The Egypt revolution in 2010 has brought about a revolution in youth and educators in their own way. Atif Hussain, an ICT specialist who teaches grades 6 to 12 at Hayah International Academy in Cairo, details his school’s transformation in the new Egypt in his column, the Cairo Diaries.
Ever since I changed my career from that of an IT consultant to a teacher, I have always felt a need to allow the students to take ownership of their learning. After all, don’t we all work harder at something that we are passionate about? Sometimes it’s not just about doing something but doing something you enjoy or have a passion for.
But when I hit the reality of assessment, exams and examining boards, the idea of students taking ownership of their learning kind of withered away and I began to see my teaching job like any other job that I have done since my school days. Whether it was delivering papers before I went to school, driving doctors during the night during my university years or IT consultancy, it became about the money.
Fortunately for me, when I joined the Hayah International Academy in Cairo, Egypt as the ICT and curriculum specialist, I got the opportunity to give students a chance to take ownership of their learning in a way not done before.
I had already registered a website that would be for the students and by the students. It was myhayah.com. As it happens, the word “hayah” in Arabic means “life,” so “My Hayah” in this case was very fitting for a website that was related to the school and had a personal touch to it. Google Education Apps was chosen as a platform of communication and linked to the My Hayah domain.
Egypt Revolution Brings Out the Best in Students
But the revolution in Egypt brought out the best in my students. I guess they always had something to talk about, but the revolution gave them the passion and enthusiasm, inspiring within them the need to share their experiences and views using Web 2.0.
My Grade 10 students unanimously voted to use the My Hayah website as a platform to document the revolution from the viewpoint of Hayah students. My Hayah was an idea that was waiting to be utilised and the students did.
Together, we brainstormed the different mediums that could be utilized and these were put into the following categories:
- Writing
- Pictures
- Video
- Cartoon
- Podcast
I set out the marking criteria and shared it with the students. The students were then allowed to put their names on a shared document on Google Docs.
They then became actively engaged in the research and production of their work in various forms. Written work was produced using Google Docs and shared with other writers. Pictures were taken and shared on Flickr. Videos were created and shared on YouTube. Cartoons were created and shared on Toondoo and podcasts were created and shared on Podbean. After which all work was added on to the My Hayah website using WordPress as its back end content management tool. The students were given individual accounts as Editors and were able to contribute to the My Hayah website as individual contributors. I was able to mark their work according to the articles submitted on the site.
Immersing School and Life in Web 2.0
Apart from the students, the teachers became so enthusiastic and pleased with the work produced that they decided that it would become part of the assessment process for the Grade 10 academic year. We agreed that for a quarter, during the academic year, the students would decide on a topic and then select a category from the list mentioned above and then pace themselves to complete their work within that time frame.
Further to this, many students expressed interest in being part of the website outside of the curriculum role and have been willing to contribute during their lunch time, after-school and weekends. As a result, the website will be getting a facelift this academic year. Watch this space.
All work was created by the students and during this process they understood and grasped the concept of what Web 2.0 really is and how useful it can be if the right skills and tools are available. Students learned the limitations of different applications and the advantages of using different mediums online on one platform.
By students taking ownership of their learning and assessment for something they passionately want to discuss and share with others, learning not only became purposeful but also fun.
This is an idea that can be replicated by other teachers who wish to do so. Although we took the option of paying for a personalized web domain, many free options are available.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any queries or wish to adapt something similar in your school, college or university.
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How does your school allow students to take ownership of their learning and assessment? Share your ideas in the Comments section below.
Related articles:
People Power 2.0 Gives Birth to Middle East Revolutions
‘Born to Be Somebody’ in the New Egypt
From Tunisia to B.C.: A Canadian Student’s Mideast Awakening
About Atif Hussain
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