Penina Wanyonyi
Teacher, Educator and Mentor, Teachers' Service Commission and Echo Network Africa
Bold Question : What if we use technology to make learning more engaging?
Path to Metis: A 12 year old girl joined a secondary school in a marginalized region from a local primary school.
Over her first holiday, her uncle visited their home with a mobile phone.
She looked and looked at it, not being allowed to touch it since her parents wouldn’t be able to afford to replace it in case of any damages.
She went back to school and couldn’t stop speaking about the amazing garget. Her friend suggested that the device worked in a similar manner to a computer.
A computer! That stuck in the girl’s head…..
Form 2 she is the assistant school head girl, form 3 and 4 she is the school head girl at 16! Past form 4 and this girl looks for manual jobs…. Her parents can’t afford it! A computer!... she needs to find it, she needs to touch it…… A few coins gathered and the girl joins a local college offering computer packages…. 1 computer was all that was there. But she is beyond herself with joy…. She found the Computer and this time round, she could touch it!
Fast forward, she is past teachers college and the young lady is employed by the government at 22… within the first year, she helps the school secretary produce report cards using the only computer in school. Second year at work and she is the assistant Dean of Students and on the third year she is the Dean of Students.
She can make the school timetable effortlessly using the computer, she can analyze both internal and external results using the computer, she can use both the MOE, KNEC and KUCCPS portals to assist all the learners. She can do what others cannot do. She is an asset!
So she analyzes results for the DEO. For the whole District and Alas… she is appointed as the ICT champion, to supervise the MOE 2010 Economic Stimulus Project. She trains all teachers from 6 schools how to integrate ICT in teaching and learning and the utilization of the 21st century skills.
She did a good job! When I CHOOSE LIFE AFRICA requested for a teacher coach to assist them in enforcing ICT integration in schools, the county director didn’t blink an eye, she was immediately seconded to the organization as a teacher coach.
Together with her normal duties as a teacher and he DOS, she managed to coach teachers from 4 intervention schools. She transferred to a new station and guess what? She was appointed as the assistant dean of students, together with a team of other 4 teachers they have acquired 4 raspberry pie computers, 3 laptops and 3 smart projectors through donation from the UK with internet in box!
Girls who code club is her next initiative……
That is Penina M. Wanyonyi.
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