[UgaBYTES] (WLAR) Reaching students by reaching teachers and making a positive difference to students

[Nabil Eid]

World Links Arab Region in Syria (WLAR)
  Reaching students by reaching teachers and making a positive difference to students.
  World Links Arab Region was established to operate programs in any of the 22 members of the league of Arab States and in conjunction with youth throughout the world. 
  In January 2004, World Links conducted a feasibility study in Syria in preparation for the launch of an innovative ICT initiative in the educational system through two basic prerequisites for the introduction of the program were already in place:
    
   A basic technical infrastructure (computers, Internet connectivity) in a sufficient number of schools.   
   An emerging group of teachers and teacher trainers familiar with basic uses of computers for teaching.
   
  Pilot Project:
  The pilot project was officially launched in April 2005 and was designed to be implemented on a two-year plan, to train fifty master trainers and 500 teachers in 100 schools in fourteen governorates in Syria. During this project, teachers were empowered to incorporate ICT creatively into their pedagogical practices.
   
  Expansion Project:
  WLAR undertook an expansion project in 2007-2008, in cooperation with the Syria Trust for Development, a Syrian NGO. A national team of 110 master trainers was formed to implement the project, which reached over 110,000 students and 1000 teachers in 200 schools all over Syria.  
   
  Teachers and Students Impact:
   
   
  Teachers Impact:
  As WLAR trains growing numbers of teachers, there is a positive impact for students across the Arab Region.
  The majority of teachers and administrators who participated in World Links programs agreed that the programs helped them acquire new skills and changed their attitudes toward both technology and pedagogy. The majority of teachers felt that the program had:
    
   Greatly improved their ability to use student group work in their teaching and to design and lead collaborative student projects.  
   Improved their ability to use computers and the Internet and improved their attitudes, both toward technology and their own teaching.  
   Increased the level of collaboration in curriculum development among school teachers.
  Students Impact:
  The vast majority of the World Links students surveyed, more than 90%, expressed overall satisfaction with their participation in the program. In particular, students rated program impact as follows:
    
   Most highly rated impact was on students' ability to get better jobs upon graduation. A large number of students indicated that they had acquired the range of skills needed for the information economy.  
   High positive impacts were reported on student attitudes toward technology, ICT skills and their ability to reason with information.  
   Impact is also clear on students' ethical use of technology, their understanding of key subject matter, and their communication and presentation skills  
   Many students also reported improved school attendance and motivation to learn.  
   Students also noted their increased knowledge of other cultures.
  Visit Salamieh Telecentre
  Students and teachers of Zainab school in Salamieh area visit Salamieh Telecentre to share staff of centre about their project titled " What you know about multimedia" and team leader of Salamieh Telecentre "Mr. Nabil Eid" explain the role of multimedia in support of digital content.
   
  For more information:
  http://www.wlar.org/
  http://www.geocities.com/yallamedia3/
   


Best Regards
   
  Nabil Eid
  ICT4D in Syria
  Salamieh TelecentreCommunity 
  Tel:(+963 33) 832360
  Fax:(+963 33) 832361
  E-mail: nabileid21 at yahoo.com
  http://www.reefnet.gov.sy
  http://www.caihand.com
   

       
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