Marion Preparatory School DEC Prize Giving

eKitabu team comprising  Michael Ngeno, Senior Program Manager, Mercy Musyoki, Marketing Manager and Allan Onyango, Finance Manager went to Thika Road Christian  School.

The team presented a laptop to Sharon Valentine for being 3rd Runner Up in the Primary English Category in the DEC 2015.

                                                        Sharon Valentine receives a laptop from Allan Onyango

                                                                                                     Michael Ngeno addresses teachers and students

                                                        Excited students with one of their teachers

                                                         Happy Students

Thika Road Christian School DEC Prize Giving

eKitabu team comprising  Michael Ngeno, Senior Program Manager, Mercy Musyoki, Marketing Manager went to Thika Road Christian  School.

The team presented a laptop and a Kshs 10, 000 school fees voucher to Linda Nyawira for being 1st Runner Up in the Primary English Category in the DEC 2015.

                                                             Linda Nyawira with her HeadMistress receive a Kshs 25,000 School fees voucher from Mercy Musyoki and Michael Ngeno

                                                        Excited children

                                                        Happy Children

                                                        The Children could not hide their joy

                                                         Children in their classroom

Mbagathi Road Primary School DEC Prize Giving

eKitabu team comprising  Michael Ngeno, Senior Program Manager, Mercy Musyoki, Marketing Manager and Mercy Kirui, Publishing Account Manager went to Mbagathi Road Primary School.

The team presented a laptop and a Kshs 10, 000 school fees voucher to Sarah Mochama for being 2nd Runner Up. Another student, Awak Ibrahim was also presented with a laptop for being 3rd Runner Up. Both students excelled in the Primary English Category  in the DEC 2015.

                                                         Michael and the Principal address students and teachers

                                                        Michael gives Sarah Mochama a laptop

                                                        Sarah Mochama together with her HeadMistress and teacher receive the Kshs 10,000 school fees voucher from Michael and Mercy Kirui

                                                         Awak Ibrahim receives a laptop from Michael and Mercy Kirui

                                                        Michael hands the HeadMistress a gift hamper

Precious Blood Riruta DEC Prize Giving

eKitabu team comprising Will Clurman, eKitabu CEO, Michael Ngeno, Senior Program Manager, Mercy Musyoki, Marketing Manager and Linda Kokwaro, Beta Program Manager went to Precious Blood Riruta.

The team presented a laptop and a Kshs 25, 000 school fees voucher to Nyaragi Gekonge for being 1st Runner Up in the English Secondary Category in the DEC 2015.

The team also motivated the other students to participate in the DEC 2016 so as to win themselves fabulous prizes.

                                                        Will Clurman hands Nyaragi Gekonge a laptop

                                                        Nyaragi Gekonge shows off her laptop prize

                                                         Will Clurman hands Nyaragi Gekonge a Kshs 25,000 school fees voucher

                                                         Michael Ngeno gives the Principal a gift hamper

                                                         One of the teachers gets a branded eKitabu tshirt

                                                         Michael gives one of the students a branded eKitabu tshirt

 

St Mary’s Lwak eBooks Installation Journey

                                                    St Mary’s Lwak students learning how to read using ebooks

eKitabu started the year 2016 on a high note when the eKitabu team travelled to Bondo.  The area is not as scenic as Rift Valley however; it’s hot and beatific in a very earthy kind of way. As you drive, huts made of mud with grass-thatched roofing, people burning charcoal or shoveling sand or women drying millet and sorghum outside their huts run back alongside the road. It is a tableau that totally relaxes you, opens you to a world of stoic, pride, and endurance.

If you happen to drive to Lake Victoria, which you should by the way, you will see how it shimmers and shines when the sun rays hits the water. You will be perplexed how such a place, full of fishermen trading their wares from the lake on canoes, women trotting with baskets on their heads full of fish while a pungent stream of air gushes into your nostrils, can stir so much emotions in you.

                         Splendid Lake Victoria

St Mary’s Girls High School, Lwak came calling in our eKitabu offices. They wanted to join the digital revolution and have ebooks installed in their computer lab which consisted of 40 computers. Far and wide they had searched and finally found eKitabu to be their preferred content distribution partner- hence the journey of the team to the land of the world’s largest tropical lake. The journey from Nairobi to Bondo took us around seven hours. It was an exciting journey for our team, which comprised of Michael Ngeno (Senior Program Manager), Mercy Musyoki (Marketing Manager) and Mercy Kirui (Publishing Account Manager).

                                          Mercy Kirui, Mr Steve (ICT Head St Mary’s Lwak), Sister Annastasia (Principal St Mary’s Lwak), Will Clurman (eKitabu CEO) and Mercy Musyoki in eKitabu offices(from Left)

On the way to St Mary’s Lwak, the eKitabu team made a stop-over at the Jaramongi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, where we met the University Librarian, to make introductions about eKitabu services. We had a warm welcome, a hearty conversation and they had a great interest to work with us.

                                                The front of the university

The journey then continued the next day to St Mary’s Lwak.  We arrived at St Mary’s Lwak to meet an excited crowd, from the Principal, Sister Annastasia, to the teachers and the students. Our presence signifies a new beginning in to digital age. An age where dreams came true, at a click of a button. Where books seem to talk to you in a splendid kind of way, that makes you wonder. Wonder how and why this technology never came to you earlier than that moment.

The team gets to work immediately and installs the ebooks in the 40 computers amid an eagerly waiting crowd outside. The school is in a state of excitement galore. They cannot wait to start teaching and learning the digital way.

After a couple of hours, the eKitabu team is done with installation, they call in the Principal and the teachers for training. Their faces beam with excitement and there is a pregnant expectation to learn. They are amazed how easy and fast it is to use ebooks for teaching. They wonder through the different ebooks installed in the elibrary. They wonder how so many book titles can be held in one device saving a lot of space and money. They can zoom in and out to get a comfortable font size for their eyes. They can bookmark a book and when they open it again, they are taken to the exact page they left it at. They were amazed to say the least.

                                        Teachers being trained in the computer lab

The next crowd in the computer lab, were student representatives from each class. Amid their training, their awe was written all over their faces. Most swore never to touch a hard copy book again. Learning the digital way was simply interesting and they now enjoyed reading more.

                                        Students being trained in the computer lab

After the training, the team ended the visit in the hall where the whole school had gathered. There was unified celebrations because they finally joined the “Digital Leaders Schools” in Kenya and Africa. They had joined the global village and they now had global competitiveness. They were confident that their performance would improve as learning was now fun, easier, and interactive. Thank you St Mary’s Lwak, it was a pleasure working with you.

                                          Micheal presenting a gift to Sister Annastasia while Mercy Kirui is on the mic

                                          Teachers and students gathering in the hall

TECHNOLOGY AS A TOOL FOR EDUCATION

By Jane Nungari Gichuho

Technology is a tool that can change the nature of learning.

First and foremost, educators want students to learn. It is certainly not enough to tell educators that they need to use the laptops and tablets that have invaded their schools simply because they are expensive or because students need to know how to use the latest gadget.

If it’s clear that technological tools will help them achieve that goal, educators will use those tools.

The real world is not broken down into discrete academic disciplines. I’ve heard a number of teachers say that they would like to be able to change the way they teach — to find ways to implement project-based, multidisciplinary lessons.

Let’s think about how that might happen when technology is used to support learning.

Technology lends itself to exploration. But before technology can be used effectively, exploration must be valued as important to both teaching and learning.

In a technology-rich classroom, students might search the Web for information, analyze river water, chart the results, and record what they’ve learned on the computer.

In such an environment, acquiring content changes from a static process to one of defining goals the learners wish to pursue. Students are active, rather than passive — producing knowledge and presenting that knowledge in a variety of formats.

In such an environment, educators can encourage a diversity of outcomes rather than insisting on one right answer. They can evaluate learning in multiple ways, instead of relying predominately on traditional paper and pencil tests.

And perhaps most importantly, teachers and students can move from pursuing individual efforts to being part of learning teams, which may include students from all over the world.

Of course, active learning is rarely a clean, neat process. Students engaged in such a process can create busy, noisy, and messy classrooms. It’s important to recognize that this kind of learning takes practice — for both the teacher and the students.

Activities and learning environments must be carefully guided and structured so learners are fully engaged in their learning. Students must learn that exploration doesn’t mean just running around doing what they want and ending up who knows where.

Educators must recognize that if students are investigating and asking questions, writing about what they’re learning, and doing those things in an authentic context, then they are learning to read and write and think.

In a technology-rich classroom, students don’t “learn” technology. Technology merely provides the tools to be used for authentic learning. It is a means, not an end.

Technology provides educators with the opportunity to move from simply streamlining the way things have always been done to really imagining things they would like to do.

What a wonderful opportunity!

2015 DEC Prize Giving

Kiswahili Category Winners with Will, Hezekiel(SwahiliHub who sponsored the prize laptops) Michael and Mercy

The 2015 Digital Essay Competition is on the third year running organised by eKitabu.  The essay competition in the 47 counties and it part of eKitabu’s mission to advance digital education to allow students create their own digital content.

The digital contest is open to all students in all public and private schools across Kenya. This year’s theme was an open letter to the Head of State; Dear Mr President,….. My life as a Digital Learner.

Over 2,100 entries were made with 112 new schools,  65% up from 2014. Primary Schools that participated this year were 71 and Secondary Schools were 101, hereby making a total of 172 schools.

Among the 60 Finalists this year,  43 were female students and  17 were male students.

Among the 16 Winners this year,  12 were female students and  4 male students.

NAME	SCHOOL	COUNTY	AWARD
Primary English Category
Zamzam Suleiman	Little Angels Primary	Isiolo	Grand Prize Winner
Linda Nyawira	Thika Road Christian School	Nairobi	1st Runner-Up
Sarah Mochama	Mbagathi Road Primary	Nairobi	2nd Runner-Up
Awak Ibahim	Mbagathi Road Primary	Nairobi	3rd Runner-Up
Sharon Valentine	Marion Preparatory School	Nairobi	3rd Runner-Up
Primary Kiswahili Category
Makena Marlene Gacheri	Loreto Convent Valley Road Primary School	Nairobi	Grand Prize Winner
Eileen Chepng’eno	Kericho Primary School	Kericho	1st Runner-Up
Darvyne Wakarind	Tetu Girls Primary	Nyeri	2nd Runner-Up
Secondary English Category
Velvin Chebet Samkul	Moi Girls High School	Uasin Gishu	Grand Prize Winner
Nyaragi Gekonge	Precious Blood  – Riruta	Nairobi	1st Runner-Up
Onyango Samwel Opiyo	Maranda High School	Siaya	2nd Runner-Up
Laurie Osebe	Moi Girls Eldoret	Uasin Gishu	3rd Runner-Up
Charles Onyango Opiyo	Maranda High School	Siaya	3rd Runner-Up
Secondary Kiswahili Category
Wafula Nasipondi Sharon	Hill School Eldoret	Uasin Gishu	Grand Prize Winner
Nyagaka Sandra Bonareri	Moi Girls Eldoret	Uasin Gishu	1st Runner-Up
Anderson Kithi	Malindi High School	Kilifi	2nd Runner-Up

ZamZam receiving a certificate and prizes from Niccole of Field Masham.

English category Winners with Will, Michael and David (KPA Chairman)

 

The future of education is digital-based….This is why.

Digital education is the use of desktops, laptops or tablets and e-books for learning coupled with / without the use of internet. The e-books can either be online -based where you have to be connected to the internet to access and read them.

E-books can also be off-line based, that is downloaded from a host website (you need internet to access them) however you read them offline on your devices. There are also offline e-books that are loaded on a flash drive or on a memory stick and the e-books loaded on the desktop, laptop or tablet.

Digital education provide self-paced instruction, allow students to instantly review course material, provide the option to review lessons as often as necessary, and gives students the opportunity to explore related topics to provide a broader knowledge base.

But digital learning also helps teachers. They can assign online lectures specifically tailored to support and augment in-class teaching on specific subject matter. Online testing and problem review provide teachers with instantaneous assessment and diagnostics.

Teachers can identify student strengths and adjust their education plans, and they can detect student weaknesses where additional work and remediation is needed.

Failing students sometimes just need more time and repeated attempts to overcome a particular hurdle holding them back from fully grasping a concept. Digital diagnostics help teachers identify those hurdles.

In flipped classrooms, students’ homework assignments are viewing the lectures, and classroom work is solving problems (if necessary, with the help of teachers and peers) and critical, evidence-based writing. This is far from the traditional classroom model.

But if the use of technology is to have differential impact, technology must be made integral to teaching, not supplemental to teaching. Past attempts to integrate new technologies have been half-hearted, at best. Embracing technological change is no longer optional, it is essential.

Human capital development through education must be enhanced. After all, almost 50 percent of our nation’s GDP is in labour costs. At the same time, our students are slipping.

The education industry, which is supposed to prepare us for the future, has been among the slowest to adopt technological change. That has to change.