Kyi Kyi Khaing would launch Zoom meetings to address active learning for her students in Myanmar. Ravi Kumar Sankranthi prefers Duolingo to improve English for his high school students in India, and Jonas Alvaro Jose believes Google Classroom can bring autonomous learning to his secondary students in Mozambique.
These were but a few of the applications and platforms considered to advance classroom learning by 21 Fulbright TEA educators during the day-long series of live-streamed, YouTube presentations that demonstrated how teachers will leverage technology to solve real-world problems and enhance learning within their school or community.
“It is important to explain to families that online learning can be highly effective and encourage them to invest in it for their children’s education,” said Khaing, who got the idea to use online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Zoom is a very good communications tool for teachers and students. It’s a user-friendly platform with features that allow shy students to engage more comfortably.”
Jose explained that teachers in his district in Mozambique are the sole content providers. Therefore, students only have access to the learning materials that teachers bring to the classroom.
“My school district was attacked by terrorists in 2021, when we had a very full library,” said Jose. “When we came back a year later the books were no longer there. Now, sharing information among teachers and students is a highly imbalanced situation.”
He said students are completely dependent on the teachers to provide learning content, but with Google Classroom “teachers can share information, and students can be responsible for their own content, not just what the teacher thinks is important.”
The Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement participants – amassed from 20 different countries – are spending six weeks at Kent State University as part of a Fulbright professional development program for foreign educators. The Fulbright TEA Program is sponsored by the United States Department of State, funded by the U.S. government, and administered by IREX and Kent State. The programs are governed by policies established by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Scholars observe classrooms and share their expertise with teachers and students at the host university and at local secondary schools.
“Working with the Fulbright TEA scholars has been a truly enriching experience,” said Julee Henry, Ph.D., director of Technology and Instructional Resources for the College of Education, Health and Human Services. “Their innovative approaches to solving real-world challenges through applied technology are creative and forward-thinking. These projects reflect a deep understanding of how technology can be leveraged to make a meaningful impact, and I am excited to see how their work will continue to evolve and drive positive change within their schools and communities.” Henry led the presentations and taught the Educational Technology course the students participated in during their time at Kent State.
The Fulbright TEA program is administered by Amanda Johnson, Ph.D., director of the Read Center, with assistance from Marty Jencius, associate professor in the School of Lifespan, Development and Educational Sciences.