- Posted by Jana Melpolder on August 18, 2015 in the categories: Publications
Inveneo is proud to announce that, due to its projects and Project Manager in Haiti Michelet Guerrier, there are now 71 more teachers who are digitally literate in Haiti. This newly published report is about an ICT Pilot Program [Extension of the Transforming Teaching Through Tablets (TTT) project] to improve Haitian teacher capacity and access to digital educational resources. Inveneo implemented this pilot program in three primary schools in three different regions in Haiti from March to June 2014 (Petit-Goave, Hyacinthe, and Cascade Pichon) before we expanded the program to reach more than 30 secondary teachers in Petit-Goave. The program’s main goal was to demonstrate the benefits of using tablets in a school environment to build teacher capacity and make educational resources available for teachers.
We re-designed the project to fit not only primary school teachers, but also those working in secondary schools. Read the report and check out all the updates!
- Posted by Jana Melpolder on May 15, 2014 in the categories: Education, News
Inveneo is proud to have an incredibly diverse staff. One of our team members, the Project Manager in Haiti, Michelet Guerrier, recently graduated with his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Certificate in Community Development from Madonna University, which is located in Livonia, Michigan.
Michelet Guerrier (front) at his Graduation Ceremony in Michigan.
Even more impressive, Michelet completed his degree while still living in his home country, Haiti.
Back in 2011, Michelet saw an advertisement in the local Haitian newspaper. The ad was for Madonna University who was looking for intelligent students living in Haiti to apply for its first Haitian scholarship program. Michelet quickly applied for the scholarship, and within a few months, was one of the seven winners.
Madonna University is a Catholic University, and the Haitian scholarship is supported by the Felician Sisters, members of the Catholic Church. Michelet received books, supplies, and equipment so he could study at home in Haiti and interact with teachers and peers via the Internet. Over the next three years, Michelet worked incredibly hard for Inveneo while also completing courses in marketing research, business management, and community leadership.
Finally, this past month Michelet moved to the University Campus in Michigan where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. Congratulations, Michelet!
Michelet values how ICT allows for greater educational resources for people around the world, and he greatly appreciates the fact that he can earn a degree from the United States while still living in Haiti. He says further, “It has been a very good experience. I know Inveneo has a focus on education. The more we can design training to minimize onsite visits and keep it as high quality as possible, the more exciting it will be.”
Michelet helps lead teacher Tablet training projects in Haiti. Here, his co-worker Rico helps explain apps on the Tablet. Photo credit: Michelet Guerrier – Inveneo
Online classes are becoming a very popular choice for those seeking out higher education. Not only do offsite courses allow for the flexibility in scheduling that so many busy adults need in today’s fast-paced world, but they also offer the convenience of learning from anywhere – a vital component for those living in remote places in the developing world.
Michelet says that his education has added incredible value to the work he does for Inveneo. For the past several years, he has managed ICT projects in Haiti with other staff members like Sybille Fleischmann. With his new degree he will continue to train Haitian teachers on Tablets to develop the quality of education throughout the country. Inveneo intends to continue improving teacher capacity through ICT to deliver quality education, and we are happy that Michelet is our leader in Haiti to make that a reality.
Haiti is a country filled with students who have great talent, skill, and intelligence. Inveneo is proud to continue partnering with Haiti’s local leaders like Michelet to provide educational resources that will impact students and benefit communities around the country.
- Posted by Jana Melpolder on May 14, 2014 in the categories: Education, News, Projects
Inveneo is committed to improving education throughout Haiti through the use of ICTs, particularly Tablets.
Teachers gather together to send and receive files via Bluetooth. Photo credit: Michelet Guerrier – Inveneo
On Friday, April 10, 2014, United Methodist (UM), Heart to Heart, and our Inveneo Haiti team met together to select the 3rd pilot school for the TTT (Transforming Teaching through Tablets) project. The Inveneo team agreed to select a school in Cascade Pichon, near Bellanse (in the southeast part of the country). Pastor Cayce, on behalf of UM, proposed the school. This was in collaboration with Heart to Heart International, who has been doing incredible projects in Pichon for education, healthcare, and community organizing.
A few days later, we headed early to Cascade Pichon, which can be quite difficult to get to by car. We took the challenge head-on and drove the rocky and dangerous road to meet the community of Pichon. Soon it was time to launch the training and put Tablets in the hands of these incredibly motivated teachers!
The Teacher Tablet Training had 15 teachers from three schools (FORPPE du Nazaréen de la Cascade, Ecole Nationale Bois-de-Lance, and Ecole Nationale Nan Hauteur). Most of the teachers walked 2-3 hours to attend the all-day training. In three days we had an intensive 20-hour training for the primary school teachers. We held the training at the only health clinic in the community (since there is no local school building), and our electricity came from a generator from the only place visitors stay when they come to the community.
Enseau Blaise shows what he discovered on the Tablet. Photo Credit: Michelet Guerrier – Inveneo
During those three days, we introduced the teachers to the concept of professional development as a lifetime process. They concluded that professional development was a “must” for teachers to improve their capacity and facilitate learning. Although they were very interested in using the Tablets, I felt that the professional development module was equally important.
What did the Haitians teachers think of the training? Vitane Jean, one of the two female participants, thought that the training allowed them to understand that there is always room for improvement to become a better teacher. Chango Noncent, the School Director of Ecole Nationale Bois-de-Lance, said the training offered the rare opportunity for teachers to get together and learn from each other. The Inveneo team was happy to see how fast they understood that they were each other’s best resources.
Each teacher received a Nexus 7 Tablet, which were all donated by Google. They came loaded with about 50 educational apps including a library they can use for reference and classroom activities. This was all made possible with the generous donations of Library for All and Gumdrop Cases. These apps feature subjects that are taught in primary schools across Haiti: Language, Math, Science, Social Science, and the Arts. We gave several demonstrations on how they can use the apps with their students. This was an important part of the training because as new ICT users, the teachers needed to see the many opportunities that the Tablet offers. Tablets give an wide variety of teaching and learning activities to make lessons more interesting, and our teachers were excited to start using them right away.
To ensure ongoing technical support for the teachers, we identified two participants from the group to coach and facilitate online interaction with the group since The Inveneo team will not be able to go there every week.
Personally, I was very satisfied with this training because of three main reasons:
Ronald Benjamin shows how to use extra parts that come with the Tablet. Photo Credit: Michelet Guerrier – Inveneo
1. Engagement: The teachers valued the training and actively participated. We did not go there for nothing. We went there for those who need it most. The teachers were very passionate about ICT and interested in the training activities.
2. Teamwork: The teachers were wonderful to work with. They expressed their thanks and gratitude to the UM, Heart to Heart, and Inveneo teams for bringing these tools, training, and resources to the community. This was all possible because of the generous support of Google for providing Nexus 7 tablets for the teachers, the Craig Newmark Philanthropic Fund, and the United Methodist Church of Resurrection.
3. Impact: We seem to have brought them something useful to help make a change. The teachers want to use what they have gained from the TTT project to improve their knowledge that will better help their students. In the future we hope to hear stories about what they have accomplished with their Tablets.
Written by Michelet Guerrier, Inveneo’s Project Manager for Haiti
