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For the sixth year in a row, TechChange was honored to host three brilliant girls from the TechGirls State Program.

The program encourages Middle Eastern and North African teenage girls to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. In the next few weeks, they are traveling throughout the U.S. for the first time to visit technology companies such as Google, Facebook, Yahoo, and Instagram.

This year we had Tatiana Kassem of Lebanon, Lara Saket of Jordan, and Meriam Boutaa of Algeria come to the our office and shadow our staff for the day.

They began their day by working with our creative team to create their own animated assets. Watch the animated asset they created below!

 

 

Next, we showed them the TechChange platform and helped them create two of their own custom courses, one on gene therapy and one highlighting the cultures of the Middle East and North Africa.

Finally, they learned how to use Articulate 360 by working with our instructional design team.

At the end of the day, we took some time to sit down with the girls and learn more about the program and their passions.

Q: What drew you to the TechGirls Program?

Tatiana: They take girls from the Middle East and encourage them to go in to the STEM field because in the Middle East girls usually go into teaching or liberal arts. But if a girl is passionate about going into the STEM field, she should be able to. Our gender should not be a factor when deciding future occupations or finding our passion. Even as kids, girl get barbies and boys get legos. TechGirls has been important in shifting that dialogue. It also encourages us to be leaders and change our communities. It has helped me build confidence and learn the importance of building relationships.

Lara: TechGirls encourages community service, getting involved in our communities, incorporating technology to make positive changes, and build projects in our home countries.

Meriam: TechGirls has helped me improve my confidence and leadership.

Q: What projects are you currently working on?

Meriam: When I go back to Algeria, I want to teach my friends, ages 14-17, about the TechGirls program to develop their personalities, be more open-minded, and have support in their communities. You have to start within your own community.

Tatiana: I want to teach younger generations and tackle the issue of illiteracy. I want to open them to new fields and build a curriculum with an internally motivated mindset. I want the youth to regain their passion and confidence. I want to do that through a blog. I also want to use my tech skills to innovate within the medical field in the future.

Lara: There is a lack of therapists in Jordan. I really want work with the refugees in Syria who are dealing with depression. I would like build a project around that. I also want to make a difference in public education in Jordan.

Q: What was your favorite part of the job shadow day at TechChange?

Tatiana: I enjoyed being familiar with the work for the future and gaining the knowledge and meeting everyone at TechChange!

Meriem: I was always curious about how animations worked and today I learned how to make one. I thought it would be hard but you guys made it fun and easy.

Lara: Today, I felt like I saw my future. I enjoyed working with the creative team and I know that is what I would like to do.

Always a pleasure to have you here TechGirls, thanks for joining us!

This article was written and contributed by Kate McAlpine , Director of CCR Tanzania.

Community for Children’s Rights [CCR] is a Tanzanian social enterprise that is building and mobilizing a community of civically minded citizens across Eastern and Southern Africa who will act to prevent and protect children from violence. At our core is a commitment to enabling people to tell their story, and to manifesting new realities of solidarity and collective action.

We want to shift a critical mass of citizens from a perspective of saying “It’s none of my business” when they see a child suffer to one where they take the first protective action.

Once we have identified and mapped the location of people who have a predisposition to protect children, we offer them the opportunity to build their toolbox, so that they can take decisions that are in children’s best interests. We assume that it is possible to offer these citizens a transformative experience in a digital and mobile space.

 

This is where our relationship with TechChange comes in. It provides an opportunity to ally with a like-minded, entrepreneurial partner who is keen to experiment. The online learning platform provided by TechChange helps us to reach protectors at scale; and in this way, amplify our impact.

 

 

We have traditionally facilitated learning with our child protectors through face-to-face dialogues and courses that create a space to build relationships. Facilitators and learners connect in the spirit of empathy and mutual curiosity. Now our partnership with TechChange presents us with a challenge: “Is it possible to build these deep connections in an online space?”

Our initial sense from prototyping our first course on the TechChange platform is that the platform allows us to mimic the face-to-face learning environment to an extent. Through the Members page and active forum interactions on the platform, we have designed  journeys that start with learners’ experience and reality and scaffolds off that.

 

 

Learners and facilitators are able to connect on their own terms, meaning that they can engage at a time of day that suits them; and at the same time courses need sufficient structure so that participants can log-in at the same time and experience real-time conversation with their peers. The TechChange platform admin dashboard further provides real-time analytics of how our participants are engaging with the platform. The platform also has the capacity to design courses that tap into multiple ways of learning.

 

 

The keys to effective learning do not only lie in the design of the course and platform on which it is delivered. It is also critical to target learners who are committed to their own development; and to provide a space and incentive for learners to pursue their own development once the course is complete. With this in mind; CCR is targeting citizens who already demonstrate a track record of taking actions to protect children.

 

 

We incentivise their involvement in our community of citizens for change by offering them access to the online courses on a freemium basis. The TechChange platform model further  supports our freemium model, in addition to the flexibility of supporting payments if we decide to use other non-freemium models in the future. Finally, once the course is over we continue to involve them in community conversations with other protectors; via social media, community meet-ups, information sharing.

Skeptics tend to argue that Africans will not adapt to online learning environments; because of the unfamiliarity of the medium and the costs associated with access to data. Our experience so far contests this. As the unfolding enthusiasm for e-commerce in Africa reveals, there is a huge latent demand that is ready to be tapped.

We believe that the high-quality online learning opportunities at TechChange are a huge opportunity for actors such as CCR who are concerned with identifying, equipping and mobilizing citizens for change across the Continent.

 

Despite abruptly having to stop his university studies, Benjamin Flomo was able to find a career as an M&E professional after completing TechChange’s Technology for Monitoring and Evaluating Diploma Track in June 2017. Benjamin shared his experience with us below.

Q: How did you find out about TechChange?

I was studying Mining Engineering at the University of Liberia for about four years. Unfortunately things got difficult and I had to drop out of the college with no skill, degree, or experience.

I started to look for jobs to support myself and family, but it was difficult due to not having a degree. At the end of 2015 after the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, I decided to travel to the countryside to look for opportunities.

Fortunately, I got an Internship with IBIS Liberia as an Administrative Intern, and I started a newsletter for the Institution covering the program’s activities each month. Suddenly, their Monitoring and Evaluation Officer resigned in a very tight time and I was offered the post of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Communication Assistant. Due to my lack of technical experience in Monitoring and Evaluation, I looked for online courses that would build my experience and skill for the new profession.

I took almost three months searching for some good online courses until I found the Diploma for Technology for Monitoring and Evaluation with the Institute for Technology and Social Change (TechChange). I took a week or so to study the website and the content of materials (modules) that were designed for the entire Diploma Track Package. The modules were quite impressive, and I found that the lessons offered were what I needed to become a full Monitoring and Evaluation professional and more.

I got even more motivated from the blog and I made the decision to enroll after I contacted TechChange’s CEO Nick Martin and other TechChange staff. I started the Diploma Track in March 2017 and completed it in July 2017.

Thanks to TechChange, I am having to decide between two different opportunities presently. My present employer has decided to increase my salary and extend my contract because of a competing offer from Handicap International.

Q: How have you been able to use what you learned at TechChange in your work?

After completing the course, I got my first contract in August 2017 with Handicap International to conduct an assessment for an emergency project called RASP (Rehabilitation and Social Protection) as a data officer.

In December 2017, I worked as an M&E Consultant for a local NGO, WYCF (Wi Yone Child Foundation) to set up their M&E framework and database.

In February 2018, I started working with SOLTHIS (Therapeutic Solidarity and Initiatives for Health) as a data officer to conduct the baseline survey for the TB Speed Project and to develop a database for the ITPC (International Treatment Preparedness Coalition) – CTO (Community Treatment Observatory) Project for NETHIPS (Network of HIV Positives) Sierra Leone.

Thanks to TechChange, I am having to decide between two different opportunities presently. My present employer has decided to increase my salary and extend my contract because of a competing offer from Handicap International.

Q: How would you describe your TechChange journey?

I completed my secondary education in 2007 with the St. Christopher Catholic High School in Kakata City, Margibi County – Liberia with 6 credits, enrolled in 2010 into the University of Liberia becoming an Honor Student for two years but unfortunately left because of some financial issues. This left me without a degree, money, experience, and skill after four years of studies. On the other hand; I spent just five months with TechChange in a Diploma Program called Technology for Monitoring and Evaluation and I got everything and even more than what I expected. Today with the help of TechChange, I have built a career that I cannot even imagine. Presently, I am attending an international University; BlueCrest College of Technology – Sierra Leone studying up on software engineering while jobs are available to me. I am proud to say, “I am a M&E Professional with strong database development skills”. What are you waiting for… find yourself a career within international development today by joining the TechChange community.

 

TechChange’s M&E Diploma Track is back this July. Find out more here. Register now to reserve your seat in our fall cohort and be one step closer to taking your M&E career to the next level.

Nancy recently joined the TechChange team as an Instructional Design fellow! She is a rising junior from Swarthmore College, where she studies Political Science and Peace and Conflict Studies.

We recently sat down with Nancy to learn more about her background and experience. Welcome to the team!

Q: So… how are your first weeks at TechChange going?

I am wrapping up my first two weeks at TechChange and they have been spectacular! I am learning how to use Articulate Storyline 360 to create online courses and I think I’m getting the hang of it! I look forward to the upcoming weeks ahead and to all the knowledge, skills, and experiences that I will gain here at TechChange.

Q: Could you share a bit about your background before joining the TechChange team?

My background mostly stems from being a teacher in other parts of the globe. Last summer, I worked at the Collateral Repair Project (CRP), an American NGO that provides aid services to urban refugees in a poverty-stricken neighborhood of Amman, Jordan. At CRP, I taught English to adult refugees and facilitated the children’s summer camp. My job included creating a well-paced curriculum for the beginner’s English class that I taught independently, as well as designing lesson plans for the children’s camp activities. Along with teaching classes, I facilitated conversations, proctored/graded tests, and corrected everyday homework. It was an immensely rewarding experience overall because I got to work with students who were genuinely eager to learn, and I was supporting a largely overlooked community in Amman. I also volunteered at an underprivileged community center during my time in Morocco, where I helped facilitate an after-school program for children. In most of these contexts, I have had to teach in environments where there is a lack of resources and materials. For example, there was never enough books for all the students in Amman so I would have to photocopy papers for everyone, and I constantly imagine how different the situation could have been if the information was digitized and the technological resources were more widely available. I think online learning is such a promising complement to traditional styles of learning in places all over the world, and it is why I am at TechChange!

Q: What originally interested you in joining TechChange?

Much of what the team does at TechChange aligns with the work I am trying to do next summer in southern Egypt as a Swarthmore Lang Scholar. My Lang Opportunity Scholarship (LOS) project, Agents of Resilience, aims to address the lack of educational/employment opportunities available to young orphaned women of the Coptic community (ethno-religious minority) as result of institutionalized religious persecution, societal stigma, lack of opportunities due to underdevelopment, and sexism. This project is meant to start a basic computer literacy mentoring program and certification process in the underdeveloped southern region of Egypt. In the hopes of keeping my project sustainable, I was assessing the feasibility of implementing online learning as a solution. When discussing my project and summer plans with some Swarthmore professors, one of them recommended that I look into TechChange for a fellowship. After talking with the CEO and connecting with some Swarthmore students who were already working there, I knew that this was where I wanted to be!

Q: How does Instructional Design fit into your interests?

As someone who is very interested in international development, I see huge potential in online learning as a method to help empower people all over the globe. I believe that once online learning is widely accessible, easy to navigate, and engaging to the learner, the possibilities for change are endless. I am interested in improving the education system in southern Egypt (starting with my project Agents of Resilience), and I think that eLearning is a good way to enhance and complement the system already in place.

Q: What is one thing that you’d love to learn or do this summer?

Along with decrypting all the secrets behind instructional design and curriculum building, I would love to spend time and learn from the other teams in the office as well. Everyone at TechChange has such a diverse skill set, and I think this is such a unique opportunity to learn from the people around me since TechChange makes it so easy for me to do so. At some point during my summer, I would love to learn from the creative and tech teams or delve deeper into fields that I know very little about like film/photography. Being at TechChange also means that I am constantly learning no matter what, even if it is from the courses that I am building, and I think that in itself is truly spectacular.

Q: Lastly, what’s something that not a lot of people know about you?

The birthday stated on all my official documents and forms of ID including my birth certificate is not my real birthday. I was actually born on March 22nd in the middle of the day but my mother really wanted me to be born on Egyptian Mother’s Day which is March 21st so she made it happen. Every year, I celebrate my birthday on the 21st (the date my mother fabricated), which is to say, I have fully embraced this scam.

Learning Machine Technologies, architect of the Blockcerts open standard with the MIT Media Lab, is the world leader in blockchain-based digital credentials. With a standards-based, in-market Issuing System for multi-chain issuing and self-sovereign digital identity, their offering is revolutionizing the way businesses in all sectors issue and verify claims and the way individuals understand and use their digital identities.

This September, we will be issuing our course certificates for our next Blockchain for International Development course on the blockchain with Learning Machine! Natalie Smolenski, Learning Machine’s VP of Business Development, walked us through the process (which you can learn more about below) and will be featured in the course as one of our guest experts!

Q: In a few sentences, what is Learning Machine and what is the problem you’re trying to solve?

Learning Machine is a global firm that deploys best-in-class credentialing systems for governments, corporations, and educational institutions using the blockchain as a secure anchor of trust. Today, people don’t own their official records–instead they rely on a cumbersome human verification process which collapses the moment a software provider or issuing institution ceases to operate or loses the records. This not only holds back economic development–making it more difficult for people to get jobs, sell property, or start businesses, for example–but leaves entire populations vulnerable to losing all record of their achievements in the event of catastrophes like war or natural disasters. With Blockcerts, individuals cryptographically own their digital records forever and can independently verify them anywhere in the world, instantly and for free. No ongoing dependency on Learning Machine or any other vendor.  

Q: How are decentralized credentials different from what I might get from my university registrar?

Any credential you currently receive from your registrar–digital or paper–must be verified in some way by that registrar in order to serve as a gateway to opportunity. This means that it’s not enough for you to have a copy of your credential–you generally can’t use it, because only “official” versions of the credential, verified directly by the issuer every time, can be used. So you can’t, for example, Snapchat your transcript to an admissions committee, because they can’t verify it that way. Decentralized credentials, on the other hand, are digital credentials that you directly own. They are tamper-evident–meaning that if anyone tries to edit them, verification will immediately fail. You can send them to anyone you want and they can verify them instantly and for free–without ever needing to check with the issuing institution. Decentralized credentials mean that even if your school goes out of business or you have to flee your country, you can still keep your records and have them verified.

Q: What are some of the challenges that you face in gaining adoption and traction?

The blockchain is still pretty new, and people are on a learning curve to understand what it is and why it’s better than a traditional database for some things (like decentralized verification). There is also a lot of FUD out there about blockchains–a lot of misinformation that people have to battle against to find their real value. But the world is already well on its way to making blockchain mainstream. Like the internet, it’s just a matter of time before everyone starts using it for some things–without needing to know what it is or how it works.

Q: What are some compelling examples and case studies of Learning Machine in action?

Every day there are new announcements about company x, y or z intending to do this or that with the blockchain, but Learning Machine actually delivers. Our software has been used to issue Blockcerts since Summer 2017, when MIT launched its Digital Diplomas project. Since then, many other universities have joined and issued their own credentials. Countries like Malta have rolled out Blockcerts certification nationwide, issuing blockchain credentials to students in both K-12 and Higher Education. The Bahamas is now following suit, using Blockcerts to certify graduates of their National Apprenticeship Programme. There is no shortage of countries and companies wanting to start their own blockchain certification projects next.

Q: What else should people know about Learning Machine?

Think of Learning Machine as the blockchain A-Team: we can do things few others can do. In addition to world-class engineers (we co-chair the W3C Credentials Community Group building the next generation of blockchain-based identity), we’re a team of philosophers, artists, and social scientists out to tip the balance of power toward the individual in a world where that seems increasingly impossible. Verifiable credentials are just the first step toward maximizing human potential through groundbreaking technology. Every human being is, after all, a Learning Machine.

To enroll in our next offering of Blockchain for International Development, click here!

We are excited to announce our first partner highlight featuring the TechSoup Platform! With a current selection of 22 courses and 8 learning tracks, the platform includes 7,973 learners from 88 countries — and still growing fast.

Founded in 1987, TechSoup has over 30 years of experience as a global nonprofit network that equips changemakers with transformative technology solutions and skills to create a more equitable world. This includes discounted software, hardware, services, and training, as well as opportunities to network and build community, including through a global partner network of 70 civil society organizations. TechSoup has reached 993,000 organizations, and delivered $10 billion in technology tools and philanthropic services.

When TechSoup first approached TechChange about expanding their programs to their first-ever online learning platform, we wanted to preserve and support what had already made their model so successful for delivering expert-led tech training and webinars designed for nonprofits, charities, and libraries. Just as each partner need and online learning community is different, the challenge is making our platform work for partner engagement models and not the other way around.

So in order to better understand our partners, TechChange sat down with Susan Hope Bard, Director of Solutions & Services at TechSoup, to learn about why they chose the TechChange online learning platform and how they’ve used it to address their needs.

“What I like about the platform is that learners drive it. So we’re not necessarily forcing learners to complete something in a linear fashion… I think that’s really important in terms of the way adults learn”

Getting Started with TechChange

Using the TechChange platform, TechSoup designed an online learning environment that put their audience – the nonprofit staff member – first. “[Nonprofits] all have different goals, missions, and reasons for taking courses,” Bard states, “so we provide people with the flexibility to take what they want and what they need.”

Knowing that staff members often juggle multiple roles in their organizations, TechSoup offers their learners the opportunity to engage with courses as they see fit. Learners can interact with one another in real-time through live-webinars or explore module materials and forums at their own pace. All live sessions are recorded and can be accessed at any time, making keeping up with content easier for learners.

Unlocking Nonprofit Institutional Knowledge

“What you find with nonprofits is a lot of people who have a good bit of knowledge about a particular topic but they need some scaffolded support in order to adopt technology to help them serve their mission.”

The TechChange platform is built for customization and content integration, which means TechSoup can easily provide the scaffolded support their audience needs. “There’s such a wide variety of uploadable content and the format is so varied that it can address the needs of any learner,” explains Bard. TechSoup integrates a variety of customizable content (videos, checklists, self-assessments, documents, etc) that make for a more engaging and exciting learning experience.

Should users want a structured learning approach, they can even enroll in a TechSoup learning track. TechSoup uses these tracks to curate courses along specific themes or skills. By following a track, a learner can develop a well-rounded foundation on a certain topic or build upon previous coursework in a sequential manner.

Track Performance and Learner Engagement

“Tracking learner engagement is important so we know how people are using the platform and what content is valuable.”

Discovering what content is most valuable for their audience is simple. As learners explore course materials and activities, TechSoup can use activity tracking tools to monitor student activities and interactions and track updates, comments, and replies. With the TechPoints system, where users are rewarded with TechPoints in exchange for completing activities like logging in or attending a webinar, TechSoup can see which learners are most engaged and what content they’re engaging with.

Our platform analytics tools help to capture essential information about event attendance, learner metrics, content engagement, and more. There’s no need to guess what works and what doesn’t – TechChange tracking tools can show you. Using this insight, TechSoup can design and develop even better courses for their learners in the future.

Looking to build your online learning community?

Let TechChange help. Learn more about our platform or request a demo. 

Nithya has recently returned to TechChange as a Web Developer with our tech team! Two years ago we launched our first round of summer fellowships, where Nithya was actually a part of our inaugural group of tech fellows (see her previous staff highlight here). We took some time to talk more about her background and how it feels to be back at TechChange. Welcome to the TechChange Team, Nithya!

 

Q: So, what have you been up to since the end of your previous TechChange fellowship?

After my TechChange fellowship, I finished my last year at Harvey Mudd College and did a year of contract engineering projects in a variety of countries, including India, Myanmar, and Mali. I’m trying to figure out how to combine my tech skills (everything from programming to mechanical engineering) with my passion for tackling pressing social issues, especially with a focus on developing countries. I loved the travel and working on the ground in so many different places, with so many different people.

 

Q: What brought you back to TechChange?

The last couple of years have been filled with many very enriching experiences, but I’m still working on figuring out what kind of a path I’m hoping to continue down in the longer run. Especially given the intensity of my past year, I wanted some time to process, reflect, and research what could come next. However, I also didn’t want to stop feeling productive and driven to solve problems. Being at TechChange a couple years ago gave me my first taste of the social impact world and many members of the team have continued to be great sources of support and inspiration since. Coming back to TechChange has been the perfect way to contribute to an organization I believe in, work with a truly fantastic team, and do some exploring to figure out my future goals.

 

Q: How does web development fit into your interests? What interests you in your projects?

To be honest, I don’t know yet. There are a lot of ways web development can play a role in the kind of work I aspire to be part of, but there are also a variety of other types of technology/engineering that I have loved building. I think web development is a skillset I hope to maintain and grow, regardless of whether it is full-time or on the side. My work with TechChange keeps me learning on a daily basis and I’m excited to tackle as many problems I can. The great thing about being a developer at TechChange is that I know, at the end of the day, every piece of code contributes to organizations and projects around the world that are doing work I support.

 

Q: What is one thing that you’d love to learn or do in the next year?

I’d love to learn a new (spoken) language (or work on any of the languages I know partially), spend time in a new country, and figure out what direction I am taking my career. It will be a great year if I can manage to see a bunch of friends and family in the process too, given that I move around a lot.

 

Q: Lastly, what’s something that not a lot of people know about you?

I often play minesweeper while watching TV – yes, the game from forever ago where you click squares and try not to let bombs go off. Turns out it’s actually a logic puzzle if you don’t just play by randomly clicking squares! I can’t sit still long enough to just watch television like a normal person, I guess.