ABSTRACT. Three Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session, the participant will be able to..

1) Describe how the trio can be used across disciplines in the curriculum and as educational tools to aid learning.

2) Evaluate the need to Integrate ICT, Computing and Chess as a core curricula and or an elective subjects from elementary school level to university.

3) Create awareness and prepare holistically young Kenyan people to be smart in life and work in a global economy as: Technologists, researchers, engineers, doctors, scientists, educators, software developers, sport prodigals, entrepreneurs and futuristic thinkers�

Introduction/background Every country in the world needs a high quality, inclusive and equitable school system that develops young people who are able to: � Live and work in globalised economy � Use their knowledge, skills and values to contribute responsibly locally and globally. In order to do so, there is growing consensus that school systems need to develop young people with certain core skills and competencies (often known as 21st century skills or �Deep Learning �skills).

Critical thinking & problem solving Thinking critically to design and manage projects, solve problems, make effective decisions using a variety of digital tools and resources. (Fullan and Langworthy, 2013), Creativity, entrepreneurship, resourcefulness, application skills, reflective thinking, reasoned decision-making.(UNESCO,2013)

Collaboration and communication Communicate effectively orally, in writing and with a variety of digital tools, work in teams, learn from and contribute to the learning of others, social networking skills, empathy in working with diverse others.

Creativity & imagination Economic and social entrepreneurialism, considering and pursuing novel ideas, and leadership for action.

? Citizenship Global knowledge, sensitivity to and respect for other cultures, active involvement in addressing issues of human and environment sustainability.

Information age The role of educators is different now, unlike in the past when it was about taking in new knowledge and making sure you understand it in tests.

Knowledge economy/New economy There is booming opportunities available to those with programming skills, especially for mobile software. According to estimates from Juniper Research, the global market for mobile applications will more than double from$47.7 bn (�30.8bn)in 2014 to $99bn (�64bn) in 2019. Asia, bolstered by strong growth in China, is expected to account for more than half of that market. But the education system in the world, according to global tests-has not been keeping pace with the speed of change in the digital age. Computer literacy is commonly taught, but computer programming receives far less attention in classrooms, according to teachers. It exposes students to educational programming which is considered to be outdated. To bridge the digital divide, there is a need to make computer programming a required subject for students as young as 11 years old.

The study is aimed to show ways in which ICT, Computing and Chess disciplines can be redesigned in the context of the anticipated curriculum overhaul by the year 2016. Understand and take advantages of the benefits offered by fusing, combining and integrating them in the elementary school level to higher institutions of learning. A review of literature and case study research design revealed ways in which the trio could be used to reinforce understanding of abstract concepts across disciplines. Strengthening of: Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics STEM, languages, humanities and art. This led to a plan to respond to the research question �A Need to integrate ICT, Computing and Chess in the Kenyan Curriculum by the year 2016 �in this 21st century conceptual age that demands a host of new and complex thinking and cognitive skills and as such teaching priorities have to adjust to accommodate and foster these new demands. In a nutshell, ICT, Computing and Chess, are remarkable universal languages, they bridge the gaps of language, gender, economics, age and education, anyone can learn the foundations and the basics from an elementary level, both are used as educational tools to aid learning, and the combined fundamental knowledge is needed to prepare students for the 21st century, regardless of their ultimate field of study and occupation.

ICT The Kenyan government, recognized the importance of ICT,and is anchored as one of the key pillars of Vision 2030(a blue print to make Kenya a Middle Level status based on knowledge based economy), the Ministry of Education, Research and Technology has come up with an ICT4 unit in, the elementary One Laptop per Child Piloting Project in collaboration with the Teacher Service Commission ,phased ICT in education integration in the Kenyan secondary schools(ESP ICT project,2011),developing digital content by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development ,offering professional development by training teachers through projects such as Strengthening Mathematics and Science in Secondary Education (SMASSE project, 1998) and the establishment of the National ICT integration Center (NI3c) amongst other initiatives.

Computing Computing is a new subject. It draws together the strands of computer science, information technology and digital literacy, and seeks to equip children with computational thinking skills and the creativity they need to understand and change the world.

Coding When students use tools such as Code Studio, Scratch, and Tynker, what they�re doing is called programming. Programming is about the logic that goes into building a program. The blocks already exist-they have to be placed in the correct order to get the program to work. Coding, on the other hand, has to do with the syntax, the fine details that allow a computer script to work. Think of coding as a spelling test where a sentence must have words correctly ordered with proper grammar mechanics. If one thing is wrong, then the grade on the spelling test decreases. Coding is similar, for one thing is typed incorrectly, then the code won�t work. All students are able to learn math, coding originates from mathematical concepts, so all students can learn coding. But why is it that coding and computer science are not yet compulsory subjects in schools? Learning programming empowers kids and gives them tools to express themselves in really cool ways, controlling robots and machines, getting a computer to solve complicated problems, turning creativity into an interactive reality, ideas made accessible to millions and the ability to communicate with machines. Pupils need to understand the mechanisms and coding behind computer programmes-not just learning how to use a word processor, enter data into a worksheet or design a power-point presentation. Instead of children bored out of their minds being taught how to use word or excel by bored teachers, we could have 11-years-olds able to write simple 2D/3D computer animations. Let us envisage a new curriculum that could have 16-year-olds creating their own apps for smartphones and 18-year-olds able to write their own simple programming language. Coding is also a part of the core curricula in some countries: England, Estonia, Denmark, Israel, Finland, Australia, Hong Kong, parts of the USA and Germany.

Robotics Education and Research As technology evolves ever more quickly in all aspects of modern living, it is important that the next generation know as much as possible about design, electronics, programming and integration in order to stay competitive. This is why robotics is becoming increasingly important at all levels of education.

Chess Teaching chess to children involves more than just playing the game. Chess training has the advantage of being an art, a science, anda sport (Wojcio, 1990), �Education is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think�( Albert Einstein). �Chess is an excellent low cost, all ages, all weather activity that everyone can participate in.The educational benefits of being a chess player are many and include horning analytical thinking skills and aiding memory retention. It�s a great confidence builder and teaches patience and persistence!� Chess is also a part of the core curricula in many countries (and these are but a select few): Armenia, Britain, Spain, Paraguay, Belgium, Venezuela, Russia, Hungary, Turkey, Zaire, South Africa, parts of the USA and Canada. Chess Kenya (CK) is the body governing and developing chess in Kenya. The Olympic sport game is included as an extra curricula activity in the Ministry of Education Research and Technology. Chess Kenya is an affiliate of Federation Internationale des Eches (FIDE) and is in charge of all the game activities in Kenya, Africa and the rest of the world.

Conclusion

ICT, Computing and Chess, are remarkable universal languages, they bridges the gap of language, gender, economics, age and education. Anyone can learn the basics and foundations of the 3 disciplines. Both can be used as educational tools to aid learning. Need to be integrated at the elementary level.

References

A is for algorithm www.economist.com/news/international/21601250-global-push-more-computer-science-classrooms-starting-bear-fruit

Ananiadou, K & Rizza, C, (2010) ICT in initial teacher training: First findings and conclusions of an OECD study, proceedings of EDULEARN 10 conference, 5th-7th July 2010, Barcelona, Spain. http://www.educationci.org/portail/node/250

Code Club Kenya www.codeclubke.org

Coding As a second Language http://www.techrepublic.com/article/coding-as-a-second-language-kentucky-jockeys-to-be-next-to-join-the-movement/

Jimoyiannis, A. & Komis, V. (2007) Examining teachers� beliefs about ICT in education: Teacher Development, An international journal of teachers' professional development, 11(2) 149-173 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13664530701414779

How Chess Players �Brains Are Different from Everybody Else�s http://mic.com/articles/119332/how-chess-players-brains-are-different-from-everybody-else-s

Kenya Scholastic Chess http://www.nation.co.ke/lifestyle/DN2/Were-smarter-and-more-attentive-now/-/957860/2768492/-ouqcupz/-/index.html

ABSTRACT. Education and training for sustainable development refers to an expanded, dynamic vision of education and development guided by the principles and values of respect for the environment, society and economy. The global knowledge economy is transforming the demands of the labour market. In addition, it is placing new demands on public servants/officers, who need more skills and knowledge through a new model of education and training, a model of lifelong learning and information technologically focused model. Developing countries in Africa risk being further marginalized in a very competitive global information focused/knowledge economy if their education and training systems are not fully equipping learners and trainees with the quality skills they need. The UNESCO Education Strategy 2014-2021 emphasizes that UNESCO is committed to promoting the adoption of ICT in education and training solutions which will facilitate information/knowledge dissemination, more effective learning, the development of more efficient education services, and the reconceptualization of teaching, learning and training processes. The organization is convinced that ICT-based solutions, if driven by pedagogy, can make a major contribution to basic education for marginalized groups by increasing access and quality, and by promoting the creation and sharing of good quality educational resources. This paper explores how Kenya School of Government is making efforts towards integrating ICT as a tool for training, educating, teaching and learning under a common plat form Christianized elearning. This study will employ descriptive research design in data collection and analysis. The study target population will be 356 KSG key stakeholders consisting of 138 lecturers, 200 course participants/students and 18 administrators of the school. Stratified random sampling method will be used to select a sample of 36 respondents in the six campus of the school. Data will be collected using semi-structured questionnaire and semi-structured interview guide/schedule. The tools will be prepared in such a way that they will be able to elicit all ideas related to ICT in general and elearning in particular. The tools will be piloted in order to test for their reliability and validity. A test retest method will used to test reliability. A spearman's reliability coefficient of 0.75 obtained will be assumed to be high enough to justify the tools usefulness for mass data collection. The tools will be self administered by the researcher or by research assistants. Quantitative data obtained will be presented in form of tables, percentages and pie charts and will be interpretation though the use of descriptive statistics for ease reference and application. Qualitative data obtained will be presented in word or statement form and will be interpreted qualitatively. Relationship between quantitative finding and qualitative findings will be established and conclusions made as per the data. Study recommendations will be in line with the study objectives and problem under the study.

ABSTRACT. By the end of this session, the participants will be able to:

(i) Appreciate the need of universities to adopt their curricula and teaching methodologies to the world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA)

(ii) Recognise the centrality of the university lecturers in the success of the adoption of new teaching methodologies such as mobile learning

(iii) Be exposed to some of the challenges some universities face in the quest of developing their lecturers to be the best in teaching function and strategies to overcome the challenges.

Abstract

Due to rapid changes in information technologies and globalisation the universities, in East Africa as it is in the rest of the world, are finding themselves in a dynamic fast changing environment. This is the world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of general conditions and situations (VUCA)[1] . One may think that the rapid changes in information technology has weakened the role of the educator, commonly known as lecturers in East Africa, as ‘gatekeeper’ of knowledge as students can access knowledge from other institutions anywhere in the world, through massive open online courses -MOOCs, for example. However, this has to be looked at in its historical context because despite the fact that libraries have been filled with books for hundreds of years, nobody has ever suggested that educators were no longer necessary in the dissemination of knowledge and in particular in the design and moderation of the learning experience. Academic staff have always been the navigators through the wealth of resources [2]. In other words, despite these rapid changes a number of things are remaining constant in the university learning landscape. One of these constants in the centrality of adaptive educators in fulfilling one of the key university missions of teaching the students.

Since the best lecturers are made rather than being born because teaching is a learned activity, the presentation will explore and discuss strategies various universities are using to develop or train their lecturers so that they can be able to cope with the changes in the learning landscape. Said differently, the navigators of the mobile learning and as well blended learning need to be properly trained and equipped for such a role. It is concluded that the quality of the selected content, the quality of the students’ learning experience and its outcome, are consequences of the intervention, not the withdrawal, of the guiding hand of the lecturers [2].

Because the universities can at times be described as “the organised chaos”, the presentation will also point out difficulties a number of universities face in the quest of developing their lecturers to be the best in teaching function [3]. The presentation will end with a number of suggestions on how some of these difficulties can be minimised so that each lecturer is equipped with the pedagogical-andragogical-heutagical [4] understanding and adaptive delivering skills to the modern students who are digital natives. These students are using their mobile phones to access various apps and they expect their learning to at least include some of elements of their mobile experiences [5].

References [1]. Meister-Scheytt, C. and Scheytt, T. (2005). The Complexity of Change in Universities. Higher Education Quarterly, 59: 76–99 [2]. Gourley, B.M (2008). Dazzling technologies: seismic shifts in higher education in a fast-changing and unequal world -Higher education for a digital age. Paper at the Association of Commonwealth Universities Conference of Executive Heads Hyderabad, India 28 November 2008 [3]. Mitchell, M. & Reushle, S., (2013). Mobile learning and professional development: Future building academic work in higher education. In H. Carter, M. Gosper and J. Hedberg (Eds.), Electric Dreams. Proceedings ascilite 2013 Sydney. (pp.588-596) [4]. Msila, V. (2014). Heutagogy, Africanisation and Learning: Experiences from an Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Program at the University of South Africa. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences. Vol 5 No 14, July. [5]. Boris Handal, Jean MacNish and Peter Petocz (2013). Adopting Mobile Learning in Tertiary Environments: Instructional, Curricular and Organizational Matters. Educ. Sci. 3, 359-374

ABSTRACT. There has been a lot of discussion about blended learning with the integration of technology into the learning process.

Most initiatives are concentrating of introducing the computer into the classroom with others even contemplating one device per child.

In the developing countries this approach is too far off from the reality on the ground yet the solution being sort after is how to give the teacher effective response on the learning taking place in the classroom.

The traditional method for instant student response has been the raising of hands in response to a verbal question, this has disenfranchised millions of children over the past few centuries and continues to do so today.

What we need is an effect all inclusive method for the teacher to get a response from all the student instantaneously without the need to prepare a written quiz/exam which has been the only other alternative.

We are proposing the use of a low power RF based student response device with a tablet based collection and analysis device for use by the teacher. This will work with the blackboard as well as call out for delivery of the questions.

With time the intelligent device can become a basic LMS with future centralisation for school wide analysis.

ABSTRACT. LEARNING OUTCOME

By the end of the session, the audience will be able to; 1.Identify the obstacles to adoption and utilization of eLearning by lecturers in Maseno university 2.Explore the strategies designed to overcome the challenges of eLearning adoption by lecturers 3.Evaluate the achievements gained from the strategies used by Maseno university to improve on the adoption of eLearning among the Lecturers

INTRODUCTION Maseno University is on track to achieve the vision 2030 goal on education of introducing eLearning and blended learning as a way of improving both access and quality of education in Kenyan Universities (NESC, 2007). The vision for an eCampus began with a senate resolution in September of 2004 to start Open, distance and electronic learning programs (ODeL) which later transitioned to the eLearning center then the eCampus. The eCampus continues to exploit the transformative potential of the internet and other ICTs in higher education and has set up an online learning platform. In its first semester, the eCampus had 23 courses offered with approximately 120 students enrolled in four programmes. Four years later, there are an average of 220 courses offered each semester and approximately 950 students enrolled in 16 programmes. In addition there 1000-1500 Students taking up 1 blended course offered to regular students through the eCampus. There have been issues with teaching quality for some online courses, problems with eLearning adoption are common (Elgort , 2005) and Maseno�s experience is no exception.

OBSTACLES TO ELEARNING ADOPTION

During the early semesters at the eCampus, students in most of the courses complained that the lecturers were not providing feedback on the forums and assignment. A survey by the eCampus team among the lecturers teaching at the eCampus revealed that there was minimal commitment to teaching online. This could have been attributed to slow acknowledgement that teaching online is far different from teaching in the traditional face-to-face context. The lecturers exhibited minimal enthusiasm teaching online and it often took the eCampus technical team and coordinators to remind them to log in and attend to student queries, moderate discussions, and mark and grade assignments. Low remuneration and teaching load were identified as contributing to the lack of enthusiasm in teaching online. Online teaching was not considered as part of the lecturer normal load and the amount paid not comparable to what is paid for part time teaching in the other campuses. The challenges were compounded by the fact that Staff and departments did not take ownership, as eLearning was not considered to be part of their job description. The eCampus, on the other hand, ensured that the work is done but does not have any ownership of the process as the courses belong to the respective schools.According to Volery and Lord (2000), the lecturers are responsible for pedagogy innovation, and they are responsible for developing learning environments using ICT. Their personal attributes and skills regarding the use of technology for teaching will significantly impact the adoption of eLearning (Buabeng-Andoh, 2012). A push for more frequent and enhanced training is necessary became necessary to prepare faculty to transition into the online environment with the same level of confidence they have as being a content expert in the traditional classroom.

A number of workshops for lecturers were organized before and just after rolling out online programmes. These were: Instructional Design Skills Workshop held in Eldoret in June 2011, the Online Orientation to eLearning for Lecturers and eWorkshop on Content Development for Lecturers. The two latter workshops were fully online while the first workshop was blended. After the instructional design skills workshop, the first 23 modules that were developed and successfully rolled out in September, 2011.

As the rush to develop more courses set in, less attention was given to capacity building and this impacted negatively on the quality of courses being developed. Due to the cost involved in training lecturers at a remote location, the eCampus team developed online courses for lecturer training. From evaluation of the completion rates, the workshop held in Eldoret had the highest completion rate. The online orientation and eWorkshop only managed 50% completion.

STRATEGIES ADOPTED

The eCampus has adopted a three tire approach to training lecturers on online pedagogy .The first level is orientation to eLearning for lecturers. The orientation to eLearning�s aim is enhancing the lecturer�s technical skills in using the institutional LMS. This is meant to tackle the self-efficacy issues with regard to using the technology. According to Elgort (2005), to effectively diffuse eLearning, the approach should take a multidimensional approach located in two planes: the plane of technology and the plane of pedagogy (or teaching and learning).The second and third level in the lecturer capacity building strategy is online content development training and finally online facilitation training. The second and third level of the trainings are meant to build on the lecturer�s skills in online pedagogy and enhance teaching and learning innovation using technology.

To enhance the school�s ownership of eLearning, the schools have constituted school eLearning support teams. The teams are made up of the eCampus programmes coordinator (ePC) and departmental course facilitators (DCFs). The team works under the supervision of the ePC. The ePCs are drawn from the various departments and/ or set of departments/ schools and remain administratively answerable to the respective deans. The ePCs are responsible for quality assurance at the eCampus during course design, development and delivery processes and learner support functions.

The eCampus technical team plays a key role in providing individualized support to the lecturers. Each school with a programme at the eCampus has a technical team leader who works closely with the school representatives at the eCampus. The technical team and the eCampus Programmes coordinators identify the lecturer capacity needs and design blended workshops to address the identified needs. Potential adopters of a given innovation will need different reasons to make the adoption decision (Moore, 1999). This necessitates the continuous and individualized support for lecturers to win them over into adopting eLearning. The personalized attention impacts the lecturer perceptions on the usefulness of eLearning and attitude towards use of technology in teaching.. According to the technology adoption model (TAM) model, user perceptions of usefulness and ease of use of a given technology determine attitudes toward using the system (Davis, 1989).

To enhance the school based learner support function at the eCampus, the technical team have designed support discussion forums for the ePCs. Pedagogy and learning management systems designs are intertwined. It is important to consider how the environment supports the delivery of instruction, and facilitates effective learning experiences (Johnson, Rickel, Stiles, & Munro, 1998).

ACHIEVEMENT GAINED FROM THE STRATEGIES

The schools eLearning teams have tremendously impacted the learner support and facilitation of online courses. The learners are receiving prompt feedback on the course discussions, assignments and quizzes. The formation of school eLearning teams have resulted in improved ownership of eLearning at the schools. With increased ownership at the school level, the course content quality is enhanced by continuous review of course content by the teams.

The lecturer skills are continuously enhanced by ongoing targeted training sessions at both individual level and school level. The training activities are part of a wider objectives of the eCampus which include (1) increasing by 30% each year the number of lecturers with capacity to develop online course content using the framework for online course development and (2) increasing by 30% each year, the number of lecturers with capacity to attain up to 600 hits a semester in online course facilitation. The later uses hits, extracted from the Moodle LMS which is a quantitative measure of a user�s activity in a course.

CONCLUSION

As Maseno University through the eCampus continues to encourage eLearning approaches, there are plans to implement further incentives and training strategies for the lecturers. The Research Monitoring and evaluation office continues to offer quality assurance and explore strategies to improve on eLearning adoption by lecturers.

REFERENCES Buabeng-Andoh, C. (2012). Factors influencing teachers� adoption and integration of information and communication technology into teaching: A review of the literature. International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, 8(1), 136-155. Davis, F. (1989, September). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS quarterly, 13(3), 319-340. Elgort , I. (2005). E-learning adoption: Bridging the chasm. ascilite 2005: Balance, Fidelity, Mobility: maintaining the momentum? Johnson, L. W., Rickel, J., Stiles, R., & Munro, A. (1998). Integrating Pedagogical Agents into Virtual Environments. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 523-546. Moore, G. A. (1999). Crossing the chasm: Marketing and selling high-tech products to mainstream. New York: HarperBusiness. NESC. (2007). Kenya Vision 2030: A globally competitive and prosperous Kenya. Nairobi: National Economic and Social Council of Kenya. Volery, T., & Lord, D. (2000). Critical success factors in online education. International Journal of Educational Management, 216-223.

ABSTRACT. Abstract: It is always an assumption that a teacher already has sufficient content in the subject assigned to teach. But the organization of the content through well designed approaches would determine if the teaching and learning will foster critical thinking, creativity and a holistic learning environment among learners. An interdisciplinary approach to learning can benefit the creative, critical thinking and problem-solving skills of our learners. There has been persistence in the traditional teaching methods, with concepts largely removed from the everyday life of learners and real world of applications, characterized by rote learning employed in the teaching and learning with excuses of covering the given content on time.

The teacher in his/her teaching should aim at enhancing learners� skills and provide learning experiences that enhance their growth in intellectual, psychomotor and affective skills(CEMASTEA,2015). We then need to ask ourselves as the teachers whether we are equipped with techniques and strategies to enable us effectively develop learner�s experiences that promote their critical thinking, encourage collaboration, capture and use their creativity and manipulative skills to come up with innovations among others. CEMASTEA advocates for ASEI- PDSI approach that calls for the involvement of learners in the learning process. To develop 21st century skills in learners, it calls for learner�s full involvement in their learning. The teacher requires well thought pedagogy to involve learners in structuring argument, analyzing reasoning, identifying assumptions and evaluating evidence among others. This session give opportunity for the participants to experience how Integrating Information Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching can engage learners and place them at the centre of learning. Introduction The teaching and learning should translate into learner�s growth in knowledge, skills and attitudes. Unfortunately, the job market has raised concerns over personnel with very good grades released to the field of work but not producing as expected. The technological development that is rather fast does not seem to impact much in the classrooms especially in Africa. No wonder the ban of mobile phones in the Kenyan schools. It demands a teacher to embrace ICT in delivery of content which has the potential to Change Lives through eLearning/Mobile Education. An exposed teacher in ICT is fundamental in coming up with ways to utilize mobile phones in the classroom. ICT integration would broaden young person�s cultural horizons, increase their capacity to think and work globally as well as create opportunities for them to participate in making a better world. This leads to thinking of how to bring up teachers that are well groomed with Information Technology (IT) as well as work on how to capacity build those already in the teaching field. Once IT is embraced in the teaching and learning, software developers will have the challenge of developing teacher demanded software. This paper is based on a personal commitment to capacity build teachers on developing their own ICT integrated materials for teaching in their subject areas.

Intervention There has been concern over the performance mainly in high school subjects. One only needs to sit in our classrooms and compare them to entertainment programs and daily child exposure to media. The children in our schools were born in the computer, television, Disney and other programs. To say the list teachers bore the learners. I have therefore been engaging teachers in their own small way to prepare digital content for teaching at their learners� level.

Teacher try Science (http://tryscience.org/) is a bank of lessons that advocate for design-based learning that goes further in challenging students to engineer solutions through their knowledge of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). This means that learners should be allowed to think �wild� to become innovative and independent under step by step guidance. There has been evidence that learners are not adequately prepared for the world of work by the education system in not only the developing countries but the developed countries as well, (Mensah J. A. etal, 2007). To prepare learners who would cope with the 21st century, we must have 21st century teachers. Unfortunately, the teachers are on the ground and measures to upgrade must be put in place as well as putting measures for those being trained.

Educators in all levels should focus on embodying activity-based, learner-centered pedagogies that effectively integrate and link school with real life. This means that education developers, education implementer�s and education evaluators should encourage integrated education. Use of simple software tools such as Microsoft word, Microsoft excel, Microsoft power point, Microsoft paint, Microsoft database, Windows movie maker, web tools, free Geogebra programs and others can be used to create teacher developed pedagogies that keep learners expecting more and more.

Conclusion Educationists must engage and commit themselves to coming up with 21st century teaching and learning practices that are not only knowledge, skill and attitude/value based but also entertaining. The education must become �edutainable� to appeal to our listeners and impart their lives. Once the educationists focus is clear, the software developers will definitely come up with suitable software for teaching and learning. Thus wake up the educationists so that we can burn our midnight oil for change.

References 1. Bridging the gap: linking school and the world of work in Ghana, �2007 - Journal of Career and Technical Education, Vol. 23, No. 1, Fall, 2007 � Page 133 2. CEMASTEA (2013). Lesson Observation report. Unpublished, Nairobi 3. SMASE Secondary Programme: Enhancing Learner Growth In Mathematics & Science through Innovative Activities, Training Module Two. Unpublished, Nairobi 4. Kenya Institute of Education, (2002) Secondary Education Syllabus (volume two), Ministry of Education. Republic of Kenya. 5. http://tryscience.org/ accessed on 27/07/2015 at 12:32pm.

ABSTRACT. Introduction

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) have become the core drivers of the US and world economy: �Technological innovation accounted for almost half of US economic growth over the past 50 years, and almost all the 30 fastest-growing occupations in the next decade will require at least some background in STEM� (ESRI, 2012). This increasing demand for scientific and technological skills is not restricted to professional scientists or engineers; it cuts across many diverse occupational areas. The key skills developed through STEM education are quite universal to all professional fields: higher order critical thinking skills, creativity, communication skills, and inquiry skills. Thus, an increasing number of jobs at all levels require skills developed through STEM activities. The art and design fields, in particular, are playing a crucial role in diverse careers. In fact, many educators now frame their discussions around Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, or �STEAM� (Robelen, 2011).

Unfortunately, the state of STEAM education in the US is not meeting the demands of today�s economy or the economy of the future (NRC, 2011). Based on a report from the Committee on Highly Successful Science Programs for K-12 Science Education, �roughly 75 percent of U.S. 8th graders are not proficient in mathematics when they complete 8th grade. Moreover, there are significant gaps in achievement between student population groups: the black/white, Hispanic/white, and high-poverty/low-poverty gaps are often close to 1 standard deviation in size� (NRC, 2011, p. 3).�

The Presentation

The aforementioned challenges require a systemic approach to educational reform. As previous research has indicated, successful systemic reforms in complex organizational systems are often built upon small innovative �leverage points� which lead to large scale change through positive feedback loops (Forrester, 1969). Mapping technologies fit the characteristics of an effective leverage point for systemic reform in education: highly accessible, interactive, motivating for students, transdisciplinary, relevant, real-world, inquiry-based, and intuitively understandable.

One form of mapping systems, the �Geographic Information Systems and Technology� (GIS/T), is well-established in the commercial and non-profit sectors, and its use is expanding rapidly, especially the web-based maps (Kulo & Bodzin, 2013). However, in spite of the growing importance of GIS/T in various market sectors, these systems are underutilized in schools. Educators have used GIS/T to teach subjects in earth science, environmental science, life science (biology and ecology), social studies, and, of course, in geography (Xie, 2014), but their use has been limited in terms of depth of integration in the curriculum. Fortunately, in conjunction with the national ConnectED initiative to expand online access to schools through the US, the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) has pledged $1 billion to expand the development of innovative uses of online mapping tools in education (Chen, 2014). Thus, the use of GIS/T has significant long-term support in terms of future integration in schools.

Leverage points (such as the use of GIS/T) in systemic educational reform require multiple and integrated cross-linkages throughout a complex system. In education, these linkages must be based on �best practices� as established by high quality, rigorous research. Unfortunately, most educational reforms tend to be fragmented and limited in scope and depth. The �GIS/T Resources and Applications for Career Education� (GRACE) program (funded through an National Science Foundation STELAR grant) is an example of integrated curriculum intervention that is leading to systemic change.

The GRACE program strengthens students� STEAM learning capacity by drawing upon social and cultural resources and building a learning community. The GRACE program uses the community-based issues and projects to bring in scientific and cultural resources into the classroom. Culturally and civically, the GRACE program plays the following important roles in STEAM education: Firstly, the program offers an important civic engagement component that involves the students with real tasks that are in great demand in their own communities. Secondly, the GIS/T-based internship part of the program implements �place-based learning� to establish natural linkages between technologies and neighborhood socioeconomics. As students participate in project activities (i.e., learning GIS/T and applying them in city organizations), they will enhance their STEM learning by becoming community citizens and by helping the hiring agencies to conduct GIS/T related jobs or tasks. Thirdly, the civic engagement component � the internship - enables the participating students to have workplace experiences and to earn some stipends through paid internships. Finally, by demonstrating the bright future of STEAM careers in GIS/T, encouraging them to help solve the issues their communities are facing, and enabling them to have workplace experiences that are purposefully advancing their interests in STEAM careers and learning, GIS/T-based instruction can serve as a motivator for students� current task-related thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors, thus linking current specific plans and actions to future desired goals (Xie, 2014).

The GRACE activities have already been shown to positively impact student attitude and achievement. Students showed growth in nearly every area of focus, including dispositions about science learning and careers. A STEM career goals measure showed that overall interest in having a career in science or engineering increased 9%, and an additional 10% as a result of the internships, (n=142), demonstrating the importance of real-life application of STEM skills (Xie, 2014).

This presentation will address the core elements of the GRACE program as an example of using a leverage point (a set of linked interventions around a web-based instructional technique) to stimulate systemic reform. These core elements include: 1) comprehensive instructional units, which integrate the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) with holistic assessment strategies); 2) scaffolded online and blended pedagogy across multiple instructional units and teachers, including a new integrated LMS-LOR (Learning Management System with Learning Object Repositories) system using a new Learning Tool Interoperability (LTI) protocol); 3) phased student development through multiple roles (including a service learning internship component addressing community-based problems); 4) scale-up strategies involving teams of teachers in each school, nested within �learning clusters� facilitated by regional Mathematics/Science network centers; and 5) partnerships across the triple helix of universities/schools, government, and private/community-based groups, including the use of multiple social networking sites to encourage e-learning and m-learning (mobile learning) activities.

Participants in the session will learn about each element of the GRACE program, as well as how to link these elements together to enact systemic reform. Participants will also learn about the methods to address the barriers and key enablers of positive feedback loops for each element. GIS/T is one example of a leverage point for systemic reform, but these lessons from the GRACE program can be applied to other reform initiatives.

Conclusion

The GRACE Program is making a significant contribution to opening career pathways for all students, by shifting the paradigm of STEAM education. Building upon the widely accepted �Framework for 21st Century Learning�, it is using 21st century designs to create the next generation of 21st century leaders. This presentation on the GRACE Program will be an engaging experience for participants, and the presenters look forward to responding to questions and engaging in ongoing dialogue around the program and systemic reform in general.

References:

Chen, L. (2014). Billionaire Jack Dangermond�s ESRI Pledges $1 Billion of Mapping Software to America�s K-12 Schools. Forbes: May 27, 2014.

ESRI (2012). Advancing STEM Education with GIS. 380 New York Street, Redlands, CA 92373-8100, USA.

Forrester, J.W. (1969). Urban Dynamics. Portland, OR: Productivity Press.

Kulo, V. & Bodzin, A. (2013). The impact of a geospatial technology-supported energy. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 22, 25�36. doi:10.1007/s10956-012-9373-0.

National Research Council (NRC). (2011). Successful K-12 STEM Education: Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Committee on Highly Successful Science Programs for K-12 Science Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Robelen, E. W. (2011). Building STEAM: Blending the Arts with STEM Subjects. Education Week, December 7 2011.

Xie, Y., (2014). Advancing STEM Career and Learning through Civic Engagement. Journal of Technology Education, 26(1): 47-63.

ABSTRACT. The Universal Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) proposed by Venkatesh and others in 2003 has recently gained prominence in technology acceptance studies worldwide. Despite the fact that the original UTAUT study was obviously conducted in a different context economically and technologically from that of Kenya, researchers in Kenya still use various modifications of the theory as a basis or theoretical framework for their studies. This study is a critical review of the literature in comparison to the intentions of the originating UTAUT study on the way UTAUT has been applied in 40 studies in the Kenyan context. The search words �UTAUT Kenya� were entered in Google search engine and the first result was a study located in the university of Nairobi repository (http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/). Searching the repository resulted in 20 other studies that have used the UTAUT in deciphering the use and adoption of technology in various fields ranging from mobile phone usage, use of technology tools in auditing, accounting, taxation, internet banking and to a much lesser extent; education. Another 20 studies utilizing the UTAUT in Kenya were downloaded as full papers and critically reviewed as well. The findings of the study show that UTAUT has not been applied consistently across the studies that were reviewed in terms of the methodology (sampling, research design, data analysis techniques) and interpretation of the results. This is in addition to the many modifications of the original theory by Venkatesh (2003) for which plausible explanations are yet to be given.

ABSTRACT. It is always envisaged that teachers in schools will utilize ICT resources to transform learning to be exciting, dynamic and participatory. Research studies have shown that despite heavy investments, technology innovation has not had a lasting impact, are underused or unused. It is also indicated factors that either enhance or inhibit the adoption as being either focused on the school level or the teacher level. The studies have not articulated which of these levels is more critical in the adoption of technology in the schools nor have they shown which of these are more important in influencing adoption. This paper discusses a study done to establish the relative influence of the individual characteristics and contextual factors in adoption of computer technology as well as their variability in influencing adoption. The study adopted a pragmatic approach. Design was cross sectional survey that utilized multi stage sampling to select samples from different clusters. Responses from head teachers, teachers and learners in Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) secondary schools in Kenya sampled indicated about 18.27% of the total variance in adoption of computer technology in schools may be attributed differences between schools. This implies that the remaining 81.73% could be accounted for by the individual characteristics. The study conclusively established that the extent to which computer technology has been adopted in ESP schools is largely determined by the individual characteristics as compared to the contextual factors. It is therefore recommended that; All ESP schools should have ICT policy guidelines that are in tandem with the education ICT policy from the Ministry of education. Advancement in career should be hinged on aspects of adoption as evidenced by the teacher competence. Finally Ministry of education should have incentives for efforts made in adoption by teachers that appeal to their affective dimension and there should be a paradigm shift in the process of curriculum development and implementation. This includes use of universal platforms and neutrality of devices in the curriculum development process.

ABSTRACT. One-sentence project summary Plan International, SOS Children’s Villages International, and NetHope have joined efforts and developed the Open Space Literacy Project; OSL aims to fight poverty by increasing literacy skills of children ages 6-9 in Kenya through quality digital and non-digital content, teacher training, community involvement, and feasible ICT.

Description of context In Kenya 7.8M of the adult population (38.5%) and 29.9% of youth ages 15-19 remain illiterate. Children are going to school, but not learning efficiently: despite significant gains in enrolment, 7 out of 10 children in class 3 are still unable to successfully complete class 2 work. OSL is set to change this.

At the same time the Government of Kenya is about to invest an estimated 600 million USD to provide dozens of laptops to all of the 20 000 primary schools to improve the quality of education, starting in 2014. While this can create a lot of potential, the Government Laptop Project severely lacks measures to prepare schools for the digital opportunities.

Target beneficiaries Standard 1 to 3 (ages 6-9) in 300 schools across Kenya The five year program is designed to directly impact approximately 67,500 pupils in grades 1-3, 2700 teachers; and the investment in infrastructure, teacher training, and community involvement also favorably impact an additional 83,000 children in grades 4-8 . Plan and sos Kenya is working on mobilizing sufficient resources to meet these targets. Recently we have secured resources to support through the Nokia and Lenovo grants to implement part of the project, targeting benefit 25 schools (5400 students, 360 teachers, 4500 parents and 25 school administrators).

The project design emphasizes improving teachers’ skills for more effective teaching through training in use of ICT to enable ICT integration, positive discipline, gender responsive teaching, teaching literacy, assessing reading skills and good classroom management.

The parents are sensitized on promoting girl’s education, their role in of ICT in schools and sustainability options, participation in school governance, positive discipline and as a supportive pillar to student’s performance in schools.

Ownership and funding For the consortium the target is two million USD in 2014. For consortium the first target is to raise 1 million USD this year (2014). Plan has so far raised USD 412,000. The FY 14 target will enable the project to reach at least 50 schools in 2 years. The scalability to 300 schools will be dependent on availability of funding.

Plan and SOS are actively collaborating and working on the project. Both organizations will have separate but coordinated implementation and fundraising initiatives. Thus, the implementation areas in Kenya are divided between two organizations, but on the national level the consortium does joint advocacy and communications giving more weight and voice for the project. Also costs and resources for activities such as producing new educational content, conducting evaluations and writing guidelines can be shared creating synergies and cost savings. In fundraising both organizations connect with potential donors separately and keep each other updated on active outreaches to avoid duplications.

The program objective is to improve the literacy skills –specifically reading and writing- of children in early grades (1-3) in 300 schools in Kenya

Methodology OSL will use learner-centred teaching methods, broad-based and inclusive teacher training and quality digital and non-digital content in English and mother-tongue languages, active community and government participation and integrated use of mobile technologies. The OSL program takes a holistic approach to literacy and thus, “fully integrates” the use of ICTs.

Desired Outcome The five-year program will directly impact more than 135,000 children, 2,700 teachers and community members under 3 pillars: 1. For Children: Improved (reading and writing) in grades 1-3 in 300 schools. 2. Teachers: Improved capacity to support a learner-centred environment. 3. For Parents and Community: Improved school governance for sustainable systems improvement in support of literacy outcomes. 4.

Child participation and engagement The OSL intervention will directly impact 135,000 children in grades 1-3 in 300 schools (rural and urban) schools in Kenya, 2,700 teachers, and actively integrate parents and the local community. The program also offers strong support for girls, children with disabilities, disadvantaged and at-risk children.

Expected benefits for key stakeholders: A. Children • Self-paced and adaptive learning • Better and faster results in reading and writing • Active role in producing learning content • Equal opportunities for boys and girls • Inclusion of disabled and marginalized children • Developing a Culture of reading • Increased ICT skills B. Teachers • Better skills in literacy pedagogy and learner centred methods • Increased motivation though better results • Access to quality teaching materials (both digital and non-digital) • Better support from parents and communities C. Parent of a pupil • Better understanding of the importance of education and literacy (also in mother tongue). • Increased participation and oversight to school governance. • Better educated children with increased opportunities in life -> good for the whole family and community by and large.

D. Education Officials • Cost efficient approach to better learning results • Easier monitoring of school performance • Enhanced information flow between teachers, parents, pupils and education officials.

MER Monitoring and Evaluation framework we are engaging the University of Nairobi to support in this.

ABSTRACT. Key Note Address by John Kimotho

In 2013, two years ago, the thought of ‘Digital Kenya’ started to take actual grounding and through Government affirmed support to the amazing technology uptake in Kenya, the full scale implementation was up scaled. The ‘huduma’ centres became a reality and on global scale, in 2015, Kenya was awarded global excellence recognition. Mobile money licences were issued to several providers making the concept an economy mover across all sectors.

The education sector is on the move and the actualisation of ‘digital Kenya’ in education targets and will sake the eastern Africa region. This keynote address will demonstrated Kenya’s command in provision of education from syllabuses to curriculum support materials and the provision of teachers and teacher trainers.

The teacher will be the facilitator of how the learner will gain education through utilisation of massive educational content available digitally. In addition, the teacher will guide in use of devices in BYOD educational world of device neutrality and universal platforms. The educational materials industry has taken off towards educational apps content. The journey is through eBooks, multimedia content towards interactive content and reaching unitified user on demand access to segmented content that is aligned and quality assured. Online access to educational content with user/learner - source and expert interactivity is a vision so near and the players need to realise that unity of purpose is critical and necessary to achieve this or else fail the waiting learner.

Target: MOEST, teachers, parents, publishers, education innovators, in-service and pre-service teacher trainers and trainees, curriculum developers, pupils and students

ABSTRACT.  Advent of technology right from the beginning of time has been meant to make things easier and to increase efficiency. In teaching and learning, we have moved from the era of storytelling during the traditional settings in Africa in receiving Education to formal learning in schools and in the four walled classrooms. In the 21st learning, we are even moving away from schools and four walled rooms in acquiring education. But as the world moves towards this direction, are our African teachers prepared for this revolution?

It is imperative therefore that we are all equipped with skills to fit into this world. In Kenya it has become imperative to move education towards realising these skills and fitting in the global village. The teachers are the drivers of Education and a society is as powerful as its Education system. With this in mind, the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), responsible for curriculum development realised the dire need to empower the teachers with the 21st skills in order to make the Kenyan Education responsive to the global trends. It has embraced technology in its endeavor to realise its mandate in delivering appropriate curriculum to its clientele, thus shaping education in Kenya. The Institute initiated the elimika program whose main aim is to increase access to information on issues relating to the curriculum and curriculum delivery, thus enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery to its clientele.

The program is an interactive system that is supported by well trained online tutors, using web 2.0 technologies that involve discussion forums among the participants, chats, internal mail, announcement/pin boards, blogs, wikis etc. The Institute designed a teacher orientation course in its continuous bid to improve the teachers’ pedagogy in delivery of curriculum through technology as well as equip them with skills for 21st century, that provoke their critical thinking, creativity and innovation in the process of delivering teaching and learning.

Curriculum is dynamic and changes are inevitable, as well as new ways of delivering learning. The program, which is a 8 month blended course, not only trains teachers on how to effectively deliver the curriculum, but on the use of technology in teaching and learning. It is transforming teachers into facilitators equipping them with leadership skills necessary in the knowledge economy.

Those who have passed through the program have acquired skills such as coordination of virtual activities and virtual work space, virtual etiquette, use of OERs, use of ICTs in teaching and learning, futuristic thinking with creativity and innovative minds as well as networking and collaboration. This is exhibited through their sharing in their various forums- in their Community of Practice (COP) activities and social media- and through their course assignments. This program once scaled up to reach all the teachers will truly transform Education in Kenya.