Computer Lab Manager Training Course
Zambia Pacific Trust
Module 3: Instruction, Facilitating IT Use and IT in Education
Summary
This module covers a diverse range of topics that all relate to how a computer lab manager shares
knowledge and encourages others to use IT to help improve their lives. The online instruction in this
course focuses helping the manager gain familiarity with IT curricula, course design, and how IT can be
useful in educational or community pursuits. A special emphasis is placed on computers as a learning
tool. The workshop session involves practice sessions in IT instruction (including design, delivery and
evaluation of lessons prepared by participants) and educational use of IT. It also includes discussions
of the leadership roles that the computer manager can play to encourage IT use in his or her
community.
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Module 3: Instruction, Facilitating IT Use and IT in Education
Resource Book
Author: Heidi Neff, Consultant to Zambia Pacific Trust, heidihneff@gmail.com
First Edition – May 2010
More information about Heidi Neff and Zambia Pacific Trust is found at the end of this module.
Acknowledgements
The Computer Lab Manager Training Course resource books were made possible due to the efforts and
encouragement provided by a variety of people around the world. Special thanks are due to two
pioneering organizations working on computers in education in Zambia who provided advice and
materials: Computers for Zambian Schools and Crescent Future Kids. Three international
development aid organizations: Camara, VVOB and IICD, also deserve special recognition for their
contributions to this document and the efforts they are making to use ICT as a tool for development
and education in Zambia and elsewhere. Many individuals also contributed their time, expertise and
advice to the crafting of this module. Key among them are Bornwell Mwewa and Melinda Mueller. In
addition, none of Zambia Pacific Trust’s work toward improving computer education at schools in
Lusaka, Zambia would have been possible without the support, advice and equipment provided by
Seattle Academy in Seattle, Washington, USA.
Licensing
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United
States License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-ncsa/3.0/us/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco,
California, 94105, USA.
Zambia Pacific Trust welcomes and encourages organizations to use any of the modules of the
Computer Lab Manager Training Course in a manner they deem appropriate, excluding making a profit
from the sale or distribution of the material. Organizations are welcome to use portions of these
modules in other documents, but they should attribute the material that is used to Zambia Pacific
Trust. Zambia Pacific Trust also appreciates knowing who is benefiting from this material, and requests
that individuals and organizations please email Bornwell Mwewa (bornwellmwewa@gmail.com), Heidi
Neff (heidi.h.neff@gmail.com) and Zambia Pacific Trust (info@zptrust.org) and describe how the
material is being used.
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Module 3 Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1.
Introduction to the Computer Lab Manager Training Course
1.2.
Introduction to Module 3
2. Basic IT Teaching Skills and Teaching Methodology
2.1.
Choosing or Developing an Appropriate Curriculum
2.2.
Different Styles of Instruction
2.3.
Planning, Organizing and Preparing for a Lesson
2.4.
Facilitation of Hands on Learning
2.5.
Designing and Using Learning Assessments
2.6.
Keeping Abreast of Changing Technology
2.7.
Teaching Touch Typing
2.8.
Assignments/Activities
3. Working with Learners
3.1.
Challenging Learners
3.2.
Organizing and Leading Special Training Sessions
3.3.
Receiving and Using Feedback From Learners
3.4.
Assignments/Activities
4. Computers as a Learning Tool
4.1.
The Computer Manager as an “IT Champion”
4.2.
Using ICT to Help Facilitate Instruction and Learning
4.3.
Using the Internet as a Learning Resource
4.4.
Introduction to Web 2.0
4.5.
Assignments/Activities
5. Facilitating IT Use in the Community
5.1.
Importance of Community Involvement
5.2.
Making the Computers Beneficial for the Local Community
5.3.
Assignments/Activities
6. Overall Assignments/Activities
7. List of Web Resources
8. Bibliography
Module 3 Text
1. Introduction
1.1. Introduction to the Computer Lab Manager Training Course
The Computer Lab Manager Training Course was developed by Zambia Pacific Trust in
collaboration with a variety of organizations working on IT related development projects in
Zambia. While these projects are in several different sectors (health, education, agriculture and
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community), all of the organizations recognized the need to increase the number of people
who have training in computers past the standard level of a computer user. A particular need
that was identified was for individuals who could maintain dynamic and well functioning
computer labs and other centers for IT use within a particular project. Therefore, a multifaceted training course was developed to meet these needs including both the “hard skills” of
computer maintenance, repair, and networking and the “soft skills” of management,
leadership, communication and instruction. Readers may find more emphasis shown on
educational projects, since that is the area of Zambia Pacific Trust’s experience. However, most
topics discussed apply equally well in the other sectors where IT is used.
The resource books for these modules are designed to be used as a part of an
instructor-led four module course, with each course including both a distance (online)
instruction component and a one week face-to-face workshop. This resource book is written to
accompany the third of the four modules listed below.
Module 1: Computer Maintenance, Troubleshooting and Repair
Module 2: Management and Leadership
Module 3: Instruction, Facilitating IT Use and IT in Education
Module 4: Networking, Communication and Web 2.0
The target audience for this training course is adult learners who already have
intermediate computer user skills and significant experience using computers. Ideally,
participants are already employed as computer lab managers, computer project coordinators or
Internet café managers. While the course is tailored to those working in educational or
community organizations, the course is still valuable for those working in a similar capacity in
the private sector.
These learning materials are also valuable for people who are not involved in a formal
course, but instead are studying independently to become computer lab managers or improve
their skills as computer lab managers. Learners who are using these materials for self study are
encouraged to make the training as hands-on as possible, performing as many of the
assignments and activities as they can practically achieve.
In addition all learners, whether using these materials for self-study or as a part of a
formal course, would benefit from continuing to develop their own skills in three important
areas that are not included in this course: Touch Typing, English Reading and Writing, and
Computer User Skills. Suggested resources for self study in these areas are presented in section
1.3 of the Module 1 resource book.
Table of Contents
1.2. Introduction to Module 3
Whether or not a computer lab manager is running a lab that is a part of an educational
project, the computer lab manager is likely to find that he or she becomes involved in the
education of computer lab users. In many developing countries the presence of computers is
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gradually increasing, but many people have not had long experience with computer use. When
these individuals come to a computer lab, they are likely to need assistance both in learning
how to use a computer and in learning how to make the computer a useful tool for their
education or work. The educational assistance that a computer lab manager can offer falls into
three main categories, described below:
IT Instruction. This is the most obvious of the three categories, and is covered first in
this module. All computer lab users need to be taught basic computer skill (as discussed in
section 2.1.3) in order to help them have fruitful experiences in the computer lab. The
computer lab manager will then need to decide what additional computer skills to offer,
depending on local needs and opportunities.
Facilitating IT Use. Once computer lab users have attained the most basic skill level, it is
helpful if the computer lab manager assists the users in figuring out what they can do with their
new skills. A computer is a practical tool with many applications, and the computer lab
manager can help the lab users see what some of these applications are and help them get
started in their use.
IT in Education. Computer lab managers are likely to encounter lab users who are
studying various subjects at either vocational or academic institutions. Computers are a
powerful educational tool for all learners from the primary school to university levels. A
valuable role for a computer lab manager to play, whether or not their lab is a part of an
educational institution, is to help the learners and instructors that pass through their lab learn
how to make the computer a valuable and appropriate tool for their education efforts.
Table of Contents
2. Basic IT Teaching Skills and Teaching Methodology
Most computer lab managers have come into their positions because they have had
training or shown interest in computer use. These lab managers may not have had any training
in teaching IT skills, but yet they are likely to be put into a position to teach IT skills at some
point. This instruction could occur through organized classes or informally providing training as
it is needed by lab users. Most of the advice below is directed towards those who are planning
and delivering formal IT instruction, but that does not mean this information is not useful for
those (such as Internet café managers) who would only be providing informal instruction. The
guiding principles in particular are relevant for all methods of IT instruction.
2.1. Choosing or Developing an Appropriate Curriculum
2.1.1. Don’t Reinvent the Wheel!
Imagine that a lab manager has just been asked to start an IT training program at a
community project. One of the earlier steps in this process will be for the lab manger to
determine what curriculum and learning materials to use. This could be quite a challenge for
the lab manager who learned his or her IT skills informally, or through a part of a much larger
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training program that is not
appropriate as a basic
introductory course. The lab
manager might be tempted to
write his or her own curriculum
“from scratch”, or develop a
curriculum gradually while
delivering instruction. While it is
valuable to customize a
curriculum for local needs, a lab
manager shouldn’t need to start
from the beginning and “reinvent
the wheel”. There are plenty of
other people offering basic IT
instruction around the world who
can (and do) share their ideas.
There are good resources
available on the Internet as a
starting point for any training
program. See the tip box here for
more advice.
2.1.2. Guiding Principles
As a computer lab
manager is developing or adapting
a curriculum to fit local needs,
there are some guiding principles
below that he or she would
benefit from using. These are
valuable regardless of the age of
the learners or the type of training
situation.
Tips for Finding Curriculum Resources:
1. Learn from similar projects in your area. Network
with other lab managers you know and ask them to
share their resources
2. Check with relevant government agencies
(Vocational training agencies or ministries of
education or communication). Have they
developed any relevant curricula?
3. Investigate the International Computers Driving
License (ICDL). This qualification is too advanced
for new learners, but is a good ultimate target for
many computer users. The ICDL curriculum will
provide some good examples of skills to include in a
training course. See the website: www.ecdl.com
4. Look for basic IT user skills training information and
curricula online. Internet searches will result in
many options. Good search terms for this are: IT,
ICT, computer, user, basic, training, curriculum and
skills. Remember to try different word
combinations if you aren’t successful at first.
5. If your bandwidth is sufficient, investigate free
online IT training courses such as those available
from Alison (www.alison.com) and the Goodwill
Community Foundation (www.gcflearnfree.org).
6. Investigate training materials available for
community projects through iTrain Online
(www.itrainonline.org) and the Telecentre.org
Academy (www.telecentreacademy.org)
Guiding Principle #1: Skills over Knowledge. A computer user does not need to be an
expert in the internal workings of a computer in order to be a successful computer user. In fact,
unless the students are preparing to study computer science at the college or university level,
they need to know very little about how a computer works in order to make it a useful tool for
learning or career improvement. Any curriculum that has a large amount of theory included
(particularly at the beginning of the course before any hand-on practice occurs) should be
revised to put greater emphasis on what is practical and useful for the target audience.
Guiding Principle #2: Hands on Learning. Many computer tasks are learned more easily
and thoroughly through actual experience. Using a computer is a process that involves both
thought and action, so it makes sense that learning to use a computer works best when both
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thought and action are involved. Most computer users have probably had the experience of
being told how to perform a certain task only to forget the steps quickly, or not understand
them in the first place. When the users have a chance to perform the steps themselves, and
(even better) have a chance to practice the steps multiple times, they are more likely to
remember the actions needed. With sufficient practice, some computer tasks, such as touch
typing (see more in section 2.7), will become automatic actions that do not require any
conscious thought process. Therefore, the computer lab manager should make sure to include
many opportunities for hands on learning and practice in their curriculum. Some computer skill
topics do not even need to begin with a lecture, but can begin with students trying out the
steps to perform a certain action.
Guiding Principle #3: Immediate and Upcoming Benefit. The computer is an amazing
tool for helping improve productivity in the business, development and educational worlds. If
possible, learners should become aware of this by making use of the computers to improve
their own lives. Therefore the computer lab manager should consider teaching skills and using
practice examples that are relevant for the learners either immediately or in the near future.
Topics that are not going to be of much value to the learners should be avoided or given a
lower priority. Below are some examples of computer skills that benefit a specific target
audience.
 A group of primary pupils are learning how to write in complete sentences. They
therefore have touch typing lessons that include how to use capital letters and periods
(full stops). When they are practicing with word processor, they type in their practice
sentences and are taught how to use the spell and grammar checkers.
 A group of community learners is preparing for careers as small scale entrepreneurs.
When they are learning how to search the Internet, their example searches focus on
micro finance and cottage industries. When learning spreadsheets, they practice with
relevant budget, income and expenditures for a small business.
 A group of high school pupils is learning about graphing in their mathematics class.
Therefore in their computer lessons they are also taught how to make different types of
graphs using a spreadsheet program.
 A rural community computer center serves many agricultural workers. They are taught
how to research on the Internet about recommended maize varieties for their area.
 Students at a teacher training college have been learning about the importance of visual
aids in learning. In their computer skills classes, they are taught how to use presentation
software to make visual aids for lessons in their subject.
Readers will notice that three of the examples above show IT instruction being
connected to the topics that pupils or students are learning in their academic subjects. In some
educational institutions where computers are readily available and the teachers and lecturers
are well trained in computer use, the entire IT education program for the institution is set up so
that computer skills are learned through academic subjects and not as a separate course. This
integrative approach does a great job of helping learners, even from an early age, to
incorporate computers as a useful tool for their educational and vocational pursuits. The Intel
Corporation is one organization that is putting significant effort into developing school
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programs that follow this model. To learn more about their efforts see the website:
http://www.intel.com/education/teach/. In addition, section 4 of this module covers a variety
of ways that computers can be used as a tool for education. Incorporating some of these
methods and resources into the academic curriculum is a good way for an institution to start
down the path towards a fully integrated IT program.
2.1.3. What are the Basics?
While it is certainly hoped that a computer lab manager won’t “reinvent the wheel” (as
discussed in section 2.1.1) and will let local needs guide curriculum development (as discussed
in section 2.1.2), there may still be some lab managers who would like guidance on what basic
topics to cover in their curriculum. Therefore, there is a list below of the topics and skills that
this author considers to be the most fundamental.










A brief overview of what a computer is and how it can be helpful for the users being
trained
o Note that this introductory “theory” should be kept to a minimum. The learners
will understand the computer more as they have practice using one.
How to properly turn a computer on and off
Mouse/touch pad operation and clicking
Navigating around a computer, using an operating system, finding and navigating
through files and folders
Common types of files and what programs create these files
Basic word processing including:
o Creating a new document
o Adding text
o Selecting text
o Introduction to editing and formatting
Saving files including:
o Understanding the Save and Save As commands and how they are different
o Knowing how to determine (and change) the name of a file and the location a file is
being saved to
o How to save to an external device (such as a flash drive or CD-ROM)
Basic Internet use including navigation and simple searches
Basic email use
Security issues including malware and Internet risks/fraud
Consider this list to be a good starting point for any introduction to brand new users,
but not the ending point in their computer training. Once the learners have been introduced to
these basic skills and topics, the instructor can then customize the next steps in their training to
meet local needs.
Table of Contents
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2.2. Different Styles of Instruction
2.2.1. Managing a Diverse Group of Learners
One of the biggest challenges an instructor will face is managing a group of learners with
diverse skills and needs. Imagine the instructor who is giving a group lesson to 20 learners. Of
these 20: four have learned the current topic before, two are particularly fast learners, three
need extra time to learn new topics, one is visually impaired and cannot read the projector
screen well, and two are powerful and busy members of the community and keep being called
out of the training session to attend to other business. The remaining 8 learners are being
served well by the current pace and instruction style, but are frustrated by the disruptions
caused by others. The goal of the computer lab manager in this situation needs to be to do his
or her best to meet the diverse needs of the group, without being pulled away from the pace
and topics that are suited to the majority of the learners. Some specific tips for doing this are
discussed in the tip box here.
Tips for Managing Diverse Learners
1. Don’t lose sight of the goals of the lesson, particularly if these goals still meet the needs
of the majority of learners.
2. Make as many physical accommodations as is possible. For example, give mice to the
learners with the most difficulty using a laptop touch pad, and help a visually impaired
learner to magnify the text on his or her screen.
3. Give learners who are moving faster than the majority of the group extra tasks that
they can do on their own while waiting for others to catch up. This could include
extensions to the current activity, or perhaps an opportunity to look at some available
educational resources.
4. Use instructional assistants (such as interns and computer lab monitors) to help with
learners who need more attention.
5. Give learners who need extra practice opportunities to come in at another time for
extra help and more review/practice.
6. Don’t forget that no instructor is perfect for all learners. Do your best, but also forgive
yourself if you don’t exactly meet everyone’s needs.
2.2.2. Different Instructional Delivery Methods
The Traditional Group Lesson. The standard method of group instruction is to deliver a
lesson to an entire group and help everyone in the class to follow along at the same pace. This
can work well for computer instruction in many circumstances if the instructor makes sure to
do the following:
 Keep the room quiet enough for everyone to hear instructions, and make sure that the
focus of the learners remains on the specific group task at hand.
 Begin a new topic only when everyone has finished a previous task, and introduce the
topic clearly in a way that everyone understands.
 Use assistants to “work the room” and quietly help individuals who do not understand
the instructions given.
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Self Paced Instruction. Another option, which is particularly useful when learners have
very different needs or paces, is to offer self paced instruction. Instead of keeping the entire
group together, an instructor begins a lesson by distributing instructional handouts that the
learners can follow individually. The learners then follow the steps on their own, or perhaps
with one similarly paced partner, and request help as needed. This method works well if the
instructor makes sure to do the following:
 Introduce topics (either to
the whole group or as a
Tips for Creating Good Instructional Handouts
part of the handout) so
that the learners know
Follow the steps below when creating handouts to help
what they are doing and
learners master a specific computer task.
why it is useful.
1. Attempt the task on your own first. Think about all
 Make sure that the
of the steps involved (even those that you know
handouts are detailed
instinctively) and the skill level of the learners.
and correct. It is wise to
Then outline the process on paper before beginning
have a volunteer attempt
to type the handout.
to follow the instructions
2. Make sure that the handout gives numbered steps
first before using them
and that each step does not cover too much
with the entire class. For
ground.
suggestions for creating
3. Include images from your computer (called screen
good handouts, see the
shots) for steps that are particularly difficult to
tip box here.
explain. To learn how to copy images from your
 Make sure that the
screen, search for “Print Screen” in your operating
learners receive the help
system’s Help and Support feature.
they need. The instructor
4. If relevant, provide examples of properly done work
should move through the
at appropriate points in the handout. For example,
room checking on
if the lesson is about formatting text, the handout
learners and offering help
can state “your document should now look like…”
as needed, but there will
and then show the correct result.
probably also be a need
5.
Be consistent about how you instruct your learners
for assistants to help in
to move through menus. For example, to get to the
this work. Students can
print dialog box in MS Word 2003 you can say
also be paired to help
“select File  Print”, or “choose File from the Print
each other, or students
menu” or “click on the File menu then click on Print
who finish quickly can be
from the drop down menu”. Choose one of these
asked to help others.
methods and stick with it.
 Make sure that the
6. When finished, attempt to follow the instructions
learners have completed
exactly as written. Keep an eye out for missed
an assignment
steps, or even just unstated clicks.
successfully and correctly
7. Proofread your handout for spelling and grammar
before moving ahead.
errors. Also make sure that your document looks
The learners could selfneat and professional, such as consistent font use
assess this by having an
and formats.
appropriately finished
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assignment displayed or passed around the room, or the instructor and assistants could
individually check the work of the learners as they finish the assignment.
A strategy to use when there are plenty of computers but paper and ink are in short supply is to
pair students so that one student has the instructions up on his or her computer screen (instead
of having a paper handout) while the other student performs the steps on a second computer.
This approach can also help develop team work skills if the two learners are encouraged to
work together to address any difficulties encountered.
Combination Lesson. The two methods described above both have their benefits and
drawbacks, and even within an individual class there may be times when one method works
well and times when the other method works well. Therefore, a combination of both delivery
methods could be considered. For example, when a new topic is introduced, the instructor
might choose to keep the whole group together for an introduction and the first practice
examples. Then for additional practice and the addition of a few related concepts, the group
could work on a self-paced assignment.
2.2.3. Managing Different Learning Styles
Not everyone learns in the same way. As an instructor it’s important to be aware of the
different learning styles that your students have so that you can make an effort to
accommodate these different learning styles. There are many different ways of classifying
learning styles (see the article “Learning Styles” on www.wikipedia.org for a discussion), but
one common classification system is shown here:



Auditory Learners. These individuals learn best by listening. They will perform well in
class discussions and will appreciate the use of storytelling as a part of learning.
Mnemonics will also be helpful for these learners. A mnemonic is a rhyme, verse or
other spoken tool to aid in memory. An example of a mnemonic was used in Module 2,
section 8.2 where it was stated that project objectives should be SMART (Specific,
Measurable, Appropriate, Realistic and Time-bound).
Visual Learners. These individuals learn best by seeing. They will perform well with the
use of paper handouts, posters and projectors. Particular emphasis should be placed on
visual aids with relevant images including pictures, maps, graphs and tables.
Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners. These individuals learn best through touch and action.
They will perform well with lessons that include sharing relevant objects, opportunities
to participate in demonstrations, and actual hands-on or practical learning. These
learners will appreciate computer lessons that allow them to perform the tasks
themselves on the computer. See more about facilitation hands-on learning in section
2.4 of this module.
While there is academic disagreement on the best ways to classify learning styles and
identify the styles of individual learners, it is safe for an instructor to assume that any class will
contain individuals who are described well by all of the learning styles mentioned above.
Therefore a well prepared lesson will include tools and techniques that are beneficial for all of
the styles shown above. For example, when giving a lesson on how to save a file to a DVD, the
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instructor can begin by discussing why someone might want to save to a DVD (auditory), pass
around an external DVD drive (tactile), list the steps for saving on the projector screen (visual)
and give groups of learners a chance to try to save to a DVD on their own (kinesthetic).
Table of Contents
2.3. Planning, Organizing and Preparing for a Lesson
2.3.1. Why Plan and Prepare?
If a computer lab manager has found and is using an existing curriculum, he or she may
think that no lesson planning or preparation is necessary. Hasn’t all of the work already been
done? Despite the fact that the lesson has already been written, however, there are some
compelling reasons that an instructor should still review the materials and organize a lesson.
First, a learner can certainly tell
the difference between an
Tips for Preparing for a Lesson
instructor who has prepared well
and one who is just reading a
1. Read through all of the learning materials you plan
lesson for the first time (or after
on using for a lesson. Perform all demonstrations
a long time). The instructor who
and do all practice exercises in these materials.
has prepared is much more
Make a note of any errors and make changes as
confident in delivering the
needed.
material, and demonstrates to
2. Envision the mindsets and skill sets of your learners.
the learners that he or she is
What areas are they likely to have problems with?
engaged, skilled, and taking the
What topics would benefit from further
course seriously. Second,
explanations, examples or practice exercises?
reviewing a lesson in advance
3. Consider the available time and make an estimate
can help the instructor pick out
of how much material you will cover while allowing
difficult spots in the material or
plenty of time for the learners to do hands-on
errors in the written instructions.
learning and practice.
Then during the lesson the
4. Consider the different learning styles discussed in
instructor will be able to provide
section 2.2.3 and think about ways that your lesson
additional guidance or redirect
can be appropriate for all types of learners.
the group as needed. Tips for
5. Organize your lesson as discussed in section 2.3.2.
instructor preparation are shown
in the tip box here.
2.3.2. Lesson Organization
A well organized lesson is much easier for a learner to follow. In a well organized lesson,
the topics flow well from one to another and the overall “picture” of a lesson is easier for a
learner to see. It is important to avoid situations where a learner asks (or thinks) “why are we
doing this task?” or “how does this relate to what we were just learning”? A well organized
lesson also gives learners opportunities for review. It is often said when a teacher has
organized a good lesson they “tell the students what they are going to learn” in the
introduction, “tell the students what they are learning” in the body of the lesson and “tell the
students what they did learn” in the conclusion. This repetition is an important part of helping
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learners “cement” their new knowledge. Below is a further description of these three parts of a
well organized lesson:
 Introduction. In this part of a lesson the instructor explains what is coming up. This
includes an overview of why the topic is relevant and useful. It may also include a
presentation of the key points to be presented and an outline of the lesson.
 Lesson Body. This is the main bulk of a lesson. It includes sub-topics that all relate to an
overall topic, and are organized in a sensible manner. It should include opportunities
for learners to interact with the instructor by asking and answering questions, and also
practice with the skills learned.
 Conclusion. This is when the instructor “wraps up” the lesson covered. It should
include at least some review of the topics presented, and opportunities for the learners
to practice or share the skill they have gained. It could include a group question and
answer session or an opportunity for the learners to perform an exercise that combines
all of the skills learned in the lesson.
Below is an example outline for a lesson that is well organized and incorporates all of
the parts shown above. The topic chosen is an introduction to animations in MS PowerPoint.
The target audience would be a group of learners that has already learned how to make basic
presentations using MS PowerPoint. The word “brainstorm” is used to describe a process
where the instructor poses a question to the group and receives ideas and answers freely from
the learners. It is important that the instructor show appreciation for all ideas and answers,
and keeps correction, criticism and debate to a minimum in order to encourage participation
and keep the class moving forward. Answers that are totally wrong can be corrected, but in a
gentle and encouraging way.
A. Introduction
a. What are animations? The group brainstorms this question and then the
instructor show examples.
b. When are animations useful? The group brainstorms this question.
c. When are animations not useful or annoying? The group brainstorms this
question.
d. Quick outline of steps used to make an animation. Instructor lists in a
location where they can be visible for the rest of the lesson.
B. Lesson Body
a. Steps to making an animation. These are demonstrated by the instructor
using a projector so everyone can see.
b. Group practice. Students individually (or in pairs) attempt the steps
demonstrated by the instructor above. The instructor keeps the group
together. Assistants help with students that need extra guidance.
c. Individual practice. Students are given an assignment to attempt that allows
them to practice and extend their new skills. Instructions are provided on
handouts or the projector screen. Students who work quickly are given
chances to extend their knowledge.
C. Conclusion
13
a. Individual application. If time allows, students are given an opportunity to
independently apply their new knowledge to ongoing presentation projects
by adding animations to these projects.
b. Sharing and discussion. The instructor chooses some animated presentations
created by the group to share with everyone. The instructor uses this as an
opportunity to point out particular techniques that worked well and
celebrate everyone’s efforts.
c. Check for understanding. While sharing projects, the instructor asks the
learners if any steps were particularly difficult for them or if further help is
needed.
d. Review. The instructor reviews the steps to making an animation with the
audience. If possible this is done at least once as an informal quiz, with the
list of steps no longer visible.
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2.4. Facilitation of Hands on Learning
The importance of hands on learning has already been previously mentioned, but
cannot be overstated. Computer use is a practical or vocational skill, and thus should be
learned as much as possible by doing. If a lesson is about presentation skills, the learners
should be preparing their own presentations. If the lesson is about appropriate search
techniques, the learners should practice finding information on a specific topic of interest to
them. In addition, learners are much more likely to retain their newly acquired skills if they
have sufficient practice using these skills.
In order to make sure hands on learning occurs, an instructor and all assistants should
remember one very important rule: DON’T TOUCH THAT MOUSE OR THAT KEYBOARD!!! While
it can be tempting to demonstrate a task that a learner is struggling with, particularly if they are
moving very slowly, the user is much less likely to remember how to do a task if they have not
yet performed the actions involved. The instructor should feel free to point to icons on the
screen and tell a learner where to click (or what to type), but the instructor act as a guide only.
What should a computer lab manager do when he or she does not have sufficient
computers to allow everyone to work on their own? Sharing computers between two (or even
three) learners can work, as long as those learners are instructed to share the mouse evenly.
Otherwise, the learner with more skill or a stronger personality will dominate during the
practical sessions. If possible time can be allotted for more than one learner to try the same
task.
What should a computer lab manager do if he or she feels that she does not have
enough time to allow for hands on learning? The manager will have to use his or her best
judgment here, but in most cases it will be wise for the manager to reduce the number of topics
covered in order to allow for hands on practice. It is better to learn three topics well than to
learn six topics in a way that means all six topics will be forgotten quickly. The skipped topics
14
could just be introduced briefly in a way so that the instructor encourages interested learners
towards self study or further courses that include those topics.
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2.5. Designing and Using Learning Assessments
2.5.1. When and Why to Assess
Assessments, such as assignments, quizzes and exams, are a valuable way find out how
well a group of learners have learned the material covered. They also are an important tool for
indicating whether or not a learner has earned a certificate or the chance to participate in a
higher level course, and they can result in a group of learners taking a course more seriously or
participating more fully. However, assessments are not suitable in all courses. Some computer
appreciation courses are designed to encourage new users to get involved in using IT, and
having assessments could discourage fearful learners from participating in a course.
Assessments also need to be evaluated or marked, and instructors with a large number of
students might feel that it is impossible for them to manage to do this. When designing a
course, an instructor (and anyone else involved in the planning process) should consider the
advantages and disadvantages of assessing learners and decide how to proceed. For those
choosing to assess, the sections below include some additional information and advice.
2.5.2. Types of Assessments
Assignments. Assignments are a very useful way of both providing additional practice
for learners and assessing their ability to complete multi-step tasks on a computer. Since
computer use is a practical skill, these are also the most representative of whether or not the
learners will be able to put their new knowledge to good use. Below are some examples of
assignments that can be assessed:
 Students who have been learning a spreadsheet application (such as MS Excel) are
asked to prepare a spreadsheet that includes the budget for a community event.
 Pupils who have been learning how to use presentation software are asked to prepare a
presentation that includes topics from their science class.
 Students who are preparing for secretarial work are asked to edit and properly format a
formal letter.
 Students who are preparing for work as electricians are asked to find specific
information on the Internet about a particular electrical device.
Quizzes. Small quizzes are an easy way for an instructor to assess the knowledge gained
by learners during a course. These can be administered orally to a group to informally find out
what knowledge has been retained, or written answers can be requested when the instructor
wants to make sure that each learner is challenged or assessed individually. The instructor
should make sure that all written instructions are clear and lead to specific expected answers.
Some questions might be appropriate for multiple choice answers, while others should require
the learners to answer freely.
Exams. Exams are often used at the end of a course to indicate whether or not a learner
has achieved the minimum required knowledge to move on to the next level. If exams are
15
used, it is very important that the instructor clearly (and well in advance) list the topics that will
be covered on the exam and provide opportunities for review and practice. Exams can include
practical (hands on) assessments, such as those used in assignments, but the instructor will
need to include assessments that can be completed quickly and in ways that are not prone to
cheating. For example, if the instructor wants the learners to demonstrate that they know how
to format a document, they should provide a properly formatted but brief example (such as a
bulleted list, a table, or a set of headings and subheadings using different styles) on the exam
paper and ask the learners to prepare an identical document on a computer and raise his or her
hand when finished. The instructor makes a quick check of the key features of the document,
and then deletes it. If there are more learners than there are computers, the instructor will
need to ask some students to start with the practical portion of the exam while others begin
with written work.
2.5.3. Managing the Marking
Using assessments results in exams, quizzes and assignments that need to be marked or
graded. This can be unfortunate for the lab manager who feels overly busy, but can also be a
great opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of the learning methods used. The instructor
can then adjust or improve the course before delivering it again. The challenge for an instructor
is always to find a balance between assessments that are easy to mark and assessments that
can demonstrate deep knowledge and practical skills in the learner. Some multiple choice
questions can be used due to their ease in marking, but this should not be the only method of
assessment, since they do not require the learners to demonstrate their ability to process more
complex concepts or solve multi-step problems. Below are two tools that can help as the
marking becomes more challenging:
Rubrics. A grading rubric is a handy tool for an instructor to use to put value quickly to
different parts of a practical assignment. The rubric, which the instructor prepares before
marking any of the assignments, is a table that gives value to the different key features of the
assignment. Below is an example of a grading rubric to assess and assignment in which the
learners were asked to prepare a properly formatted table.
Table Assignment Grading Rubric
Description
Points
Points
Possible Earned
2
2
4
Were the appropriate numbers of columns and rows included?
Were the borders and shading applied as in the example?
Was the table heading bold, centered, and in 14 point font? Were
the cells in the heading row merged?
Were the column widths adjusted to fit the content?
2
Total Score 10
Keys. Before beginning marking an exam, an instructor can prepare a key to make the
marking move more quickly, or even share the marking with a coworker. To prepare a key, the
16
instructor takes a blank copy of the exam and clearly writes in all of the correct answers. If
there are multiple possible answers to a problem, the instructor should make sure to list all of
these on the key. If there are questions that require multi-part answers, the instructor should
indicate how many points are earned for each part of the answer.
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2.6. Keeping Abreast of Changing Technology
It is important that an IT curriculum include training in the technology that the learners
are most likely to encounter. Therefore, it is important that lab managers and other instructors
keeps themselves well informed about popular technological changes and adjust their
curriculum as needed to incorporate these needs. Older technologies that are no longer
common can also be omitted from the curriculum. One area of frequent change, for example,
is in tools for document storage. A curriculum that was prepared in the year 2000 would have
emphasized floppy drives, zip drives and CD-ROM disks. To adapt this curriculum for 2010, zip
drives could be omitted entirely and floppy drives mentioned briefly, but the learners would
still need to be trained in the use of CD-ROMs. Additional storage devices to add would be DVD
disks, USB flash drives and external hard drives. The instructor might also introduce online
document storage.
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2.7. Teaching Touch Typing
Most IT instructors have had the frustrating experience of asking learners to prepare a
document for editing or formatting practice, only to discover that most of the lesson time gets
consumed by the learners slowly typing in the practice text. Having good touch typing skills can
significantly improve the pace of IT instruction. It is also a wonderfully valuable vocational skill
for most learners whether they are secretaries (typing memos), students (writing papers),
teachers (preparing lesson plans and exams), health workers (entering data and writing reports)
or anyone who wants to communicate via email. Being a good typist also opens up
opportunities for learners to earn extra income by typing documents for a fee.
Although touch typing is a very valuable skill, many instructors and learners avoid it due
to the time consuming nature of the skill. Unfortunately, there is no “magic pill” to make
people good typists. Anyone can learn to type, but significant practice and self discipline are
involved. Given this situation, it is important for a computer lab manager to introduce touch
typing early in a training program, and be consistently encouraging to the learners as they
practice. If available, performance incentives (such as small prizes for reaching certain typing
speeds) can be quite effective. Some tips for effective touch typing instruction are included in
the tip box here. Computer lab managers also should continue to practice touch typing and
demonstrate their own developing skill to lab users. Some self study resources for touch typing
are presented in Module 1, section 1.5.
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Tips for Teaching Touch Typing
1. Begin by demonstrating proper typing posture (neck and back straight, shoulders
relaxed, elbows at right angles, wrists straight) and chair height (high enough to allow
forearms to be parallel to the floor and reach the keyboard with straight wrists), and
then remind users often of proper posture in order to avoid repetitive strain injuries.
One good image of proper poster is found at: http://typemaster.goglider.com.
2. Teach learners the location of the home keys, and emphasize the importance of
returning their fingers to the home keys after every key stroke.
3. Do not let the learners look at the keys, even if they make mistakes when not looking. If
learners develop the bad habit of constantly looking at the keyboard, this will slow them
down in the long run.
4. Do not let the learners fix mistakes made during group instruction. It is better that they
keep moving in order to get used to the pattern of pressing the keys. They instead can
make a mental note of common mistakes for further practice later.
5. Emphasize the importance of repetition and frequent practice, but in short sessions of
15 to 30 minutes each.
6. Teach learners how to type the alphabet from memory. This begins with the instructor
calling out the letters and what finger is used for each letter (for example: left “pinky
finger” home for A, left “pointer” down and over for B). The instructor will start with
small sections of the alphabet and gradually work up to the entire alphabet.
7. Teach learners how to use the space bar, capital letters and common punctuation
symbols, then incorporate these skills into their alphabet (and other) practice sessions.
8. Work with the learners on common combinations of letters that are used in writing (for
example: in, is, on, er, to). These should be repeated until they become natural
movements that the learner can perform without thinking. The instructor can then
move on to common small words of 3 and 4 letters.
9. Provide opportunities for the learners to practice on their own time. This can be done
through self instruction books and posters, typing programs installed on the computers,
or online typing courses.
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2.8. Assignments/Activities
2.8.1. Assess your project’s (or a local community project’s) current curriculum. Does it
provide a good introduction to computer user skills? Is it hands on? Does it include
primarily skills that are useful to the learners now or in their near futures? Summarize
your findings.
2.8.2. What instruction style works best for your institution? Review the different
instructional delivery methods described in section 2.2.2 and consider how each one
meets the needs of your learners and the available equipment. Summarize your answer.
2.8.3. Teach a one-on-one lesson to a volunteer student in your community. Choose a topic
that meets his or her current interest and needs, and prepare your lesson in advance.
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During the lesson, take note of the areas of difficulty for the learner. Briefly describe the
lesson you taught and what you learned in the process.
2.8.4. Observe a skilled IT instructor in your community while he or she gives an IT lesson.
Take notes during the lesson, focusing on any teaching techniques that you found
particularly helpful. After the lesson, write a summary of the experience including a brief
description of the lesson, and what you thought went well and poorly.
2.8.5. Survey a group of 20 computer users from your computer project (or a local
project/Internet café). Ask them what brings them to the computer lab, what computer
skills they would most like to learn, and what role they see computer use playing in their
future career and educational plans. Summarize your findings. Then recommend specific
topics that be taught in an IT course at that project.
2.8.6. Keeping Abreast of Changing Technology:
2.8.6.1. The word processors used in computer projects are gradually changing, so
keeping abreast of changing technology includes knowing your way around different
word processing software. Using different computers at your project, or at a local
Internet café, try to perform the same task in 3 different word processors. Some
possible tasks are: magnifying/zooming in on a document, inserting a table,
formatting a bulleted list, and cutting and pasting text. Three examples of different
word processors you might find are MS Word 2003, MS Word 2007 and the
OpenOffice.org Writer. Describe the tasks you performed and how the steps were
different in each of the different word processors.
2.8.6.2. Experiment with a different kind of computer or operating system than the one
you are most familiar with. For example, if you are most familiar with Windows XP,
try using a computer running the open source software Ubuntu. Or if you are used to
using a desktop computer, try using a small netbook computer. Try a few tasks that
you commonly perform such as searching for files, opening documents, or connecting
to a wireless network. Summarize your findings, emphasizing any notable
differences between the machines/operating systems.
2.8.7. What is proper posture for computer use? Research this question on the Internet as
needed and then describe your findings. Does the furniture in your (or another local)
computer project allow the users to sit with the proper posture? Why or why not? Can
the furniture be easily modified to allow for proper posture?
2.8.8. What is your touch typing speed? Find a free online tool or download a program (for
example, the Typing Master Typing Test, which can be found at www.download.com) to
assess this. Test your typing speed again one week later (after doing the assignment
below). Have you improved?
2.8.9. Practice your touch typing. One good program for this is the Rapid Typing Tutor, which
can be downloaded from www.download.com, but other online tools are also available.
Make sure that you practice at least twice a day (15 to 30 minutes each time) for a week.
Your instructor will ask you to report on your progress.
2.8.10. Lesson Planning and Delivery
2.8.10.1. Plan a 30 minute computer skills lesson that you can deliver to the group during
your training workshop for this module. You can choose any topic that you think is
going to be useful in your community. Be sure to organize the lesson well and
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include opportunities for hands on learning. Practice delivering your lesson to willing
volunteers. During the course workshop you will have an opportunity to deliver your
lesson to the class.
2.8.10.2. Design a relevant practice activity for learners to complete after the lesson you
prepared above. This should be a hands-on activity that includes the majority of the
skills presented in your lesson. If time allows, you will deliver this activity to fellow
students at your training workshop.
2.8.10.3. Design an assessment for the lesson that you prepared above. Consider what
type of assessment (from section 2.5.2) is going to do the best job of showing you
what knowledge and skills have been retained by your learners. If time allows, you
will deliver this assessment to fellow students at your training workshop.
2.8.10.4. Workshop Activity: deliver a lesson to your classmates. During the workshop for
this course, you will deliver the lesson that you prepared above. If time allows, you
will also deliver the practice activity and the assessment. Your fellow students will
play the roles of the learners during the lesson.
2.8.10.5. Workshop Activity: evaluate student lessons. Participate in a group evaluation
processes for your lesson and the lessons delivered by other students in your
workshop. This process should include both an anonymous survey (written
evaluation) and a group discussion. During the group discussion, make sure that you
provide your fellow students with both positive comments and suggestions for
improvement.
2.8.11. Workshop Activity: touch typing teaching and learning. During the course of the
workshop, participate in guided touch typing practice. The first sessions will be delivered
by an instructor, but later in the week the instructors will assign students to lead the
practice sessions.
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3. Working with Learners
All IT instruction programs should be focused on meeting the educational needs of their
learners. While the curriculum should be designed to meet the needs of the learners, however,
a class will never be comprised of a set of identical learners with identical needs. The learners
will have a variety of needs and will present a variety of challenges to the instructor. In this
section of the module, some of the challenges that a lab manager may encounter with learners
are discussed. In addition, some methods are presented for receiving feedback from users in
order to improve a course.
3.1. Challenging Learners
All instructors have learners who are difficult for them. Perhaps they are very slow
learners, perhaps they are disrespectful, or perhaps they don’t show sufficient interest. Not all
problems with challenging learners are easy to address. It can take experience, gradually
gained over time, for an instructor to learn what the root cause is of some difficult behaviors,
20
and figure out the best strategies for addressing these behaviors. Below are some good tips,
however, for how to start off well with certain categories of challenging learners.
3.1.1. Adult Learners
Many adults who did not grow up using computers are challenging to teach. Computers
are likely to seem very strange and mysterious to them, and they may not know how to start
learning about them. They may also be ashamed of their lack of knowledge and hesitant to
expose their ignorance. When working with these learners, it is very important to be
encouraging and reassuring. Let them know that they are not alone, that others have faced the
same challenges that they now face, and that they will not be ridiculed for their lack of
knowledge. Training for very new adult learners should start at a very basic level, and include
many opportunities for practice. This will build the confidence of the learners as they master
some basic skills. It is also particularly important to teach skills that connect with the interests
and needs of the learners. The adult learners will be more motivated if they know that the
computer will be useful for them.
In school computer projects, some of the most challenging learners are head teachers
and other administrators. In addition to the issues described in the previous paragraph, head
teachers may also find it difficult to attend training sessions due to their busy schedules or a
perception that they should not expose their ignorance to others in the school community.
These administrators should be encouraged to participate in all training programs, but they
may also benefit from one on one instruction in the privacy of their office. A computer lab
manager might assign an intern to deliver this instruction so that the computer lab manager
does not need to be absent from the computer lab.
3.1.2. Fearful Learners
Some new learners, particularly the adults mentioned above, are fearful that they will
break a computer if they push an incorrect button. It is important to let these learners know
that it is (almost) impossible that they will damage a computer by making a mistake. Encourage
them to take risks and experiment freely when they aren’t sure what to do. The computer lab
manager then needs to reinforce this by taking a very positive attitude with learners who have
clicked the wrong button and gotten off track. The lab manager should help them get back on
track without criticism. It is even useful for the instructor to demonstrate (through his or her
actions) that he or she doesn’t know how to do everything on the computer. The instructor
might say “let’s see if we can figure out how to….”, and then either try various techniques until
getting it right, or demonstrate the use of a help file.
3.1.3. Deaf and Visually Impaired Learners
While fully meeting the needs of deaf and visually impaired learners is best done by a
specially trained individual, it is good for a computer lab manager to be as inclusive as possible
in assisting these groups of learners. For deaf learners, sign language interpretation of lessons
would be ideal, but if that is not available the instructor can make an effort to make lessons as
visual as possible. This could include using a projector to post written instructions and to
demonstrate the steps taken for a specific computer task. The instructor may also choose to
21
assign an intern or volunteer to work individually with a deaf learner during a lesson. This
person could write instructions, point to the deaf learner’s screen and provide other guidance
as needed. Deaf learners can also be taught to customize a computer to avoid the sounds that
are a part of computer operation. For example, Windows Vista includes options for replacing
sounds with visual cues.
Partially sighted learners will benefit from increasing the screen magnification or
increasing the screen contrast, which also are options available with Windows Vista. These
learners may also need volunteers to help them find some items on a screen or keyboard, so
that they can follow along with a lesson and participate fully. Fully blind learners will most
benefit from text reading and screen reading software. Some text-to-speech software is
available for free download on the Internet, but most of these software choices will require the
blind learner to ask for assistance to set up a document to be read. The commercially available
JAWS software is the most popular screen reader option that makes a computer fully accessible
for a blind user to independently operate it. This software is expensive, but there may be
options for organization in developing countries to obtain licensed copies at lower prices. Sight
Savers International (www.sightsavers.org) is working on issues related to accessible
technology and accessible education in many countries around the world.
3.1.4. Learners with Attendance Problems
Computer lab managers will at some point encounter learners who sign up or agree to
participate in computer lessons but then attend poorly. There are various reasons for poor
attendance, and the lab manager shouldn’t just assume that it is because the learner isn’t
taking the course seriously (although that always is a possibility). The manager should try to
find out the reasons for the poor attendance and see if there is anything that can be done to
assist with the problem. Do the learners have schedule conflicts that prevent attendance? If so
perhaps a schedule change can be made that still works for the other learners in the class. Has
the learner or a family member been ill? If so perhaps the lab manager can offer to hold a
catch-up session for this learner (or ask an intern/volunteer to hold this session).
It is important, however, that an instructor avoid holding an entire group back because
of the attendance problems of some learners. Those who have been attending well will end up
feeling as though they have wasted their time. Their effort and commitment needs to be
honored. In addition, if some of the learners with attendance problems see that the group will
take extra time to review material for them, they will have less incentive to try to attend well.
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3.2. Organizing and Leading Special Training Sessions
It is good for a computer lab manager to keep an eye out for training opportunities and
needs in his or her community. Perhaps there is a growing interest in using email, or perhaps
there is a group of users who would like to improve their touch typing skill. Setting up special
training sessions is a great way to meet these needs. These sessions could be onetime events,
week-long workshops, or even longer courses. They also can be great opportunities to get
eager volunteer instructors (even international volunteers) involved in the computer project.
22
Please refer to Module 2 for more information about planning these sorts of sessions. Some
examples of special trainings that have occurred in school computer projects in Lusaka, Zambia
are listed here:
 Academic use of computers
 Internet search techniques
 Internet resources for history (and other subjects) teachers
 Microsoft Excel for school bursars and secretaries
 Touch typing
 IT teaching skills (a “train the trainers” course)
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3.3. Receiving and Using Feedback from Learners
3.3.1. Why Solicit Feedback
Many instructors are intimidated by the idea of receiving feedback (input, ideas and
course evaluations) from learners. It can be disheartening for an instructor to receive feedback
that implies that the instructor did not perform well or was not liked. In a good feedback
system, however, the instructor should find that the commentary is more informative and less
personal than he or she fears it will be. Feedback can be a valuable tool for refining and
improving a course before offering it again. It can also be a way for an instructor to receive
encouraging positive feedback and information about which parts of a course were most useful
and valuable.
3.3.2. Feedback Methods
There are many ways for collecting feedback from course participants. When choosing
a method, the instructor should consider which methods are going to allow for the most honest
and open communication, and which methods are likely to result in the most useful idea
sharing. This may require the use of more than one feedback method. Below are some
methods to consider.
Informal Checks with Learners. During a course, there may be times when an instructor
is not sure how much of the information that he or she is presenting is “sinking in”. When this
occurs, it is useful to briefly check in with learners and see how they think they are doing. This
could be in the form of a quick quiz on the topics being covered (for example, asking the
learners: “Who remembers how to save a file with a different name?”), or it could be asking
some direct questions to the learners about the pace of the course or their understanding level.
It is best to avoid asking questions that only require a yes or no answer (such as “Did that make
sense?”) since some learners will answer “yes” in order to be agreeable. A useful tool for
asking about understanding is to ask the learners to rate their learning from 1 -10, with 10
meaning they feel that they have fully understood all concepts and can perform all of the skills
being taught. When conducting these sorts of informal checks, the instructor should make sure
that the feedback they receive is representative of the entire class, and not just the opinions of
the more vocal participants. To do this, the instructor may want to ask a few individuals
directly for their opinions, as opposed to just relying on those volunteering.
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Formal Group Evaluation.
At the end of a course, it is useful
to allot time for a group
evaluation session. This is a
chance not only for the learners
to give their opinions about their
current course, but also for new
ideas to be shared for either this
course or other training
programs. Hearing the opinions
of others can result in these
opinions being used to formulate
new ideas for course
improvement or extension. It is
important, however, to make
sure that ideas are shared
primarily in a “brainstorm”
fashion, where ideas are thrown
out to the group without being
debated extensively. All ideas
should be welcomed and
encouraged, and any
disagreements addressed only
briefly and respectfully. See the
tip box here for further advice on
running a group evaluation
process.
Tips for Running Group Evaluation Sessions
1. Come prepared with questions to ask the group
that will result in specific and useful answers. For
example “What topics would you have liked to learn
more about?” and “In what areas of the course did
you feel that more practice was needed?”. This is
particularly useful if you find the group hesitant to
answer more general questions.
2. When soliciting general feedback, make sure that
both positive and negative opinions are
encouraged. One way to do this is by drawing a big
table with columns for Positives (or “What Went
Well”), Negatives (or “What Went Poorly”) and
Ideas for the Future.
3. Make sure that notes are taken during the
evaluation session. This is best done in a public way
(such as on a large flip chart or on a computer with
an LCD projector) so that the participants will have
a chance to see that their comments have been
transcribed correctly. The instructors and the
planning committee should commit to reviewing
and summarizing the comments at a later date.
4. Make sure that all participants are encouraged to
give their opinions. This might require calling on
some of the quieter members of the group to
answer specific questions.
5. Thank all participants for their contributions, even if
they are negative. Do no present your own point of
view or argue about negative feedback, unless you
believe that some brief information is of particular
value to the group (such as “We were unable to
extend the training past 16:00 because the facility
was booked by another group.”).
Written Individual
Evaluations. There may be some
individuals who do not feel
comfortable expressing their
opinions in a group setting.
There may also be some learners
who have negative feedback to
give that they would prefer to share anonymously. For these reasons, it is valuable to provide
written evaluation forms (written surveys) for participants to complete at the end of a course,
as well as time for the individuals to complete the forms. When preparing evaluation forms, it
is good to include some questions that can be answered quickly and compared easily when the
evaluation forms are being reviewed later. For example, some multiple choice questions can be
used (such as “Which answer best describes your opinion about the pace of this course?”) or
questions that ask users to rate different aspects of the course on a scale from one to ten (for
example “How useful do you think the skills you obtained in this course will be in your daily
24
work? A rating of 10 means that you think the skills will be extremely useful, and a rating of 1
means that they will not be useful at all”). When preparing these questions, the instructors
should make sure to avoid bias and instead ask questions that are equally likely to produce
positive or negative answers. It is also good to include some questions that allow the learners
to answer freely and provide opinions that they may not have had an opportunity to express
otherwise. For example a useful question might be “Do you have any other opinions or
suggestions about the delivery methods used in this course?” An instructor could consider
using an online survey generator to prepare and deliver these evaluation surveys. Online
survey generators are discussed in Module 4, section 4.4.3.
3.3.3. Using Feedback
Once the feedback has been received, it’s important that it be used as a learning tool for
an instructor and anyone else involved in planning and implementing a training program. An
instructor should make a summary of the feedback received, and present it at the next meeting
of the planning team for the training program. If it is an ongoing project, the team can then
discuss how to use the feedback to improve the training in the future.
While an instructor might be tempted to take negative feedback about his or her
instructional methods as a personal affront, it is important for the instructor to remember that
he or she asked for the advice and it was provided as a tool for improvement. There may be
some feedback that the instructor can dismiss as inappropriate or irrelevant (such as “I did not
like his green suit”), but most of it should be considered carefully, even if it demonstrates a very
different perception about what happened during a course. If, for example, a learner reports
that her questions were not addressed, but the instructor cannot recall ever ignoring a raised
hand, this may teach the instructor that he needs to pause occasionally to ask specifically “are
there any other questions?” or scan the room thoroughly for raised hands.
Table of Contents
3.4. Assignments/Activities
3.4.1. If you are already teaching computer skills, have a private discussion with a reluctant
learner. This could be someone who is enrolled in a course but not showing signs of
interest, or a community member who has refused invitations to participate in a course.
See if you can find out why he or she is not interested or if there are other reasons (such
as fear or scheduling conflicts) that are preventing involvement. Summarize your findings.
3.4.2. What sort of special IT training would benefit the learners in your community? Consider
job and entrepreneurial opportunities, as well as how computers could be used as an
information source. Draft a course description for this special training.
3.4.3. Prepare a written evaluation form for learners in a computer education course at your
project or another project in your community. Consider what sort of information would
be the most useful in determining the success of the course and how it could be improved
for the future. Bring your draft survey with you to the training workshop for further
discussion.
3.4.4. Learn about accessibility options (tools for people with hearing, visual or other
impairments) for the Microsoft operating system that is most common in your community
25
project. This information can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/enable/.
Summarize your findings.
3.4.5. Try out a screen reader (also called a text-to-speech utility). If you are using a Windows
operating system, you can try Windows Narrator. It can be launched by clicking the
Windows logo key on your keyboard and the U key at the same time. Experiment with
how the utility works with a variety of common programs (such as your Internet browser,
and word processor). Summarize your findings.
3.4.6. Workshop Activity: Participate in a role play on helping an ashamed learner who is
reluctant to participate in an IT skills course.
3.4.7. Workshop Activity: Participate in a role play on teaching IT skills to a deaf learner.
3.4.8. Workshop Activity: Review and summarize the feedback you received from the written
evaluation forms (anonymous surveys) for the demonstration lesson that you delivered in
the previous section of this module. Based on this feedback, how will this lesson be
different next time you deliver it?
Table of Contents
4. Computers as a Learning Tool
4.1. The Computer Manager as an “IT Champion”
Computers are a great tool for secretarial and other office tasks, but they are useful in
so many other ways that new computer users might not be aware of. Some of the most
significant additional uses of computers are as tools for communication and as sources of
information on a variety of topics. A computer lab manager can play a key role in raising local
awareness about all the ways that computers can be helpful to users in their community. They
can broaden the horizons of learners and act as champion or cheerleader for IT use.
One of the best ways for a computer lab manager to raise enthusiasm for computer use
is by demonstrating and sharing information and skills that he or she is passionate about. The
lab manager should feel free to follow these passions in a visible and encouraging way. True
enthusiasm is infectious, and should start significant interest in the learners. For example, if a
computer lab manager loves digital photography, he or she could take photos of the computer
lab users and display them on computer desktops or make a presentation to share at the
beginning of a class. Soon the learners would want to try and add their own images. If a lab
manager has a keen interest in local politics, he or she could begin each day by sharing a
selection of headlines from a local online newspaper. As a result lab users may be encouraged
to go online and read more for themselves.
One of the main reasons for students to learn how to use a computer is that it is an
extremely valuable learning tool for them, whether they are studying academic or vocational
subjects. Computer lab managers should emphasize this point and facilitate the educational
use of computers whenever possible. The rest of this section is a description of some of the key
educational uses of computers for both students and teachers/instructors.
Table of Contents
26
4.2. Using ICT to Help Facilitate Instruction and Learning
There are myriad IT tools that a teacher or lecturer can use to facilitate and improve
instruction and learning.
Some of the more
Tips for Creating and Delivering a Good Presentation
common, affordable and
available tools and
1. Don’t try to make one presentation to cover everything in
techniques are described
your curriculum. Choose a small topic, such as what you
here. The computer lab
would cover in a single lesson.
manager can
2. Use the different slides in the presentation to organize
demonstrate these ICT
your lesson. For example, after the title slide, your next
tools by using them in his
slide should be an outline of the presentation, followed by
or her courses, or
another slide introducing the topic. The next few slides
partner with teachers to
should each cover a different subtopic. Then the
help them use these
presentation should end with at least one review, summary
tools to add content to
or conclusion slide.
their academic and
3. Do not pack slides with too much content. Think of each
vocational courses.
slide as covering only one main point
4. Do not pack slides with too many words. Otherwise your
4.2.1. Presentation
learners will spend all of their time reading the slides
Software
instead of focusing on you. A good target maximum is 20
Presentation
words per slide.
software such as
5.
Add helpful visuals and animations. An example of a
Microsoft PowerPoint or
helpful visual would be including a photo of an eroded
OpenOffice.org Impress
hillside when discussing soil losses in agriculture. An
are great ways to create
example of a helpful animation would be to have some text
visually interesting and
appear only after a mouse click. This is useful when
well organized lessons
quizzing learners before revealing an answer.
and tutorials for learners.
6.
Avoid distracting animations. While initially entertaining,
Teachers can easily
spinning and dancing text and pictures will soon distract
master the basic
from the educational content of a presentation.
techniques of using
7.
When delivering a presentation, use the slides as
presentation software
reminders or cues for information you wish to deliver
and then create
orally.
customized lessons for
8.
When delivering a presentation, face your audience as
their students. If the
much as possible. Refer to the slides as needed to
computer project or
emphasize your points and to point out helpful images, but
educational institution is
remember that the audience will appreciate eye contact.
fortunate enough to
9. When delivering a presentation, do not read your slides
have an LCD projector,
word-for-word. Remember the purposes of the
then the instructor can
presentation are to organize the presentation, show key
use the presentations as
points and show helpful visuals. It is not in itself your
a part of their lessons.
speech!
Many instructors around
27
the world now teach regularly with presentations used to help them organize and add visuals
for their lessons. The tip box here includes some tips for creating helpful presentations.
If an institution does not have a projector, it is still valuable for teachers to create
presentations for their pupils. If these presentations are made available on the computers in
the computer lab, individual learners can come in and view the presentations on their own for
review. In communities where text books are in short supply, these presentations are a
valuable source of information for learners.
4.2.2. Educational Software/Applications for Education
There are a variety of software tools (applications) that teachers and students can use to
assist instruction. One large collection of applications and other ICT tools for educators is found
at this collaborative website: http://indispensabletools.pbworks.com/. A few examples that are
likely to be useful in developing countries are described below. All of these are tools that can
be downloaded (free of charge) and then used offline. There are many more online tools and
resources available, some of which will be discussed below or in Module 4.
 Content Generator. This company offers several downloadable tools for creating
learning games/quizzes. Learn more at the website:
http://www.contentgenerator.net/.
 CourseLab. This is a powerful but easy-to-use tool for creating interactive e-learning
lessons in any subject. It is available for download from the website:
www.courselab.com. Examples of e-learning lessons created using CourseLab are
available on the website showcase. Completed e-learning lessons could be distributed
via CD-ROM disks or made available on computer lab computers.
 CueCard. This is a downloadable application for creating electronic flash cards. An
instructor can create a set of flash cards for studying any subject, and then share them
on the computers in a computer lab for the learners to study. For more information see
the website: http://wadeb.com/cuecard/
 FreeMind. This mind-mapping software can be used by teachers and learners to visually
represent, organize and reorganize ideas, words or tasks. It is a useful tool for
organizing a project, writing a report or solving a problem. It is available for download
from the website: http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki.
 PhotoStory. This downloadable program for Windows XP users turns digital photos into
a story by adding special effects, captions, music and voice narration. A teacher can use
this tool to easily create and share photo based lessons. It is available from the website:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/PhotoStory/default.m
spx
 The Sage. This combined dictionary and thesaurus can be installed on computer lab
computers and used by students to look up words they find while reading documents or
searching the Internet. It is available for download from the website:
http://www.sequencepublishing.com/thesage.html.
 Stu’s Quiz Boxes. This downloadable application allows users to create electronic
quizzes in the style of TV game shows. The website also has a small library of quizzes
28
that have been created by other users. Learn more at the website:
http://quizboxes.com/.
4.2.3. Multimedia
Multimedia presentations are those that make use of multiple types of media such as
text, images, videos and sounds. These presentations can add quite a bit of excitement to any
lesson. Making multimedia presentations takes a bit of time and patience, but there are some
tools available now (such as PhotoStory, described above) and Windows Movie Maker, that
make that task quite reasonable. Students can also learn how to make multimedia
presentations as a part of school projects.
One emerging use of multimedia is for digital storytelling. In digital storytelling, people
use digital (multimedia) tools to tell real-life stories. The usual outcome is a short video that
can then be shared on the Internet. For more information about digital storytelling and how it
can be used in education and community development, see the Wikipedia Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_storytelling.
Table of Contents
4.3. Using the Internet as a Learning Resource
In many developing countries, text books and literature are in short supply. One great
value of the Internet is that it contains a huge number of educational resources that can
supplement or replace printed resources. The biggest challenge is finding the resources that
are the most valuable for a specific curriculum. A computer lab manager can be of great
assistance to teachers and lecturers in helping them to find the right resources for their
particular courses. The lab managers, acting as “IT Champions” may also need to raise
awareness in their local community about what sorts of relevant resources are available on the
Internet. Below are some useful tools and techniques for finding educational resources.
4.3.1. Using Existing Lists of Resources
The Internet is full of individual attempts to organize and index websites for certain
educational purposes. For example, a biology teacher can find several websites that include
another teacher’s (or an organization’s) list of their favorite biology resources available on the
Internet. There are also organizations that have provided lists or indexes of educational
resources in a variety of subjects. Listed below are some of the more comprehensive websites
listing educational resources. It is important to note that these websites often do not provide
the content themselves. Instead they may just link the users to other good websites.

AfriConnect iSchool Website. AfriConnect, an Internet provider in Zambia, has been
working with schools and colleges for several years to help these institutions use the
Internet as a part of their educational programs. They developed the iSchool website to
organize educational information that is available on the Internet around the Zambian
curriculum. Teachers and learners can click on their grade level and subject, and find
what resources are available on individual topics. The website address is
www.ischool.zm.
29






Aluka. Aluka is a growing digital library of scholarly resources from and about Africa.
These resources, which will be most useful for post-secondary study, currently focus on
three areas: African Plans, African Cultural Heritage, and African Struggles for Freedom.
The website address is www.aluka.org.
BBC Schools Website. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in the UK hosts a
Schools website that organizes an extensive collection of educational resources for
teachers and pupils of all ages. Many of these resources are created by the BBC and
thus relate most strongly to the British curriculum. The website address is
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/.
Education Index. This website organizes academic information from the Internet by
different subjects. Websites are suggested and reviewed by users. The website address
is www.educationindex.com/education_resources.html.
S-cool. This British website provides free review (revision) materials for high school and
A-level learners in a variety of subjects. The website address is www.s-cool.co.uk.
Skoool. This educational project, sponsored by the Intel Corporation, has supported the
formation of e-learning websites and resources for pupils around the world. From the
skoool.com website a learner can link to skoool e-learning websites in a variety of
countries both in Europe and the global South. These websites focus on resources for
mathematics and science education. The website is www.skoool.com.
Think Quest. This educational project, sponsored by the Oracle Foundation, encourages
pupils from around the world to create their own educational websites. The
competition, which has been run every year since 1996, has resulted in a library of
more than 7000 pupil created websites on a variety of topics and for a variety of ages.
The website is www.thinkquest.org.
4.3.2. Effective Internet Search Techniques
A computer lab manager is likely to be approached at some point by lab users who are
looking for some specific information on the Internet and having trouble finding it. In these
instances, a computer lab manager who has practiced searching the Internet can be of valuable
assistance. The lab manager should begin by asking the user to explain very specifically what
information he or she is looking for. Searching too broadly is a common problem among new
computer users. The tip box shown here gives some good suggestions for how to effectively
search the Internet.
30
Tips for Effective Internet Searches
1. Be as specific and narrow as possible in your search terms. For example, instead of
using the search term “Biology” use your specific topic such as “Human Respiratory
System” or “Amino Acid Chemical Formulas”
2. Don’t be afraid to try again using different search terms. If you don’t find helpful
web sites within the first 20 or so search results, you are better off trying a new
search.
3. If you aren’t successful, try synonyms or similar words in a new search. For example,
“network hardware”, “Internet hardware” and “connectivity devices” could all be
useful search terms for the same general topic.
4. Try an advanced search to further narrow your results. You can exclude certain
words (for example, searching for “Internet hardware” but not “router”), you can
search only within certain domain types (such as .edu or .gov only) or you can search
only for certain types of documents (such as PDF files or PowerPoint presentations).
5. Use Google Image Search (go to www.google.com then click on “Images”). This can
help a user find helpful images (but be aware of copyright issues and be sure to cite
your sources when using them – see section 4.3.4 for further discussion), and can
also be a useful tool for narrowing a search to web pages that contain the most
relevant images.
4.3.3. Evaluating Reliability
Another challenge for new Internet users is to evaluate the reliability of the information
found on a website. These users may think that all of the information on the Internet is equally
reliable, which is certainly untrue. One of the wonderful facts about the Internet is that it has
made it dramatically easier for people around the world to share their knowledge. Much of this
knowledge, however, has not been reviewed or edited by other experts in the same field.
People will also use the Internet as a forum to share their personal beliefs, no matter how
unusual or obscure. Therefore, one of the jobs of the computer lab manager is to help users
develop a critical eye when viewing websites. The manager can show users how to find the
author of a website, and how to investigate that author’s qualifications. Lab managers can also
raise awareness among lab users about potential biases in the information found in web pages.
The tip box here gives suggestions for lab managers to use (and share with others) for
evaluating website reliability and bias.
31
Tips for Evaluating Website Reliability and Bias
1. Look at the end of the domain name for a website to learn more about the organization
that provides the web page: “.gov” is for government agencies, “.edu” is used by
educational institutions, “.org” usually refers to nonprofit organizations and NGOs, and
“.co” and “.com” refer to commercial organizations.
2. To learn more about a website’s purpose or hosting organization, click on the “About
Us” link present on most websites. Also search for information about partner
organizations or sponsors.
3. Think about the biases that might be caused by the organization that has written or
sponsored the website. For example, if a website providing information about
environmental issues is sponsored by an oil company, it is likely that the oil company
has asked the author to avoid environmental topics that might show the oil company in
a negative light. In another example, if a website on nutrition topics is owned by a
company selling weight loss drugs, the information on the website could be biased in a
way that encouraged readers to purchase their weight loss drugs.
4. Consider the reliability or expertise of the authors of individual articles found on the
web. In some cases the author’s background and qualifications will be stated on the
web page and in other cases a web search for the author’s name can find helpful
information such as degrees, employers or critics. It is important for web users to know
that many articles on the web are written by students or other novice writers.
5. Encourage all users to find and compare multiple sources for all information.
4.3.4. Academic Papers and Citing Sources
Computer users who are studying in high school, college or university courses may use
the Internet to find sources of information for research papers that they have been assigned.
While this is certainly a good use of the Internet, students need to make sure that they are
using sources that are acceptable for the paper they are writing. For example, many instructors
will not permit students to use encyclopedias as sources, and will only accept websites that
contain articles describing original research. Some instructors may also only permit information
that comes from educational websites (with the .edu extension on their URL), in order to avoid
the biases that might come with commercial websites (with the .co or .com extensions).
Once a student has found acceptable websites for a research paper, he or she also
needs to know the appropriate methods for incorporating these sources into the research
paper and recognizing all authors for their work. For example, it is never appropriate to copy
word for word from a source (whether a web resource or a book) without putting the copied
text inside quotations and providing a footnote that indicates the source of the material.
Information which has been paraphrased (modified slightly) but is taken from a single source
also needs to have a footnote. In addition, all sources used in a research paper in any way
should be cited in a bibliography, as has been done with this module. If a student or other
researcher does not include quotations, footnotes and citations, as described here, he or she is
32
guilty of plagiarism. Plagiarism is unethical because it involves taking credit for the intellectual
work of others. In most academic institutions it is also cause for significant disciplinary action
possibly including loss of course credit, suspension or expulsion from the institution.
If a computer lab manager is assisting lab users with research papers, he or she should
educate the lab users on the importance of using appropriate sources and citing these sources
properly in their research papers. There are several different citation styles used for
professional quality research papers, and if possible a student should find out which style is
recommended (or required) by the student’s instructor or institution. Two commonly used
citation styles are MLA (www.mla.org/style) and APA (www.apastyle.org). The websites for
these organizations provide introductions to their styles and guidelines for users. The
bibliography for this document was written using the APA style, with guidance provided by the
referencing tools built in to Microsoft Office 2007.
4.3.5. Organizing and Sharing Web Resources
Most computer users have had the experience of finding a useful web page, copying the
web address (URL) down for later use and then discovering that they made a mistake when
copying the URL and cannot find the website anymore. When these experiences have
happened frequently enough, computer users have moved towards developing systems to save
web addresses. Some users save the web addresses to the Favorites folder (in Internet
Explorer) or the Bookmarks tab (in Mozilla Firefox). These tools make it very convenient for a
user to save and organize websites, but they are unfortunately not easily accessible to users
when they switch computers, and shared computers will include the favorites or bookmarks for
all of the users. Another method is for a user to copy URLs and paste them into a document or
spreadsheet, adding text as needed to describe the website. This method can also be used for
an individual to keep track of their usernames for websites that they have had to join or
subscribe to.
A third method (known as social bookmarking) is to use an online service to store and
organize websites of interest to a user. The Delicious website allows a user to save and
organize bookmarks (including web addresses and key words) for websites of interest on any
topic. The user then can access these bookmarks from any computer connected to the
Internet. A teacher or instructor can also use Delicious to share bookmarks on a specific topic
with students. It is available for free use online at: http://delicious.com.
4.3.6. Group Research Projects
A computer lab manager in an educational project might choose to help a teacher set up
a group Internet research project for his or her pupils. These sorts of research projects are
valuable in that they allow the group to collectively find out more information than one
individual could learn alone, and they also help develop teamwork skills amongst the learners.
One example of a collaborative research project would be an English teacher that would like a
group of pupils to research about the lives of various contemporary African writers. She could
divide the class into groups and assign each group a list of names to research. She could also
ask the groups to find some additional writers from African countries that interest them. She
33
would specify the type of information that she would want them to find about each author.
Each group would need to divide up the research among different members of the team, and
then meet back together to share what was learned and prepare a presentation or report for
the class.
An increasingly popular tool to help teachers use the Internet as a part of group projects
is called a Webquest. This is an assignment or activity, usually for a group of learners, which
teaches academic concepts through real life scenarios. Addressing the questions or problems
posed in the assignment usually involves Internet research. The webquest model is now used
by teachers around the world to create inquiry-based lessons and to make productive use of
the information available on the Internet. A teacher can create his or her own webquest, or
use the numerous existing webquests that can be found on the Internet. For more information
about finding and creating webquests, see the following websites: www.webquest.org and
http://questgarden.com.
Table of Contents
4.4. Introduction to Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is the term used to describe all of the recent innovative uses of the Internet
that have changed the Internet from being primarily a source of information into being a tool
for sharing ideas, collaborating and networking with people around the world. It has significant
potential for helping Internet users in developing countries to bring their ideas to a global
audience, and also for these users to participate in collaborative learning experiences that are
not hampered due to costs or time zone differences. Web 2.0 will be covered further in
Module 4 of this course, but below are brief descriptions of two types of web 2.0 applications
that are worthy of particular mention due to their potential significant benefit for education.
Wikis. A wiki is a website that is collaboratively created and edited by users. Wikis
allow for the flexible addition of text as users have the time and expertise available to make the
additions. This allows for significantly greater content than if the website was left in the hands
of a few designated experts. It also results in a more dynamic experience, with content that
can be changed as the knowledge base changes (for example – as a software application
changes, a wiki user’s guide could also change). One drawback is that if a wiki is available for
the general public to edit, there is a chance that the content will not be entirely correct or
reliable. As a result, some wikis require users to obtain special permission (from the website
owners or assigned experts) before edits can be made. Other wikis have experts that oversee
changes that have been made. Four wikis that are particularly valuable in education are listed
here:
 Qedoc. This wiki is a collection of e-learning resources for learners of all ages. Over
1200 e-learning modules have now been submitted by educators from around the world
(in 11 different languages). Most of these modules are in the form of interactive
quizzes. The web address is www.qedoc.org.
 Wikibooks. This wiki is a large and growing collection of free educational textbooks that
have been created by volunteers and can be edited by users. The topics include a
variety of academic subjects and the texts are written for a variety of age levels. There
34


is a special Wikijunior section for nonfiction books written for children age 12 and
under. The web address is www.wikibooks.org.
Wikieducator. This wiki was designed to help educators develop and share educational
content. It houses educational content in a variety of topics that has been developed by
users and can be browsed and edited by registered users. It also hosts educational
projects that are underway and that users can contribute to. These projects are in a
variety of academic subjects but also include projects to improve education and
education access overall. The web address is www.wikieducator.org.
Wikipedia. This web encyclopedia has a large and ever-growing collection of articles in
over 260 languages. There are over 3 million articles in the English language. It is
particularly valuable for its content related to developing countries, which are
underrepresented in most encyclopedias. The web address is www.wikipedia.org.
Learning Management Software. Learning management software (also known as course
management software) is a tool that instructors can use to manage communication with their
learners over the Internet. It is used in both face-to-face courses and as a part of online elearning courses. Some of the tasks that instructors can do over the Internet using Learning
Management Software are the following:
 Provide a syllabus and learning materials to students
 Suggest Internet learning materials for students
 Give assignments and collect assignments (electronic documents)
 Take polls of students, and give online quizzes
 Keep track of the progress and performance of students
 Inform students of their progress and performance
 Send and receive messages with students
If both the instructors and the students are reasonably comfortable using computers
and have frequent access to the Internet, learning management software can be a great tool for
improving communication between an instructor and a student. Instructors can have
opportunities to “check in” with learners regularly to assess their knowledge, rather than
waiting to see how they perform on a big exam further on in the course. It also can be very
useful for students who have missed a class to find out what they need to do to catch up with
the group.
While using learning management software is fairly simple, setting up a website and a
server to host the software is a more involved process. A lab manager or technician with
significant server and web experience could perform these steps, but many small institutions
will be better off if they contract with an outside organization to set up and host the website
for their learning management system.
One common learning management software program that is freely available and opensource (meaning that it can be adapted to meet local needs) is called Moodle. It is available for
free download from the Internet at www.moodle.org. Their web page includes basic
35
information and tutorials on how to use Moodle, and also includes links to commercial
organizations that can host Moodle websites for a reasonable fee.
Table of Contents
4.5. Assignments/Activities
4.5.1. What are your IT passions? Consider this question and then write a description of the IT
tools, applications or uses that you find the most interesting and inspiring. Then think
about how you can share these passions. Which of the people you work with would be
the most interested in learning about your IT passions? What forum do you have for
sharing this information?
4.5.2. If your organization has an LCD projector, help someone deliver a presentation using the
projector. As you proceed, make notes about what sort of help and information was most
needed. You can use this information (later) to develop a training course or guide for
projector users.
4.5.3. Create your own presentation on an academic or vocational subject. Choose any topic
that inspires you, but be sure to follow the suggestions in the tip box found in section
4.2.1. Practice delivering your presentation to volunteers so that you are prepared if there
is an opportunity to deliver your presentation to the group during the workshop for this
module.
4.5.4. Interview one or more teachers at a local school about their curriculum. In particular,
ask them about the parts of their curriculum that they feel they need more resources for.
Then use the web pages described in this section as a starting point for you to find some
resources that target the needs of this teacher. Write up a list of the websites and the
information you found there to share with the teacher.
4.5.5. Practice your own Internet search techniques. Find a very specific subject that you
would like to find information on, and search until you find the information you are
seeking. Write up a description of the information you were looking for and then list the
keywords that in the end were the most useful for you.
4.5.6. Start your own account on Delicious and begin saving and organizing web pages of
interest to you. Share your username with your instructor (for this course) so that he or
she can see what you have saved.
4.5.7. Search for information on a vocational subject that is relevant in your community. It
could be a topic related to agriculture, entrepreneurship, or any sort of small scale
production/manufacturing. Summarize the topic you were looking for and the sort of
information that you found.
4.5.8. Choose a specific topic that you are very familiar with, and search until you have found
three websites that discuss the same topic. Then compare the three websites, evaluating
their reliability and bias. Look for clues based on who wrote or sponsored the websites as
well as your own knowledge base in the field. List your overall topic, the three web
addresses and then summarize your thoughts on each website.
4.5.9. Using either the MLA or the APA style, prepare a properly formatted bibliography for
the websites you used in the previous assignment. For tutorials and guidelines on these
styles, see the web addresses in section 4.3.4.
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4.5.10. In computer projects with limited access to the Internet, it can be useful for a computer
lab manager or an instructor to save a website for offline use by learners. Experiment
with your Internet browser to figure out how to save a web page and a web site. What is
the difference between saving a web page and saving a web site? What steps are involved
for these tasks? Are the saved web sites just as useful as the “live” online versions?
Summarize your findings.
4.5.11. Research webquests for your institution (or a local school). Using the web pages
described in section 4.3.6 as a starting point, find out what sort of webquests are available
that would be useful locally. Write up a summary that you can share with the teachers or
lecturers.
4.5.12. Partner with a teacher to help them use an existing webquest (found on the Internet)
with one of their classes. Write up a summary of how the webquest was used. Include a
brief analysis of the ways you thought the project was successful and not successful.
4.5.13. Evaluate a Wikipedia entry on a topic that you are familiar with. Does the information
there seem to be both correct and thorough? If you were going to edit the web page for
that topic, what changes would you make?
4.5.14. Experiment with editing a Wikipedia entry. Learn about the process, and then see if you
can make a small (and appropriate) change to a Wikipedia page. Summarize the process.
4.5.15. Workshop Activity: Share the presentation you created in assignment 4.5.3 with the
group. Then participate in an evaluation session so that you can refine your presentation
for future use.
4.5.16. Workshop Activity: Participate in a role play explaining to an administrator (at an
educational, vocational or community project) that IT is more than just learning about
office skills. Focus on ways that IT can be useful in helping their organization meet their
goals.
4.5.17. Workshop Activity: Participate in a search competition with your classmates using one
of the methods:
4.5.17.1. Your instructor will assign a specific question and you will see who can find the
answer to the question the most quickly.
4.5.17.2. See how narrow a search you can perform. Your instructor will assign a specific
topic, and then see who can find the most relevant answer. In general you will find
that the fewer search results you obtain, the more success you are having in finding
results that are relevant and focused on the assigned topic. As you narrow your
search, try to add terms that eliminate the results that are not useful.
4.5.18. Workshop Activity: Demonstrating a webquest. Find a webquest online that is relevant
for a population that you are likely to work with in the future. Study the webquest and
consider how you would use/implement it for a group of learners. Then participate in a
role play where you are introducing and demonstrating the webquest. Your fellow
students will play the role of the learners in your class.
4.5.19. Workshop Activity: As a part of team, build a webquest for any academic subject or
class that your team chooses. See the website: http://www.webquest.org/indexcreate.php for guidance on creating a webquest.
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5. Facilitating IT Use in the Community
5.1. Importance of Community Involvement
The sole purpose of some computer projects will be to benefit a low-income or
underserved community. Other projects will be a part of an institution (such as a school or
clinic) and will be focused on meeting the IT needs of that institution. Even for these projects,
however, it is beneficial to involve the local community, for reasons described in the paragraphs
below.
Unusual Opportunity. For members of an underserved community, computers may
seem very far out of reach. These people probably did not attend a school with computers, and
may never have had a chance to use one before. Consider how beneficial it would be to
provide these community members with this unique learning opportunity. It could end up
helping them find information on the Internet that is useful for their careers, or provide new
income generating opportunities for emerging entrepreneurs. These ideas are expanded upon
in the next section.
Source of Income. Having community members pay a reasonable fee for computer
access or computer skills courses can be a significant income generating opportunity for a
computer project that provides services free of charge to a specific target audience or
institution. A computer project can also consider offering office/secretarial services such as
touch typing and photocopying for community members. The main challenge for projects that
intend to offer fee-based services is to figure out how to do this in a way that does not interfere
with the project meeting its mission and goals. The planning and management skills discussed
in Module 2 will be helpful here.
Build Community Support. If the community surrounding a computer project is invited
to participate in the project, they will increasingly see the benefit that this project brings for
them and will then support the overall efforts of the project. As the reputation of the computer
project improves in the eyes of the community, the computer lab manager may find that there
are fewer conflicts that arise with the community and also fewer thefts from the computer lab.
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5.2. Making the Computers Beneficial for the Local Community
A computer lab manager can help members of the local community to use the
computers in a variety of beneficial ways. Some of these are described in the tip box here. The
best strategies and uses will vary depending on the local needs and starting educational levels.
Therefore, the manager should frequently check in with community members to see if their
needs and interests are being met by the computer project’s offerings.
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Tips for Using a Computer Project to Benefit the Local Community
1. Help the community members find information on the Internet that is relevant for their
lives. For example, they might benefit from learning more about conservation
agriculture, or from finding plans online for carpentry projects. The Trainings Commons
Modules (see bibliography) includes a module called “Info-mediary Skills” that discusses
how to find and share information that is relevant for community members.
2. Help the community members learn skills that will help them gain employment.
Perhaps there is a shortage of individuals in your area who can do computer data entry,
or perhaps the community members themselves have found that learning basic
computer operation will help them be competitive for certain jobs.
3. Help the community members learn entrepreneurial skills. This could be something as
simple as teaching someone to touch type so that they can earn money typing papers,
or it could be a part of a comprehensive program that teaches computer skills alongside
basic business skills and helps the learners develop an initial business plan. The
Trainings Commons Modules (see bibliography) includes a module called
“Entrepreneurship” that focuses on how a manager can run a telecentre as an
entrepreneurial enterprise. It includes good advice that can be shared with a variety of
emerging entrepreneurs.
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5.3. Assignments/Activities
5.3.1. Interview someone from your local community. Find out what his or her hopes for the
future are. How do you think IT can help this person? Summarize the interview and your
ideas.
5.3.2. Dream up a training course for members of your local community. What topics would be
covered? Who would be your target audience? How long would the course last?
Summarize your thoughts.
5.3.3. Take some time to learn about opportunities for e-businesses or microloans (you
choose) through the Internet. Then pick a member of your community to share your
knowledge with. Did you find resources that they will be able to take advantage of?
Describe your interactions with the community member and whether or not you think you
succeeded in finding something useful for them.
5.3.4. Find some agriculture information on the Internet that is relevant for your community.
Describe what you found and how you think it will be useful.
5.3.5. Workshop Activity: Participate in a role play convincing a community member to
participate in a new training course. Make sure that genuine local concerns (such as
timing, cost and usefulness) are addressed.
5.3.6. Workshop Activity: Participate in a discussion about how community computer
use/lessons can fit into the daily schedule of a computer lab. This is particularly
challenging (and useful) if the computer project is a part of an educational institution.
How can the computer use and lessons for community members be scheduled in such a
way that they don’t interfere with student and teacher use and lessons?
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Table of Contents
6. Overall Assignments/Activities
6.1. Evaluate your own knowledge and skill. What do you still want to learn to improve your
abilities in instruction and facilitation of learning? Develop a plan to gain these skills, and
discuss this plan with your supervisor.
6.2. Have a discussion with your steering committee or supervisor about instruction and learning in
your computer project.
6.2.1. Option 1(For people involved in educational projects) – Help them gain an
understanding of the importance of IT as a learning tool (as opposed to just learning IT
skills). Use relevant examples and demonstrations where possible. Summarize the
discussion and any important outcomes.
6.2.2. Option 2 (For any type of computer project) – Address the following questions about
your computer project: Do the learning opportunities provided meet the organizations
goals? Does the schedule match the needs of your target audience? Are there special
populations of learners that are not being served? Summarize the answers to the
questions.
6.3. Workshop Activity: Obtain a copy of the UNESCO Bangkok ICT in Education Teacher Training
Series disk titled “Free Software for Educators” from your instructor. Browse through the disk
and then participate in a follow up group discussion about what useful resources were found.
6.4. Workshop Activity: As a group, discuss topics that you think the local community could use
more information on. These topics could be anything that is locally relevant such as a specific
agriculture topic, malaria prevention, or even automotive repair. Then agree on one topic for
everyone to research in teams of two. After researching, report back to the group on the best
resources your team found. Also discuss ways that these resources could be effectively shared
with members of the community.
6.5. Workshop Activity: Participate in a workshop evaluation process.
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7. List of Internet Resources
The table below provides a list of the Internet resources previously mentioned in this
document. The resources are listed in the order they appeared in this module.
Title
ICDL (International Computer Driving License)
Alison (online training courses)
Goodwill Community Foundation
iTrain Online
Telecentre.org Academy
Web Address (URL)
www.ecdl.com
www.alison.com
www.gcflearnfree.org
www.itrainonline.org
www.telecentreacademy.org
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Download.com
Microsoft Accessibility Options
Indispensable ICT Tools for Educators
Content Generator (learning games/quizzes)
CourseLab (for creating e-learning lessons)
CueCard (electronic flash cards)
FreeMind (mind mapping software)
PhotoStory (creating a story from digital
photos)
The Sage (dictionary and thesaurus)
Stu’s Quiz Boxes
AfriConnect iSchool Website
Aluka (scholarly resources about Africa)
BBC Schools Website
Education Index
S-cool (review/revision materials)
Skoool (science/math education resources)
Think Quest (student created resources)
MLA (citation style)
APA (citation style)
Delicious (shared bookmarking)
Webquest.org
Quest Garden
Qedoc
Wikibooks
Wikieducator
Wikipedia
Moodle (learning management software)
www.download.com
www.microsoft.com/enable
http://indispensabletools.pbworks.com/
http://www.contentgenerator.net/
www.courselab.com
http://wadeb.com/cuecard/
http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalp
hotography/PhotoStory/default.mspx
http://www.sequencepublishing.com/thesage.html
http://quizboxes.com/
www.ischool.zm
www.aluka.org
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/
www.educationindex.com/education_resources.html
www.s-cool.co.uk/
www.skoool.com
www.thinkquest.org
www.mla.org/style
www.apastyle.org
http://delicious.com
www.webquest.org
http://questgarden.com
www.qedoc.org
www.wikibooks.org
www.wikieducator.org
www.wikipedia.org
www.moodle.org
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8. Bibliography
American Psychological Association. (2010). The Basics of APA Style. Retrieved March 17, 2010, from
http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx
Buddie, D. (2009). Indispensable ICT Tools for Teachers. Retrieved November 5, 2009, from
http://indispensabletools.pbworks.com/
Learning Styles. (2010). In Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 19, 2010, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Learning_styles&oldid=350795388
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Modern Language Association. (2009). What is MLA Style? Retrieved March 17, 2010, from
http://www.mla.org/style
National Centre for Technology in Education (Ireland). (2009). Special Needs and ICT. Retrieved
November 25, 2009, from: http://www.ncte.ie/SpecialNeedsICT/
Telecentre.org. (2008). Trainings Commons Modules. Telecentre Academy. March 17, 2010 from
http://www.telecentreacademy.org/browse/Detailed/2684.html
UNESCO. (2009). ICT in Education Teacher Training Series: Free Software for Educators (CD-ROM). For
more information see: http://www.unescobkk.org/education/apeid/
UNESCO. (2009). ICT in Education Teacher Training Series: Web Tools for Educators (CD-ROM). For
more information see: http://www.unescobkk.org/education/apeid/
About Zambia Pacific Trust
There are many challenges for schools and community organizations in Zambia to consider when
starting or maintaining computer projects. Sourcing good quality computers is just the beginning. The
organizations also need to consider infrastructure issues, staff training, computer education curricula,
and internet connectivity. Zambia Pacific Trust (ZPT) helps institutions address these challenges
through advice, training, and a cost-sharing grant process. ZPT currently works with five schools in the
Lusaka area, but has plans to add other organizations in the future. For more information please
contact info@zptrust.org.
About Heidi Neff
Heidi Neff is a former high school science teacher with 15 years of experience in the classroom. While
teaching in Seattle, Washington, she used computers extensively as a part of her curriculum. She also
assisted with computer training in Zambian schools as a part of the Seattle Academy Zambia Program.
Ms. Neff starting working with ZPT in 2006, assisting their efforts to support school computer projects
in Zambia. She is currently a consultant specializing in IT in Education. For more information please
contact her at heidi.h.heff@gmail.com.
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