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Tyler Cinnamon is a American programmer and entrepreneur. He started TechLit Africa with Nelly Cheboi in 2018 to disrupt poverty with used IT devices.

Founder & COO

Reports and Insights from Rural Africa | How We Teach Computer Classes in Primary Schools to Unlock Global Opportunity in Rural Africa

Blog - Effective Digital Skills at Scale

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Lucy is our internet skills and touchtyping specialist.

Specialist Educator

Today, Dreams Hill teacher came to the lab and asked us to teach his students how to type a paragraph on the computer and save.I showed them using the office application (writer libreoffice document).Joy, a fifth grader, was able to type the paragraph and edit it on her own.She coloured the words with different colours ,bolded some words,italicised&nbsp;and saved.She ended up being a student teacher&nbsp;since everyone was calling her for help.

Word Processing at Dreams Hills | TechLit Africa

Students at Dreams Hills primary learned how to use word processing apps today. A fifth grader stood out and helped the rest of her class.

Logiri Primary

Nelly Cheboi is a celebrated social entrepreneur, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/nelly-cheboi/?sh=179de9a85764" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Forbes 30 under 30</a> honoree, and<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/14/world/education-technology-recycling-kenya-poverty-cnnheroes/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> CNN Hero</a>. After growing up in rural Kenya and lifting her family out of poverty, she focused on her community.

CEO | CNN Hero | Forbes Under 30

Every Thursday, we all gather around on Zoom to share stories from the classroom. Every educator writes a story to share from their week about student achievement.

Classroom Stories | TechLit Africa

Stories From The Classroom

LibreOffice Writer

Document Editing

Word Processing at Dreams Hills

Jacqueline is our school lead in Dreams Hills Academy.

School Lead Educator

Today I decided to introduce tux math to my students at Dreams Hill School.I taught them how to click on the number&nbsp;when solving the math question and also the uses of a space back which acts as an equal sine.Peter, a grade 2G student today, made me very excited. After I had finished the introduction to solving math questions without the use of books&nbsp;he had already known what I had taught.Whenever&nbsp;Peter finished any level in tux math&nbsp;he could dance very proudly with the doll which made all the students get attracted to his work and he ended up being the student teacher.I considered Peter as the champion of the class when he asked for permission to help&nbsp;the other students in his class&nbsp;in solving various math questions.The teachers who were in the computer room were very excited about how the students have solved the math questions without the use&nbsp;of books since they are still young students.Some of the teachers also said that most students in grade two have been having a very bad attitude towards their math lessons but the computer lesson has now been a turning point for them…. I was very happy when I had that good comment.

Dreams Hills Students Practicing Math | TechLit Africa

Student in Dreams Hills practiced their basic arithmetic skills this week with the Tux Math application. Their teacher and I were surprised by how well they did without using a pen and paper.

Dreams Hills

Dreams Hills Students Practicing Math

Irene Pepit is our school lead educator for Zawadi Yetu in Mogotio, Kenya.

Scratch is block-based programming built for kids.&nbsp;This week at Zawadi Yetu academy, we decided with the fifth graders that they are going to create their own project. The previous weeks they have been practicing combining blocks of code and so they were only making basic animationsThis week they started on their projects. Everyone in the class is really working hard to make sure that before the end of the term he/she must have created his/her game in scratch. First, i encourage them to use different sprites and now they are in the level of making their own sounds and inserting them in their gameI look forward to encouraging them to discover new things day by day for their game and presentable look. They are very happy that at the end each one of them will have his/her game.

Making Their Own Games in Zawadi Yetu | TechLit Africa

This week in Zawadi Yetu academy, students spend 30 minutes every day building their own video game in Scratch. By the end of the week, they will have completed a complete game.

Zawadi Yetu

Scratch

Software Engineering

Making Their Own Games in Zawadi Yetu

Irene teaches the introductory lessons to graphic design. She explains how students can use Inkscape to create vector graphics.

Every time we resume from a short break we come up with new ways of perfecting our specialty.Getting students to do projects based on various specialties opens great fields of ideas and enhances creativity.Ivy Jerop is a fourth grader who wants to be a doctor.She drew a list of tools that she may need as a doctor. She drew a syringe, some med tablets, and separated reception from consultation room."Its part of my project for the term" she said. She did a bit of colouring and naming. "Nikikuja next time ntachora ile nomma," which means that when she comes in next she will draw her tools in a better way.

Student Imagines Her Future Office | TechLit Africa

A fourth grader in Saint Mary's school wants to become a doctor. So this week we had her imagine what her office would look like in Inkscape.

Saint Mary's

Inkscape

Graphic Design

Student Imagines Her Future Office

Denis is our school lead educator in Mogotio Primary School.

Kirwa is a 5th grader. He wants to be an architect like his dad.Schools in Kenya are returning from a break. For the rest of the school term, students will be working on projects to practice what they already learned from specialists.Kirwa’s first computer class after break was on Wednesday. I told their class to draw a landscape.Kirwa’s was excited to draw things around a home. He drew trees, grass and a very wonderful house. He painted the grass and trees green and he painted the house pink with a red roof.The class ended too soon. Next time, Kirwa says he will add animals and flowers.

Student Architect at Mogotio Primary | TechLit Africa

A 5th grader in Mogotio Primary school imagined his future career today. He wants to be an architect like his dad, so I had him draw a house and its landscape.

Mogotio Primary

Student Architect at Mogotio Primary

Allan is a photographer, journalist and the founder of KE Media. With TechLit he inspires students with his passion for video production. Students learn to use video editing software with Allan.

Video production is one of the specialties in TechLit Africa. Most of the students love video production. In video production, we use an application called OpenShot, which is easy for students to understand.During my visit to Dreams Hills school this week, I came across Faith. She was my co-teacher last term at video production class. She was excited to see me. Their class was to follow next.In the OpenShot class, Faith knew how to cut the video using Control-X and knew how to use transitions without me showing her.Faith told me that during her break from school, with the help of her parents, she installed the OpenShot app on their desktop. She told me that she spent her break learning from YouTube tutorials.

Digital Skills Outside The Classroom | TechLit Africa

I discovered a student in Dreams Hills school who brought her specialty subject home with her. Her whole family is involved in furthering her studies at home.

Open Shot

Video Production

Digital Skills Outside The Classroom

<h2>A Normal Week of Computer Class</h2>This week&nbsp;at Mogotio&nbsp;Primary&nbsp;we were&nbsp;dealing with how&nbsp;the kids can save their work. So from Monday&nbsp;to Friday our target was to ensure every&nbsp;kid is able to save their work.<h2>A Surprise Visitor</h2>On Monday afternoon this week our&nbsp;CEO Nelly Cheboi came into the lab and surprised&nbsp;everyone in the lab. The children&nbsp;were not expecting her! While she was there, Kosi uploaded a video on social.I was not aware that Kosi uploaded&nbsp;it onto the computer until one kid by the name Dorah found it. "Watch kosi talk about&nbsp;techlit on cnn!"<h2>Just Like Us</h2>What shocked her is that&nbsp;in that video&nbsp;she saw a Kosi with a uniform like&nbsp;they have. Dorah called me over. "Teacher kuja! Uone kosi na uniform&nbsp;ya mogotio primary?" She asked&nbsp;me in kiswahili, "Kosi alisomea hapa?""Yeah! Alisomea hapa" I told Dorah. All the children jumped from their computer and gathered to Dorah's computer. (They didn't&nbsp;notice that all computers have the video.) They were very happy.After watching&nbsp;that video, I told them go and watch on your computer. I told them that every computer has that video.They crashed on their computer&nbsp;by saying in kiswahili "kumbe kosi alisomea hapa?"

Students from Mogotio Primary Can Achieve | A Surprise Visit From CEO Nelly Cheboi Motivated Students

This week started normally, but when our CEO Nelly Cheboi came to visit computer classes at Mogotio Primary, we had more than one surprise. My students learned that starting from Mogotio Primary they can go on to do great things.

Hopeful Message, Surprise Visit

Social

Personal Branding

Hopeful Message From A Surprise Visit

Irene Jebungei is our school lead educator in Chepyuan Primary School.

<h2>Envisioning Future Lives</h2>Vectors (Graphic Design) has been one of our specialties for a while. Vectors has students make different designs using Inkscape, a vector editing program. Mercy, a Grade 6 Group B student made her fellow students enjoy their lesson this week.<h2>Healthy Competition</h2>Mercy's drawing was the best in class. She drew her future house using basic shapes, then decorated it with stars and colors. Everyone in class liked her drawing and they all promised that in their next lesson they will come with ideas just as good as hers.<h2>Improved Confidence</h2>Mercy was the first student that captured her ideas so well. She even started teaching other students in her groups, which was a great sign. She surprised the class when she shouted "I must be the best!"

A Grade 6 student became very confident this week after capturing her design ideas. She drew her future house in Inkscape with decorations that everyone in her class liked. Now she thinks she's the best designer in the world!