what I had taught.</p><blockquote>Fabrin chose to teach the other student what he learned.</blockquote><p>Without me showing him, Fabrin learned how to use a common shortcut, Control-A, to move all the videos at once. Some students like to be the only one with some skill, but Fabrin choose to teach the other students what he learned. He taught his group and even stayed to show the second group in Grade 4.</p><p>Overall, the response to video production in Victoria Baptist was very good. The Mombasa students are just awesome.</p>

Curious Grade 4 Students With Many Questions | Class 4 Students Self-Teaching | Teaching Video Production In Mombasa | Baringo To Mombasa

<p>On Monday, I traveled from Mogotio hub to Mombasa hub with Magda. Our goal was to introduce students there to video production and design. Overall, the response to video production in Victoria Baptist was very good. The Mombasa students are just awesome.</p>