Projects/Ganta Mission School

Ganta Mission School working with local students is developing activities with XOs.

Developing a school newspaper, or recording audio interviews with parents and community members.

PARTICIPANTS

A fellow faculty member, Dr. Greg Carroll, and I are trying to find out about the feasibility of starting an XO project in Liberia.

Borrow: 4 to 8 XOs

1 laptop XO or other laptop with the capacity to install a wireless internet usb or card (3g or Edge)

Loan Length—How Many Months:

• Phase I: 3.5 months ( December 1st – March 15th
• Phase II: 5 months (May 1st – October 1st)

During Phase II, XOs would only be needed from May 1st through early August

2. Team Participants

• Name(s) & Contact Info: (include all email addresses & phone numbers)

 
(1) Allan Shwedel, Ph.D.
ashwedel@salemstate.edu
(978) 542-6643

Dr. Shwedel teaches computer literacy courses for education majors at Salem State University and he is the Assessment Coordinator for the School of Education
He has traveled to Liberia three times and was involved in a collaborative peace and reconciliation training project that brought together students from Salem State and students from the University of Liberia’s Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation
 
 
(2) Greg Carroll, Ph.D.
Associate Professor,
Chair, Interdisciplinary Studies Department
Program Coordinator, Peace and Conflict Studies
gcarroll@salemstate.edu
(978) 542-7082
 
Dr. Carroll is the Coordinator for the University’s Peace and Conflict program.
He has worked on a project on East Timor through the University of New England in Armidale, Australia
He has traveled to Liberia twice and was involved in a collaborative peace and reconciliation training project that brought together students from Salem State and students from the University of Liberia’s Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation
 
(3) Partners:
a.) Ganta United Methodist Mission Station, Ganta City, Nimba County, Liberia
b.) United Methodist University, Monrovia
c.) Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation (KAICT, University of Liberia, Monrovia
 
 
3. Objectives
Project Objectives:  
Concrete proposals with defined, measurable outcomes are much more likely to result in a laptop than "it would be cool to play with these and demo them".
 
Phase I Objectives   (December 1, 2011 through March 15, 2012)
i)      Develop an Activity Guide that is targeted for students 9 to 14 years – presented in narrative, audio and graphical/concept map formats. This would include the following:
(1)    Develop an interview protocol to be used by students to talk with parents and other adults about their experiences during the years of conflict.
(2)    Develop release forms for audio and pictorial recording that do not require a signature. Thus this would be an ‘audio-signature’
(3)    Develop guidelines targeted for students 9 to 14 years – for recording, editing and sharing interviews.
(4)    Develop guidelines for reflecting on the content of the interviews – both the interviews the student has personally collected and the other interviews.
(5)    Develop guidelines for collaboratively summarizing the interviews and producing a digital report.
ii)     Pilot test as many components of the Activity Guide as possible within the 1 week on-site period.
(1)    Students will develop the basic skills to use the XO for interviewing and editing interviews
(2)    Students will acquire a basic understanding of the interview process
(3)    Students will acquire a basic set of compassionate listening skills.
(4)    Students will become aware of local referral resources in case their interviewees need such services
(5)    Students will acquire a basic understanding of the process of collaborative writing process.
iii)   Revise the Activity Guide as needed
 
Phase 2 Objectives  (May 1, 2012 through October 1, 2012)
i)      Each student will interview at least two individuals who were caught up in the civil wars and their aftermath.  The target will be at least one of the interviews should be with a family member.)
ii)     Collaboratively students will prepare an audio-based narrative of their findings.
iii)   The audio narrative will be shared with the interviewees during a community meeting with support from project staff.
iv)    The revised activity guide will be shared with KAICT faculty a the University of Liberia and  Education faculty at the United Methodist University of Liberia and the Liberian Ministry of Education
 
4. Plan of Action
Phase I
(1)    Finalize agreements with KAICT, Education Department at the United Methodist University of Liberia, and the Ganta Mission School   (by December 1,  2011)
(2)    Carroll and Shwedel with develop the initial outline for the training manual and meet via SKYPE with Liberian counterparts to write the basic manual  (by December 10, 2011)
(3)    Liberian counterparts at the KACT Institute will develop background information and links to additional information tailored to youth’s level of understanding.
(4)    Carroll and Shwedel will develop the initial graphical/concept map format and meet and meet via SKYPE with Liberian counterparts to organize the final layout.  (by December 12, 2011)
(5)    Liberian faculty will develop the audio version of the activity manual (by January 5, 2012)
(6)    Shwedel, Carroll and up to 10 SSU students will travel to Liberia to work with Liberian counterparts to pilot the activity manual. (January 7, 2012 through January 15, 2012)
(7)    Shwedel and Carroll will work with at least 2 faculty at the selected Mission school to provide basic training  on how to use the XOs and other aspects of the project. (January 9t, 2012) through January 13, 2012)
(8)    Shwedel, Carroll and SSU students will prepare an initial revision of the activity manual and share it with Liberian counterparts.  (by February 15, 2012)
(9)    Revisions suggested by Liberian counterparts will be incorporated into the activity manual for Phase 2. (by March 15, 2012)
 
Phase II
i)      Liberian counterparts select 4 to 8 students for the activity and finalize logistical arrangements for a 2 week ‘class’ in late May 2012.  (by April 5th)
ii)     Shwedel, Carroll and up to 10 SSU students will travel to Liberia to work with Liberian counterparts to fully implement this activity (May 12, 2012 through May 27, 2012)
iii)   Shwedel and Carroll will train at least two faculty at the selected Mission school to supervise and facilitate this project. 
(1)    If the activity is not completed during the two week interval, the Mission faculty will take over responsibility for completing the activity and sharing the results with Carroll and Shwedel.
iv)    Students and facilitators will host a community meeting to present the student’s work to everyone.  The Liberian counterparts will facilitate the community meeting which will be videotaped. (May 25, 2012)
v)     Shwedel and Carroll will meet with Liberian counterparts over SKYPE to make final revisions in the 3 versions of the Activity Guide.  (by October 1, 2012)
vi)    The Activity Guide will be posted on the SSU website and given to the Liberian counterparts on a CD.  (by October 1, 2012)