05-24, 14:45–15:30 (Europe/Paris), Salle I
The Learning Lab will be a workshop that will incubate new ideas for participants about building stakeholder capacity through OER for secondary educators, by examining an international collaboration that was successfully implemented in Uganda. The Lab will also address enhancing teacher engagement in STEM while simultaneously addressing a need for improved female interest in STEM and increasing access to underserved communities all through open educational resources (OER).
Participants will be introduced to OER found in the IEEE REACH Program. Through the lens of history, IEEE REACH offers secondary teachers resources that enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills while boosting cultural and technological literacy. The program provides a new lens from which students may view engineering and technology as relevant to their lives and their future, providing a new STEM education pathway. Participants will learn how the combination of an inquiry designed format and historical narratives are being used to link abstract concepts, such as how problems have been solved in the past, with real-life situations today. In addition, participants will be shown a hands-on activity that reinforces the concepts. According to a UNESCO program, STEM and Gender Advancement (SAGA), linking abstract concepts to real life situations and the use of hands-on activities, in addition to real-world learning opportunities, has been shown to inspire and retain girls’ interest in STEM.
Insight will be shared about how an international collaboration, between IEEE, UNESCO, and local non-profits, is offering real-world learning opportunities that provide inclusive applications and effective learning outcomes in Uganda and is engaging girls in STEM, while providing access to underserved communities.
The workshop will highlight best practices learned as it relates to OER from, the use and adaptation in formal and informal education environments, classroom and in-service workshops that have garnered key stakeholder interest and inclusion as a part of curriculum reform, and capacity building opportunities that have the potential to transform education as it relates to gender equality and technological literacy of all students.
As part of the lab, ample opportunities will be available for participants to partake in open discussions and Q & A.
Presenters will include:
Vincent Kaabunga - IEEE Volunteer Lead IEEE/UNESCO MOU engagement in Africa, and Past Chair, IEEE Africa Council
Rovani Sigamoney – Engineering Programme Specialist, UNESCO Natural Sciences
Maryanne Karamagi – CEO, Silver Bolt (Virtually)
Kelly McKenna – IEEE REACH Program Manager
Kelly McKenna is the IEEE REACH (Raising Engineering Awareness through the Conduit of History) Program Manager with the IEEE History Center and is responsible for the program’s development, implementation, and distribution. Kelly’s goal is to share stories that matter through all forms of multimedia as a way to inform, educate, and inspire. She is thrilled to have an opportunity to work with both teachers and IEEE historians on this innovative multimedia journey that provides a different lens for students to think about the consequences of change, particularly in relation to the role technology and innovation plays in global events and in addressing social problems. Self-described as passionately curious, Kelly aims to bring the same type of elevated inquiry and interest to students through the open education resources (OER) provided by the IEEE REACH program with the goal to improve students’ technological literacy skills and engagement in the diversity of the human experience.
Kelly has an M.F.A. in Documentary Film from Wake Forest University and a B.A. in Broadcasting from the University of Dayton. While at Wake Forest, Kelly worked as a Teaching Assistant for two years. She has created and produced numerous short documentaries that have screened in both National and International Film Festivals and in classrooms across the country. In addition to overseeing the REACH Program, Kelly produces the videos for the program and holds a certificate from the NCSS and C3 Teacher’s Inquiry Design Model (IDM) 2017 Summer Institute.