Tablab to officially partner with Costa Rican´s Ministry of Public Education (MEP)

On June 18th, Tablab was honored to receive three officials from the Costa Rican Ministry of Education´s (MEP) Department of Technological Resources, including the Director of the Department: Karla Salguero Moya, Educational Advisor: Ana Virginia Quesada, and head of Research, Development and Implementation: Kattia Fallas. 

The visit began over coffee at Chilamate Rainforest Eco Retreat, where World Leadership Foundation Board Member and Costa Rican Tablab Teacher Trainer, Meghan Casey, is based, and then the committee went to visit la Lucha Elementary School and el Liceo el Paraiso where Tablab is currently working, to see Tablab in operation and also to explore common goals and visions and lay the groundwork for an official partnership Tablab - MEP.

Costa Rica´s Ministry of Education´s Educational Policy is very forward thinking. They aim to make education relevant for the XXI century, making education the axis of sustainable development while closing the immense gap between the quality of education received by students in urban and rural areas and reducing the inequality between marginalized and privileged urban schools in their aim to form the human resources necessary to increase Costa Rica´s competency and likelihood of success in todays international markets. But they are conscious not to leave behind their very important traditional values, that have been disappearing with time, values that they are committed to recovering and strengthening, along with technical and scientific education and sports and culture, to stimulate the formation of more integral graduates. Maybe most important is their objective to raise awareness in each individual student, about the commitment they have with future generations and ensuring sustainable economic and social development in harmony with nature and the environment in general. (see: http://www.mep.go.cr/politica-educativa for more information).

The ladies from the Costa Rican Ministry of Education´s Department of Technological Resources, are especially forward thinking and on the vanguardia of XXI century education. They are eager to bring together resources and efforts already at work in the area to foster collaboration and improvement in education and access to technology and teacher training. They believe in a student centered, technology facilitated, integral sharing and learning and they are working hard to make that vision come to reality, focussing especially on marginalized rural schools, and Sarapiqui is one of their top priority areas.

World Leadership Foundation and Tablab have also focussed their efforts on Sarapiqui, one of Costa Rica´s richest counties, in terms of biological diversity and one of the poorest counties in the country, economically speaking. Multinational conglomerates like Chiquita Dole offer the majority of the jobs in the area on their large scale banana and pineapple crops, with little job security, dangerous working conditions and poor pay, being the norm for the workers of the area. And while the MEP has a great vision and objectives, the gap is very large between privileged urban schools and marginalized rural schools, with resources, and teacher training severely lacking in all of the local rural public schools.

The Costa Rican Ministry of Education´s Department of Technological Resources recognize the challenge and they know they cannot work in isolation which is why they are developing a network of actors, from the private and public sector, national and international, to help address the challenges and work together to improve the quality of education in rural Costa Rica. As a result of this initiative, and after seeing the Tablab in use and speaking with the principals, teachers and students involved, MEP and Tablab are working together on formulating an official partnership in an effort to expand Tablab and its benefits to more students and schools in Sarapiqui.

Escuela La Lucha - TabLab's Pilot Project

Escuela La Lucha was TabLab's pilot project.  Located in a rural community outside of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, the small school and it's principal/teacher Ana were eager to start working with the tablets.

They had a teacher trainer for an entire year helping out with the tablets and classes, for that matter.  La Lucha is a school with very little resources and the 2 full time teachers that they have work with multiple grades or groups at the same time daily.  On Thursdays and Fridays, they have 2 English teachers who come for those specific classes.

When I arrived the other day, there was no one there to unlock the classrooms.  We sat outside and played some English games until someone came to unlock the door.  Also, one of the teachers was sick, so her students were dismissed for the day.  These are the kind of obstacles that the students here have to overcome almost on a daily basis.  Every resource they have - from classroom materials to staff - is limited.  It makes the presence of TabLab and all other forms of educational support so special and greatly appreciated.

The students here are so sweet.  They light up with excitement when I arrive.  They LOVE using the tablets and they LOVE visitors. They are also very helpful with their teachers to move the large case of tablets, keep them charged and other housekeeping duties.

The tablets are a perfect way to occupy one group with independent or small group learning while working directly with the other grade of students.

The younger students are learning to read and write so the application Raz Kids has been a great resource.  There are so many books, many of which are in English, but many in Spanish also.  The kids can not only listen to the stories being read to them, but they can record themselves reading the stories to work on pronunciation.  They earn points for completing books and advance in levels.  Then they can redeem their points to play games - which is of course everyone's goal!

La Lucha is a special little school with a tight knit community of families where they still ring a hand held bell in between classes.   They are planning an event next week to raise money for the school. A band of mothers arrived the other day to plan the menu and wrap bingo prizes.  The students are often seen walking to and from the school on the dusty gravel road together in groups or riding on bike handlebars with a friend.  In recess, you can't tell which grade is what, as they all take off sprinting to the yard to play games all together. There is a real sense of community here that transcends family and grade boundaries.  

I love that TabLab is here to enrich the lives of these special kids from hard working families.  

TabLab Progress

I was excited to find out when I arrived last week at El Paraiso that the tablets were already being used!  Poco a poco the teachers and students are gaining more confidence with and excitement for the opportunities on the iPads.  Of course, the photo booth, videos and collage makers are always a hit with the highschoolers, especially all of the funky filters and stickers they can play around with.  But they are getting some real use out of the educational content.  Sometimes it takes that initial half hour of free time and playing to get the excitement out of their system and get them ready to focus on a lesson at hand.

Eddy is the Industrial Arts teacher and he really likes using the tablets.  "The mechanical and engineering apps are so useful for my classes.  They can really see the process instead of just talking about them," he told me.  He teaches his students about engineering, electrical wiring, automotive and bicycle mechanics and word working.  The visual and virtual "hands on" applications like Simple Circuits and Electricidad are both fun and practical for the students.

In English, the students are completing their own books.  They used Book Creator to make short stories and brief autobiographies to share with some fellow students in Canada.  We've also been using a lot of DuoLingo - a personal favorite that I use for Spanish.  This app helps users practice a new language.  You can start from a basic beginning level or take a placement exam to skip to an appropriate level.  You can practice reading, writing, translating both ways and even speaking.  It's a great resource for conversational English classes.  Students can make groups and track each other's progress or compete with one another for language learning goals.  Even the teachers are hooked!

The Spanish classes are using Powerpoint and Prezi to create presentations on a story they read.  They love searching for photos on the internet to represent the different characters and settings they read about in Isabelle Allende's Clarisa.  

In Math, Sylvia had her 7th grade Math students, many who have never used a tablet, research some of the practical applications of statistics.  Some of the students never considered the practical use of numbers and statistics in Education, Medicine, Biology or their favorite, Sports.  They will be collecting data and creating some attractive spreadsheets and graphs using the Numbers app.

El Paraiso is lacking a science teacher right now.  In most schools, this would mean a sub would be hired for the interim.  But here, the students are simply without a class during those periods.  A group of them were sitting in the Comedor during this unofficial free time and I asked if they wanted to use the tablets.  They were so excited to use them, and that time was made into something more productive.  All they need is a little motivation and supervision, and they are off exploring all that they want to on the tablets.  They can explore the human body inside and out, from the skeletal to the nervous system with Cuerpo Virtual.  They can also delve deep into the body with the 3D Organs and Cell World apps.

It has been fun to get to know the students.  The more time I spend with them, the more questions they ask.  I also enjoy encouraging some of the less eager teachers to take part.  Jorge, for example, would probably not have used the tablets had I not specifically asked him when he was going to do so.  After just a few minutes of going over some options and discussing how students could make something as simple as a powerpoint presentation with sounds, images and videos, he was so excited. It made that wait worthwhile.

I am looking forward to continuing to support the teachers and students here in this little paraiso de tierra caliente. 

Volunteering with TabLab

I am so excited to be working in Costa Rica with TabLab. 

Prior to my work in Sarapiqui, I was an English instructor at a private bilingual high school in Ciudad Quesada, Costa Rica.  I didn't realize just how good we had it.  I used to complain about the weak WiFi for my students who needed to do research on their personal laptop computers they brought from home.  It was a daily struggle to keep them off of their iPhones.  Just a 2 hour drive from that, I find myself in the rural areas of Sarapiqui where many students don't own books and have never used a computer, much less a smart phone or tablet. 

I was lucky to work with those fortunate students.  They were great readers, eager learners, almost fluent in English, and proficient with all types of technology.  They were grateful for the things they had and the education they were receiving.   I learned a lot about the classroom and teaching in those 10 months, but I was looking for something different, something to broaden my experience in Costa Rica and as an instructor. 

Luckily I got into contact with Meghan at Chilamate Rainforest Eco-Retreat.  Apart from helping around the retreat, I have been helping implement the TabLab program at Liceo El Paraiso and Escuela La Lucha.  I really like helping the teachers get a better grasp of the resources on the iPads and getting the students excited about technology.  Luckily, many of the teachers I have worked with so far are at least familiar with some kind of tablet or smartphone, and most of the high school students are also.  But there are a few teachers and students who may find the technology intimidating or too complex.  

We take for granted the accessibility and immediacy of technology and information.  I have used a smart phone for over 10 years, and have had a personal computer in my home for as long as I can remember.  My public schools in North Carolina had all of the latest technology in our labs. Resources abounded; both in educational materials and staff.  It's truly eye opening to see some of the hurdles that these students and their families and their teachers have to go through to get a good education.  

I think there are a few major do's and don't's to make this program a success.  Familiarity with these tech devices just comes with time and use, which may not be as high in these rural areas in which I am working.  I do want the teachers to understand that this is an amazing resource to make their jobs more interesting and improve interaction with their students.  What I don't want to happen is overwhelm them or make them think this is more work for them - something no teacher has time for.  In reality, it should make their jobs a little bit easier, while teaching the students how to not only work independently, but with their peers.  In just the few classes I have helped out in so far,  almost all of the students have paired off or grouped themselves and are sharing new ideas and things they've discovered while exploring the iPads.  It has also opened up a discussion between teacher and student.  These quick-learning adolescents who can pick up on the specs of a device quickly are sharing their findings with their teachers as well.  

My first goal is to get the students on the iPad in some way, shape or form daily.  From research in science, to interactive maps in geography, spreadsheets in math and reading in English and Spanish, there are endless opportunities to incorporate the technology in the classroom. My second goal is to get the teachers to understand the significance of technology in the classroom and how to use it effectively, as described by TeachThought.  Flexibility and openness, as well as a general belief in the value of technology, are important in this theory.  The foundations are there.  I know these are attainable goals and I am honored to be a part of the project. 

From Teacher Trainings to Teachers Testing the Tablab in el Paraiso, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

Teacher Training Session in el Paraiso

After a few intensive teacher training sessions and weekly coaching, the teachers in el Paraiso are finally starting to take the leap and incorporate the Tablab into their lessons, to the students delight!

Jennifer Klein leading a teacher training session in el Paraiso.

Liceo el Paraiso is a small rural high school surrounded by pineapple farms, in Sarapiqui Costa Rica. Access to technology at the school has been very limited, so much so that textbooks are even scarce!

The Tablab aims to fill that void in access to quality educational resources.

Through the TabLab, the students all of a sudden have a video camera, movie and book creating technology, access to museums and cities of the world, a private language tutor, and real world math practice, and much more, all in one device!

Liceo el Paraiso now has a Tablab consisting of 20 ipad mini's, donated by World Leadership Foundation. My job (as the Tablab Teacher Trainer) is to try and help the teachers make the best use of the Tablab in their lessons and find ways to make the lab more and more available to the students, outside of class time.

The Principal of the high school, Henry Vazquez was immediately on board with the lab and has been quick to see its many functions and ways to implement it into everyday teaching practices at the school to the benefit of the students. He is a great motivator and support to his teachers.

Teacher Gerald, sharing the excitement for the Tablab with his students.

One of the leading cutting edge teachers at the school, Gerald, created a lesson plan which required the students to access a blog, find specific media resources, created their own media resources, share with one another on an on-line platform, and then answer a quiz, all in order to learn about Road safety in Costa Rica!

In the English Department, the students are using the technology to track their own progress and retention, as well as a quick thesaurus and dictionary in class and they are working on a book to share with students from Canada who sent them each a Canadian legend (in English). They are determined to send their legends back to Canada in English as well as Spanish.

Even the Math department has had their turn at using the ipads to access the Khan Academy math resources in Spanish available on the Rachel server.

The challenge for the next month is to figure out an easy way for the teachers to figure out who gets to use the lab and when, since a few issues of access have come up. The Principal is also very interested in having the lab available to students during their off periods, something that needs to be figured out in terms of staffing and space.

Pura Vida from el Paraisio, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

Download, Configure, Organize, Sign-In, Repeat 20 times

Welcome to the blog chronicling the experience of World Leadership Foundation's mobile iPad lab based in Sarapiquí, Costa Rica. The iPad lab will be used in several local schools as a way to access more resources and provide a tool for more interactive learning. I am writing as a volunteer at Chilamate Rainforest Eco-Retreat. Meghan, the co-owner of the Retreat, is also a board member for World Leadership Foundation and acts as the on the ground coordinator for all things related to the iPads. I arrived to Chilamate around seven months ago, and I am finishing  up my time here, but these last few weeks my time has been devoted to the preparation of the new iPad lab in conjunction with Meghan. Therefore, I want to share my experiences of this process, and give you an eye-in to the ground level time and work to effectively carry out the goals of the project.

In all honesty, it was hard for me to understand the purpose of these iPads when I was first asked to assist in the process. None of the apps on the iPads really stood out to me as promoting more interest and learning, and were mostly organizing tools, but I was quickly introduced to the wide range of ways that the iPads could bring more books, articles, and reference materials to the classroom with certain applications and internet access. Quickly, I was immersed into the process of organizing existing applications, searching for quality educational apps in Spanish (there are lots of great apps out there, but they are only in English making them almost useless to our students), proceeding to download them to each iPad, and then logging in each of the iPads to save time for the teachers and students. The amount of time needed for all of this was incredible especially if the iPads were to be set up in a quality way. Our hope is that if the iPads are set up and organized at the start, that the rest of the year will be able to have minimal unexpected issues.

We paid special attention to limiting the number of apps that needed to use the internet as there is not very strong internet at the schools, especially with all students using them at the same time. Also, the strength of our internet affected our preparation process. The longest part that I participated in was creating email and apple id accounts for each of the iPads so that the students could communicate with each other and the teachers, and proceeding to log them in to necessary applications. The students will now have added storage memory with Dropbox, drive, and the email accounts. Through our process, we found a wide range of effective apps that the teachers can hopefull explore and incorporate into the lessons. When used in an organized and planned way, I feel that the students will benefit greatly from this project. The globe is changing rapidly and understanding technology is a major part of these changes. Students will hopefully be interested and engaged with the iPads inspiring them be lifetime learners.