Generation YES Blog » Liberia

Malaysian Student Technology Leaders

Dennis Harper — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:50:51 +0000

I just returned yesterday from Malaysia and the launch of the Malaysian Student Technology Leaders (MYSTL) Twenty five years ago I provided the first ed tech training to a group of Malaysian teachers while working at the National University of Malaysia. I have kept up with friends and developments in this progressive nation of 30 million people. For the past few months Generation YES has worked with Ministry of Education officials to launch MYSTL. MYSTL is based on both the GenYES and TechYES models where a group of students are provided the training and resources to ensure their teachers integrate technology and their peers are technology literate.

Last week’s formal launch and training teachers and students in three pilot secondary schools was a precursor for an additional 96 schools starting next January and another 300 schools scheduled to follow in January of 2011. Malaysia realizes that to succeed in the future and survive these tough economic times, students must be able to truly use today’s and tomorrow’s technology to think, create, and change.

Working with these Malaysian high school students again confirmed to me that students throughout the world have the same capacity to use their energy and proclivity with technology to redefine our future for the better. Three U.S. based Generation YES schools will act as sister schools to the three Malaysian pilots.

There are some signs that the U.S will begin taking educational technology seriously with new allocations in the federal EETT program (Title IID). However, the U.S. has a long way to go to match the commitment I see in many other nations.

Dennis Harper

Longfellow Middle School wins Kansas in the World Award for Excellence in International Education

Sylvia Martinez — Tue, 06 May 2008 22:18:22 +0000

Congratulations to Hill City Elementary School/Longfellow Middle School for winning the Kansas in the World Award for Excellence in International Education 2008!

Longfellow Middle School and teacher Scott Parker have been part of the GenYES program for ten years, starting when GenYES was a federal Technology Innovation Challenge grant. At Longfellow, GenYES students help teachers throughout the school integrate technology in their classrooms, and in TechYES, 7th and 8th grade students do projects to gain a technology literacy certification. Students worked on Rural Symposium projects and tied them into international studies through the International Education and Resource Network (iEARN). See the student projects here.

Longfellow GenYES students have also been at the forefront of working with Liberian students who are part of the new Liberia Renaissance School of which GenYES founder, Dr. Dennis Harper is a board member. Their Liberia projects are on the LREC/LMS website here.

In addition, many of the TechYES/GenYES students are involved in the “Schools Fantasy League” program based on England’s Premier League soccer. This project is designed for schools to take part in an exciting, engaging activity that promotes collaboration, learning and cross-curricular connections. Longfellow Middle School is recognized as a “Champion School” as the first USA school to be involved in the program.

Congratulations to the Longfellow students and Scott Parker! This is a well-deserved award indeed.

Sylvia

Dennis Harper named to the 2008 Daring Dozen!

Sylvia Martinez — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 22:47:01 +0000

We are just as proud as can be here at Generation YES! Edutopia has chosen it’s annual Daring Dozen, twelve people “reshaping the future of education” – and Dennis Harper is on the 2008 list.

From Edutopia – Even as the most optimistic activists in education begin to feel alone and unheard in the wilderness, we find evidence that the ranks of reformers are growing and their pleas for technology integration, project learning, integrated curriculum, collaborative learning, new methods of assessment are having more impact.

The GenYES vision, Harper says, is one of collaboration between students and teachers. The educators, he emphasizes, provide the content and the pedagogy, while the kids are deeply involved in helping instructors employ the classroom technology as a learning tool. When this approach fails, he says, it’s “because we expect teachers to do everything. It always gets me that you have to argue the case that kids should be doing things in schools.”

Students Rebuilding a Nation with Technology

Dennis Harper — Tue, 08 May 2007 23:42:06 +0000

I just spent nearly three weeks in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Both these West African nations have been through some recent bad times. While in Liberia, President Ellen Sirleaf presided over the groundbreaking for the Liberia Renaissance Education Complex. Check out her groundbreaking speech. Of course, the new school will utilize the Generation YES way with students being an integral part of the way the school operates.

While in Monrovia I had the pleasure of meeting with members of the Liberian chapter of the Taking It Global organization. Check out this organization’s projects and learn about its founder Michael Furdyk. Michael is a perfect example of what an empowered tech-savvy teenager can accomplish.

The young people I met with had a very clear idea of how both technology and youth can rebuild a nation. If any of you are interested in corresponding with these agents for peace in Liberia, you can email them at yocadsorg2003@yahoo.org.

Dennis