TOOLING AND RE-TOOLING WORKSHOP FOR ICT/COMPUTER STUDIES TEACHERS IN 14 DISTRICTS AT MBALE SS

TOOLING AND RE-TOOLING WORKSHOP FOR ICT/COMPUTER STUDIES TEACHERS IN 14 DISTRICTS AT MBALE SS (MON 7TH-FRID 11TH) MAY 2018.

Fig. 1: Workshop Participants

Report prepared by: Daniel Kakinda Peter Matsanga

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Introduction The Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) in conjunction with the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) through the UCC’s Rural Communications Development Fund (RCDF) has supported the establishment of school ICT laboratories and training of teachers to enhance integration and penetration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in government secondary schools.

As part of enhancing the usage of the school ICT facilities, the MoES, UCC and KAWA organized a 5-day tooling and re-tooling workshop for ICT/Computer Studies teachers in the Eastern region which was held ( Mon 7th – Frid 12th) May , 2018 at Mbale SS. The following 66 schools attended the workshop; Bushika SS (1), Baluganya SS (2), Bukalikha SS (2), Mbale High School (1), Nyondo SS (2), Amanang SS (1), Mbale SS (12), Amugu SS (1), Kamonkoli College (1), Sebei College Tegeresi (1), Katerema SS (1), Butiru Xtian Comp. SS (2), Shitumi SS (2), Masinga SS (1), Buweswa SS (1), Kimaluli High School (1), Masaba SS (2), Kapchorwa SS (1), Gamatui Girls (1), Bukedi College Kachonga (1), Kibuku SS (1), Bubulo SS (1), Kagumu SS (1), Nabumali SS (1), Nkoma SS (2), Mulatsi SS (1), Hamdam Girls High School (2), Buseta SS (1), Busolwe SS (1), Bududa SS (2), St. Peter’s College Tororo (2), Rubongi SS (2), Rubongi Army SS (2), Tororo Girls SS (2), Tunyi Girls SS (2), Nandere SS (1), Musese SS (2), Busano SS (2), Nakaloke SS (2), Nabumali High School (1), Rock High School Tororo (2), Manjasi High School (2), Asinge SS (2), Nabbongo SS (1), Nabiswa SS (1), Buginyanya Comp. SS (1), Bukalasi SS (1), Kapkwata SS (1), Dabani Girls (2), Comboni College (1), St. Thereza SS (1), Kaderuna SS (1), Iki-Iki SS (1), Atiri SS (2), Merikit SS (2), Busiu SS (1), Bubulo Girls High School (2), Bugobero High School (1), St. Mary’s SS (1), Budadiri Girls SS (1), St. Paul’s College Bulangira (1), St. Paul’s College Mbale (1), Hill view College Bulangira (1), Kisoko High School (1), Kotido SS (1) and Unlink High School (2). (A detailed list of participants including their contact information is attached as Appendix 1) The workshop opened with a national anthem and a word of prayer lead by Matsanga Peter.

Wamanga Moses, the overall workshop coordinator, on behalf of the workshop partners welcomed participants to the workshop and thanked them for dedicating 5 days of their holiday time to the workshop.

He thanked the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) and Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) for entrusting the responsibility of tooling and retooling ICT/Computer Studies teachers in this workshop to KAWA (Kisubi Associated Writers’ Agency).

He asked each teacher to introduce his/herself including the subject he/she teaches.

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PARTICIPANTS EXPECTATIONS AND WORRIES (i)

Expectations from the workshop

Below were some of the participants’ expectations from the workshop: • New ideas and techniques of ICT. • Techniques on syllabus coverage • New methods of teaching ICT • Easier ways of addressing ICT challenges in government schools.

• Teaching and learning strategies in the ICT syllabus • Getting a way of using ICT in my language/literature lessons • Sharing with colleagues back in my department at school the rationale of ICT in our schools.

• Sharing ideas of using ICT in different subjects.

• Areas of concentration in practical papers at both O’ Level and A’ Level.

• Soft copies or hard copies of presentation for future reference.

• Guidance on teaching the theory part of ICT at A’ Level.

• Sharing of ideas • Provision of instructional materials • Certificate of completion at the end of the workshop • Use of the certificate for recruitment as an ICT teacher • New ideas as far as teaching ICT is concerned.

• Making new friends • New teaching and learning methods • New approaches of teaching ICT (ii)

Worries for the workshop

Below were some of the participants’ worries for the workshop: • Not being an ICT teacher but in the workshop.

• Long hours of discussions • Leaving the workshop late • Harassment by the facilitators in the discussions.

• No answers to questions raised by participants.

• Presentations taking too long.

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• Schools failing to meet their obligations of transport and accommodation of teachers.

• Poor time management on both the facilitators and the participants.

• Some hands-on activities may need those with laptops.

• Negative attitude by some of the participants.

• Not addressing the new trends in the ICT sector • 5 days may be many in terms of transport for those coming from far.

• Failure of facilitators to consider the views of the participants.

• Teaching or presentation of unreliable information • Workshop not being able to help ICT teachers who did not do education to be registered.

• Time may not be enough for the workshop to achieve its objectives.

• Finding some concepts not examinable yet we have been teaching them and vice versa.

• Finding new methods of teaching in preference to the usual ones.

GROUND RULES Participants agreed on the following ground rules to be observed through the workshop: • Phones in silent mode • Respect for other people’s ideas, views and property • • • •

Strict time management Active participation Keeping to task Time for leaving for home to be kept promptly

WORKSHOP OVERVIEW Kakinda Daniel, the workshop pedagogical coordinator, gave participants an overview of the workshop which included: (i)

Workshop partners and their roles

(ii)

Aims of the workshop

(iii)

Areas of focus of the workshop

(iv)

Gaps to be addressed in the workshop

(v)

Teaching and Learning strategies to be used in the workshop.

(vi)

Workshop facilitators and their roles

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Fig. 2: Kakinda Daniel giving participants a workshop overview

Workshop partners and their roles Kakinda informed the participants that the tooling and re-tooling workshop was a collaborative effort of a number of partners: PARTNER

ROLE

1. Ministry of Education and Financial support, selection of schools & Workshop Sports (MoES) organization & oversight 2. Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) through RCDF

Financial support

3. KAWA (Kisubi Associated Conducting the workshop Writers Agency) 4. Mbale SS

Hosting the workshop & local coordination

5. Participating schools

Selecting the participants, covering participants’ transport and accommodation

Aims of the workshop Kakinda informed the participants that the tooling and re-tooling workshop was aimed at enhancing the capacity of the ICT/Computer studies teachers to: •

Teach ICT and Computer Studies better using the methods recommended by National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC).

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•

Do more effective formative and summative assessment of students.

•

Help schools develop their websites.

•

Enhance their knowledge and skills in Desktop Publishing, Elementary Programming and Website Development and relate what they are teaching in class to the applications and skills requirements in the job market

•

Spearhead the integration of ICT in different subjects across the curriculum.

•

Involve their schools in community activities.

•

Integrate project-based learning in their teaching and learning.

•

Understand and interpret the A ‘Level Sub-ICT Syllabus

•

Brainstorm on the challenges of using ICT in teaching and learning in their districts and what can be done to address those challenges.

Areas of focus of the workshop Kakinda informed workshop participants that the workshop would focus mainly on: •

Government ICT4E policies & initiatives. These would be highlighted by the Ministry of Education (MoES) and Uganda Communications Commission (UCC).

•

Understanding and interpreting the A’Level Sub-ICT curriculum by NCDC.

•

Desktop Publishing including applications in the job market by workshop facilitators.

•

Website Development including applications in the job market by workshop facilitators.

•

Elementary Programming including applications in the job market by workshop facilitators.

•

Formative and summative assessment by workshop facilitators. Formative assessment would be integrated throughout the workshop activities.

•

Project-based learning: Project-based learning would be integrated in some of the workshop activities. There will also be inspirational talks from visiting facilitators who have integrated project-based learning in their teaching and learning.

Gaps to be addressed in the workshop Kakinda Daniel informed the workshop participants that the workshop will try to address a number of gaps already noted among the participants: • Pedagogical skills gap: Among the participants, there are those who have formal qualification in ICT or Computer Science but do not have any qualification in teaching. Such teachers have ICT skills but no pedagogical skills. The workshop was to equip them with some pedagogical skills.

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• ICT skills gap: Some participants though they teach ICT , they are qualified to teach other subjects like geography, physics etc and have no formal training in ICT. Such teachers have pedagogical skills but very little ICT skills. The workshop was to equip them with more ICT skills.

• Formative assessment gap: A few teachers know the difference between formative assessment (assessment for learning) and summative assessment (assessment of learning). Most teachers never do any formative assessment. The workshop was to integrate formative assessment in the sessions so that teachers not only get to know what it is but also how to do it.

• Understanding and interpretation of the ICT syllabus gap: Some of the workshop participants have never seen or read the A’Level ICT syllabus. Some think the A’Level ICT syllabus is a continuation of the O’level computer studies syllabus.

The workshop was to help the teachers to know that whereas the O’Level Computer Studies syllabus is a foundation for students who want to pursue further studies in computer science, the A’Level ICT syllabus is meant for producing endusers of ICT in the job market implying that the ICT should not be taught in the same way as Computer Studies.

• Teaching/Learning strategies skills gap: The ICT teaching syllabus recommends the use of strategies like teacher guided research, hands-on activities, teacher exposition, group discussions and peer presentations, collaborative tasks and brain-storming. A number of teachers don’t know how to use these methods. The workshop was to help teachers experience these methods.

• Project-based learning skills gap: Most of the workshop participants have no experience in using project-based learning as a teaching/learning strategy. The workshop would introduce teachers to project-based learning.

• Linking classroom work to application in the job market gap: Few teachers link what they teach in class to the applications in the job market. Most teachers teach students just to pass exams. The workshop was to give the teachers an exposition to the application of Desktop Publishing, Elementary Programming and Website Development in the job market.

Teaching and Learning strategies to be used in the workshop Kakinda told the workshop participants that since they were adults, the training was to be based on andragogy and not on pedagogy. Pedagogy is the art and science of helping children to learn whereas andragogy is the art and science of helping adults to learn.

Adults: • Often seek learning opportunities in order to cope with life challenges. They are interested in practical information rather than theory. The training was to be about tasks not memorization of content.

• Want to learn something they can use to better their position or make a change for the better i.e do what they always do but more accurately, quicker and

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simpler. The information, examples and tasks to be given in the workshop were to be relevant to the teacher’s daily work and to have immediate applications.

• Bring a wealth of information and experiences to the learning situation. Training should include minds-on brainstorming sessions (in small groups and at the plenary) with open-ended questions to bring out their vast experience. The participants were to learn much more from each other than from the workshop facilitators.

• Want to be free to direct themselves in the educational process. They must be left to manage themselves in group work, given enough time to complete given tasks and an opportunity to present their work to peers. The workshop was to use project work to allow flexibility in the tasks given.

Workshop facilitators and their roles Kakinda concluded the workshop overview by introducing the facilitators of the workshop and their roles No.

Facilitator

Role

No. Facilitator

Role

1.

Wamanga Moses

Overall workshop Coordinator

2.

Kakinda Daniel

Pedagogical coordinator, Project-based learning

3.

Matsanga Peter

Logistical Coordinator

4.

Mwondha David

Lead facilitator for Assessment and Evaluation

5.

Mukalele Rogers

Lead facilitator for Elementary Programming

6.

Chole Richard

Lead facilitator for Desktop Publishing, video documentation

7.

Kugonza Nicholus

Lead facilitator for 8.

Website Development, technical backstopping

Mbale SS

Local coordination

9.

Kharende Isaac

Rapporteur

Ddungu Ronald

Visiting facilitator – Projectbased learning inspirational talk

11.

Tuhame Moses

Visiting facilitator – Understanding the ICT syllabus

10.

PRESENTATIONS BY WORKSHOP PARTNERS At different times of the workshop, the workshop project partners (KAWA, MoES and UCC) made presentations to the participants.

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(i)

Presentation by KAWA (Kisubi Associated Writers’ Agency)

Matsanga Peter on behalf of KAWA thanked the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) for providing computers to secondary schools to promote ICT in education.

He also thanked the Ministry for sponsoring the workshop because it is through such workshops that Uganda’s education can be transformed. He assured the Ministry about KAWA’s commitment and determination to work together to transform the education system.

Fig 3: Brief about KAWA by Matsanga Peter

Matsanga Peter thereafter gave a brief introduction about KAWA. KAWA (Kisubi Associated Writers’ Agency) was founded in 2002 by a group of educational professionals with the original aim of contributing to the quality of education in Uganda through writing quality textbooks. KAWA has written a number of textbooks especially in geography and history. In 2007, KAWA started changing the hard copy books, they had written to digital form. Currently KAWA is mainly involved in digital content creation.

KAWA’s vision is to make the greatest impact possible to the life chances of learners by working with educators across the country to ensure they are trained, empowered and supported to be the very best.

KAWA’s main office is located at UMA Show Ground, Jinja Road, Kampala.

Website: www.kawa.ac.ug Facebook: KAWA Uganda Mob: +256-784-274103 and +256-792-333138 Overtime, KAWA realized the need for training teachers in the use of ICT for teaching and learning. Computer literacy is good but what is most important is for teachers to be able to integrate ICT in different subjects across the curriculum. ICT has the potential of helping students visualize abstract concepts and to bring the environment into the classroom.

In 2017, KAWA signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES). The purpose of the MoU was to create collaboration

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between KAWA and Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) for KAWA to officially carry out its activities of supporting educational institutions.

KAWA’s obligations in the MoU include among others: • Installing of online and offline e-learning platforms and related browser software in schools to enable virtual classes to take place.

• Registering and training educators in consultation with the MoES. • Developing digital content and study materials for teachers and students in consultation with the Teacher Instruction and Education Department.

• Installing Academic e-library, interactive digital content for Science and Arts subjects in schools in consultation with the Teacher Instruction and Education Department.

• Supplying ICT books (hard copy and soft copy) to schools and computer Labs • Installing career guidance e-books and materials in schools in consultation with the Teacher Instruction and Education Department.

KAWA has conducted a number of activities in the area of ICT for Education (ICT4E) including: • One-day sensitization seminars for schools about using appropriate ICTs in education and introduction of the Contextualized UNESCO ICT Framework for teachers.

• Computer repair and maintenance workshops for secondary schools especially in the Eastern and Northern Uganda.

• In-house workshops for creation of educational digital content.

KAWA is converting its hard copy books into an e-content library which will be installed in school computer labs to be accessed offline.

KAWA converted the Career Guidance Resource Handbook produced by the Career Guidance Department, MoES into an e-book which can freely be accessed at https://kawaug.blogspot.com/ • ICT Literacy Training Workshops In partnership with Makerere University Business School (MUBS), KAWA has done a number of school-based ICT literacy training workshops. Successful teachers are awarded certificates by MUBS. • eLearning Uganda Conferences Since 2014, KAWA and its partners have been organizing an annual eLearning Uganda conference with the aim of keeping educators across the country abreast with the changing trends in ICT for Education (ICT4E). The eLearning Uganda 2018 conference was held at MUBS Main Campus, Nakawa- Kampala under the theme: “The Uganda Context: New methods and tools for excellence in learning” Matsanga Peter noted that KAWA still faces some challenges in the following areas: • The computers are still few in schools especially in primary schools.

• Distribution of invitation letters to schools to attend training workshops.

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• Hiring of a generator, a projector and even a hall in some districts greatly increases the training costs.

• Lack of funds to do some of the work specified in the MoU. Matsanga Peter concluded by pledging to the MoES, KAWA’s commitment and determination to cause this positive change in Uganda’s education system through building the capacity of the educators to integrate appropriate ICT in all subjects across the curriculum and to provide them with access to digital content.

He thereafter invited the Head teacher of Mbale SS to invite the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) official to address the workshop participants. (ii)

Presentation by Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES)

The Head teacher of Mbale SS welcomed participants to Mbale SS and invited Mrs. Mary Ntete Kunteese, Principal Education officer, secondary education department, MoES and desk officer for the Eastern region who represented the MoES to address the participants.

Mrs. Mary Ntete conveyed the secondary schools commissioner’s greetings to the participants. She informed them that the commissioner was unable to personally attend the workshop as he was out of the country on official duties.

She thanked KAWA for bringing the ICT in education services nearer to the schools especially the rural schools which need them most. This tooling and re-tooling workshop for ICT/Computer Studies teachers was the first of its kind to be conducted in the Eastern region. All the previous workshops were organized and conducted at Kololo SS in Kampala.

Fig. 4: Mrs. Mary Ntete Kunteese addressing the workshop participants

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She thanked KAWA for helping the MoES to bridge some of the gaps like that of teachers who have ICT skills but no pedagogical skills and those with pedagogical skills and no ICT skills.

She thanked the participants for sparing 5 days out of their 3 week holiday for the workshop and encouraged them to actively participate and attend all the five days despite the workshop being non-residential and some coming from very far.

Mrs. Mary Ntete encouraged the teachers of ICT/Computer Studies to: • Be innovative so as to overcome some of the challenges of using ICT for teaching and learning in their schools.

• To write and publish textbooks to take advantage of the MoES’s vote for purchasing of books particularly in the subjects of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Maths and English Language once they are vetted and recommended by NCDC. • Initiate the maintenance of computers in their schools as the user department.

• Put to use the knowledge and skills they acquire at such workshops for their personal development and that of their students.

• Pursue continuous professional development especially through online courses.

She on behalf of the MoES pledged full support for teacher’s professional development.

• Have a 5-year personal development plan • Have two teaching subjects as required by the Educational Service Commission for recruitment in government schools.

She informed the participants that the setback to recruitment of ICT teachers was the government wage bill which has remained constant. This has also affected some of teacher transfers because there was no wage bill provision in some of the districts they asked to be transferred to especially districts in the Central Region like Wakiso, Kampala and Mukono.

(iii) Presentation by Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) The Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) was represented by Mr. Bbosa Ibrahim, the manager, Consumer Affairs and Mr. Mukasa Paul, the manager, Content Regulation.

Mr. Bbosa informed workshop participants that UCC carries an annual survey among the communication consumers and the general public to find out their satisfaction levels and how people understand and feel about the UCC’s regulatory role of the communication sector in Uganda.

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He noted that most surveys indicate that either people don’t know what UCC does, how to interface with it or even how UCC can help them.

As a way forward, UCC has decided that every time they are engaged with stakeholders in any UCC supported activity like the tooling & re-tooling workshops for teachers under the Rural Communication Development Fund (RCDF), they take off time to educate the stakeholders: • On the mandate and role of UCC in the communication sector • On communication consumer rights, protection and empowerment.

• On what UCC can do and cannot do for them and how the people can work with UCC. Mr. Bbosa informed the participants that UCC is a legal entity set up by an Act of Parliament to regulate telecommunication, TV and radio broadcasting, courier services and data communication and infrastructure.

Under section 5 of the Uganda Communications Act, 2013, UCC is mandated to do 26 functions ((a) – (z)). However their interactions and engagement with the workshop participants was to focus on four of the functions which are related to consumer protection and empowerment.

Fig 5: Mr. Bbosa Ibrahim addressing workshop participants The four functions related to consumer protection and empowerment include: (b) Monitoring, inspecting, licensing, supervising, regulating and controlling communication services.

This also includes content for the broadcast media. (i) Setting, monitoring national standards, directives and guidelines and enforcing compliance including those relating to content.

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(j) Receiving, investigating and arbitrating complaints relating to communication services and taking necessary action. (k) Promoting and safeguarding the interests of Consumers & Operators as regards quality of communications services and equipment.

He in particular noted that most people are not aware that UCC receives, investigates and arbitrates complaints from the consumers. Some don’t know how and where to complain or have a right to complain.

Mr. Bbosa Ibrahim educated workshop participants about the Communications consumer rights which include: • Access: The right to have access to basic communications services at reasonable prices.

UCC has a responsibility of ensuring that services are rolled out across the country including to all underserved areas and populations. Currently there is 97% coverage of mobile telephone and 295 licensed radio stations.

• Information: The right to full pre-contractual information that is understandable and helpful.

The service provider/operator is required to provide adequate and accurate information on the services and choices offered to facilitate the intending consumer make an informed choice. Such information should include a specification of what is and is not included in the price quoted as well as a clear statement on the quality of service to be provided.

• Quality service: The right to receive a service with a quality that reflects the cost.

UCC has developed service quality guidelines that are required of each of the respective service providers/operators.

• Fairness: The right to fair treatment without undue discrimination UCC requires that denial of access to services provided by an operator/service provider should only be due to delinquency of payment of dues or for noncompliance with the terms and conditions of the service provider's/operator's service Agreement • Education: The right to be educated on services being offered This education is necessary to provide them with knowledge and skills that enable them to be informed consumers. When using a phone, you are provided with information of how much airtime or data you have used and how much is remaining.

• Notification: The right to a notification of termination of service.

Consumers have the right to a notification of termination of service particularly that of a basic service or Internet access.

UCC requires the service provider/operator to provide prior notification to the customers and the general public of an intention to cease providing a service e.g

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in case of regular maintenance or in case of emergencies like cutting of the optical fiber.

• Representation: The right to representation Consumers have a right to make representations to those delivering, regulating or governing the communications services on matters pertaining to the services offered to them and other consumer preferences. UCC regularly engages in public consultations, inviting comments/input from the public.

• Billing: The right to access billing information When a consumer is not happy with his/her bills, he/she can follow up with the service provider / operator to discuss the details of his/her bill.

• Complain: The right to complain about quality, delay, quantity and tariffs A consumer has a right to complain about quality, delay, quantity and tariff with regard to the nature of the communication service provided.

• Safety and security: The right to be provided with services that are safe and secure.

A service provider/operator must ensure that all his/her equipment meets health safety requirements before use by consumers and should regularly be checked to maintain this safety • Privacy: The right to privacy • Redress: The right to an effective system for handling of complaints UCC requires each service provider/operator to set up a mechanism of resolving questions regarding services and conflicts with customers. If a complaint is not resolved satisfactorily by the service provider/operator, the consumer can advance his/her complaint to UCC. Procedure for complaining Mr. Bbosa Ibrahim placed so much emphasis on the consumer right to complain because experience has shown that many people do not complain asserting that they do not know how to complain and to who to complain yet UCC depends on the public to have administrative and regulatory interventions.

On that basis, UCC has put a two level complaint mechanism whereby complaints would first be directed to service providers, if dissatisfied with the handling, then the consumer seeks the regulator’s i.e UCC’s intervention.

For service providers/operators to be licensed either with the PSP-Public Service Provider (PSP) license or the Public Infrastructure Provider (PIP) license there are two provisions they have to put in place: 1. A dispute Resolution Mechanism 2. A Consumer Complaints Handling Mechanism

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94% of complaints are supposed to be resolved by the operator and this is monitored

by UCC through quarterly complaints records submitted by operators.

In the event where the consumer is not satisfied with the way the service provider dealt with the complaint, he/she can file the complaint to the Consumer Affairs Office (CAO) of Uganda Communication Commission (UCC). Complaints can be in writing, by phone or email or a personal visit.

Complaints can be addressed to UCC using: Email : ucc@ucc.co.ug Or Toll Free line: 08001133911 Or Consumers may physically contact UCC‘s Consumer Affairs Section, based on 12th floor, Communication House Kampala or UCC Regional Offices • Eastern: Plot 39/41 Republic Street, Mbale • Western: Plot 2 Circular Road, Mbarara • Northern: Plot 15 Onono Road, Gulu • North Western: Plot 8, Ntuha Road, Masindi The services of the Consumer Affairs Office are free of charge.

Among the complaints that UCC receives include those about data, counterfeit, broadcasting, unsolicited SMS, SIM card registration, quality of service, mobile money, caller tunes, billing etc.

UCC has set itself to resolve any complaint within 15 days though in practice, on average it has taken UCC 5 days to resolve complaints through their automated complaint mechanisms.

Consumer Protection Mechanisms Mr. Bbosa Ibrahim educated the workshop participants on the mechanisms UCC has put in place to protect consumers.

Key among which were: • Local content quota on the broadcast media: 70% of the content aired on televisions during the prime time (6.00 pm – 11:00 pm) must be local content. UCC has been monitoring this for the last 3 years. The graphs he displayed showed that BBS TV, Bukedde TV 1, Delta TV, NBS TV, NTV and UBC had over 40% compliance.

• Quality of service monitoring.

• Consumer protection regulations

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• Content regulations such as broadcasting standards, code of ethics of journalists etc.

• Content monitoring through digital logging. All content aired on TVs and radios is recorded and stored for 90 days and can be used in the event of cases of prejudice, incitement of violence, distortion of facts, immorality and lack of compliance with standards.

UG-CERT: A Computer Emergency Response Team was inaugurated by UCC as initiative to improve and secure communication services in Uganda.

The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) is responsible for receiving, reviewing, and responding to computer security incident reports and activity.

Computer security incidents include crimes committed on the internet such as child pornography, online harassment, spamming, online prostitution, online blackmail, copyright infringement, computer hacking, website defacement, online fraud and online impersonation The CERT can be contacted via; Physical Address: Communications House 5th Floor, Plot 1 Colville Street.

Or Telephone: Toll Free 0800133 911 or +256 312339 100 Or Email: incidents@ug-cert.ug Website: www.ug-cert.ug Facebook: Ug-Cert • Social media: Engagement on topical issues and responding to concerns raised by the public through social media, which platforms are integrated with the complaint system.

• Local content quotas i.e ensuring at least 70% of the content broadcasted during prime time i.e from 6:00 – 11:00pm is local content.

• UCC accredited two price comparison websites; www.kompare.ug and www.price-check.co.ug which are used to compare prices for standard call rates, voice and data bundles, Pay TV rates etc • Guidelines on liability and claims in post & courier markets.

• Self-verification for SIM card registration (*197#). The *197# code gives you an option of entering your National Identification Number (NIN). Once you enter your NIN, it displays all the SIM cards registered using your NIN. Mr. Bbosa advised participants to report to the Police, in case they notice any unknown telephone numbers registered using their NIN. • Opting out of unsolicited messages (*196#) and DND-Do not Disturb: The *196# code empowers you to opt out of any unsolicited promotional messages. It also 17

has the DND – Do not Disturb option which prevents you from receiving any messages. The downside of the DND option is that it will also prevent messages from other service providers like your bank, UMEME etc.

Broadcast Content Regulation Mr. Mukasa Paul, the manager, content regulation informed workshop participants that Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) is mandated to set standards, monitor and enforce compliance relating to content where content is anything that is aired on a TV or radio station.

He in particular educated the workshop participants about the Minimum Broadcasting Standards. Any programme which is broadcasted must comply with the following minimum standards: • Should not be contrary to public morality • Should not promote the culture of violence • News broadcasts must be factual, balanced and free from all kinds of distortion.

• Should not likely create public insecurity or violence • Should comply with existing laws • Programs of adult nature must be aired after 11 pm.

Mr. Mukasa Paul informed the participants that a person aggrieved in respect of content has several options: Option 1: Complain to the program producer or station in-charge demanding an apology to be aired.

Option 2: Demand for free airtime and opportunity to air his/her side of the story.

Option 3: Give the station the correct version to be aired free of charge.

Option 4: Submit a complaint to UCC in the event no redress is offered. Complaints to UCC must be lodged in writing providing details of the station complained about, the program and the time at which it was aired and the name of the presenter to help in investigations.

Question and answer session Workshop participants were given an opportunity to ask the UCC officials a few questions: Q1. Is it possible for schools to get administrative passwords to computers supplied

by UCC? Response: The issue of administrative passwords was to be passed to the Rural Communication Development Fund (RCDF) department of UCC for appropriate response.

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Q2. How does UCC protect an individual in Uganda who has been frauded by a person in another country?

Response: The issue of cross-border fraud is a global challenge due to different laws in different countries. Present your complaint to UCC for guidance and advice on whether UCC can handle it or not.

Q3. Why is Internet still very expensive in Uganda?

Response: Internet in Uganda used to be very expensive due to satellite communication but with the underground optical fiber back borne, its cost will be going down. This will further reduce with competition and with a critical mass of Internet users.

DISTRICT PRESENTATIONS Aims of the District Discussions and Presentations The district group discussions were aimed at: • Developing teachers’ capacity to analyze challenges of using ICT for teaching and learning in schools in their districts and suggest possible solutions to those challenges.

• Enhancing teachers’ soft skills in particular team work, critical thinking and problem solving.

• Enhancing teachers’ hard skills in particular budgeting and advocacy skills.

• Enhancing teachers’ capacity to become problem-solvers and change agents in their communities.

• Enabling teachers to experience the teaching and learning strategy of group discussion and peer presentation – one of the teaching methods recommended

by National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) for the A ‘Level Sub-ICT syllabus.

• Identifying possible stakeholders (e.g parents, NGOs, Old Students) who can support the utilization, sustainability and expansion of the computer lab facilities already set up in the schools by the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) and the Uganda Communication Commission (UCC).

• Getting teachers’ collective input about the problems/challenges of using ICT for teaching and learning in the Eastern Region and possible solutions and forward them to MoES and UCC. Formation of District groups Workshop participants were divided into nine (9) groups according to the location of their schools.

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No.

DISTRICT(S)

No.

DISTRICT(S)

1.

Kibuku –Budaka

6.

Busia

2.

Tororo

7.

Bududa

3.

Manafwa

8.

Butaleja

4.

Sebei region (Kapchorwa, 9.

Kween, Bukwo)

5.

Mbale

Bulambuli

Questions for District group discussions Each district group was to discuss the following questions: Q1. Identify the problems/challenges the schools in your district are facing as far as ICT for teaching and learning is concerned.

Q2. As a group, suggest possible solutions to the above problems/challenges.

Q3. Select one of the problems/challenges within your reach (one you can solve given help). For the problem/challenge you have selected: (i)

Identify the target beneficiary for your intervention and why?

(ii)

What activities you will do to address the problem/challenge selected?

(iii)

What help will you need and from whom?

(iv)

Estimate the budget (how much money) you will need for your activities?

(v)

How will you know you have addressed the problem or challenge you selected?

(Success indicators or success criteria)

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Fig. 6 : District group discussions

District Group Presentations Each district group was allocated an “exhibition” space. Participants moved around like in a market place listening to the presenters, asking questions and giving critical feedback to the presenters. This provided the workshop participants an opportunity to learn from each other and to enhance their presentation and advocacy skills.

1. MANAFWA DISTRICT GROUP PRESENTATION Q1.

Problems/challenges the schools in Manafwa district are facing as far as ICT for teaching and learning is concerned.

• Rare spares/accessories for solar powered computers • Poor financial support • Negative attitude towards the teaching of ICT/Computer Studies • Inadequate trained personnel • Power problem • Inadequate time allocation on the school time-table

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• High number of students to computer ratio (20 students: 1 computer) • Theft of computer equipment and accessories • Fire break outs • Poor/Lack of maintenance and servicing of computers • Limited knowledge and skills to optimally use the computers.

Q2.

Possible solutions to the above problems/challenges • UCC should avail the accessibility of the spares to solar powered computers • Schools should fully implement the ICT budgets • MoES recruit more trained personnel • Sensitization programmes should be organized in schools • Schools should follow and cover the syllabus • Career guidance to students • Schools should solicit more funds through mobilizing parents.

• Alternative power sources like generators/solar systems • Stakeholders should organize in-service training for teachers like workshops and short courses.

• Encourage school administrators to do regular maintenance and repair of computers • Fire extinguishers should be installed in the computer labs • Computer labs should have enough security like burglar proofing windows and doors, air conditioners and carpets.

Q3. (i)

Selected problem/challenge to be addressed: Negative attitude towards the teaching of ICT/Computer Studies in schools Target beneficiary

Reason

School administration

• Financial controllers

Teachers

• Resource personnel

• In charge of managing school programmes

• Actual implementers of the programmes.

• Role models

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Learners (ii)

• Major beneficiaries

Activities to be done at each school to address the problem of negative attitude towards the teaching of ICT/Computer studies • Sensitization workshop for administrators and teachers • Invitation of role models for students, teachers and administration • Career guidance for students • Twinning programmes with other schools within or outside Uganda.

(iii)

Help needed and from whom?

• Financial support from school administration • Team work and cooperation from other teachers • Co-operation from students and parents

(iv)

Budget (amount of money) needed One million shillings (1,000,000/=) per school

(v)

Success criteria or success indicators: How will you know you have successfully addressed the problem/challenge of negative attitude towards the teaching of ICT/Computer studies in schools • Active participation of learners in class • Increased number of students offering Computer Studies/ICT • Integration of ICT in other subjects.

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Fig. 7: District Group Presentations 2. BUSIA DISTRICT GROUP PRESENTATION Q1.

Problems/challenges the schools in Busia district are facing as far as ICT for teaching and learning is concerned.

• Few computers and computer accessories in schools compared to the student populations • Lack of Internet connectivity in most schools • Inadequate’/limited computer laboratories • Lack of E-learning platforms • Few teachers of computer studies/ ICT • Problem of power especially in rural areas where there is no national power grid • Few schools have working printers • Almost all schools in the district have no projectors • Limited ICT skills among the students and teachers

Q2.

Possible solutions to the above problems/challenges • Tooling and re-tooling of computer teachers

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• Provision of computers and computer accessories e.g projectors, printers, speakers.

• Training of teachers and students • Provision of solar power to those schools not connected to the national power grid.

• Construction of computer laboratories Q3. (i)

Selected problem/challenge to be addressed: Limited ICT skills among the students and teachers Target beneficiary

Reason

Students Teachers (ii)

Activities to be done at each school to address the problem of limited ICT skills among the students and teachers Hands-on activities i.e practical learner-centred teaching and students trying out practically.

(iii)

Help needed and from whom?

• More computers and accessories from MoES, UCC and NGOs

(iv)

Budget (amount of money) needed Item

Quantity

Amount

Computers Projectors Speakers Installation Power cables Furniture UPS (v)

Success criteria or success indicators: How will you know you have successfully addressed the problem/challenge of limited ICT skills among the students and teachers Students using ICT facilities like Internet for research with minimum or no help

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3. BULAMBULI DISTRICT PRESENTATION Q1.

Problems/challenges the schools in Bulambuli district are facing as far as ICT for teaching and learning is concerned.

• Negative attitude of school administrators towards teaching and learning of ICT • Lack of Computer lab attendants • Inadequate computers • Shortage/unreliable power • No Internet connectivity • Lack of maintenance of computer network • Shortage of manpower • Broken down computers due to lack of maintenance & repair programs • Lack of accessories like projectors, photocopiers, printers, digital cameras and DVD R/W

Q2.

Possible solutions to the above problems/challenges

Q3.

Selected problem/challenge to be addressed: Negative attitude of administrators towards teaching and learning of ICT/ Computer Studies

(i)

Target beneficiary School administrators Teachers subjects

(ii)

of

Reason They manage school funds and control all the activities in the schools.

other

Activities to be done at each school to address the problem of negative attitude towards the teaching and learning of ICT/Computer studies • Training of teachers of other disciplines in the use of ICT • Formation of ICT clubs in the school • Sensitization of school administrators on ICT integration across the curriculum by inviting resource person.

(iii)

Help needed and from whom?

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• Funds from the schools • Technical ICT personnel from MoES, UCC , KAWA etc (iv)

Budget (amount of money) needed Ten million shillings (10,000,000/= ) Success criteria or success indicators: How will you know you have successfully addressed the problem/challenge of negative attitude towards the teaching of ICT/Computer studies in schools

(v)

• Existence of ICT clubs in the schools • Record of invitations of resourceful persons at school or district level • Records of workshops organized in schools within the districts • Attendance lists of administrators’ sensitization workshops at district level • ICT budget allocation in the school budgets • Integration of ICT in the teaching and learning of other subjects and in the administrative functions.

4. SEBEI REGION (KAPCHORWA, KWEEN & BUKWO DISTRICTS) GROUP PRESENTATION Q1.

Problems/challenges the schools in Kapchorwa, Kween and Bukwo districts are facing as far as ICT for teaching and learning is concerned.

• Insufficient ICT equipments • Unreliable power supply • Inadequate ICT teaching materials like text books • Lack of Internet connectivity to facilitate student and teacher research.

• Repair and maintenance of computers is expensive • Outdated software programs used.

• Some school head teachers and other stakeholders have a negative attitude toward ICT • Inadequate computer laboratories to accommodate the growing number of students.

• Lack of computer lab technicians and attendants.

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Q2.

Possible solutions to the above problems/challenges • Supply of more computers by Government and NGOs to accommodate the growing number of students • Interest telecommunication companies like MTN, UTL, Airtel to install Internet connectivity in schools • Re-tooling workshops for Head teachers organized by MoES. • Supply of latest software programs to schools by MoES and UCC

Q3. (i)

• Selected problem/challenge to be addressed: Negative attitude towards ICT by some school head teachers and other stakeholders Target beneficiary

Reason

Students

Make them more competitive in the job market

Teachers

Change positively their attitude towards ICT

Parents

To support the ICT programs in the school

Community members To support the ICT programs in the school (ii)

Activities to be done at each school to address the problem of negative attitude towards the teaching of ICT/Computer studies • Sensitize the target groups on the value of ICT • Training students and teachers on the basic computer skills • Organizing workshop for community members during the holidays

(iii)

Help needed and from whom?

• Purchase of new computers by the school, MoES, UCC, Old Boys and Girls and NGOs.

(iv)

Budget (amount of money) needed Item

Unit Cost (UGX)

Projector

2,000,000/=

Computers

1,500,000/=

Printers

600,000/=

Photo copier machine

3,000,000/=

Repair maintenance

& 500,000/= per term per school

Quantity

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Amount

(v)

Success criteria or success indicators: How will you know you have successfully addressed the problem/challenge of negative attitude towards the teaching of ICT/Computer studies in schools

5. BUDUDA DISTRICT GROUP PRESENTATION Q1.

Problems/challenges the schools in Bududa district are facing as far as ICT for teaching and learning is concerned.

• Inadequate computers • Shortage/lack of manpower • Lack of computer labs • Power challenges as solar panels are not effective in heavy rains • Lack of computer peripherals like projectors and digit cameras • Lack of funds for Internet • Negative attitude of students of both O’level and A’level • Lack of computer studies/ICT books • Some places lack communication network – are in a network shadow

Q2.

Possible solutions to the above problems/challenges • Recruitment of more ICT teachers to boost the manpower • Construction of more computer labs • Provision of alternative power sources like standby generators • Provision of computers which use both solar and the mains power grid • Provision of ICT books • Make ICT a Principal subject at A’ Level • Government should solve the communication network shadow issue

Q3.

Selected problem/challenge to be addressed: Lack of computer studies/ICT books

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(i)

Target beneficiary Students

Reason They need books for self-study, revision and reference

Activities to be done at each school to address the problem of lack of computer studies/ICT books

(ii)

Write and publish the computer studies/ICT books (iii)

Help needed and from whom?

• A team of ICT teachers to write the books • A laptop for typing and editing the book • Technical advice from KAWA, NCDC and MoES

Fig. 8: District Group Presentations 6. BUTALEJA DISTRICT GROUP PRESENTATION Q1.

Problems/challenges the schools in Butaleja district are facing as far as ICT for teaching and learning is concerned.

• High number of students to computer ratio (10 students : 1 computer) • No Internet connection for student and teacher research • Negative attitude towards ICT/Computer Studies by teachers and

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students • Poor or low pay and motivation for ICT teachers • Poorly constructed and insecure computer labs • Unstable power and power surges • Poor management of computer facilities • High ICT illiteracy levels among teachers and students Q2.

Possible solutions to the above problems/challenges • Buying more computers • Grouping students into shifts for practical work • Getting Internet Service Providers (ISPs) • Integrating ICT in other subjects e.g. Cybertech • Prompt payment of salaries and allowances for extra work • Buying UPS for backup • Alternative power sources to solve unstable power problems • Establishing rules and regulations for the computer labs • Advise school administration on how to setup proper computer labs • Encourage teachers and students to embrace ICT • Organize holiday ICT training programmes for students, teachers and the community

Q3. (i)

(ii)

Selected problem/challenge to be addressed: High ICT illiteracy levels among students and teachers.

Target beneficiary

Reason

Students

To change their attitude positively and to make them ICT literate

Teachers

To integrate ICT in other subjects

Community

The community includes parents who financially support the computer facilities

can

Activities to be done at each school to address the problem of negative attitude towards the teaching of ICT/Computer studies Holiday training programmes for students, teachers and the community.

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(iii)

Help needed and from whom?

• Permission from school administration to use the computer facilities during the holidays • Training facilitators and other resource persons

(iv)

Budget (amount of money) needed Five million shillings (5,000,000/=) Success criteria or success indicators: How will you know you have successfully addressed the problem/challenge of negative attitude towards the teaching of ICT/Computer studies in schools

(v)

• .Positive attitude towards ICT/Computer studies by teachers and students • ICT integration in other subjects across the curriculum

7. MBALE DISTRICT GROUP PRESENTATION Q1.

Problems/challenges the schools in Mbale district are facing as far as ICT for teaching and learning is concerned.

• Inadequate support stakeholders

from

school

administration

and

other

• Poor/lack of maintenance and servicing of computers • Expensive Internet services • Negative attitude of learners • Unstable power • Under- utilization of ICT teachers by the schools • Failure to integrate ICT in other subjects • Limited motivation of ICT teachers from government and school administration Q2.

Possible solutions to the above problems/challenges • Make ICT a Science and a Principal subject • Supply more computers to schools • Recruit more ICT teachers

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• Train school administrators and other subject teachers • MoES should supply more teaching materials • Maintenance and regular follow up of computer facilities supplied by Government.

• Construct computer labs in all government schools • Government should extent power to all government schools • Ensure Internet connection in schools Q3. (i)

• Selected problem/challenge to be addressed: Inadequate support from school administration and other stakeholders Target beneficiary School administration

To provide financial and moral support

Teachers

To positively change their attitude towards the use of ICT in teaching and learning

Students and community (ii)

Reason

the To provide support for maintenance of the ICT equipment.

Activities to be done at each school to address the problem of inadequate support from school administration and other stakeholders • Sensitization of school administration • Training of teachers, students and community members.

(iii)

Help needed and from whom?

•

(iv)

Budget (amount of money) needed

(v)

Success criteria or success indicators: How will you know you have successfully addressed the problem/challenge of inadequate support from school administration and other stakeholders • .

8. TORORO DISTRICT GROUP PRESENTATION Q1.

Problems/challenges the schools in Tororo district are facing as far as ICT

33

for teaching and learning is concerned.

• Inadequate ICT staff • Limited computers compared to the number of students • Limited Internet connection • Limited power supply • Inadequate instructional materials • Poor maintenance of computer facilities • Limited access to computer labs by students and teachers Q2.

Possible solutions to the above problems/challenges • Recruitment of more ICT teachers • Avail more computers to match the number of students •

Provision of more instructional materials

• Provide fast and reliable Internet connection • Schools should ensure proper management of the computer labs.by streamlining lab management.

• Conduct ICT sensitization workshops for students, staff and administration Q3. (i)

Selected problem/challenge to be addressed: Limited access to computer labs by students Target beneficiary Students

(ii)

Reason All students are supposed to benefit from the computer facilities

Activities to be done at each school to address the problem of Limited access to computer labs by students • Form ICT clubs • Organize ICT exhibitions • Conduct ICT workshops for students • Conduct sensitization seminars for teachers to embrace the use of ICT in teaching.

(iii)

Help needed and from whom?

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(iv)

Budget (amount of money) needed

(v)

Success criteria or success indicators: How will you know you have successfully addressed the problem/challenge of negative attitude towards the teaching of ICT/Computer studies in schools • .

9. KIBUKU-BUDAKA DISTRICTS GROUP PRESENTATION Q1.

Problems/challenges the schools in Kibuku-Budaka districts are facing as far as ICT for teaching and learning is concerned.

• A few computers and other learning materials • Power shortages • Negative attitude by the school administration • Inadequate skilled labour • Lack of computer lab technicians • Lack of Internet services • Limited access to the computer lab by students

Q2.

Possible solutions to the above problems/challenges • Sensitizing the school administrators on the importance of ICT • Tooling and re-tooling of teachers of other subjects on ICT • Establishment of well-equipped computer labs • Provision of Internet services • Connecting the schools to the national power grid • Provision of more computers • Provide regular care and maintenance • Provision of security to the computer labs

Q3.

Selected problem/challenge to be addressed: Limited access to the computer lab to students

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(i)

Target beneficiary Students

Reason To equip all students with computer knowledge and skills to prepare them for the job market

Activities to be done at each school to address the problem of Limited access to the computer lab to students

(ii)

• Sensitize students on the importance of ICT in today’s world • Teaching students practical ICT skills (iii)

Help needed and from whom?

• Training of teachers by MoES and UCC • Donations from NGOs • Financial and moral support from school administration • Provision of Internet services by UCC

(iv)

Budget (amount of money) needed

(v)

Success criteria or success indicators: How will you know you have successfully addressed the problem/challenge of negative attitude towards the teaching of ICT/Computer studies in schools • .More students accessing the computer labs.

Summary for the Eastern region based on the District group presentations The Eastern region consists of the districts of; Manafwa, Busia, Bulambuli, Sebei region (Kapchorwa, Kween, Bukwo), Bududa, Butaleja, Mbale, Tororo, Kibuku and Budaka. (i)

Challenges facing the use of ICT for teaching and learning in the Eastern region as expressed by the teachers in their district group presentations

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Fig 9: Challenges of using ICT in the Eastern Region The challenges of using ICT for teaching and learning in the Eastern region of Uganda in order of seriousness (with 1 as the most serious) are: 1. Lack/Unstable Power (100%): Some schools are not connected to the National Power Grid. Solar power is unreliable during the period of heavy rains.

2. Negative attitude towards ICT for teaching and learning by school administrators, teachers (89%): Most school administrators consider ICT/Computer studies as very expensive compared to other subjects leading to poor/lack of maintenance of the lab facilities and no expansion of the facilities.

The negative attitude of teachers results in no integration of ICT in other subjects across the curriculum.

3. Limited number of computers as compared to the big student population (78%): In most schools, students who don’t offer either computer studies or Sub-ICT do not have the opportunity of using the computer labs.

3. No/slow/expensive Internet connection (78%): Most schools failed to sustain the Internet connection after the one year which was paid by UCC.

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5. Inadequate trained ICT staff (67%): In a number of schools ICT is taught by teachers qualified in other subjects but have no formal training in ICT. Most ICT teachers with formal qualifications in ICT but with no second teaching subject are not on the government payroll. This negatively affects their commitment, effectiveness and efficiency.

5. Lack of maintenance and servicing of the computer equipment (67%): This is due to the lack of technical skills on the part of the ICT teachers, the attitude of the school administrators that ICT is expensive and the fact that ICT teachers do not have administrative passwords to the computers provided by UCC. 7. Lack of projectors (33%): Most schools don’t have projectors making the teaching of big classes a challenge.

7. Lack of computer lab technicians (33%): Computer lab technicians at school level would greatly help in providing the first level of technical support and accurately reporting the technical problems contributing to the sustainability of the computer labs established by the MoES and UCC. (i)

Possible solutions to the challenges of using ICT for teaching and learning in the Eastern region as suggested by the teachers in their district group presentations.

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Fig 10: Possible solutions to the challenges of using ICT The possible solutions to the challenges of using ICT for teaching and learning in the Eastern region of Uganda in order of importance (with 1 as the most important) are: 1. Sensitization of school administrators (78%): School administrators should be sensitized on how to sustain and expand the computer lab facilities setup by the MoES and UCC and on how integration of ICT in different subjects across the curriculum can greatly contribute to the quality of teaching and learning.

1. Train teachers of other subjects on how to integrate ICT in their respective subjects (78%): Integration of ICT in other subjects across the curriculum will not only increase the utilization of the ICT facilities already setup in the schools, it will make it easy to solicit financial support from other stakeholders like parents and old students to expand on the facilities e.g purchase of printer toner, printers and projectors.

2. Provide more computers (67%): There is need to increase the number of computers and computer accessories to increase accessibility of other students who are not offering computer studies or Sub-ICT and teachers of other subjects so as to facilitate integration of ICT in other subjects across the curriculum. The MoES can ask schools to include a budget line for ICT in their

39

annual budgets and to solicit financial support or donations from NGOs, parents and old students.

3. MoES should recruit more trained ICT/Computer Studies teachers (56%): This will address the problem of poor performance at UNEB exams in computer studies and ICT as currently in some schools, these subjects are taught by teachers who have no formal training in computer science/ICT who are unable to teach topics like website development and elementary programming.

4. Regular maintenance and servicing of computers: This can be achieved by asking the schools to budget for maintenance and servicing instead of waiting for the MoES and UCC. Better still, ICT teachers can be trained in technical maintenance and servicing of the computer labs as a more sustainable solution.

5. Provide standby generators (33%): The generators will provide alternative power in case of power cut-off or when the mains power is unstable.

6. Spare parts for solar powered computers (11%): UCC should provide spare parts for solar powered computers and accessories as these are very difficult to find on the open market.

Way forward for KAWA KAWA requests the MoES and UCC to provide it with the financial support to: 1. To sensitize the school administrators on the importance of ICT for teaching and learning.

2. To train teachers of different subjects across the curriculum on how to integrate ICT in their respective subjects.

3. To train the ICT teachers on computer maintenance and servicing.

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SESSION 1: DESKTOP PUBLISHING (Session led by Chole Richard) Chole Richard started by taking the workshop participants through the project framework which was to be used for the session.

Session project framework 1. Minds-on guided discussion: Participants pre-session knowledge about Desktop Publishing and exploring the different types of Desktop Publications 2. Facilitator exposition and harmonization: Desktop Publishing and different types of Desktop Publications 3. Hands-on activity: Group engagement in planning a publication and collecting materials for the publication.

4. Exposition: Desktop Publishing tools in Ms Publisher 2007 5. Minds-on activity: Participants reflection on the planning process and the exposition 6. Job market exposition: Sharing the production process of the comic book on Menstrual Health 7. Hands-on activity: Group production of publications in Ms Publisher 2007 Session aim and objectives Richard took participant through the session aim and objectives.

The session aimed at opening up workshop participants’ minds and experiences to new methodologies that can make the teaching and learning process of Desktop Publishing more engaging, meaningful and relevant in the lives of student through project-oriented approaches.

The session objectives included: • Enhancing participants’ knowledge of the basic elements of Desktop Publishing.

• Enhancing participants’ ability to plan out a Desktop publication project to be produced in Ms Publisher 2007 • Enhancing participants’ appreciation of project driven programs for students.

• To have a completed Desktop Publication to share with the rest of participants.

Minds-on activity: Discussion around participants’ knowledge on Desktop Publishing and different types of Desktop Publications Richard asked participants questions related to Desktop Publishing and below were some of their responses: Q1. What is Desktop Publishing?

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Responses: • A process of making a design of something using a computer • Electronic means of designing something using a computer • Use of a computer and software to create a visual publication.

Q2. What are the functions/benefits of Desktop Publishing?

Responses: • • • •

Designing websites Mainly used in advertisement Tools for visual communication Designing business cards

Fig. 11: Chole Richard leading the session on Desktop Publishing Q3. What are the different types of Desktop Publications?

Responses: • Brochures, business cards, certificates, invoices, voucher books, receipt books Q4. What challenges have you encountered in the teaching of Desktop Publishing?

Responses: • A very high number of students to computer ratio. Some students never get a chance of touching the computer.

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• Most printers are black and white and can’t print coloured publications.

• Desktop Publishing is wide. The NCDC syllabus does not specify areas of concentration.

• Most rural schools don’t print out hard copies of the publications.

• Negative attitude of some students who think they don’t need a topic like Desktop Publishing at A ‘Level.

• Computer labs are closed early because they have no lab assistants so students have very little time for hands-on activities.

• Some solar panels are too weak to run computers.

• Schools don’t have digital cameras for taking photographs yet producing a school magazine requires taking many photographs.

Facilitator exposition and harmonization: Desktop Publishing and different types of Desktop Publications As a way of harmonizing, Richard told the participants that: Desktop Publishing is the use of the computer and software to create visual displays of ideas and information.

The functions/benefits of Desktop Publishing include: • • • • • •

Increased productivity Reduced production costs Improved appearance of documents Enhanced creativity with an element of fun.

Ability to produce customized documents Reduced time to print

Desktop Publications include; brochures, fliers, posters. Catalogs, directories, annual reports, logos, business cards, letterheads, newsletters, magazines, newspapers, books, resumes, invoices, labels, inventory sheets, blogs and websites.

Hands-on activity: Group engagement in planning a publication and collecting materials for the publication.

Participants were asked to work in groups of 3’s or 4’s. Each group was supposed to: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv)

Think of a Desktop Publication to produce Who the target beneficiaries were and how they would benefit from the publication Sketch a plan of the publication Make a list of the items they will need to include in the publication and their sources.

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Fig 12: Participants planning their Desktop Publication Exposition: Desktop Publishing tools in Ms Publisher 2007 Chole Richard demonstrated to the participants some of the Desktop Publishing tools in Ms Publisher 2007 Minds-on activity: Participants reflection on the planning process and the exposition Below were some of the participants’ reflections on the planning process and the exposition to the Desktop Publishing tools in Ms Publisher 2007.

“I have developed a positive attitude towards Desktop Publishing. The session has been so educative and interesting. I have learnt how to produce a school brochure using Ms Publisher” ……….. Teacher, “The session has improved my knowledge and competence of Desktop Publishing.

I have begun thinking “out of the box” i.e from classroom work to job market. It has improved my creativity and team working skills. I have not been considering Desktop Publishing when teaching in class saying it is time consuming and allocated less

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marks in the UNEB exams. I have understood that students can use it after class to earn a living by making calendars, invitation cards and success cards.” …. Tenywa Andrew, Bukedi College Kachwonga “I have learnt that planning is very essential before developing a publication and it is also important to think about the benefits the publication will bring to the reader/user/beneficiary “ ……. Nyango Emmanuel, Mbale SS “I have learnt the variety of publications e.g greeting cards, flyers, school newsletters which can be produced using Desktop Publishing. I gained interest in Desktop Publishing during the group discussion and learned how to design a sketch plan for a certificate and a business card.” …. Mulekwa Aramanzan “I have learnt from the session that beyond Ms Publisher, I can use other Desktop Publishing software like Adobe Photoshop. I have also learnt that I should always plan for the product before starting the actual production. The session has also enabled me plan for the possible items to include in the product. I can now come up with better products when I design it from scratch instead of using templates available in the software”. ……………….Teacher “The session made me aware of what Desktop Publishing involves. I have been inspired to try designing Desktop publications given my Art background. I learnt different design arrangement e.g logos, watermarks from group members.

I have developed a positive attitude towards Desktop Publishing. I will try several publications at school like printing certificates, writing the school magazine etc. …. Irigei Martin Okia “I learnt making publications from blank documents and not relying on templates. I can now help my school save some money by producing certificates and calendars.

As a teacher, I have seen that there is need for me to always do my preliminary exercise before taking it to class for learners. I have gained a positive attitude towards Desktop Publishing because apart from teaching it to students, I can earn a living out of it” ………………………. Kadiba Emmanuel “The session has widened my knowledge on benefits of Desktop Publishing and how I can use ICT in my main subject of English language and literature. I learnt how to be creative and not relying on the available templates. Imagining and drawing cartoons or pictures enhances the teaching and learning of literature and language.

I think I can personally design business cards, invitation cards, letter heads, attractive posters and the school magazine. I think I badly need Desktop Publishing in

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designing my teaching aids in language and literature. I can design a picture of a character or a setting in a play/novel. I will interact more with ICT specialists after the workshop.” . Okaali John, St. Peter’s College, Tororo “I got to know that Desktop Publishing is not popular among teachers and students.

However, the session has helped me to know that it can be taught as easily as other applications.

My attitude towards Desktop Publishing has changed positively. I can design different products e.g business cards and calendars.” ……. Mauso Ivan, Kimaluli High School “Basing on my interaction with other teachers and facilitators who are more skilled, the session on Desktop Publishing has changed my attitude positively towards teaching ICT in the following ways: • I should be innovative when delivering content.

• I need to follow up learners during a given task • I need to motivate learners to bring their attention to the subject” ………… James Wodonga, Buluganya SS Job market exposition: Sharing the production process of the comic book on Menstrual Health Production Process As a practical example of Desktop Publishing in the job market, Kakinda Daniel shared with the workshop participants the process he and his team went through in producing a comic book on Menstrual Health.

Fig 13: Kakinda Sharing the Comic book on Menstrual Health Production Process

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Step 1: Problem identification – They noted with deep concern that a number of adolescent girls miss school every months for two or three days during their menstruation. This leads to poor performance in school and sometimes to eventual drop-out of school.

Step 2: Information needs assessment – They asked some girls to write down answers to three questions. The girls who participated in the information needs assessment did it voluntarily without including their names. The questions were: (i)

How did you feel the first time you got your menstruation?

(ii)

What challenges do you face during your menses?

(iii)

What support would you need and from whom to address those challenges?

Based on the responses from the girls, the team decided to produce a comic book on Menstrual Health aimed at educating young people about menstruation and its management and highlighting the roles the different stakeholders; boys, girls, teachers, senior women teachers, school administrators, health workers and parents can and need to play to support the girls during their periods.

Step 3: Setting up the production team – A production team of 5 members including two medical personnel was put together and roles were assigned to the team members based on their expertise knowledge and skills.

• Team member 1 – Content development, scripting, storyboarding and graphics editing • Team member 2 – Content development and editing, scripting, storyboarding and team leader • Team member 3 - Content development, scripting, storyboarding, artist and graphics editing.

• Team member 4 -

Photography, content development and graphics editing.

• Team member 5 - Compiling the graphics and text into a book Step 4: Storytelling – The team came up with the story below on which the comic book on Menstrual Health revolves based on the story arc for creative writing of educational materials: “Jane a 13 year girl in S1 is taken unprepared in class by her first menstrual period.

Jane is uncomfortable, depressed, confused and ignorant about what is happening to her.

Peter one of the boys in her class notices the blood stains on her uniform. Due to lack of knowledge about menstruation, Peter thinks Jane had sex with a guy who tore her private parts and decides to spread the incorrect news to other boys during lunch time.

But two other students in her class (Irene and Tim) feel sympathetic to Jane and take her to the Senior Woman teacher for help.

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The Senior Woman teacher talks to all the girls on how to use sanitary pads and arranges with the Head teacher to invite a Health worker to talk to all students (boys and girls) about menstruation and its management.

The school decides to talk to the parents about menstruation during the PTA meeting.”

Step 5: Scripting – The team produced the script for the comic book on Menstrual Health. The script also included camera angles which were to be used in the storyboarding.

Step 6: Storyboarding – The artist on the team produced the artistic storyboard of the comic book based on the script.

Step 7: Acting and photographing: photographs were taken.

The artistic storyboard was acted out and

Step 8: Using Adobe Photoshop, the photographs were edited and manipulated to produce the comic figures.

Step 9: Draft copy – A draft copy of the comic book was produced and shared with experts to check on the correctness of the content and to ensure it was gender sensitive Step 10: Final copy: After integrating feedback from the experts, the final layout of the book was made and the comic book on Menstrual Health printed.

Fig 14: One of the pages in the comic book on Menstrual Health 48

Step 11: Distribution – 675 copies of the comic book on Menstrual Health were distributed freely to 45 schools with each school receiving 15 copies.

Step 12: Feedback (Data collection and analysis). – Students who had read the book were asked to write answers to the following questions: (i)

What are the most important things you have learned from the comic book on Menstrual Health?

(ii)

What else would you wish to have been included in the comic book on Menstrual Health?

(iii)

What other topics would you like to be covered in future comic books?

The qualitative responses from the students who had read the book were collected, quantified along common themes and analyzed: Most important things students learnt from the comic book on Menstrual Health in order of important (with 1 as most important) were: 1. Understanding Menstruation 2. Menstrual Management 3. Menstrual Hygiene 4. Importance of peer-to-peer support 5. Need for Caretaker’s support 6. Involvement of boys Students wished the following should have been included in the comic book on Menstrual Health: • Role of parents, male teachers and community members in Menstrual Health.

• Involving of girls in the discussion on Menstrual Health with the parents during the PTA meeting.

• Dangers of using inappropriate sanitary materials like toilet papers.

• What parents especially mothers should do to help their daughter before and during their first menstrual period? (Role modeling).

• Types of pads which don’t cause wounds when walking.

• Dispelling some myths related to menstruation e.g sex reduces menstrual pains.

• Dangers of playing sex during menstruation • How to make home-made sanitary pads.

• What causes pain during menstruation?

• Encouraging messages for girls with delayed start of menstruation.

• Explanation of what causes the difference in the number of menstrual days and the amount of flow among girls.

The comic books most needed by students (with 1 as most needed) are:

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1.

2.

3.

4.

4.

6.

Teenage Pregnancy Early Marriage STIs/HIV Child Sexual Violence Body Changes Drug Abuse

Step 13: Learning and integration of lessons learnt in programming - The team decided that the next comic book they will produce will be on Teenage Pregnancy.

Immediate impact - Most of the schools which received the comic books on Menstrual Health constructed near their toilets a Tippy Tap (a simple hand washing device with running water) whose design and material requirements had been included at the end of the book. Some schools decided to modify the design of the Tippy Tap to make it mobile.

Unintended results – Though the project was initiated as a not-for-profit, some organizations paid for reprint of the book generating some income for the project.

Participants’ Reflections Participants were given two questions to guide them in their reflection about the session where Kakinda Daniel shared about the process he and his colleagues had gone through in the production of the comic book on Menstrual Health.

Q1. What do you think was the aim of the session on sharing the production process of the Comic Book on Menstrual Health?

Q2. What were your key learning points from the session as far as Desktop Publishing is concerned?

Below were some of the participants’ reflections: “The facilitator had the aim of building and encouraging team work among the participants to make a difference. He wanted to make it clear that we can achieve little if we worked alone on a project but with a team, each person can bring a unique contribution to the project leading to greater productivity. He also wanted to promote innovation and coming up with a product like a book which can generate extra income for the teachers.

I learned that Desktop Publishing is a process, promotes creativity and can be used to address community problems” …………. Susan Abbo, Rock High School, Tororo “The facilitator wanted to give an overview of the importance of Desktop Publishing, provide an insight into project work from start to finish, remind the workshop participants that no project can be done single handedly without involving other people and to provide an insight on how to change a real picture into a comic figure.

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I learnt from the session the importance of co-operation and networking; how to transform a still picture into a comic figure and that a project that is primarily set up for not-profit making can end up paying off big” …………… Teacher, “The session facilitator wanted to show the participants the importance of planning before doing any publication, the importance of innovation in bringing out a message, the need for team work at different levels by different technical people before a product is produced, the importance of ICT particularly Desktop Publishing in communicating messages and the good work ICT including the unintended benefits.

From the session, I learnt that ICT usage provokes thinking into other areas which need to be addressed by society, Desktop Publishing is beyond passing exams, concepts well understood become a life skill that helps one at individual life level, proper usage of ICT brings out innovativeness and causes great impact on learners/readers and that there should be clearly laid out steps in producing a product and good products bring financial benefits.” …… Nakasala Nick Bigala, Bududa SS “The facilitator wanted to widen our thinking capacity, show that to do anything useful, you need to work as a team which must be co-ordinated, give an example of how we can make money through Desktop Publishing, and to make us aware that to prepare learners for the job market, we must be result-oriented.

I learnt that before you start on any Desktop Publishing project, you must have a plan, I need to involve a number of people e.g the ICT teacher, the Art teacher, the camera person in my production, Desktop Publication involves the use of other software like Adobe Photoshop for editing images and that you can use Desktop Publishing to make money.” ……………….. Bwayo Ben, Bududu SS “The facilitator aimed at encouraging us to make the best out of every activity and to widen our scope of doing things.

I learnt from the session that visual aids make learning easier, it is important to involve everybody in solving a community problem , trying to do things differently enhances learning and motivates learners and when a team is involved, the outcome will always be beautiful” …. ….. Okoth Johnson, Dabani Girls School “The facilitator aimed at showing the process/stages involved in the production of a product that clearly portrays the message and can favourably compete on the job market and the stages of data collection and compilation of information to communicate a message.

I learnt from the session that to favourably compete in the job market, one has to plan to be exceptionally different from others, there are stages/processes involved in

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designing a Desktop publication and that it is important to get feedback on every product which is then used in designing future products. ………………….. Awori Sarah, Merikit SS “The session was aimed at helping us understand what is required on the job market and to translate what we teach theoretically into practice.

I learnt the need for team work and that it is not all about just learning but how we apply what we have learned in daily life situations.” ………………. Okware Stephen, Atiri SS “The session was aimed at encouraging participants to always make use of the knowledge they have to earn a living and also help the community.

I learnt that coming up with a very marketable project and which is interesting to the targeted audience, is a long process and one has to involve different people with different knowledge and skills.” ……………….. Kakomo Sumaya, Hamdan Girls High School “The objective of the sharing session was to enhance participants’ understanding of Desktop Publishing and to make them appreciate the importance of Desktop Publishing in the job market.

I learnt that Desktop Publishing is more than just ICT. It involves a whole range of subjects integrated together, the ICT syllabus is there just as a mere sketch of the whole field of Desktop Publishing and that we as teachers can also use Desktop Publishing to further our own personal income.” ……………… Balhulindire Robert, Musese SS “The session was meant to equip participants with the knowledge and skills in publishing books and other layouts and to encourage creativity and critical thinking.

I learnt that Desktop Publishing requires many stages and processes for producing professional layouts. It takes time and resources to publish professional layouts.” ……………….. Oluk Bruno “The session aimed at showing that a project is a process that should be planned for before implementation.

I learnt from the session how to develop a project plan, that a project must have a problem to address and an end-product to produce and to involve other people because each has some knowledge and skill to add to the project.” ………. Wandera Peter, Nabumali High School “The session was aimed at opening the minds of the ICT/Computer studies teachers to the opportunities already existing but are untapped, to encourage the ICT/Computer Studies teachers to be creative in teaching, to educate teachers how each part of a system is important and how proper coordination can yield results and to enable teachers discover how important planning of activities is before implementation.

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From the session, I learnt that there are many opportunities out there lying untapped, I have knowledge that I have not put into practice to generate more secure jobs for myself and others and that for proper output, thorough and systematic assessment and evaluation need to be done.” ………………… Teacher, Bubulo Girls “The session was aimed at letting the participants know that Desktop Publishing is not only for class work but it can also be used to make money by designing/creating books , posters etc and changing the negative attitude of workshop participants towards Desktop Publishing to a positive one.

I leant from the session how to change layers of an image in Photoshop which I did not know, that writing a book involves many people of different professions e.g. camera persons who help in taking photos, the actors, the artists, the ICT people etc.and that before writing any book, you need to do research to establish the information needs of the target audience. ……….. Wepukulu Rashid, Nabbongo SS “The session was aimed at inspiring participants to take Desktop Publishing seriously, challenging the participants on how they can benefit from Desktop Publishing and guiding participants on how to practically go about Desktop Publishing.

I have learnt that teamwork is very important when handling a Desktop Publishing project and Desktop Publishing requires patience and preparation in order to produce quality. ………………. Hajusu Ivan, Tororo Girls School “The session was aimed at encouraging team work among the participants in order to come up with a well thought out project and educating the participants on the need to identify the target audience of the product at the onset.

I learnt that Desktop Publishing needs the involvement of various people with different capabilities” ……………………… Wanda Solomon, Masaba SS, Budadiri “The session was aimed at helping us to know how to come up with a story in creative writing using a story arc and to encourage us to work in groups in order to accomplish given tasks” ………………..Namukowa Isaac, Butiru X-tian Comp. SS “The session objective was to expose participant to the idea of being creative in order to earn income from Desktop Publishing and to new methods of addressing challenges in life. I learnt that one can improve one’s income through various innovations in publications” ……….. Wambette Musa, Bukalasi SS “The session was aimed at killing self-centred interests among participants and encouraging teamwork and to widen the knowledge base of the participants in Desktop Publishing.

I learnt that planning a publication is very critical for success, the value of working as a team and that Adobe Photoshop can be used to edit and manipulate images based on what you need. …….. Edmond. Sebei College

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“The session was meant to make us understand that Desktop Publishing is a process.

I learnt that it is after serious preparations that a certain project can be complete and adorable and that successful projects have to involve a lot of thinking, creativity and a combination of skills and talents from different professionals.” …………… Mauso Ivan, Kimaluli High School “The session was aimed at motivating us on Desktop Publishing and inspiring us to do similar work, showing us several ideas of using Desktop Publishing based on the needs of the target group, showing us how to pass on a message using a comic approach and showing us the financial benefits of simple projects done using Desktop Publishing.

I learnt that in order to produce a good piece of work, you need to plan and have all the materials needed before you start working, photographs can be changed into comic pictures using Adobe Photoshop and Desktop Publishing is a very powerful tool of passing on information to the audience.” ….. Irigei Martin, St.. Peters’ College Tororo

Hands-on activity: Group production of publications in Ms Publisher 2007 Participants in their respective groups produced their Desktop publications which they had designed.

Fig 15: Participants producing their products in Ms Publisher

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PROJECT-BASED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES (Session led by Ddungu Ronald) Ddungu Ronald is currently a Deputy Principal at St. Mary’s College, Kisubi. For the last 22 years, he has been teaching Maths and Physics with Gayaza High School.

He noted that though many schools have received computers from Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) and from the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES), it remains a big question on how the schools are optimally using these computers beyond teaching computer studies and ICT to students.

He informed the participants that as a person, he advocates for at least one computer per school and for community development by schools. Schools need to take care of the challenges of the community and find solutions to these challenges. Schools must open themselves and interact with the community.

He sighted the example of his former school, Gayaza High School which does a number of community projects including one where students go and teach at a nearby primary school.

Fig.16: Ddungu Ronald addressing participants on project-based learning He challenged the participants to take the computer studies and ICT knowledge outside class to solve community challenges.

As a way of motivating the participants to come up and implement community projects, he showed them a video clip of his pitch at the Microsoft Pitch Competition in Barcelona, Spain in March 2014, where he worn US$15,000 for his school which was used to start the E-market library project. The E-market library is an online portal of best practices with links to videos showing production processes of small-scale local enterprises in Uganda.

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The 2-year (2014-2015) E-market project had the following objectives: • To document the detailed processes of production using photos and videos.

• To create simple business cards, flyers, receipt books and invoices that would be used by community members to market their products.

• To help market the local enterprises locally and globally through blog writing (http://emarketlibrary.wordpress.com/blog/ and creation of websites.

• To organize a trade fair where the local enterprises would be showcased to the public.

The students identified and worked with a number of local enterprises including: • Mayambala Poultry Enterprise which sells eggs and (1day -3 weeks) chicks.

• Standard Mushroom Growers which sells fresh and dry mushrooms.

• Madina Poultry Farm which sells eggs and Kuroilers for meat.

• Women and Elderly Development Concerns which makes and sells bags, pencil cases, wall mats, counter books, Kangas “lesu”, tie and dye clothes and baskets.

• Spotless Wash Liquid Soap which makes and sells liquid soap • Muwonge’s Farm which does cattle zero grazing, poultry (geese in particular), goat keeping, dog breeding and banana growing.

• Natural feeds which mixes and sells poultry feeds • Kay-kay confectionary which bakes and sells cakes for different occasions • Ritah’s Rabbitry which keeps and sells rabbits • Jewelry Business The project started off with the training of the teachers who were to lead and support the activities of the student teams.

Each student team worked with a particular local enterprise and carried out a number of activities: 1. Students in each team shared out responsibilities; photographer, videographer; secretary, typist, narrator and project leader 2. Made field visits to their local enterprises. During the first field visit, the team shared its marketing plan with the entrepreneur asking for feedback from the entrepreneur to make him part and parcel of the project.

3. The teams filmed and photographed every field visit and shared these with the other teams.

4. Using the information collected during the field visits, each team designed a flyer, receipt and invoice books for their enterprise.

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5. Each team member sent a flyer to their parents and relatives inviting them to a trade fair (exhibition) that happened on the Independence Day – 9th Oct 2014 at the school.

6. The teams worked with the entrepreneurs to plan for the exhibition including the infrastructural needs for the stalls and the items to be carried to the exhibition grounds.

7. During the trade fair (exhibition), the student teams worked hand in hand with the entrepreneurs to showcase their enterprises to the public.

Ddungu Ronald then showed the participants a video recording of the trade fair (exhibition), the student teams did with the entrepreneurs to showcasing of the local enterprises. The trade fair was hosted by the school- Gayaza High School.

He further informed the participants, that the school used part of the money they had got for the E-market project to start the GREATER (Get Rich Education & Accomplishment Through Entrepreneurship Research) Gayaza Project.

In the GREATER Gayaza project, student teams which had to include at least one teacher made business proposals to setup business companies run by the students at Gayaza High School. The business proposal had to show: • Relevancy of ICT in the business • Relevancy in any subject or curriculum area • Feasibility of the business thus the ability of the business to sustain itself and to make profit • Activities that the students would engage in to develop the right skills.

Twenty-three student teams registered, and they were given training in business plan development.

The “Company Directors” then pitched their projects at the pitch event which was held at Gayaza High School on 28th June 2015 to compete for UGX 500,000 /= (US$200) as starting capital for their businesses. The pitch event was attended by parents and judges were drawn from the field of entrepreneurship. The parents pledged to support all the teams even those who did not merit funding from the school.

He then showed a video recording of one of the student teams pitching their business proposal.

The student companies periodically reported to the school on their progress and outcomes.

Ddungu asked the participants to reflect on the curriculum -related project he had just shared using the following guiding questions: Q1. What learning do students get from curriculum-related project which they would otherwise not get from normal class work?

Responses:

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• Interaction and socialization with other people in the community • Positive attitude towards business work.

• Real life skills needed in the world of work and business • Team work and collaboration • Emotional intelligence • Appreciating and paying more attention to what they are taught in class having seen it applicable in the field.

• Realizing and learning the language used by customers • Customer care Q2. What would be some of the challenges of implementing project-based learning in our schools and the possible solutions to those challenges?

Response: A number of school administrators are just interested at the number of 1st grades the students get at the Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) exams and would perceive project-based learning as a waste of time. There is need to do projects which originate from the curriculum areas and to sensitize school administrators about project-based learning as a method of teaching.

Q3. What would you say if someone asked you; “What is project-based learning?”

Responses: • You identify an activity that can provide a hands-on for the students so that they can do and in so doing they learn.

• You identify an activity, go beyond what you do in the classroom and reach the community outside school.

• Identify a challenge in the community, look at what you teach and come up with what you can do with your students to solve the community challenge.

As a way of harmonizing, Ddungu told the participants that project-based learning is a teaching method where students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time on a project. He outlined some of the key elements of projectbased learning which included: • Is organized around an open-ended driving question or challenge: This focusses the students.

• Is student-centred: The students engage in design, problem solving, decision making, investigative activities and reflection.

• Is authentic: It addresses a real-life problem or issue • A student created final product which must be presented to a real audience.

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He encouraged the participants to appreciate the value of projects, collaboration and interpreting what they teach so that to equip students with skills they will use in their lives after school.

Ddungu shared with the workshop participants the process he has been using to teach students Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Mobile App Development: Step 1: The students working in groups brainstorm and share ideas on societal challenges and select the challenges/problems to develop a Mobile App on.

Step 2: The students do Internet research to discover the gaps in the available technology solutions.

Step 3: The students make skits to help them understand in detail the problems they want to address with the Mobile Apps.

Step 4: The students develop prototypes which help them to design well thought out technology solutions.

Step 5: The students then start coding using MIT App Inventor which is free software.

They use videos on YouTube to learn how to use the software.

Step 6: The students build business teams with business plans.

Step 7: The student teams then pitch their business ideas.

He then showed participants two video clips showing the process, his students went through when developing a Mobile App on Gender-based violence and another on agriculture.

Ddungu Ronald informed the participants that his GREATER Gayaza High School had also designed a School Agricultural Education Program that empowers students with basic agricultural skills through activities that take students out of their classrooms to work with the school farm.

The teachers and students are trained and allowed to produce and sell to the school.

• Senior One students are engaged in horticulture. They grow vegetables which they later sell to the school dining room or to the parents on visiting days.

• Senior Two students work on the dairy unit and learn how to feed, milk and look after the dairy animals.

• Senior Three students are introduced to poultry management practices. They work on the poultry unit feeding the birds, carrying out different vaccinations, collecting eggs and keeping farm records.

Every (Aug – Sept) holiday since 2014, the school organizes a farm camp with support from different stakeholders for schools where they share their experiences and enable students and teachers from other schools to train on the school resources. During the farm camp, the school also organizes study visits to great farmers for inspiration and to learn from their growth stories.

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The 4th Annual School Farm Camp was held (25th -31st) Aug 2017 with the theme “Skilling Youth in Agri-business in Tune with Wildlife Conservation”. It was attended by over 700 participants with each school sending one teacher and five students.

This year, St. Mary’s College Kisubi plans to organize an International School Farm Camp at the school (7th -14th) Dec 2018. He encouraged teachers interested in attending the camp to keep in touch with him for updates.

My Journey for ICT and Project-based learning (Ddungu Ronald) Mr. Ddungu Ronald shared with the participants his journey of ICT and project-based learning.

In 2007, he competed in an African teachers’ US$10,000-dollar bid. The competition question was: “If you think you have contributed to the education in Africa, write your story.”

He wrote about the students he had taught, got very good grades in Mathematics and joined courses like Engineering, Medicine etc. Three days later, he received an email telling him “Sorry you did not make it”.

The $10,000- dollar bid went to a Kenyan teacher who was with his students raising tree seedlings, giving them to the community, educating the community how to plant and look after them. The teacher with his students would continue visiting the community to support the project. Everybody in the community knew about this teacher.

Ddungu Ronald realized that though he was producing very good grades in his class, he had to change to become a more relevant teacher.

He joined iEARN (International Education and Resource Network) (www.iearn.org) and undertook an i-EARN teachers’ professional development course in 2007 and got a certificate as an iEARN-USA master teacher in project-based learning which has opened up so many opportunities for him. He encouraged participants to join the iEARN network. iEARN-Uganda is coordinated by Kakinda Daniel. iEARN showed him what teaching differently was especially using technology. He encouraged the workshop participants to join the iEARN network especially for professional development in project-based learning.

In 2007, he started a community project where his students would teach in a nearby Gayaza Church of Uganda Primary School (commonly called Kadongo). After four years of this project, Ddungu’s students noted that the children in the primary school would study on a hungry stomach all day long. It was not long before the community project expanded to include a feeding programme code named- “Feed the Child” (https://feedthechild.wordpress.com ).The Feed the Child project which is stilling running upto today was started with the following objectives.

• Feed the students at Kadongo who cannot meet meal costs at school • Engage students at Gayaza High School in agricultural activities • Practically employ class-based knowledge in the field.

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• Bring together students, teachers and parents in the fight against hunger at school.

Other objectives of the community project include: • Senior One students of Gayaza High School tutoring Primary Seven pupils at Kadongo in mathematics.

• Gayaza High School students collecting scholastic materials and other necessities to help girls at Kadongo to stay in school.

Today there are over 900 pupils in this primary school compared to the 170 pupils that the school had in 2007. Most interesting the majority are girls because the community prefers bringing the girls to this school to be mentored by the bigger girls from the High school.

Ronald Ddungu has attended a number of ICT for Education (ICT4E) workshops and conferences: • He has attended and facilitated at several ICT4E workshops organized and conducted by SchoolNet Uganda (http://www.schoolnetuganda.sc.ug) here in Uganda which have greatly built his capacity to integrate ICT in his teaching subjects.

• He attended an iEARN conference in Egypt with 3 of his students in 2007. His stay in Egypt which is a desert country, made him realize the dangers Uganda would face if Ugandans continue cutting down trees without planting replacements and he began focusing on community issues. He will be presenting at the iEARN International conference 2018 ( http://iearn2018.org/ ) which will be held (8-14) July, 2018 in Virginia, USA. He will be giving a brief background of how Gayaza High School got involved in agriculture and how the school agricultural innovation platform developed and evolved to where it is.

• In 2010, Ddungu together with three other Uganda teachers (including Chole Richard) attended the ICT4D conference which was hosted at the Royal Holloway University of London, UK. The conference aimed at providing a forum for researchers, practitioners, and all those with interest in ICT in development practice to meet and discuss the latest research advances in the field.

• In 2016, he attended the World Technovation (https://technovationchallenge.org/) Pitch event in San Francisco, California with two of his students. Technovation is a global technology entrepreneurship program for girls. Technovation challenges girls all over the world to build a mobile app that addresses a community problem or issue. Even though, his two students did not win the prize money, they were selected to be world ambassadors for the project.

• He has attended a number of eLearning Africa conferences (http://www.elearningafrica.com/). The one in Kenya (2007), Ghana (2008), Tanzania (2011), Uganda (2014), Ethiopia (2015). At the eLearning Africa conference in Tanzania he presented a case study of an online tutoring system at a Public library-Dunly which

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he had setup in Dec. 2010. Parents would pay through mobile money. He will be presenting a paper “Teaching Sustainable Development Goals through mobile App Development program” at the eLearning Africa conference to be held (26-28) Sept,2018 in Kigali, Rwanda.

He is working hard to get as many Uganda teachers to the conference. He has already negotiated with the conference organizers who have reduced the conference registration fee from 450 Euros to 270 Euros for the Uganda teachers.

He is currently negotiating with a school in Uganda to provide a bus and a school in Rwanda to provide accommodation. He encouraged the participants who would like to attend the conference to keep in touch.

After the eLearning Africa conference in Tanzania (2011), he realized that he could not continue with his personal work at Dunly Public library while he was a leader in the school. So, he closed the library and concentrated on building the name of his school than just his name. He spearheaded the setting up of the Gayaza High School e-learning platform (http://etutoring.gayazahs.sc.ug/.) starting with the eresources he had gathered at his library.

Fig.17: Ronald Ddungu sharing his journey Ddungu Ronald has got several local, continental and international awards and recognitions including: • He participated in the Microsoft Pan African Innovative teachers’ forum in Ghana with 3 other teachers in 2008 and was awarded the winner in the community category-2008.

• He represented Africa at the World Microsoft Innovative teachers’ forum in HongKong (2008) and was awarded first runners-up in the collaboration category. He together with other winners were hosted by Microsoft at the Microsoft offices in Washington D.C. While in D.C, he was able to do a poster presentation of his project at the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) 2009.

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• In 2009, he organized the Launch of the Microsoft Innovative teachers’ forumUganda chapter. At the launch, he was awarded the most innovative teacher in Uganda and given a laptop.

• In 2009, he was invited as a judge at the Pan African Innovative teachers’ forum in Mauritius-2009. Three Ugandan teachers participated. One of the Uganda teachers, Chebet Milton emerged a winner. Chebet’s project “Conservation of local medicinal plants” was the best in the Community Category. Chebet was one of the three teachers who represented Africa at the Global Innovative Teachers forum held in Nov 2009 in Brazil.

• In 2010, he was invited as a Judge at the Pan African Microsoft Innovative teachers’ forum held Aug 2010 in Mombasa, Kenya. Three Uganda teachers participated and one, Jonathan Serunkuma qualified to represent Africa.

Jonathan’s project was “Art for a Better Environment”. Ddungu was invited as a judge at the World Microsoft Innovative teachers’ forum held in Cape Town, SouthAfrica in Nov.2010. Unfortunately, Jonathan failed to get a Visa but his project qualified for semi-finals.

• Ddungu Ronald was selected among 60 people in the world by GAP International at a conference in Sweden to design a Learning for Change (L4C) programme.

They particularly wanted to study him as a person to find out how he was able to manage a community project without funding because most third world projects don’t live beyond donor funding.

• Ddungu was selected among the 50 finalists for the Global Teacher Prize for 2015 (www.globalteacherprize.org/finalists/2015-finalists). The Global Teacher Prize (“Nobel prize for teaching”) is an annual US$ 1 million award by the Varkey Foundation to a teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession.

Ddungu Ronald shared the following achievement which he spearheaded in his former school, Gayaza High School: • The development of the Gayaza High School e-learning platform ( http://etutoring.gayazahs.sc.ug ) . The e-learning platform is an online repository of learning resources (exercises, marking schemes, notes, audios, videos) created and uploaded by Gayaza High School teachers. He encouraged the workshop participants to use the resources for their schools.

• Because of his team work with other staff members, in 2011, Gayaza High School was named a Microsoft Pathfinder school among the 60 schools selected worldwide 2011. Gayaza High School was the only true black school in Africa. The other four schools in Africa were international schools; South Africa (2), Ghana (1) and Nigeria (1). He was invited (this time as a school leader) to attend the Microsoft Pan African Innovative School and teacher forum in Jordan. He was invited in 2011, together with his Headmistress to attend the World Microsoft Innovative School and Teachers’ forum in Washington D.C but decided that his other Deputy Head teacher should attend in order to allow her experience the modern trends in education.

• In 2014, he won an award of US$15,000 (38 million) for his school, at the Microsoft Pitch Competition in Barcelona, Spain. The money was used to start the E-market 63

library project. The E-market library is an online portal of best practices with links to videos showing production processes of small-scale local enterprises in Uganda.

• He started an agricultural programme in the school which has attracted good funding from the Netherlands Embassy, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and many other private enterprises today. The school holds a Farm Camp every year and hopes to organize an International Farm camp this year in December, 2018 to which all the schools were invited.

• He encouraged the participants to look at the application of what they teach to the real world so as to engage their students in entrepreneurship starting from their classes.

Participants’ reflection on Mr. Ddungu’s Presentation Participants were asked to reflect on Ddungu Ronald’s presentation and share their key learning points from the presentation. Below were some of the key learning points participants shared: • “I learnt to have a positive attitude towards ICT and technology. Mr. Ddungu has never attended any ICT course but has a positive attitude towards ICT. I also learnt that a teacher can incorporate ICT in his /her subject area to make a difference in the world. I will make my subject applicable to solving problems in the community” …………. Abbo Susan, Rock High School, Tororo • “I learnt integrating ICT in the teaching of different subjects and connecting the community to what is taught in class”. …………………Teacher • “I learnt that teachers should have a command of good content matter when going to teach learners and whatever teachers teach should be in line with the school curriculum. I also learnt that teachers should help the learners acquire skills that should help them answer societal problems by way of starting small scale innovative projects.” ……………… Gabat Nicholas, Tunyi Girls School • “I learnt that everything is possible using the available resources and that team work is very vital with the aim of getting each one’s contribution towards a project”. ……………. Cherop Edmond, Sebei College • “I learnt that we should have a positive attitude towards what we do and encourage others to have the same. We should also be ready to act as change agents in our schools/communities and be ready to sacrifice for the good of the community” ….. Okware Stephen

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•

“I learnt how to integrate ICT in other subjects and how to market both the teacher and the school. I also learnt how to form projects in subjects/schools in order to become good entrepreneurs.” ………… Hiisa Awal, Iki-Iki SS

•

“I got a positive attitude towards business ideas. I learnt how to develop myself outside the classroom through starting up projects and to market and sustain business ideas” …………… Ekidipat Nelson, Manjasi High School

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“I learnt that the traditional mode of teaching should to be modernized by allowing students to interact with real market environment. Hard work and commitment leads to success” ------- Byahaya George

•

“I learnt that it is possible for teachers of other subjects to perform better in ICT than ICT teachers and how one can develop from classroom to a world winner” …. Makayi Geoffrey

•

“I learnt the importance of being part of a network of teaching students computer knowledge which has a great impact on their lives outside school and working for the benefit of the community and not just one’s self.” ……………. Shadrack Nambuha, Masinya SS, Busia

•

“I learnt to be a role model at school and the importance of sharing information. Nothing is impossible as long as you can change your attitude and one can employ one’s self to get more money.” ………………. Husa Awah, Iki-Iki SS

•

“I learnt that education isn’t only about passing exams but for creating and widening the students’ mindset on the prospects of creating a life time income generating activity”

…………………….. Bukare Robert •

“Mr. Ddungu’s sharing was so inspiring. I learnt that I should use all the available resources and opportunities to achieve my goals. I need to train students into job creators and not job seekers” ………………….. Wanda Solomon, Masaba SS

•

“I learnt that there is need to work as a team, I need to do more research to achieve my goals and that students should be involved in entrepreneurial activities.” …………………Teacher

•

“I learnt that sacrifice and hard work is needed for someone to be successful.” ……………… Teacher

•

“I learnt that ICT does not only benefit the students but the community as well. Team work is required for everything and once you concentrate or get determined, things will work out.” ……… Logose Aidah, Merikit SSS, Tororo

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•

“I learnt that ICT can enable you to do a lot in your field even outside computer studies.

ICT is a practical discipline which is part and parcel of development. ICT can be incorporated in all subjects and make them practical. The teaching of ICT should be broadened beyond passing exams to most importantly help learners and teachers bring a difference practically in society. Passion, focus, commitment are a must in order to achieve the desired objectives.” ……………….Teacher

•

“I learnt that not all problems need money to be solved, team work and prioritizing of what to be solved first is very important and proper communication of what you want to address is needed.” …………….. Busiku Dick, Busia SS

•

“I learnt that nothing is impossible with effort and time, never to stop learning and that pitching is a key element in projects. Results and achievements are sought for (they don’t find you, you find them).” …………………. Teacher

•

“I learnt that I need to translate what I teach in class to real solutions to societal challenges. I need to be a solution provider to problems in my community.” ……….. Mugenyi Emmanuel

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“I learnt the importance of team work, to be creative and to teach my students what will help them in their life outside class” ………Namulinda Hellen, Uni Link High School

•

“I learnt that as a teacher, I need to embrace ICT as a very important tool in teaching. I have been inspired to integrate ICT in teaching even when I have not trained as an ICT expert. I have also learned that integration of ICT and project-based learning are the way to go in the current situation where the job market is small and needs creative people to survive after school.” ………….. Khaitsa Sarah, Mbale SS

•

“I learnt that I must have a positive attitude towards things whether I know them or not. I have to put in a little more effort to get results in all things I do and I must work hard to have impact on the community around me.” …………………. Kagere Umar, Rock High School, Tororo

•

“I learnt that ICT can be integrated in all subjects across the curriculum and that teaching becomes more meaningful if you relate what you are teaching in class to real life situations” ….. Gulaka Iddi, Mbale High School

•

“As a practicing teacher of ICT /Computer Studies, I should go an extra mile beyond classroom work and expose my learners to the real-life situations. This will enable them to take advantage of the opportunities provided by ICT in the job market.” ………………Wodaya James

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ELEMENTARY PROGRAMMING (Session was led by Mukalele Rogers) Session learning competencies Mukalele Rogers outlined the learning objectives (competencies) for the session.

By the end of the session, workshop participants should: • • • • • • •

Know why students should be taught programming.

Know the Program Development Cycle Know how to draw flowcharts and to write pseudocode Be able to design a simple program using a flowchart and pseudocode.

Be able to program using Visual Basic for Applications found in Microsoft Excel Have a positive attitude towards elementary programming Feel empowered to teach their students elementary programming both theory and practical.

Session Project Framework Rogers shared with the participants the project framework below which was to be followed during the session on Elementary Programming.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Discussion: Relevance of teaching programming, challenges and scope in schools Exposition: Program Development Life Cycle (PDLC).

Exposition: Program Design using flowcharts and Pseudocode Minds-on Activity: Group work on Program Design of a simple program using a Flowchart and Pseudocode.

Reflection: Participants’ reflections on the exposition and the group work Sharing: Participants share their group work at the plenary and get critical feedback Exposition: Demonstration on programming using DEV-C++ and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) software.

Hands-on Activity: Programming activities in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) in Microsoft Excel

As a way of motivating the participants for the session on elementary programming Rogers showed participants two video clips: Video 1: Is computer programming hard to learn? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoPx_rSicrM) . In this video inspirational programmers share their experiences Video 2: Teachers making a difference (https://youtu.be/CeuK26QsCEc?t=677 ). In this video, there is “The Story of Angoda Emmanuel of Lira”’. Angoda is an ICT teacher at Lira Town College and has been teaching his students App development.

1. Discussion: Relevance and challenges of teaching programming in schools Rogers asked the participants what they thought was the relevance of teaching elementary programming to their students and what challenges they face in teaching 67

the topic of elementary programming (which is in the UCE syllabus for Computer Studies) at their schools.

Relevance of teaching elementary programming to students Workshop participants shared the following as some of the reasons for teaching elementary programming to their students: • Elementary programming is one of the topics in the UCE Computer Studies syllabus and it is supposed to form a foundation for those students who want to purse courses in ICT and Computer Science.

• Programming prepares students for the job market where programmers and software developers are on high demand.

• Programming develops logical thinking which is a powerful tool in school, work and life.

• Programming stimulates critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving.

• Programming helps students to see how mathematical concepts are applied in real world situations.

Challenges of teaching elementary programming in schools The participants shared the following as some of the challenges of teaching elementary programming in their schools: • • • •

• •

• •

Programming requires remarkable patience and time Not enough computers for students’ practical work.

Lack of reference books on programming for both teachers and students.

Programing is very unpopular with teachers and students of ICT/Computer Studies because it involves mathematical concepts which students and even teachers fear to attempt. A simple survey showed that less than 3% of the participants had taught it at school.

Some of the teachers have never had any formal or informal training in programming. They have no content and feel incompetent to handle the topic.

Many schools don’t have any Integrated Development Environment (IDE) to use.

An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a software application for formatting code, checking syntax as well as running and testing code. They either leave out the topic of programming completely or just teach the theory part of programming.

Some of the teachers with formal training in ICT or Computer Science did programming theoretically at their higher institutions of learning so don’t teach the practical part of programming for fear that the program may not run.

Few ICT/Computer Studies teachers are aware of the Visual Basic for Applications in Microsoft Excel let alone knowing how to use it for programming.

Rogers informed the participants that programming is not as difficult as most people perceive it. The problem is just having a negative attitude. He encouraged them to have a positive attitude towards programming. They would then find programming easy and fun.

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2. Exposition: Program Development Life Cycle (PDLC) Rogers informed the participants that a computer program is a set of step-by-step instructions that directs the computer to do tasks you want it to do and produce the results you want.

A programming language is a set of rules that provides a way of telling a computer what operations to perform. There are many programming languages including C/C++, Visual Basic, Pascal, Java etc.

Developing a program (programming) using any programming language involves a sequence of steps or phases called Program Development Life Cycle (PDLC).

There are 5 main phases: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Problem Definition and Analysis Program Design (Algorithm Development) Program Coding Testing and Debugging Implementation and Maintenance

Program documentation is done in all the five (5) phases of the Program Development Life Cycle.

Fig.18: Phases of the Program Development Life Cycle Phase 1: Problem Definition and Analysis In this phase, the programmer needs to clearly understand the problem to be solved or the need for developing a computer program.

Programming needs are clarified:

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• • • •

What is the purpose of the program?

Who will be the end users?

What will be the inputs and the outputs?

How will the program operate and what data is needed to make it happen?

Different ways of solving the problem or addressing the need for a program are analyzed and the best option is selected based on the resources, time, benefits etc.

The programmer writes a narrative that specifies the purpose of the program, how the program is to achieve the intended purpose, what data is to be input and what information is to be output.

Example: To develop a program that can be used to calculate the area of a circle.

Input: (a) π which is a constant. (b) The radius, r, of the circle.

Process: The formula for calculating the area (A), which is A = π * r * r.

Output: The area of the circle (A).

Fig.19: Mukalele Rogers taking participants through Program Development Cycle

Phase 2: Program Design (Algorithm Development) Program design is the development of the program’s process or problem-solving logic called Algorithm.

In this phase, the programmer designs a model of the expected program showing a step-by-step flow of the events throughout the entire program from the time data is input to the time the program gives out the output.

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Two common ways of illustrating the algorithm is to draw a flowchart or to write pseudocode or possibly both. A flowchart is a pictorial representation of a step-bystep solution to a problem. Pseudocode is an English-like language that allows the programmer to state the solution with more precision than one can in plain English but with less precision that is required when using any programming language.

For big programs, modular programming is used where the computer program is subdivided into separate sub-programs or modules and each module is designed separately.

Once the flowchart or the pseudocode is done, the programmer does a “dry run” of the algorithm to check for logical errors. A “dry run” is a technique of testing a program’s logic on paper or mentally without using a computer.

Phase 3: Program Coding To code a program is to translate the program logic (algorithm) from the flowchart or pseudocode into actual computer instructions using a programming language. A programming language is a set of rules that provide a way of instructing the computer what operations to perform. The result of the coding is the source code.

The programmer uses an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) to create source code. An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a software application for writing source code, checking syntax as well as running and testing code. The programmer needs to add comments to their source code that explains sections of the code.

The source code cannot be run directly by the computer. It must be converted from source code into machine code or object code. This process is referred to as “compiling” the code. Most IDEs include a compiler which translates source code into a program that can be executed by a computer.

Phase 4: Testing and Debugging In this phase, the programmer looks for mistakes (errors or “bugs”) in both the program logic (algorithm) and the syntax (grammar) of the programming language used, as well as exploring other areas that may cause the program to either not work properly or to not run at all.

Testing is the process of running computer software to detect or find any errors (or bugs) in the program that might have gone unnoticed. The testing process is a continuous process, and it ends only when the Programmer and the other people involved are satisfied that when operational, the program will meet the objectives and the growing demands of the end-users.

Debugging is the process of detecting, locating and correcting (removing, eliminating) all errors (mistakes or bugs) that may exist in a computer program.

Program errors (bugs) include syntax errors, logical errors, run-time errors, semantic errors etc.

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Syntax errors are errors in the source code of a computer program. Any aspect of the code that does not conform with the syntax (grammatical rules) of the programming language used for coding will produce a syntax error. Syntax errors will prevent the source code from being successfully compiled. Syntax errors are the easiest to detect because detection is automatically done by the compiler.

Some Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), detect and highlight syntax errors in the source code in real-time (as you code) while others generate syntax errors when a program is compiled.

Fig.20: Debugging Process

Logical errors are errors in the program logic (algorithm). Logical errors are not detected by the compiler and will not stop the source code from compiling.

Logical errors result in incorrect output or unexpected behaviour.

Examples of logical errors (i) (ii)

Writing Average = a +b/2 instead of Average = (a +b)/2 when calculating the average of two numbers a and b will produce incorrect results.

Telling a computer to start repeating a procedure without telling it how it should know when to stop causes the program to produce unexpected behavior.

Logical errors are much more difficult to detect than syntax errors as they require a deep understanding of what the program is supposed to do and manual checking of the source code. That is why it is extremely important for programmers to check the correctness of the program logic before coding and to add comments to their code explaining what the code is supposed to do.

Runtime errors occur when the program is running. Most runtime errors cause a program to crush since the program unexpectedly quits while running. Causes of runtime errors may include calling an invalid function, an infinite loop or endless loop ( a piece of code that lacks a functional exit so that it repeats indefinitely) and dividing by zero.

Example of a runtime error

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Result = 10/(a -b) where a and b are numbers will produce a runtime error when a =b Semantic errors (meaning errors) Semantic errors occur when the programmer tells a computer to do something totally different from what he/she actually intended to tell it to do. Errors of meaning can result from using a wrong variable, a wrong operation or operations in the wrong order.

A program with a semantic error will successfully compile, will not crush or terminate abnormally but will not produce the intended results. Semantic errors are more common, much harder to detect and correct than syntax errors.

Phase 5: Program Implementation and Maintenance Implementation refers to the actual delivery, installation and putting of the new program into use. The program is put into use after it is fully tested, well documented, and after training the staff who will be involved in the running of the new program, Once the program becomes operational, it should be maintained throughout its life, i.e., new routines should be added, obsolete routines removed, & the existing routines adjusted so that the program may adapt to enhanced functional environments.

Program Documentation Program documentation is an ongoing process and should be done in all the phases of Program Development Life Cycle (PDLC).

Program documentation is the writing of supportive materials explaining how the program can be used by users, installed by operators, or modified by other programmers.

Typical program documentation materials include: • • • • • •

The origin and nature of the problem A narrative description of the program The program algorithms e.g. flowcharts and pseudocode Program listings Comments in the program source code Testing results

Documentation is done: • To supplement human memory and to help the programmer in the program development process.

• To communicate with other people who have interest in the program.

• To make it easy to make necessary modifications in the program or to track down any errors in the program.

3. Exposition: Program Design using Flowcharts and Pseudocode

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Rogers gave workshop participants an in-depth understanding of flowcharts and Pseudocode. (i)

Flowcharts

Rogers informed the participants that a flowchart is a diagrammatic representation of a program’s algorithm or a solution model to a given problem. The flowchart consists of “flowchart symbols” or “boxes” connected by arrows. Each symbol or box contains information about what must be done at that point, and the arrows show the order in which the instructions must be executed or carried out.

He then took participants through the standard set of symbols used to draw program flowcharts as created by American National Standard Institute (ANSI)

Fig 6: Common symbols used in program Flowcharts

General guidelines for drawing a program flowchart Rogers outlined the following guidelines for drawing program flowcharts: • A flowchart should have only one entry/starting point and one exit point (i.e., ensure that the flowchart has a logical start and finish).

• The flowchart should be clear, neat and easy to follow.

• The correct symbol must be used at each stage in the flowchart.

• The flowchart should not be open to more than one interpretation.

• Lines used to show the flow of logic should not overlap as this can create confusion in the flowchart.

• Comparison instructions must be simple i.e., capable of YES/NO answers.

• The logical flow should be clearly shown using arrows.

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• A flowchart should flow from the Top to Bottom of a page, and from the Left to the Right.

• Check to ensure that the flowchart is logically correct & complete Examples of Program Flowcharts Rogers illustrated some examples of Program Flowcharts: Example 1: A program that would prompt the user to enter the Length (L) and the Width (W) of a rectangle, calculate the Area and the Perimeter, then display the results.

Fig 21: Flowchart for program to calculate area and perimeter of a rectangle Example 2: A program that would be used to classify animals according to sex. If a letter, M, is input, the program should display “Male” otherwise it should display “Female”

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Fig. 22: Flowchart for program to classify animals (ii)

Pseudocode

An algorithm is often written in pseudocode. Pseudocode is a detailed, yet readable description expressed in structured English-like statements of what a computer program or algorithm must do to solve a computing problem. Pseudocode describes the logic, flow and operations to perform a task or implement an algorithm.

Pseudocode allows the programmer to focus on the logic of the algorithm to solve a computing program without being distracted by details of the syntax of the programming language.

Pseudocode is much easier to understand even by non-programmers, review for logical errors and to modify than actual code. Writing pseudocode before the actual coding safeguards against leaving out important steps and provides a handy reference during coding. However, pseudocode is not executable by a computer.

Common Pseudocode notation Notation INPUT/READ

Purpose Indicates the user will be inputting something

OUTPUT/PRINT Indicates that computer will display something on the screen WHILE

A loop that has a condition at the beginning

FOR

A counting loop

REPEAT UNTIL

A loop that has a condition at the end

IT-THEN-ELSE

A decision (selection) in which a choice is made

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Guidelines for designing a good pseudocode • The statements must be short, clear and readable.

• The statements must not have more than one meaning (i.e., should not be ambiguous).

• Pseudocode must have a Begin and an End. i.e., pseudocode should show clearly the start and stop of executable statements and the control structures.

• The input, output and processing statements should be clearly stated using keywords such as PRINT, READ, INPUT, etc.

• Any instructions that occur inside a selection or loop are usually indented.

Examples of Pseudocode Rogers illustrated some examples of Pseudocode: Example 1: Pseudocode for a program that can be used to prompt the user to enter two numbers, calculate the sum and average of the two numbers and then display the output on the screen.

START PRINT “Enter two numbers” INPUT X, Y Sum = X + Y Average = Sum/2 PRINT Sum PRINT Average STOP Example 2: Pseudocode for a program that can be used to classify people according to age. If a person is more than 20 years; output “Adult” else output “Young person”.

START PRINT “Enter the Age” INPUT Age IF Age > 20 THEN PRINT “Adult” ELSE PRINT “Young person” STOP 4. Minds-on Activity: Group work on Program Design using flowcharts and Pseudocode.

Rogers asked participants to form groups of (3-4) people each. Each group was tasked to come up with a problem, design a program to solve the problem using a flowchart and pseudocode. Each group was to present its work at a plenary session for critical feedback from peers and facilitators.

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Fig. 23: Group work on program design 5. Reflection: Participants’ reflections on the exposition and the group work Mukalele Rogers asked the workshop participants to reflect on the exposition they had got on the Program Development Life Cycle, the Program Design using Flowcharts and Pseudocode and on their group work on program design.

Below were some of the participants’ reflections: “The session developed in me a positive attitude towards elementary programming. I acquired the skill of using flowcharts and pseudocode. It helped me to relate teaching of programming to real life experiences” ………… Busita “I learnt that programming requires logic which when one is determined, one can master. The challenging part is that it is mathematical and many of us when it comes to mathematics, we shy away. Programming also builds into other applications like Ms Excel. This means you must master Ms Excel first before you can program using Visual Basic. I also learnt we can start with some simple programs. It does not need to be complicated.” ………………. Bakhulindire Robert, Musese SS “The session has widened my thinking capacity on how to identify a problem, define it, analyze it, and design the basic solution, implement and test and how to maintain it for new technologies in future. I have also known how to deal with programming tools.

I have acquired creativity on how to create flowcharts to perform calculations/solve

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issues, which type of box symbols to use and where to put Start, Decision and Stop.”

Programming is somehow interesting if you get the logic right.” …………… Teacher “The facilitator was knowledgeable enough to guide the trainees. The session showed me that programming can be understood by students if taught well. My thinking capacity increased through being analytical and sharing ideas in group work. I learnt how to formulate solutions to available problems” ………………… Teacher “As compared to other areas of ICT, elementary programming helps build the student’s creativity and logical reasoning” …… Namukowa Isaac, Butiru X-tian Comp. SS “The session has been so engaging and interesting to learn. The facilitator started by using very easy examples to make new teachers to ICT like me understand what programming entails. The basic pseudocode formation was well -explained and it is quite easy to execute. Other than waiting for the general computer hands-on for participants, it may be necessary to show us on a projector how these things actually work.” ,,,,, Irigei Martin, St. Peter’s College, Tororo “The session has increased my knowledge of designing pseudocode. I have improved in drawing flowcharts i.e where to put the Start, Decision box and Stop. My attitude towards programming was at first negative but now it is positive. I have developed interest towards programming due to the examples given by the facilitator and the group work.” ………….… Epenyu Joseph, Rubongi Army SS “The session has helped me to develop the skill of coming up with a program by use of flowcharts and pseudocoding. I have come up with a program that will help both my school and students. I have been having a negative attitude towards programming and have been teaching only the theory part of it. I now feel I can handle the practical part as well.” …………………. Tenywa Andrew, Bukedi College Kachonga “As an ICT teacher, I found the session relevant. I have been having a lot of challenges with this topic especially the use of flowcharts. The facilitator took us through a step by step process on how to come up with a flowchart. I am going to teach this topic to my students with confidence.

Through group work, I had a chance of sharing with my fellow teachers, the challenges I have been facing when teaching the topic and they helped me with solutions to these challenges. ………. Namaswa Geoffrey Kibet, Gamatui Girls SS

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“The session has demystified programming as a very hard topic. I was able to understand the syntax (grammar) in programming. I learnt that a program can be designed to carry out almost any task as long as the problem is identified, a flowchart is successfully drawn and the code is written. I was able to write some program pseudocode and I now want to carry out many of my school based tasks in programming” …………………… Teacher “I have appreciated elementary programming because it makes me solve problems much easier. I can now identify a problem and write a program to solve it.” ………………., Rubongi SS “I have learnt that programming involves a lot of creativity and innovativeness and you need to be mathematically upright. You need to come up with a pseudocode and you need to love source coding. My attitude has changed positively towards programming because one can do a number of activities with only a few lines of code written.

I hope to do continuous research to improve my knowledge and skills of programming and to join the programming profession.” …… Mwina Sula, Kagumu SS “I got to know the steps involved in programming. I learnt a new word i.e “pseudocode” and how pseudocode is written and for what purpose. I feel I can write pseudocode and draw flowcharts for various programs. I have also learnt some of the syntax used in programming. I feel motivated and will explore more in programming after the workshop. I look forward to the hands-on session.” …………… Amis Khawanga, Bushika SS “My doubts/worries about programming were cleared. I now understand the concepts/ terms used e.g pseudocode and flowchart. Now, I can think of a problem and develop a program to solve it.” …. Awio Chris, Rubongi Army SS “The session has been a nice one. One thing I have liked and has motivated me is the facilitator who has brought the points out well unlike what I got at the University. I now love elementary programming.” ……………… Kadiba Emmanuel, Tororo Girls’ School ” The session has changed positively my attitude on ICT and computer usage. I had a lot of fear after just reading the word programming. However, through the able presentation of the facilitator and all his inspiring words, I have developed the confidence that it is possible for me to develop a program to solve a problem.

Through elementary programming, a lot of work at school can be simplified. I have also learned that anybody at any age can do it.” ….. ………… Ilukor Gershom Olagwa, Asinge SS

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“I have learnt that by use of pseudocode and flowcharts, a person is able to follow systematically a program with ease. The downside is that it requires adequate knowledge of subject matter to be able to come up with either a pseudocode or a flowchart e.g mathematical concepts which may be challenging to some people” …… Awori Sarah, Merikit SS “I have not been teaching programming as a topic due to the negative attitude I had about the topic. The session has really changed my attitude and I believe I can now become a programmer. I am also willing to go and start teaching my students programming. I have also realized that nothing is easy or hard and hard things are marketable and I should always strive to make it. I am motivated to go and instill a positive attitude towards programming in my students.” ……… Teacher “The session has been elaborate. The facilitator was knowledgeable. I learnt program design through the pseudocode and flowcharts. The hands-on group session gave me an opportunity to design a fees structure system for a school with Boarders and Day students. ...... Makoba Clement, Butiru Christian Comp SS “The session has helped me increase on the knowledge and skills I had about programming. I will use the knowledge and skills I have gained to teach my students programming practically. I am also ready to fight the negative attitude my students have towards the topic of programming.” …… Kakomo Sumaya, Hamdan Girls High School “The session has changed my attitude towards programming from negative to positive. I always thought programming was too hard to understand but now I know some of the terminologies used in programming and can write the pseudocode and draw a flowchart for a simple program which I did not know before.” ….. Wepukulu Rashid, Nabbongo SS “I have understood program design as breaking down a big idea into specific tasks.

After group work, I am now able to take criticism as well as identifying and fixing errors. I learnt perseverance in the face of difficulty.

One challenge I have encountered in computer programming is a difficult topic to teach and learn. It is even more difficult in schools that are faced with additional problems that affect teaching and learning.” …. Sakuka Tomothy, Kapchorwa SS “I have learnt that there is nothing hard but it’s all about having interest and developing a positive attitude towards it. I have learnt how to develop a simple program using a flowchart and pseudocode. I can now effectively teach program design to my learners. …. Beth, Nkoma SS

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“The session on elementary programming has opened my eyes about the opportunities in the field of computer programming. It has also shown that programming is possible and can be done if given time. The session has made me as a trainee to love the field of programming as compared to the previous negative attitude I had.” ………. Miyingo Moses, Kamonkoli College “I have been able to differentiate pseudocode from a flowchart. I was able to come up with a simple program and design it.” …………… Teacher “The session enabled me to learn the challenges the students face during the lessons in elementary programming. The session enabled me to find simple ways of helping learners understand the concepts involved. I feel more capacitated to handle the topic in class.” … …………….Bernard, Katerema SS “What has excited me most is that elementary programming gives you a chance to plan on what the computer can do for you, promotes creative thinking, problem solving and teaches decision making. ….. John, St. Peters’ College, Tororo “I came to the workshop with little knowledge on elementary programming. I have learnt that in programming, you have to follow steps and missing a step can easily lead to the failure of a program. My skills and knowledge have greatly improved.” ….. Gaboi Nicholas, Tunyi Girls’ SS “I have learnt that in group discussions, there is a lot of sharing and learning of knowledge and ideas. I realized that to effectively teach ICT, as a teacher there is need to be creative in order to solve challenges that keep on coming. I learnt how simple problems can be solves using programming.” …………….. Ochieng Emmanuel, Atiri SS “I realized I need to practically demonstrate what I teach theoretically to make computer programming work for my students. I need to do more research to improve my knowledge and skills in programming. ….. Husa Awali, Ikiki SS

6. Sharing: Participants share their group work at the plenary and get critical feedback Participants presented their group assignments at a plenary session and received critical feedback from both their peers and from the facilitator. The feedback was mainly on their flowcharts and the pseudocode.

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Fig 24: One of the groups presenting their program design assignment The participants used the feedback from their peers and from the facilitator to improve their program designs.

Example of participants’ work Group 10 came up with a student grading program. The program prompts the user to enter marks for four subjects and calculates the average mark. If the average mark is equal or greater than 50, the program awards a “Pass” otherwise a “Fail”.

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Fig 25: Group 10 Program Design flowchart and Pseudocode 7. Exposition: Demonstration on programming using DEV-C++ and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) Mukalele Rogers reminded participants of the Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) circular to all UCE schools offering Computer Studies (840), Ref: TD/GEN/1 and dated 27th June 2016 informing schools that two programming languages C and Visual Basic shall be used during the teaching of elementary computer programming.

Rogers informed the participants that for their program coding during the workshop they were to use DEV-C++ and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) software.

DEV-C++ DEV-C++ is a free, portable (48MB), fast, easy to install and use Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for the C/C++ programming language. An IDE contains a source code editor, a compiler and a debugger all in one. In addition, DEVC++ automatically pauses to display output before exiting the program.

Rogers gave participants an exposition to the DEV-C++ Integrated Development Environment (IDE) using some of the programs the participants had earlier designed.

Group 11 had designed a simple program which prompts the user to enter the name of the house. If the house is “Elgon”, the program display “Sponsored” otherwise “Self Sponsored”

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Fig.26: Group 11 Flowchart and Pseudocode

Fig. 27: Group 11 Program Source Code Copies of the DEV-C++ software were given to participants to install and use at their respective schools.

Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) Visual Basic is a what-you-see-what-you get (WYSIWYG) Integrated programming Environment from Microsoft and is relatively easy to learn and use.

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Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is similar to visual Basic and is embedded within the Microsoft Office applications such as MS Excel and MS Access. VBA allows you to create customized programs using the built-in Visual Basic Editor in MS applications.

Rogers gave participants a demonstration of how to activate and use the Visual Basic for Applications Editor in Excel for elementary programming.

8. Hands-on Activity: Programming activities in Visual Basic

Fig. 28: Participants programming using Visual Basic for Applications

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SCHOOL WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT (Session led by Nicholas Kugonza) Session learning competencies Kugonza Nicholas informed the participants that the session would focus on school website development. He then outlined the following learning objectives (competencies) for the session: By the end of the session, workshop participants should: • • • • • • • • • • •

Know the purpose of a school website.

Know the key design elements of good school websites Know the web site design and development process Know the cost implications related to school websites.

Be able to design page layouts for their school websites Be able to design their school websites using a website authoring software.

Develop content for their school websites including text and visual elements (photos and videos).

Be able to upload the developed website to a hosting server Appreciate that school website development needs proper planning, team work, support and involvement of school administration and has a number of cost elements which must be budgeted for.

Feel empowered to teach website development to their students.

Feel competent enough to spearhead the development of their school websites.

Session Project Framework Kugonza took the workshop participants through the project framework which was to be used for the session.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Exposition: Some Uganda school websites Analysis and Sharing: Participants’ reflection and facilitator harmonization Exposition: Web Site Design and Development Process.

Minds-on and Hands-on activity: Planning of the desired school websites in groups.

Exposition: Demonstration of the website authoring tools in BlueGriffon software Hands-on Activity: Development of school websites Hands-on Activity: Uploading the developed school websites and sharing links.

Exhibition: Visiting the shared URLs of the uploaded websites.

Exposition: Some Uganda school websites Kugonza projected and gave the participants a walk through five of the Uganda school websites namely: • Tororo Girls’ School (http://www.tororogirlsschool.sc.ug ) • Mubende High School (https://mubendehighschool.webnode.com )

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• Gayaza High School (www.gayazahs.sc.ug ) • St. Leo’s College Kyegobe (http://sleck.sc.ug ) • Bukedi College Kachonga ( http://bukedicollege.org/ )

Fig. 29: Kugonza Nicholas giving participants a walk through some school websites

Analysis and Sharing: Participants’ reflection and facilitator harmonization Nicholas asked participants to reflect on the five school websites he had given them a walkthrough and share some of the good things and some of the shortcomings they had noted about the websites.

Participant reflections Below are some of the participants’ reflections on the websites: (i)

The good things about the sample displayed websites

• The websites had colours which reflected the school colours and all had school logos displaying school identity.

• The websites had user-friendly sitemaps and easy navigation menus.

• Some of the websites had downloadable documents like school rules and regulations, UCE and UACE results, notes and test papers.

• The websites provided information about the schools like location, contact information, school history, academic and co-curricular activities.

• Some the websites like that of Gayaza High School were implemented through a Content Management System (CMS) making it easy for users to post and edit web content without any knowledge of HTML. • Some of the websites had social media integration. (ii)

The shortcomings about the sample displayed websites

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• • • •

A number of links led to blank pages.

Most of the websites lacked updated content.

Some websites had a lot of photos making them slow to download Some of the website URLs can’t be obtained using Google (i.e. are not Search Engine Optimized)

Facilitator’s harmonization Nicholas provided a summary table for some of the features observable in the websites he used for the exposition.

No.

School

SEO

About Us

Social media integration

Calender

Alumni

Contact Us

Download

1.

Tororo Girls School Gayaza High School St. Leo’s College Kyegobe Mubende High School Bukedi College Kachonga

×

√

√

√

×

√

√

√

√

√

√

×

√

√

√

√

√

×

√

√

×

×

√

×

×

×

√

×

√

√

√

√

√

√

√

2.

3.

4.

5.

SEO = Search Engine Optimization

(i)

Purpose of a school website

Nicholas informed the workshop participants that the main purpose of a school website is to communicate what the school is about and what goes on in it. The primary audience of a school website includes: • Existing students and their parents: These are interested in up-to-date calendar of school events, school newsletter, school achievements and awards in extracurricular activities, student grades etc.

• Prospective students and their parents: These are interested in the academic performance of the school, extra-curricular activities offered, fees and the admission process.

• Alumni: These are interested in keeping track of their fellow alumni, alumni-only events, donating and volunteering opportunities.

Key design elements of good school websites

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Nicholas asked the workshop participants what they thought are good elements school websites should have? This question was not based on the sample websites he had displayed.

Below were some of the participants’ responses: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Should serve a specific purpose Should not have a lot of graphics Easy to navigate and should have security passwords Simple and not congested Available all the time (24x7) Have a section for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Must be frequently updated Should have reliable information Should be fast loading Should be appealing The text should have visible font sizes and colours The links must be flowing Should have a good layout

Facilitator’s harmonization Kugonza shared with the workshop participants the following key design elements of good school websites: (i)

Appealing, welcoming visual appearance: A school website needs to highlight the uniqueness of the school including a logo, colour scheme, imagery and any other attributes that show the schools’ brand.

(ii)

Simple and easy to navigate website layout: Complicated and hard to navigate school websites turn off visitors making them lose interest to return.

(iii)

Updated, correct and relevant content: The major purpose of a school website is to provide a platform where current and prospective students and parents and other stakeholders can get information about the school and what happens in it. Frequently updated relevant content keeps the website active and provides a reason for the audience to come back.

(iv)

A “Homepage”: This page serves as a landing page for the school website. It should include only basic information about the school accompanied by a clear nice picture showing a typical day, a classroom, a lesson, students etc.

(v)

The “About Us” page: This page should describe the school history, educational philosophy, school vision, mission and core values, plus any affiliation and awards the school may have received. This page acts as an online brochure to prospective parents and students, providing them with as much information as possible to help them decide if your school may be right for them.

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(vi)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): SEO is the optimizations of website elements (e.g. title, description, and keyword tags) that can help the website achieve higher rankings in the search engine. School websites should be optimized for search by search engines to guarantee them a Page 1 presence in the search results. You could have the best website in the world, but if nobody can find it, then it is worthless.

(vii)

Social media integration: The school website should have links to other school media channels and blogs to provide additional ways of communicating.

(viii) A Content Management System (CMS): A good school website should be implemented using a Content Management System (CMS). A CMS is software that manages every piece of content on the website. Content can be text, photos, audio, documents, video etc. With a CMS, the school website content can be posted and updated by someone without technical knowledge and skills. (ix)

Calendar: Up-to-date calendar will provide teachers, students and parents reminders of important key dates like class days, visitation days, beginning and end of term dates, Annual General Meeting (AGM) etc.

(x)

Responsive Web Design (RWD): Responsive Web Design is an approach to web design which makes web pages render well on a variety of devices and screen sizes. The school website should be easily viewable on desktops, laptops, iPads, tablets etc.

(xi)

The “Contact Us” Page: This page should provide information of the physical location of the school (a Google map where possible), contact information for the main office (email & phone), a contact form visitors can use to get in touch with the school administration if they like to.

(xii)

Pictures of happy, smart –looking students involved in academic and cocurricular activities: When prospective parents see images of students, they are going to subconsciously ask themselves, “Do I want my child to become like that?”

(xiii) A “Download” page: This section should include documents which can be downloaded e.g. School rules and regulations, application for enrollment, school performance in external exams etc. PDF files are usually the best format for these documents. (xiv) Relevant news: The school website needs to include multiple news items that are relevant to the audience. The news should always be fresh. The outdated news should be achieved.

Exposition: Web Site Design and Development Process Nicholas informed workshop participants that website development does not start or end with coding but goes through a number of phases.

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Fig. 30: Web design and development process Phase 1: Information Gathering • Set goals for the website?

• Identify the primary target audience for the site • Identify the type of information that will the target audience be looking for.

Phase 2: Planning • Create a sitemap sketch for the site • Identification of the human resource • Select the website authoring software or Content Management System (CMS).

Phase 3: Design • Create page layouts. Typically a .jpg image of what the final design will look like.

• Get client’s feedback on the layouts • Review and change layouts when required

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Fig.31: Kugonza Nicholas giving participants an exposition to Web Development Process Phase 4: Content Writing • Get existing content ready for migration to the website • Create new content Phase 5: Development • Do the coding to create the website • Add special features and interactivity Phase 6: Testing, Review and Launch • Test the functionality of forms and other scripts • Test the navigation • Test the readability • Test compatibility with most recent browser versions • Fix the bugs • Upload the website on the host server using an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Program • Install plugin for Content Management System (CMS) • Do SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Phase 7: Maintenance and Regular Updating • Regular site backup, CMS updates, additional plugin installation • Update the content of the website

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Cost implications for school websites Development and maintenance of school websites involve a number of cost implications which a school must be aware of from onset and must budget for: These include: • Domain name registration: A domain name is the address (URL), you type in the web browser address bar to get to the website e.g. gayazahs.sc.ug, tororogirlsschool.sc.ug. Each website has a unique domain name.

When you register for a domain name, you pay an annual fee to the domain name registrar so that the domain name remains registered under your name. If you don’t renew when your registration period expires, the domain name will be available on the open market for other people to register.

• Web hosting: Websites are hosted or stored on special computers called servers.

Web hosting providers provide the technologies and services needed for a website to be viewed on the Internet. The cost of web hosting depends on the storage space, complexity of your website and the bandwidth you are using.

(Check http://crystalwebhosting.com/ , https://killasites.com/ etc.) to have some idea.

• Website Design and maintenance: The school may need to hire a professional website designer. What makes up the cost of a website is not only the visual appeal or attractiveness, but rather, what lies “under the hood” that makes the website work –its’ functionality. The costs include: setup, design and building, content creation, training to use the website and maintenance.

• Content Development: It is the responsibility of the school to create content and continue updating the website. The school must plan how this is going to be done and to budget for.

Minds-on and Hands-on activity: Planning of the desired school websites in groups.

Kugonza Nicholas, asked workshop participants work in groups of (3-5) people. Each group was expected to discuss and come up with a plan of a website of one of the schools in the group.

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Fig.32: Participants discussing and planning school websites Below is the website design for Nyondo Secondary School produced by one of the groups.

Fig 33: School website design for Nyondo Secondary School produced by Group 15 Exposition: Demonstration of the website authoring tools in Bluegriffon software

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Nicholas gave the workshop participants a demonstration of the website authoring tools in Bluegriffon software. He informed the participants that the choice of using Bluegriffon in the workshop was based on the fact that it is free, open source, light weight, WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) and portable. He showed them a simple school website which had been developed using Bluegriffon.

Participants were given copies of the software to use when training their students in website development at their respective schools.

He however recommended that schools should use WordPress for their websites because WordPress: • Is a free open source Content Management System(CMS) • Is browser-based: You can login from any Internet connected computer and manage your website • Is self-contained: You can create a new page, format text, upload images and documents without the need for additional HTML or FTP software.

• Allows multiple users: The site administrator can set up multiple users with different access rights. In a school, the task of updating content can be allocated to different teachers and departments.

• Is easy to use: Updating content does not require any technical knowledge or skills.

• Is Mobile-friendly • Is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ready Nicholas promised the participants that KAWA will be doing website development training using WordPress in subsequent follow up workshops.

Hands-on Activity: Development of school websites

Fig. 34: Participants doing a hands-on Website development using Bluegriffon authoring software

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FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT (Session was led by Mwondha Mugoya David and co-facilitated by Kakinda Daniel) Session learning objectives (competencies) Mwondha David outlined the learning objectives (competencies) for the session.

By the end of the session, workshop participants should be able to: • Explain what is assessment FOR learning (formative assessment) is and how it is done.

• Explain what assessment OF learning (summative assessment) is and how it is done • Identify the levels in the Bloom’s taxonomy for the cognitive domain.

• Explain a Table of Specification (a Test Blueprint) and how to produce a test blueprint.

• Construct a test or exam blueprint (Table of Specifications) • Explain the considerations needed to start an assessment for students.

• Explain how to set test items (questions). .

Session Project Framework David shared with the participants the project framework below which was to be followed during the session on Formative Assessment and Summative Assessment.

1. Exposition: Assessment FOR Learning (Formative Assessment) Assessment OF Learning (Summative Assessment).

2. Exposition: Bloom’s taxonomy of Cognitive Domain 3. Discussion: Test and Exam (Summative) Assessment in schools 4. Facilitator’s Harmonization and Exposition 5. Exposition: Test or Exam blueprint (Table of Specifications) 6. Hands-on Activity: Developing a Test Blueprint

and

1. Exposition: Assessment FOR Learning (Formative Assessment) and Assessment OF Learning (Summative Assessment).

Kakinda asked workshop participants what they understood by assessment FOR learning and assessment OF learning. Based on the participant’s responses, most participants seemed familiar with assessment OF learning (summative assessment) and were not aware of assessment FOR learning (formative assessment).

Kakinda gave workshop participants an exposition to both assessment FOR learning and assessment OF learning. (i)

Assessment FOR learning (Formative Assessment)

Assessment FOR learning also called formative assessment is the assessment done in the classroom to provide information which can be used by teachers to adjust their

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teaching strategies to promote further improvement in the student learning and by students to adjust their learning strategies.

Assessment FOR learning is used to support learning rather than judging student achievement so no marks or grades are assigned to the student work in assessment FOR learning. Assessment FOR learning is doneregularly throughout all stages of the teaching and learning process.

Assessment FOR learning helps the teacher to: • Find out what the student knows and can do, what the student misunderstands and where the misconceptions lie.

• Pinpoint students’ strengths and prior knowledge that both the teacher and the students can build on.

• Identify students’ learning needs so that they can be addressed.

• Plan and modify teaching and learning programmes and strategies.

Assessment FOR learning provides students with frequent opportunities to reflect on where their learning is and what they need to do to achieve their learning goals.

A number of strategies and tools are used in assessment FOR learning (formative assessment) including but not limited to: • Diagnostic assessment (or pre-assessment): This is done before teaching the topic or unit of instruction to find out the prior knowledge and skills of the students. The teacher then uses the assessment information to address the students’ learning needs.

• Teacher observation: Observing students as they solve problems or interact with peers in different learning situations provides the teacher an insight into the students’ learning. The teacher can adjust his teaching to address the students’ challenges.

• Student portfolio: A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work samples that reflect student learning progress. The teacher can use the student portfolios to identify their weaknesses and strengths.

• Students’ self-assessment and peer-assessment can help students identify what they have learned and areas they still need to learn. Students can then adjust their learning strategies.

• Student personal reflection: The teacher provides opportunities to the students at the end of a unit of instruction to reflect on the subject matter which has been covered.

• Questions students ask.

• Report back from group work.

• Question and answer: Teachers use questioning (usually oral) during the teaching to discover what the students know and can do and adjust their teaching strategies accordingly.

Kakinda reminded the workshop participants that all the above assessment FOR learning (formative assessment) strategies had been used by the workshop facilitators to model how the participants should do formative assessment of their students back at their respective schools.

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(ii)

Assessment OF learning (Summative Assessment)

Assessment OF learning (Summative Assessment) is used to measure what students have learnt at the end of a unit, topic, term or school year to rank students’ achievement levels against a standard. It is summative in nature and involves standardized tests or exams.

Assessment FOR learning (Summative Assessment) information is translated into marks or grades based on a given standard which are then presented on a report card. Grades provide parents, other schools, higher education institutions and employers with summary information about student learning.

Example of a standard: Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) (2016), UCE grading system Marks

Grading

Marks

(80 -100)

Distinction 1, D1

(55 - 59)

C6

D2

(45 - 54)

Pass 7, P7

(35 - 44)

P8

(75 –79) (70 - 74)

Credit 3,

C3

(65 - 69)

C4

(60 –64)

C5

(0 -34)

Grading

Failure, F9

2. Exposition: Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Domain Kakinda Daniel asked workshop participants what they knew about Bloom’s taxonomy. Unfortunately, most of them had never heard about Bloom’s taxonomy!

This raised very serious concerns about what guides their teaching and assessment.

He gave participants an exposition to Bloom’s taxonomy of the cognitive domain.

Bloom’s Domains of Learning In 1956, Benjamin Bloom led a team of educational psychologists who developed a classification of levels of intellectual behaviour important in learning. Three areas or domains of learning were identified: • Cognitive Domain – This domain includes content knowledge and development of intellectual skills.

• Affective Domain – This domain includes feelings, values, appreciation, enthusiasms, motivations and attitudes.

• Psychomotor Domain – This domain includes physical movement, coordination and use of motor-skills areas. Development of these skills require practice and is measured in terms of speed, precision, distance, procedures or techniques in execution.

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Fig.35: Bloom's three domains of learning Daniel informed workshop participants that as teachers when they are planning for the students’ learning activities they need to clearly spell out the student learning competencies in the three domains namely cognitive, affective and psychomotor or simply put the “Head, Heart and Hands”.

The learning objectives (competencies) should include: • The knowledge competencies – what should the students know?

• The attitude competencies – how should the students feel?

• The skills competencies – what should the students be able to do? After going through the learning experience.

Bloom’s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain The team lead by Bloom created a taxonomy (classification) for the Cognitive Domain in order to promote higher forms of thinking such as analyzing and evaluating concepts, processes, procedures and principles rather than just remembering facts (rote learning).

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Fig.36: Bloom's taxonomy of Cognitive Domain

Original Bloom’s Taxonomy for Cognitive Domain The six levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, in order (lowest to highest) are Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis and Evaluation.

Level 1: Knowledge – Requires the student to remember the topics that have been studied in the past by recalling facts, theories, laws, principles etc. without necessarily understanding what they mean. Knowledge represents the lowest level of learning outcomes in the cognitive domain.

Level 2: Comprehension – Requires the student to grasp the meaning of material.

This may be shown by translating material from one form to another (e.g. data to graphs), explaining or summarizing material and predicting consequences or effects.

Level 3: Application – Requires the student to solve problems by applying acquired knowledge, facts, techniques and rules in a different way.

Level 4: Analysis – Requires the student to examine and break down material or concepts into its component parts by identifying motives or causes. Make inferences and find evidence to justify generalizations.

Level 5: Synthesis – Requires the student to use more of their own initiative, introducing their own ideas to provide solutions to a problem. The student originates and combines ideas into a new product, plan or proposal.

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Level 6: Evaluation– Requires the student to make judgments about information, validity of ideas, value of materials (statement, novel, poem, research report) based on a set of criteria for a given purpose.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Action Verbs Bloom created action verbs to help describe the different cognitive levels. Action verbs are used in writing learning objectives and for assessing learning outcomes.

The action verbs indicate explicitly what the student must do to demonstrate learning.

Level 1.

Cognitive Level Knowledge

2.

Comprehension

3.

Application

4.

Analysis

5.

Synthesis

6.

Evaluation

Action Verbs Define, Describe, Draw, Label, List, Match, Name, Quote, Recite, State Demonstrate, Discuss, Explain, Identify, Generalize, Illustrate, Summarize, Interpret, Paraphrase Apply, Compute, Dramatize, Prepare, Role-play, Classify Analyze, Classify, Compare, Contrast, Debate, Deduce, Differentiate, Distinguish, Examine, Infer, Categorize Compose, Construct, Design, Develop, Plan, Propose, Rewrite, Organize, Create, Formulate, Modify Appraise, Argue, Assess, Critique, Evaluate, Prove, Justify, Prioritize, Defend, Support

Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain In 2001, another committee led by Lorin Anderson revised Bloom’s taxonomy for the cognitive domain. Originally the cognitive levels were listed as nouns. The 2001 revision simply turned the nouns into verbs. Levels 5 and 6 were swapped. The action verbs associated with each level remained the same.

Level

Cognitive Level 1 Remembering .

Examples of Activities Description Recognizing and recalling • Make a list showing the main events of the facts story.

• Draw a map of Uganda showing the major water bodies.

• Recite a poem

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2 Understanding .

3 Applying .

4 Analyzing .

5 Evaluating .

6 Creating .

Understanding what facts • Write a summary report of the event. mean • Prepare a flowchart of classifying animals to show the critical stages….

Applying the facts, rules, • Solve a problem • Perform a lab concepts and ideas experiment Breaking down • Write an essay examining …. information in a • Design a meaningful way. questionnaire to gather information.

Judging the value of • Write a critique …

• Write your opinion ….. information or ideas • Conduct a debate about.

• Write a letter advising on the changes needed….

Creating new products, • Design an experiment ideas or a new way of • Plan a marketing campaign. looking at things.

• Write a song about…….

Example of the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain Kakinda gave an example of the revised Bloom’s taxonomy based on the novel “THE RIVER BETWEEN” by NGUGI WA THIONG’O.

1.

2.

Cognitive Level REMEMBERING (Recalling information)

UNDERSTANDING (Explaining ideas and

Illustrative examples Students exhibit memory of previously learned materials by recalling facts, terms, basic concepts and answers.

Example: Questions like: 1. When and where did the story take place?

2. Who is the main character in the story?

3. ………………………………………?

Encourage thinking at this level Students demonstrate understanding of facts and ideas by organizing,

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concepts)

comparing, translating, interpreting, giving descriptions and stating main ideas.

Example: Questions like: 1. What are the main themes in the story?

2. From whose point of view is the story told?

3. ……………………………………?

3.

Encourage thinking at this level Students solve problems to new situations by applying acquired knowledge, facts, techniques and rules in a different way.

APPLYING (Using information in another similar situation)

Example: Questions like: 1. Can you think of another author who writes in a similar style?

2. Have you had any similar experience as the main character?

3. ………………………………………?

Encourage thinking at this level 4.

ANALYZING(Breaking information into parts by identifying motives or causes)

1.

2.

3.

5.

EVALUATING (Justifying a decision or cause of action)

1.

2.

3.

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Students make inferences and find evidence to support generalizations.

Example: Questions like: Why did the author choose the title “The River Between”?

What evidence can you use to support your view? ………………………………………?

Encourage thinking at this level Students present and defend opinions by making judgments about information, validity of ideas and quality of work based on a set of criteria.

Example: Questions like: Did the author clearly bring out the main themes of the story?

Did the story have an effective ending? ………………………………………?

Encourage thinking at this level 6.

CREATING (Generating new ideas, products or ways of viewing things)

Students compile information together in a new way by combining elements in a new pattern or propose alternative solutions.

Example: Questions like: 1. If you were the main character, what would you do differently?

2. Have the views in the text affected your opinion about Colonialism? Why? How? 3. ………………………………………?

Encourage thinking at this level

Importance and use of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Domain Bloom’s taxonomy explains the process of learning: 1. Before you can UNDERSTAND a concept, you must REMEMBER it.

2. To APPLY a concept, you must first UNDERSTAND it.

3. To EVALUATE a process, you must have ANALYZED it.

4. To CREATE an accurate conclusion, you must have completed a thorough EVALUATION Kakinda urged the workshop participants to always use Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive domain when: (i)

(ii)

(iii)

Creating course or lesson learning objectives or competences. Learning competencies are brief statements that describe what students will be expected to learn by the end of a course unit or class lesson.

Asking questions. In-class questioning needs to be varied from those requiring simple recall of facts to those than require high-order thinking skills.

Constructing test or exam questions.

3. Discussion and sharing: Test and Exam Assessment in schools As a way of facilitating sharing among participants on test and exam assessment in schools, Mwondha David asked participants probing questions to which they gave the following responses: Q1. What things do you consider when setting test and exam items(questions) in your schools?

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Responses: • You need to know the syllabus coverage so that you don’t set items outside the scope of what you have covered.

• The weight allocated to the exam. Some schools do three sets of exams in a term (i.e. Beginning- of -term, Mid-term and End-of-term). These carry different weights (percentage contribution to the final mark).

• The level of the learners for whom you are setting the test.

• You need to set based on the objectives of the syllabus.

• You need to consider the individual differences between your learners. The questions must not be of the same level of difficulty.

• The set items should cover the three domains (cognitive, psychomotor and affective) of Bloom’s taxonomy.

• Appropriate time allocated to the test items. It should not be too little or too much.

Q2. At school, do you moderate the tests or exams you set? How is this done and why?

Responses: • At St. Peter’s College Tororo, when you set a test or an exam, you first share it with a colleague, then you submit it including the marking guide to the Head of Department who goes through it and gives feedback.This helps you to identify alternatives which may have more than one correct answers, questions which are not very clear so that you correct your work. It also helps you to perfect your marking guide.

• At Asinge SS, the school organizes a setters’ workshop, all teachers come together in their respective departments, do joint setting of the tests or exams and also come up with a marking guide.

Q3. What are the learners’ expectations during assessment?

Responses: • Learners expect to find questions on topics they have covered and not on those topics not yet covered.

• Expect test items appropriate to their level.

• Expect their performance to be better than that in previous tests.

4. Facilitator’s Harmonization and Exposition David informed participants that when setting test items, as a teacher, you require the following: • The National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) syllabus. The syllabus provides the teaching framework (content, objectives, flow of teaching, etc.).

Extract from NCDC Sub-ICT syllabus, Senior 5 , Term 1

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Sub - Topic

Competencies

Serving and The learner: maintenance of computer • Explains the importance of systems servicing and maintaining a computer • Installs system and application software.

• Uninstalls software • Carries out troubleshooting on computers (start-up errors, hanging applications and warm booting) To use the NCDC syllabus:

Content • Importance of servicing and maintenanc e of a computer.

• Cleaning of computers • Updating of software • Software installation • Fine-tuning the system

•

•

•

•

Teaching/Learning Strategies Brainstorming the importance of serving and maintenance of a computer.

Teacher demonstration on installation and application software.

Hands-on activity on cleaning, software installation and fine tuning of a computer system.

Brainstorming during installation process.

• Identification of executable files

o Read through a given sub-topic or theme. o Identify the teaching points and possible outcomes. o Draft items you would wish to test and compare them with the teaching competencies spelled out in the syllabus.

• A Table of Specifications (or test blueprint): You need to prepare a Table of Specification for your testusing the NCDC syllabus before writing the test.The test blueprint provides specifications that set items ought to mirror. (More on the test blueprint in the next session) • Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Domain: Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive domain provides the various cognitive levels which need to be tested.

• Reference Books / Resources.

Mwondha advised the workshop participants to always read the UNEB examination Report on the Work of Candidates (RWC) which analyses the candidates’ performance in the UCE and UACE examination papers every year. The report points out areas of the curriculum not adequately taught/covered during teaching as evidenced by the candidates’ poor performance /answers in these content areas. It gives advice/recommendations on how such content areas could be managed or taught better with the view of improving the teaching and learning process.

5. Exposition: Test or Exam blueprint (Table of Specifications) Mwondha David gave workshop participants an exposition to test or exam blueprint (table of Specifications).

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Fig.37: Mwondha David giving participants an exposition to test blueprint.

Test or Exam Blueprint or Table of Specifications Test specifications are a statement of what the test tests and how it tests it. The test specification is written before the test is made (or even before teaching starts) and includes information such as what is the purpose of the test, what will be covered by the test, how will it be tested etc. The test is then made based on the test specifications.

A Table of Specifications (ToS) is a two-way chart or grid which: • • • •

Describes the topics (content areas) to be covered by the test.

The domain levels to be tested The number of test items and/or points to be associated with each topic.

The weight to be given to each domain level

The rows of the chart list the key concepts or content areas to be covered by the test.

The columns of the chart list the domain areas to be addressed.

David gave two examples of Table of Specifications or Exam Blueprints from the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) UACE Sub-ICT syllabus, (S850) Example 1: Subsidiary ICT Paper 1 (S850/1) (2 ½ hours) This will be a written paper made up of 20 equally weighted compulsory questions.

The questions shall be structured and semi-structured compulsory questions. All questions are to be answered in the spaces provided on the examination paper.

The paper will be based on the Table of Specifications below:

108

Table of Specifications or Exam Blueprint Content Area Introduction to computers Lab care, troubleshooting and maintenance File management Computer Hardware Computer Software Internet and World Wide Web DataCommunic ation and Networking Trends in Computing Applications Total Percentage

Kno wn.

1

Com p.

Ap pl.

1

1

Ana ly.

Tot al 2

1

1

1

2

1

1

1

1

1

3

1

2

3

1

1

1

2

1

5 25%

3

2 8 40 %

5 25%

1

2

2 10 %

2 20 100 %

You notice from the Table of Specifications or the Exam blueprint for paper S850/1, that the majority of the questions (8 out of 20 or 40%) will be testing Bloom’s Level 3 of the cognitive domain i.e. Application. This means that the both the teacher and the students should place emphasis on this level both duringstudy and during the preparation for the exams.

Example 2: Subsidiary ICT Paper 2 (S850/2) (3 hours) This will be a practical paper with five compulsory equally weighted questions each carrying 20 marks. The paper will be based on the Table of Specifications below Table of Specifications Content

Kno

Com

109

App

Anal

Tota

Area Word Processing Electronic Spreadshee ts Electronic Presentatio ns Databases

w.

20%

p.

30%

l.

35%

y.

15%

l 100 % 100 %

20%

30%

35%

15%

20%

30%

35%

15%

100 %

20%

30%

35%

15%

Electronic Publications

20%

30%

35%

15%

100 % 100 %

You notice from the Table of Specifications that the paper will emphasize application of ICT skills. The teacher and the students need to cover all the five topics in the course of study placing the same emphasis on all the topics.

Importance of Table of Specifications or Exam Blueprint An Exam blueprint or Table of Specifications (ToS): • Helps the teacher to know in advance specifically what is being assessed as well as the level of critical thinking required of the students.

• Links assessment to learning objectives • Ensures the teacher covers the curriculum allocating time and effort based on the weightage of the content areas and the weightage of the cognitive levels.

• Ensures that when the teacher is testing, he includes test items assessing the different cognitive levels spelled out the Exam blueprint.

• Ensures exams and tests are not subjected to individual test/exam setters’ interest.

• Helps the teacher to write a test that has content validity – there is a match between what was taught and what is tested.

Preparing a Table of Specification (ToS) or a Test Blueprint Preparing a test blueprint involves a number of steps: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Define the scope and purpose of the test.

Identify the content areas of subject matter to be assessed by the test.

Decide on the cognitive domain levels to be assessed.

Decide the weightage to be given to the content areas and to the cognitive domain levels.

5. Decide on the total weightage and number of test items to be included in the test.

110

6. Develop the Table of Specifications (ToS) or Test Blueprint • The first column lists the content areas to be assessed • The rest of the columns are devoted to the cognitive levels to be assessed.

• The body of the table consists of the number of test items in every category.

• The final column lists the totals of items in each content area • This table can then be converted into percentages.

Table of Specifications (Test blueprint) Template Content Areas

Cognitive levels Remember Understand Apply

Area 1

# of items

Total

Area 2

Total

6. Hands-on Activity: Preparing a Test Blueprint or Table of Specifications As one of the workshop follow-up activities, Mwondha asked the participants to prepare a Test Blueprint for Sub-ICT for 2nd Term for S5 with colleagues in their departments at their respective schools.

111

UNDERSTANDING ICT SYLLABUS (Session led by Moses K.Tuhame) Moses Tuhame is an ICT specialist at National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC).He is a trained teacher of physics/mathematics with a master’s degree in computer science. He noted that NCDC has different specialists according to subjects.

Moses informed the participants that it is NCDC mandate to: • Develop a curriculum for Uganda for pre-primary, primary, secondary and some tertiary colleges like Business Colleges and Technical Colleges.

• Mainstream ICT in Education.

• Review and certify text books.

He noted that the ICT Syllabus was developed to help the learner acquire knowledge and skills required by the end users of ICTs and which can be applied in the variety of fields. This is because the education sector and the world of work are increasingly requiring an individual to possess ICT knowledge and skills.

Moses took the participants through the purpose of the ICT teaching syllabus. He informed the participants that the main reason for developing the subsidiary ICT teaching syllabus is to guide teachers handling subsidiary ICT at A ‘level to: • Achieve the aims of teaching subsidiary ICT • Standardize the teaching of the subject • Produce students with more skills in ICT who can effectively compete on the global market.

The syllabus helps the teacher to cover the syllabus content by following the number of periods allocated and use the teaching approaches emphasized in order to achieve the purpose of designing it.

He explained to the participants the aims of teaching subsidiary ICT. Teaching subsidiary ICT is aimed at: • Helping the learner develop and consolidate his or her knowledge of ICT and be aware of new and emerging technologies • Encouraging the learner to develop as an independent user • Encouraging the learner to develop ICT skills to enhance their work in variety of subject areas • Equipping the learner with skills for lifelong learning He informed the participants that ICT skills in the syllabus are directly applicable to the study of other subjects and schools are encouraged to provide opportunities for their learners to apply these skills to a range of learning areas (subjects).

112

Fig.38: Moses taking the participants through the Sub-ICT syllabus Moses informed the participants that a number of factors were considered while developing the subsidiary ICT syllabus. He also mentioned that this syllabus was designed to address some of the pertinent issues in our society. So the following factors were considered while developing this syllabus: • • • •

The low level of ICT literacy in the country The high demand for ICT skills as a requirement for employment The unequal access to basic ICT training The need to reduce the digital divide

Moses took the participants through the syllabus features. He informed them that the subsidiary ICT syllabus is intended to empower learners with knowledge and skills to solve the day-to-day problems in the society using ICTs. Therefore, the subsidiary ICT teacher should note the following features in the syllabus: Duration: This gives the number of periods proposed for each topic. These are only to be used as a guide to enable the teacher cover the work adequately.

Learning outcomes: This is a statement that specifies what the learner should have known or be able to do upon successful completion of the topic Competences: These define a specific range of skills, knowledge, or ability the learner should have attained by the end of each topic. The teacher should use the competences to plan the teaching/learning strategies suitable for the lesson.

Competences also guide in evaluation at the end of the learning process.

113

Guidance to the Teacher: This is to guide a teacher prepare for lessons in a given topic. It spells out the areas of emphasis and tools to be used in a given topic.

Moses in particular noted that most subsidiary ICT teachers do not use or even don’t know the teaching/learning strategies the subsidiary ICT syllabus recommends. He informed the participants that the subsidiary ICT teaching syllabus is engineered towards developing practical skills amongst the learners. So, this requires that ICT teachers must use appropriate teaching methods to achieve this.

He then took the participants through the teaching/learning strategies the subsidiary ICT teaching syllabus recommends: Hands-on activities (practical sessions): The learners work in pairs or individually to develop skills or put into practice the acquired knowledge. A teacher must carefully design a range of activities that will clearly identify the purpose of the practical session.

Teacher guided research: This is an instructional technique where a teacher gives learners areas of research and as a result a learner finds out more information in the given areas.

Group discussions and peer presentations: This is a technique where the learners are into small manageable groups to share knowledge/findings. Each group should be given an opportunity to present their findings to the rest of the class under the teacher’s guidance.

Brainstorming: It is a technique used to gather ideas about a topic or learning areas contributed by the learners.

Device identification: This is an approach that requires the learner to identify and distinguish between devices Teacher exposition: It is an instructional technique where a teacher puts the topic into context for the learner to elicit his/her contribution. This approach is most appropriate when introducing a new a topic.

Use of simulation: This is the use of computer systems (programmes) to imitate the operation of a real-world process or system.

Collaboration: It is an approach that requires the learner to work with online groups in planning, collecting the required data and solving problems. For example, discussion groups and forums.

Moses informed the participants that although the syllabus has suggested teachinglearning approaches, they are not final. As a teacher, you can come up with other teaching strategies which can enable you cover the content described in this syllabus and bring out the desired learning outcome.

114

Moses informed the workshop participants that assessment in this syllabus is software independent. He noted that any hardware platform, operating system and application packages can be used for the examination, provided they have the capabilities to enable the learner fully demonstrate all the acquired skills and meet the assessment objectives of this syllabus.

He also informed them that the application software needed for this syllabus are word processors, spread sheets, electronic presentation, Database applications, Web browsers and electronic publishing. He noted that other operating systems other than windows can be used.

Moses shared with the participants the assessment of subsidiary ICT at A’level. He mentioned that it is done in two ways that is continuous assessment and summative assessment. He went ahead to explain to the participants both assessments.

Continuous assessment: This is a form of educational examination that evaluates a learner’s progress throughout a prescribed course. This assessment is carried out by the subject teacher within the provided teaching time. It can be done in form of practical sessions, tests, class activities, oral questions, opens quizzes and assignments.

Moses advised subsidiary ICT teachers that assessment for knowledge objectives be done at the end of each topic. However, practical skills can be assessed by giving a series of practical sessions relevant to the topics covered to develop the learner’s hands-on skills.

Summative assessment: This is the assessment given at the end of the year, term or unit as a measure of what students have learnt after instruction. In this assessment student’s level of achievement is ranked against a standard using standardized tests or examinations.

Moses informed the participants that for this syllabus, summative assessment is done at the end of two years of Advanced Level of Education. Two papers are used to assess the subject. These are subsidiary ICT paper one (21/2hours) and subsidiary ICT paper two (3hours).

Subsidiary ICT Paper 1 (S850/1) (2 ½ hours) This paper will be based on basic ICT concepts and their application areas. The paper will cover the entire syllabus with emphasis on application of ICT knowledge in a variety of fields (Social, Economic, Political, Environmental and Informational).

This will be a written paper made up of 20 equally weighted compulsory questions.

The questions shall be structured and semi-structured compulsory questions. All questions are to be answered in the spaces provided on the examination paper.

115

The paper will be based on the Table of Specifications below: Table of Specifications or Exam Blueprint Content Area

Known.

Introduction to computers

Comp. Appl.

1

Lab care, troubleshooting and maintenance File management

1

Analy. Total

1

2

1

1

1

2

Computer Hardware

1

1

Computer Software

1

1

1

3

1

2

3

Internet and World Wide Web Data Communication and Networking

1

Trends in Computing

1

1

1

2

1

Applications

2

Total Percentage

3

2 2

5

5

8

2

20

25%

25%

40%

10%

100%

Subsidiary ICT Paper 2 (S850/2) (3 hours) This will be a practical paper with five compulsory equally weighted questions each carrying 20 marks.

The will be drawn from the topics of word processing, electronic spreadsheets, electronic presentations, electronic publications and databases.

The paper will emphasize application of ICT skills in the topics mentioned. Where applicable, support files will be provided to supplement the set questions The paper will be based on the Table of Specifications below Table of Specifications Content Area

Know.

Comp.

Appl.

Analy. Total

Word Processing

20%

30%

35%

15%

116

100%

Electronic Spreadsheets

20%

30%

35%

15%

100%

Electronic Presentations

20%

30%

35%

15%

100%

Databases

20%

30%

35%

15%

100%

Electronic Publications

20%

30%

35%

15%

100%

You notice from the Table of Specifications that the paper will emphasize application of ICT skills. The teacher and the students need to cover all the five topics in the course of study placing the same emphasis on all the topics

117

Participants list No:

Name of Participant

School

Designation

District

Tel. Contact

Email

1

Khawanga Amis

Bushika SS

ICT Teacher

BUDUDA

0778096860

hamis@gmail.com

2

Wodonya James

Buluganya SS

ICT Teacher

0784243818

wodonjam@gmail.com

3

Byahaya George

Bukalikha SS

ICT Teacher

4

Gutaka Iddi

Mbale High Sch

ICT Teacher

0706439059

gussidd247@gmail.com

5

Kigere Janat Sarah

Nyondo Sec. Sc

ICT Teacher

0752336767

kigeresarah02@gmail.com

6

Kapsus Yeko Sam

Amanang SS

ICT Teacher

0774099061

kapsuss@gmail.com

7

Nyango Emmanuel

Mbale SS

ICT Teacher

0774578536

emnyango@yahoo.com

8

Nakayenze Jovia

Mbale SS

ICT Teacher

0700675519

nakayenzejovia@gmail.com

9

Ocen Samuel

Amugu SS

ICT Teacher

0757925994

10

Miyingo Moses

Kamonkoli College

ICT Teacher

0702203349

miyingojk@gmail.com

11

Bukare Robert Hayo

Katerema SS

ICT Teacher

0704507218

bukarerobert@gmail.com

12

Makoba Clement

Butiru CCSS

ICT Teacher

0782835544

cmakoba@gmail.com

13

Wopata Stephen

Shitumi SSS

ICT Teacher

0782661083

14

Shadrack Nambuha

Masinya SS

ICT Teacher

078568716

118

BUSIA

BUKWO

0785321757

snambuha16@gmail.com

15

Munhasa Kasimu

Buweswa SS

ICT Teacher

0775619406

mungasakasim@gmail.com

16

Magombe Kassim

Mbale SS

ICT Teacher

0776 199668

abdulkhaliqshjuaib@gmail.com

17

Mauso Ivan Rogers Munyole

Kimaluli H/S

ICT Teacher

MANAFWA

0782375283

mausoivanrm@gmail.com

18

Wanda Solomon

Masaba SS

ICT Teacher

SIRONKO

0776734940

solomonwanda2@gmail.com

19

Sukuku Timothy

Kapchorwa SS

ICT Teacher

0784460571

sukukusamtimothy@gmail.com

20

Namaswa Geofrey Kibet

Gamatui Girls

ICT Teacher

0789796556

namaswageofrey5@gmail.com

21

Cherop Edmond

Sebei College Tegeres

ICT Teacher

0772594683

cheropedmond01@gmail.com

22

Tenywa Andrew

Bukedi College Kachonga

ICT Teacher

0778575662

tenywahope307@gmail.com

23

Mbwali Brenda

Kibuku SS

ICT Teacher

0786679957

mbwalibrenda100@gmail.com

24

Maloni Rosemary

Bubulo SS

ICT Teacher

0782083206

maloni2013@gmail.com

26

Mwima Sula

Kagumu SS

ICT Teacher

0753595069

mwimasula@gmail.com

27

Nabushawo Brenda

Nabumali SS

ICT Teacher

0704095387

brendanabushawo@gmail.com

28

Mulekwa Ramanzani

Nkoma SS

ICT Teacher

0704048272

mulekwa2000@gmail.com

29

Lukale Ahmed

Mulatsi SS

ICT Teacher

0787202021

luxahamada@gmail.com

30

Wasagali Beth

Nkoma SS

ICT Teacher

0775387551

wesagali2000@gmail.com

119

KAPCHORW A

MBALE

MBALE

31

Wanzunula Martin Bedha

Buluganya SS

ICT Teacher

BULAMBULI 0756600154

martin.bedha@gmail.com

32

Kakomo Sumaya

Hamdan Girls H/S

ICT Teacher

MBALE

0778403630

sumayamutesi10@gmail.com

33

Kitali Moses Mweru

Buseta SS

ICT Teacher

KIBUKU

0782243988

mkitalimweru@gmail.com

34

Oloka Jude

Busolwe SS

ICT Teacher

0752660256

judeoloka@gmail.com

35

Bwayo Benard

Bududa SS

ICT Teacher

0782209705

benbwayoorg@gmail.com

36

Irigei Martin Okia

St. Peters College Tororo

ICT Teacher

0775171331

geitinz@gmail.com

37

Bbe George William

Rubongi SS

ICT Teacher

TORORO

0772326827

bbewilliam1961@gmail.com

38

Awio Faraday Christ

Rubongi Army SS

ICT Teacher

TORORO

0772000145

cfaraday8@gmail.com

39

Kadiba Emmanuel

Tororo Girls Sch

ICT Teacher

0789692068

kadibaemmanuel@gmail.com

40

Epenyu Jorem

Rubongi Army SS

ICT Teacher

TORORO

0778014568

jeromeepenyu@gmail.com

41

Kipsang Rogers

Rubongi SS

ICT Teacher

TORORO

0772468986

kipsangroger74@gmail.com

42

Kiyimba Adam

Mbale SS

ICT Teacher

0702694525

akiyimba@gmail.com

43

Natoli Robert

Tunyi Girls SS

ICT Teacher

0751138393

natolirobert2013@gmail.com

44

Mbubu Abdallah

Nandere SS

ICT Teacher

0779346813

mbubuaspel@gmail.com

45

Bakhulindire Robert

Musese SS

ICT Teacher

0772932711

rbakhulindire@live.com

46

Mateka Joseph

Musese SS

ICT Teacher

0775718772

trmatekajose@gmail.com

120

47

Okaali John

St. Peters College, Tororo

ICT Teacher

0782339758

okaali.john@gmail.com

48

Sirikye Samuel

Busano SS

ICT Teacher

0776663996

sirikyesamuel@gmail.com

49

Bokino Yusufu

Nakaloke SS

ICT Teacher

0702165138

bokino.yusufu@yahoo.com

50

Wandera Nehole Peter

Nabumali H. S

ICT Teacher

0778198817

wandpetson@gmail.com

51

Sserunyonyi Abdallah

Nakaloke SS

ICT Teacher

0753894470

ssigo@gmail.com

52

Kagere Umar Daniel

Rock H/S

ICT Teacher

0758713115

kagered@hotmail.com

53

Nakhaima Thomas

Manjasi H/S

ICT Teacher

0772449243

nakhaimatom@yahoo.com

54

Abbo Suzan

Rock High School

ICT Teacher

0704763301

abbofunkke23@gmail.com

55

Hajusu Ivan

Tororo Girls Sch

ICT Teacher

0773157961

ivanhajusu@gmail.com

56

Ilukor Gershom

Asinge SS

ICT Teacher

0779800588

olajwailukor@gmail.com

57

Wokowu Peter

Mbale SS

ICT Teacher

0704047007

58

Wambi Aron

Mbale SS

ICT Teacher

0772303694

aronwam@gmail.com

59

Wepukulu Rashid

Nabbongo SS

ICT Teacher

0776037299

wepukulu9@gmail.com

60

Mugeni Emmanuel

Nabiswa SS

ICT Teacher

0774945232

mugeniemmanuel680@gmail.com

61

Wosukira Charles

Buginyanya Comp SS

ICT Teacher

0759196078

wosukila.c@gmail.com

121

KIBUKU

62

Were Abbasa

Tunyi Girls

ICT Teacher

63

Wambette Musa

Bukalasi SS

ICT Teacher

BUDUDA

0782759574

wambettemusa@yahoo.com

64

Chemutai Scovia

Kapkwata SS

ICT Teacher

KWEEN

0779386314

chemutaiscovia2@gmail.com

65

Nakasinga Zulufa

Hamdan Girls

ICT Teacher

0787201513

nakazulu@gmail.com

66

Emolot Benard

Asinge SS

ICT Teacher

0784448873

emolotbenard9@gmail.com

67

Okoth Johnson Yokoyadi

Dabani Girls

ICT Teacher

0773074519

okothjohnson@gmail.com

68

Ogwang Osborn Mark

Comboni College

ICT Teacher

69

Oluk Bruno

St. Thereza SS

ICT Teacher

0704231776

olukbrun@gmail.com

70

Nangobi Esther

Nyondo SS

ICT Teacher

0759367792

nangobiesther@gmail.com

71

Kageni Benard

Kaderuna SS

ICT Teacher

0705042327

kagenibenard@gmail.com

72

Nabukoli Faith

Mbale SS

ICT Teacher

0753532092

73

Gaboi Nicholas Barasa

Tunyi Girls SS

ICT Teacher

0752943428

75

Namukowa Isaac

Butiru Xtian Comp SS

ICT Teacher

0785694409

76

Masayi Geofrey

Dabani Girls

ICT Teacher

0782364399

77

Hiisa Awali

Iki-Iki SS

ICT Teacher

0700824412

hiisaawali@gmail.com

78

Ekidipat Nelson Edwin

Manjasi H/S

ICT Teacher

0701278224

nekidipat@yahoo.com

122

0752397020

osbmark1407@gmail.com

79

Okware Stephen

Atiri SS

ICT Teacher

0773460058

80

Awori Sarah

Merikit SS

ICT Teacher

0774241060

81

Busiku Dick

Busiu SS

ICT Teacher

0788611450

82

Ochieng Emmanuel

Atiri SS

ICT Teacher

0704539830

83

Nakasala Nick Bigala

Bududa SS

ICT Teacher

0782485675

nickbigala5@gmail.com

84

Khaukha Apollo Wanzala

Bubulo Girls H/s

ICT Teacher

0782613289

awkauka@gmail.com

85

Wanzala Peter

Bugobero H/S

ICT Teacher

0784676670

wanzalap09@gmail.com

86

Kwaga Rashida

Mbale SS

ICT Teacher

0750945191

kwagarashida@gmail.com

87

Kisenge Rogers

Bubulo Girls H/S

ICT Teacher

0781275927

rogkisenge@gmail.com

88

Kutosi Joseph

St. Mary’s SS

ICT Teacher

0785599319

josephkutosi@mail.com

89

Tibita Lenard

Bukalikha SS

ICT Teacher

0789336792

lenardtibita@gmail.com

90

Nadunga Annet Sylivia

Mbale SS

ICT Teacher

0777484409

nasylivia@gmail.com

91

Khaitsa Sarah Khaukha

Mbale SS

ICT Teacher

0784973322

khaitsas@gmail.com

92

Matsambala Rogers

Masaba SS

ICT Teacher

0700078246

93

Gibugonyi Benard

Budadiri Girls SS

ICT Teacher

94

Logose Aidah

Merikit SS

ICT Teacher

123

BUSIA

SIRONKO

aworis@yahoo.com

0788015579 0786644407

aidahlogose@gmail.com

95

Okello Fred

Mbale SS

ICT Teacher

0759314101

96

Wodudu Ivan

St. Paul's College Mbale

ICT Teacher

0781224472

woduivan22@gmail.com

97

Mukisa Andrew

Hill view college Bulangira

ICT Teacher

0754059033

mukisaandy@gmail.com

98

Wakasamba Ibrahim

Mbale SS

ICT Teacher

0779973878

99

Oketch Benard

Kisoko High Sch

ICT Teacher

0702278808

benardok64@gmail.com

100

Muyama Barbra

Busano SS

ICT Teacher

0787491043

muyamababra1@gmail.com

101

Obuku Denis

Kotido SS

ICT Teacher

0775248595

diznden@gmail.com

102

Masaba Charles

Unilink H/S

ICT Teacher

MBALE

0788271201

masabacharlesn@gmail.com

103

Namulinda Hellen

Unilink H/S

ICT Teacher

MBALE

0704145629

104

Sirikye Samuel

Busano SS

ICT Teacher

0776663996

sirikyesamuel@gmail.com

105

Bokino Yusufu

Nakaloke SS

ICT Teacher

0702165138

bokino.yusufu@yahoo.com

106

Wandera Nehole Peter

Nabumali H. S

ICT Teacher

0778198817

wandpetson@gmail.com

107

Sserunyonyi Abdallah

Nakaloke SS

ICT Teacher

0753894470

ssigo@gmail.com

108

Sirikye Samuel

Busano SS

ICT Teacher

0776663996

sirikyesamuel@gmail.com

124

KIBUKU

MBALE