Tinkering with Tech in Honduras
Twenty schools and educational centres in northern Hondurasgather for the "Tinkering with Tech/Jugando con la Tecnología" workshop.
SAN PEDRO SULA, HONDURAS:
Fifty enthusiastic school principals and teachers from 20 schools and educational centres in northern Honduras gathered at the National Pedagogical University "Francisco Morazán" in San Pedro Sula. They were there for the "Tinkering with Tech/Jugando con la Tecnología" workshop, a UNICEF-led project and involving the UNICEF Global Learning Innovation Hub, UNICEF Honduras, the Micro:bit Educational Foundation, and the Honduras Ministry of Education.
The goal? To instill a love for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) subjects among children through hands-on learning using Educational Technology (EdTech) facilitated by teachers. For this project, microbit devices - pocket-sized microcontrollers that can be programmed with a simple code language to create games and animations or to control hardware – are being used as a tool for children to learn not only coding but STEM subjects and develop 21st century skills.
The workshop in San Pedro Sula from July 2-4, 2024, brought in educators from the project schools to train them on how to guide their students to use a playful, exploration and experimental approach to solve everyday challenges using micro:bits and in doing so develop 21st century skills and instill a love for STEM. The workshop was also covered by two prominent media outlets in Honduras, Proceso Digital and El Heraldo, highlighting its significance in advancing educational technology in the region.
Teachers like Bessy Banegas Zapata from the Minerva Basic Education Centre found the workshop both demanding and fulfilling. "Using the new tools really pushes our mental limits. It can be frustrating when things don’t work right away, but perseverance pays off. This experience will definitely be beneficial in our everyday teaching," she shared.
By providing a framework for digital creativity, the workshop offered teachers a hands-on experience using design thinking processes: empathising, which involves understanding the needs and perspectives of others; defining the specific area on which to focus; ideating various solutions; prototyping simple models to refine these ideas; testing to verify that the solutions meet real needs; and reflecting and presenting, where participants share their ideas and lessons learned.
Teachers like Bessy Banegas Zapata from the Minerva Basic Education Centre found the workshop both demanding and fulfilling. "Using the new tools really pushes our mental limits. It can be frustrating when things don’t work right away, but perseverance pays off. This experience will definitely be beneficial in our everyday teaching," she shared.
Jacquelin Nohemi Serazio Portillo, a sixth-grade teacher at the Lila Luz de Maradiaga Educational Centre, left the workshop brimming with excitement. She believes the Tinkering with Tech project supported by UNICEF will transform her classroom and boost her students' design thinking abilities. “I can’t wait to share what I have learned with other schools,” she said.
As a next step, the trained teachers are integrating what they learned from the workshop in their schools working with students to develop interdisciplinary class projects that tackle real world problems, making learning more fun and engaging for children. By making learning more engaging, this not only help students learn STEM subjects better but also help increase the motivation of students to stay in school, particularly in countries with high dropout rates like Honduras.
"We hope this workshop is just the start of something bigger," said José Scodiero, one of the trainers from Microbit Educational Foundation, which is UNICEF’s implementing partner for the project. "Imagine a nationwide program where every child can engage with STEM through user-friendly innovations like Micro:bit. That is our dream."
The Tinkering with Tech project, championed by the UNICEF Learning Innovation Hub alongside partners Arm and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, is actively leading the way in shaping the future of learning. It is currently rolled out in four countries: Honduras, the Maldives, Montenegro and Vietnam.
To celebrate the creativity and innovation of students in the program, a special event will be held on November 1st, where students will showcase their projects and reflect on the design thinking process followed in the program. This celebration will serve as a culmination of their efforts and a testament to the powerful learning outcomes achieved through Tinkering with Tech.
