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

Specialist Educator

<p>Every time we resume from a short break we come up with new ways of perfecting our specialty.</p><p>Getting students to do projects based on various specialties opens great fields of ideas and enhances creativity.</p><p>Ivy Jerop is a fourth grader who wants to be a doctor.</p><p>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.</p><p>"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.</p>

Student Imagines Her Future Office | TechLit Africa

<p>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.</p>

Saint Mary's

<p>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.</p>

CEO | CNN Hero | Forbes Under 30

<p>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.</p>

Classroom Stories | TechLit Africa

Stories From The Classroom

Inkscape

Graphic Design

Student Imagines Her Future Office

<p>Denis is our school lead educator in Mogotio Primary School.</p>

School Lead Educator

<p>Kirwa is a 5th grader. He wants to be an architect like his dad.</p><p>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.</p><p>Kirwa’s first computer class after break was on Wednesday. I told their class to draw a landscape.</p><p>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.</p><p>The class ended too soon. Next time, Kirwa says he will add animals and flowers.</p>

Student Architect at Mogotio Primary | TechLit Africa

<p>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.</p>

Mogotio Primary

Student Architect at Mogotio Primary

<p>Irene Jebungei is our school lead educator in Chepyuan Primary School.</p>

<h2>Envisioning Future Lives</h2><p>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.</p><h2>Healthy Competition</h2><p>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.</p><h2>Improved Confidence</h2><p>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!"</p>

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!

<p>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!</p>

Improved Confidence from Design Lessons

Chepyuan Primary

<h2>Hussein The Artist</h2><p>Hussein, a seventh grader at Saint Mary has been the best designer amongst all my students so far.&nbsp;</p><p>He knew about inkscape and vectors even before I introduced it to his class. So Hussien has been taking any opportunity he gets to come to the computer lab. For example if he has a free lesson in class, instead of staying in class like his classmates, he would come to TechLit lab and offer to help teach. </p><h2>Following Your Passion</h2><p>“So, Irene, because I am already an artist, how can I benefit from my talent? ” he asked shortly after I introduced vector art to his class.</p><p>I told him all about graphic designers and how they are crucial in so many companies. From designing logos to even fonts. I also went on to explain free lance, how he can have his own agency and be self-employed designing logos for people. </p><p>He was so happy to hear that. “I can’t wait to benefit from my designs.” He said and went on to design really cool hats, shoes and even abstract art.</p>

7th Grader from Saint Mary's Primary Is An Artist With a Bright Future | Motivating Conversation with Irene Sheey About Future Opportunities

<p>This week, I shared all the possible things one can do with Graphic Design talents. Hussen, a Seventh Grader in Saint Mary's Primary was inspired and hopeful about his future as an artist.</p>

Future Designer from Saint Mary's

<p>Milka is our school lead educator in Saint Mary's Primary in Mogotio, Kenya.</p>

<h2>Creating Digital Art</h2><p>For a while now, we have only been teaching graphic design to fourth graders and up. For lower classes we had our students use Potato Guy, an application to learn drag and drop skills. For Potato Guy the goal is to dress a potato.</p><p>I had always wondered how young is too young to introduce our students to Inkscape. At the moment we thought fourth graders were the youngest.&nbsp;So today we decided to experiment with second graders. They are about eight years old. </p><h2>The Youngest Artists</h2><p>I was particularly impressed with Allan, a second grader who drew a person wearing a green shirt and white pants. His design was so detailed with black hair, brown skin, one white shoe and the other shoe was barefoot. Of each of the colors, he had to pick the specific colors from the color wheel.</p><p>Most students had no problem using Inkscape. Now I am excited to try Inkscape with even the youngest of our students.</p>

We tried to teach 8-year-olds to use Inkscape, a vector editing program. They impressed us with their creativity and how quickly they learned to create digital art with Inkscape.

<p>We tried to teach 8-year-olds to use Inkscape, a vector editing program. They impressed us with their creativity and how quickly they learned to create digital art with Inkscape.</p>

8-Year-Olds Creating Digital Art

<p>Magda is one of TechLit's most skilled educators, and has taken on capacity development and new school onboarding.</p>

Kenya Capacity Lead

<blockquote>All hail Mnazi Moja kids!</blockquote><h2>Teaching In Mombasa</h2><blockquote>The last time I was in Mombasa, I only taught for a short time.</blockquote><p>I was here last on the second month of the year and then disappeared for close to 5 months only to show up towards the end of July.&nbsp;The last time I was in Mombasa, I only taught for a short time. I was just doing introduction to computer classes. We were just starting the Mombasa hub and I got the opportunity to be one of the pioneers.&nbsp;</p><blockquote>I then "disappeared" without a goodbye.</blockquote><p>I did make friends with the kids . They were so adorable and the way they addressed me as&nbsp;"madam" with their coastal accent was everything to me.&nbsp;I then 'disappeared' without goodbye only to show up five months later with new skills to teach.&nbsp;</p><h2>Returning To Mombasa</h2><blockquote>It's amazing the kind of impact teachers leave...</blockquote><p>When I came back to Mombasa, I was surprised that they still remembered me and one boy was trying to speak English and said "<strong>I am miss you today madam</strong>" and I was like "<strong>I missed you too!</strong>"&nbsp;</p><p>It's amazing the kind of impact teachers leave even after interacting with kids for just a short time.&nbsp; That aside, this time I was here to teach social and vectors.</p><h2>Creativity And Internet Skills</h2><blockquote>Students can create and share their Vector projects work on Social.</blockquote><p>Social is a specialty in TechLit where we teach kids basic internet skills and social media at large. We also teach them how to secure their accounts.&nbsp;After this, we create accounts for them where they can reach out to their fellow students and also upload their projects and progress. They can also view their fellow students' uploads. Vectors is a specialty where we teach kids how to draw different things and become creative in many ways.</p><h2>Sharing with Internet Skills</h2><blockquote>Before I could turn around, Eugene was done and ready to share.</blockquote><p>My story today comes from my vectors class in grade 6. I had just finished the introduction class and I asked them to go sit down and try to draw the different things in their minds. Before I could turn around, Eugene had already drawn a boat and he was calling me to go and help him upload it to social so that his classmates could see it.</p><h2>Healthy Competition</h2><blockquote><strong>"Today you have won, but tomorrow I will beat you!"</strong></blockquote><p>I was really impressed so I asked his classmates to clap for him. Brighton, a student in the same class, really felt challenged. He drew his picture, uploaded it to social and then proceeded to the chats section and left a message for Eugene: "<strong>Today you have won, but tomorrow I am going to beat you.</strong>"</p><p>I was impressed that the success of one of them makes the rest of the class want to do better. I&nbsp;am a proud teacher.</p>

Primary School Students in Mnazi Mmoja Missed Teacher Magda Until She Returned To Teach Internet Skills and Creative Vector Software Which Inspired Healthy Competition

<p>I returned to Mombasa as a specialist educator after many months away. The students missed me, and I was lucky enough to inspire competition during our time together. All hail Mnazi Moja! </p>

Healthy Competition in Mnazi Mmoja Primary School

Mnazi Mmoja

Internet Security

Healthy Competition in Mnazi Mmoja

<h2>Learning From Intrinsic Inspiration</h2><p>Titus is a Class 7 student in Chepyuan. He was very excited about Vectors (Graphic Design). In previous classes, he combined different shapes with different colours. Today, he came to class with a goal: to draw a map of Kenya.</p><h2>Mastery Experiences With Peers</h2><p>His map of Kenya turned out pretty good. After applying different colors and labeling the map, everyone came to see his work. His classmates were all amazed, and l was impressed too. He was really focused during class and it showed in his work.</p><h2>Improved Self-Efficacy</h2><p>After finishing the lesson, Titus told me that he wanted to come during his games period to make another design. When he came later on between classes, he told me that he wanted to become an artist when he grows up. The computer classes have really changed his perspective in life.</p>

Class 7 Student in Chepyuan Primary Focuses in Computer Class to Draw a Map of Kenya and Believes He Can Become An Artist

<p>A Class 7 student in my school has been very focused during computer class. This week, he became the star pupil in his class, and began believing that he could be an artist when he grows up.</p>

Improved Self-Efficacy From Digital Skills

<h2>The Magic of Specialty Projects</h2><p>We teach specialty subjects in TechLit classes to inspire students to create with computers and discover their passions. The specialty that I teach is Graphic Design, where students use Inkscape vector editor to create different designs from their own ideas.</p><h2>Jepkemoi Leads Her Class</h2><p>Jepkemoi, a fourth grader showed great interest during design classes. She's been the best throughout from the very first time I did introduction. She's been guiding her fellow students.</p><h2>Expressing Self-Efficacy</h2><p>On her previous lesson she designed a car. She said that she will buy her mother and herself one when she finishes school.</p>

Designing a Car and Sharing a Vision of the Future | Grade 4 Student Shaping Her Worldview Through Computer Classes

<p>A Grade 4 student, Jepkemoi, has been leading her class every time I come to teach Graphic Design. This week, she designed a car and explained how she will buy one for her mother and herelf when she finished school.</p>

Self-Efficacy through Graphic Design | TechLit Africa

Self-Efficacy through Graphic Design

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

Founder & COO

<p>Inkscape is a vector editing program that's free to use. You can donate to the Inkscape project online.</p>

Inkscape - Vector Editor - For Primary Schools

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