Intro to International Relations Lesson 1: Don't be ethnocentric. Don't judge other countries by the standards of your own culture, traditions, and expectations.
I have learned, in the last few months, that "don't be ethnocentric" also means "don't judge other countries' definition of 'internet access' against your own standards and expectations of 'internet access'".
This is why:
In planning the implementation of our "Technology to Teachers" project for the last 3-4 months, we had assumed we would be using the Internet. We planned on accessing the vast wealth of resources for teachers online. We had planned as such because students and professionals who had traveled to Piura and spent time at Madre del buen consejo were certain the school was using the internet.
Then we read a report and started to worry.
A high school student from Sacred Heart Prep who traveled to Piura last year wrote an amazingly comprehensive report on wants and needs of Madre del buen Consejo. He noted that "school internet currently runs on select computers/devices through a combination of LAN connections, USB adapters, and WiFi". I was concerned about the word "select". "Select", by no means, signifies "most" or "all".
After reading this, I knew I needed to speak with administration at the school to see what "select" meant and to see how many of the "select" devices were using WiFi.
Without the internet, we would be limited to teaching students and teaching how to use Word and PowerPoint in the classroom. Although Word and PowerPoint are resourceful and comprehensive programs, we wanted to provide students more ways to differentiate learning. We didn't want our instruction to be limited to teaching how to make worksheets on Word and how to make presentations on PowerPoint.
We wanted to teach about how to incorporate images, videos, and sound clips, also. We wanted to provide teachers with the opportunity to engage all types of learners. (See Slide Presentation, Using Technology to Meet the Needs of All Learners by Patty McGinnis for more information)
http://www.slideshare.net/pmcginnis/using-technology-to-meet-the-needs-of-all-learners
In this way, the sponsor of the project set up a conference call between the school's administration and me. The school's administration was very kind: they explained they were excited for me to come and that yes, they have a computer teacher, a tech repair man, and a computer lab. They also have wifi for the computers. After this conversation, I was relieved. There was wifi. No need for concern.
When Ignatious and Kin arrived in Peru, we discovered, however, I had not asked enough questions about the internet situation. Ignatious is a student at Bellarmine College Prep and Kin is his father. They both dedicated 2 weeks of time to spend working in Piura. They agreed to be our "eyes and ears" before we arrived in Peru. They would tell us what was working, what was not, and what supplies we still needed to bring down.
A day after they arrived, I get an email with the subject-line reading "No internet connection in Piura". Oh no.
It turned out that the only functional internet at the school was bought and used on a single laptop by one individual. We needed at least 15 people to have connection to the internet, not just 1. AHHHHH
It may seem like an over-reaction to freak-out about lack of WiFi I mean, at least there is some WiFi. At least there are some computers. At least there is a school! True, all these statements are true.
The issue is, however, that wifi doesn't seem like a big deal until you don't have WiFi As a teacher in the United States, I don't ever think about WiFi until it doesn't work. I don't think about how I use it to print, to find images to put on worksheets and PowerPoint slides. I don't think about how I use it to show videos or sound-clips I don't think about how I use it to research new instruction ideas or how I use it to purchase and print curriculum. I don't think about how I use it every day, 5 days a week, to make 80-90% of what I do in the classroom possible.
In the United States, I don't think about how much I depend on the internet. and WiFi. It's when I leave the country that I remember. I remember having to hunt down internet cafes in Guatemala because the hostel's advertised "wifi" wasn't really functional, and borrowing some type of internet USB flash drive in Nigeria because there was no WiFi, and wanting to throw things at my laptop in Argentina when Skype didn't work because the WiFi signal wasn't strong enough.
In the beginnings of planning this project, I forgot to remember how important WiFi is. And how its not the same everywhere. duh.
I quickly realized I had made two key mistakes when talking to administration the month before:
1. I did not ask nearly enough questions about the internet connection
2. I assumed the Peruvian definition of "having internet" was the same as the U.S. definition of "having internet". Rookie mistake.
I tried to figure out what we would do with all our technology without the internet. Between Ignatious, Kin, my mom and I, we will have brought 15-20 Lenovo Thinkpad laptops (ancient, but in working condition with bran-new software, donated by Notre Dame High School), 4 brand-new projectors, 15 sets of speakers, and 15-20 USB flash-drives. WiFi for 1 was not going to work.
In this way, we created a Plan B. We would teach Word and PowerPoint All aspects of WOrd and PowerPoint: tables, graphs, animation, etc. Then at least teachers could make their own worksheets and handouts and show PowerPoint presentations in class.
Then, Ignatious, being the hard-working, self-starter that he is, decided to spend a day interviewing teachers (Elementary-Secondary) at Madre del buen consejo about what they wanted and needed in regards to technology (see Ignatious Blog for more details).
Here are the results of his interview:
"All of the teachers already know how to use powerpoint and word."
"They [teachers] explained that because of the lack of wifi in the schools, they could not readily create lessons or show videos to their students without previously preparing it at home, which is a hassle.They further explained that having Internet access would definitely be an asset since they could access textbook recommended resources to enrich their students' learning experience. "
"As for the printing situation, all of the teachers say that it is very hard to print because they only have access to two printers and these two printers are low in supplies (sic)"
So Back to Plan A. In order to realize the teachers' goals of differentiating instruction, we needed wifi. And printers, apparently, as well.
In this way, I needed to find out obstacles to having functional wifi connection for all 15-20 laptops. After some web research and exchanging 20-30 emails with Ignatious, Kin, administration at school and at Parish, it seemed there were three obstacles:
1. School's physical infrastructure- large campus with brick walls
2. Price-estimate of $135 per month
3. Concern about lack of filtering unwanted internet content
We needed to figure out how to make wifi work through brick walls, how to pay for it, and how to block unwanted and inappropriate internet content.
Kin decided to troubleshoot obstacles 1 and 3. He ran wires through rooms to make WiFi signal stronger. He trained a member of parish/school community on routers, wiring, and WiFi maintenance. Thanks to Kin, obstacle 1 is more or less taken care of. Then he brainstormed two viable options (one of them being free) for blocking unwanted content and establishing administration control of internet content for school. Way to go, Kin!
In regards to obstacle 2, I am still brainstorming a long-term, sustainable solution for paying for the WiFi However, the sponsor of the project volunteered to fund the internet at the school for 1 year to at least get the Technology to Teachers project off the ground. Yay!
The principal (one of the three) signed the internet contract last week. The final cost ended up being only $85 USD per month for 20 computers at 2GB. There was no installation fee, either.
The WiFi will be installed tomorrow (hopefully) or later this week.
What I've learned/ take-home messages:
1. Don't make assumptions and set expectations exclusively through the worldview of your own culture
2. Have a Plan A, B, and C
3. Communicate often, and with everyone
4. Ignatious and Kin are awesome.
Post on Effects of Internet Access in "Developing" Countries to follow.
