This project aims at encouraging citizenship education teachers to voice (1) the affect of citizenship education on their primary-school students; and (2) the difficulties they are facing in regards to teaching citizenship education. The project team will visit up to 8 teachers in most remote areas of the country and support them to record their stories, produce videos and share them on-line. Other citizenship teachers will be invited to post their own videos on the newly created f-book group. The post with most ‘likes’ will win the mobile phone purchased and used for the project activities.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
countrywide
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
The project idea developed from a conversation with a citizenship education teacher from a remote village in Macedonia. Interesting issues were raised seemingly indicative for teaching citizenship in under-developed, small communities, away from urban dwellings and administrative centers.
Teachers from these communities have low mobility and overall visibility regarding professional and policy related events. Most of these remote areas have internet connection, all schools are equipped with computers and teachers are trained in basic IT skills.
This project encourages teachers to communicate their views to the decision makers, their peers and the wider community via digital media; it provides platforms for networking and peer-learning; and might be incorporated in citizenship lectures
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
Our project team:
Katarina Kreceva (project coordinator)
https://www.facebook.com/katarina.kreceva
Working experience in the Ministry of Education and NGOs. Trained&experienced in ethnographic fieldwork; visual anthropology; sociology of media; citizenship education; education policy.
Ana Poprisova (outreach specialist)
https://www.facebook.com/ana.poprizova?fref=ts
Long professional record in school psychology. Experienced in developing teaching programs and learning materials; enhancing teachers’ professional development and pedagogical skills; and working with vulnerable groups.
Aleksandar Trimchevski (IT expert)
http://atd.com.mk/en/aboutus.htm
Long professional record in web&graphic design; customer support; multimedia. Experienced in developing IT educational content.
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
Teachers will be encouraged to comment on the advantages and challenges they are facing while teaching citizenship education; to record what is according to them significant; and share anecdotal information to illustrate their experience. Each teacher will make several recordings which will later be edited into 2-5min long video. The videos (also sub-titled in English) will be uploaded on YouTube and linked to the organization’s web-site, the newly created f-book group and other social media.
Simple instructional leaflet for recording&uploading videos will be developed and made publicly available.
New content will be created on the applicant organization’s web-site including: project results, analysis of the produced material, and info on the prize-winning call for short videos.
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established or plan to establish that will contribute to the success of the project.
As a result of previous collaborations, our project team communicates with several citizenship teachers and other representatives from target schools. In order to achieve equal regional, gender and ethnic representation, for the purpose of this project, the 8 assisted teachers will be communicated following a detailed mapping.
The established partnerships will hopefully enhance future cooperation beneficial for all sides. The project team plans on developing project proposals based on the analysis of the recorded videos which would address the identified problems and involve teachers as agency.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
The activities of the project include one-on-one trainings of 6 to 8 teachers. The teachers will be trained on the basics of (re)presentation techniques; recording–transferring–editing-uploading videos; on-line networking.
Participation in this project will be voluntary and the teachers will be modestly compensated for their time and effort. Instead of conventional trainings, the team will work cooperatively with the teachers providing know-how in technical skills by hands-on exercises, at the same time, allowing freedom of expression. The teachers will be granted property rights over the recorded material.
Wider involvement will be mobilized by opening award winning call for short videos for citizenship teachers on national level.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
In order to document and publicize their stories, the project team cooperatively with the teachers will focus on: using mobile phones with camera for recording; transferring data from mobile phone to computer/lap-top; uploading videos from mobile phone and/or computer to YouTube and other social media.
Although the primary target group is facing limited opportunities due to poverty, limited flow of information, under-developed infrastructure, etc., the above listed communication tools are already available to most of these teachers. By transferring the technical know-how and encouraging the teachers to use these tools our team would offer teachers an exclusive opportunity to actively engage with the wider professional community, the decision makers and the public in general.
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
The trainings will be conducted through individually tailored, on-the-spot practical exercises in the schools. Content and tools will be tailored according to the space and technical features already available in situ, to the greatest extent incorporating previous knowledge, skills and experience of the teachers.
The technological threshold for each work session is: mobile phone with functional camera and/or computer/lap-top with camera; functional internet connection (3G internet or cable internet).
The above technical specifications will be taken in consideration when communicating the potential participants. The team will also have in hand additional equipment (mobile phone with camera, lap-top and USB modem) as a back-up during field-work.
What is your current relationship with the community with whom you plan to work? What makes you the most appropriate individual or organization to implement this project?
Producing results appreciated by all relevant stakeholders (the teachers, the wider community, the project team and the donor) requires provision of adequate training approach/materials; and establishing trustful, effective and sustainable communication with the teachers.
Each team member brings specific set of skills and know-how complementary to the project activities in a manner that would achieve applicable transfer of IT skills, as well as, develop quality content and boost self-esteem among teachers for using social media as a citizenship engagement tool.
Our team members have already established relationships with the teachers’ community in the country. We see this project as an opportunity to further develop our network of co-workers.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
Identifying the most adequate participants (equal regional distribution of remote under-developed areas, equal gender and ethnic representation)- Mapping of eligible schools and teachers will be conducted based on data available in the State Statistical Office and existing professional contacts. We will also contact the eligible schools directly to confirm or acquire additional information.
Informed consent will be required from school managers and participant teachers prior to implementation; recording of students will also be done with provided consent.
Sufficient time is estimated in the project timetable to mitigate any risk related to communication, acquiring consent and contacting additional potential participants.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
Considering the specific socioeconomic status of the primary target group, their limited exposure to similar activities, as well as, the pending social pressure, achieving the result of publicizing at least 6 videos could be considered a success.
The number of posted videos as a result of the award-winning open call and the number of likes will also be considered as primary evaluation indicator.
The quality of the videos, the number of shares, comments, re-posting and media coverage would be considered as secondary evaluation indicators.
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
Duration: May –December 2014
Activities:
Component I – Preparation
1. Mapping of the eligible schools & teachers (May – June 2014)
2. Communicating the potential participants (June 2014)
3. Developing training materials (June-July 2014)
4. Communicating the schools and teachers to confirm their willingness to participate and acquire informed consent (end of August 2014)
Component II – Producing stories
1. Visiting the teachers at their schools, transferring the know-how, recording-editing-uploading the videos (Sept – October 2014)
2. Providing on-line support to the teachers for sharing their stories and networking (Sept – October 2014)
3. Opening and promoting the award-winning call for videos and announcing the winner (November – December)
Component III – Dissemination of results
1. Reporting and disseminating the project results to all relevant stakeholders (December 2014)
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
Project coordinator: $400
(Drafting contracts, monitoring&coordinating the work of the team, conducting the mapping, correspondence, contribution to development of training materials, work with teachers, analysis of the recorded material, networking, evaluation&reporting, dissemination)
Outreach specialist: $300
(Correspondence with teachers and school representatives, contribution to development of training materials, work with teachers, contribution to analysis of the recorded material, networking)
IT expert: $400
(Contribution to development of training materials, work with teachers, providing on-line support, web&graphic design, logistic support)
8 teachers (8 x $50): $400
Hardware (mobile phone): $250
Communication expenses (phone&USB modem): $150
Translation (Macedonian/Albanian/Turkish/Roma&English)= $250
(Interpreters during field-work, translations of videos and instructional leaflet)
Travel expenses (Local travel to remote areas of the country): $250
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
We would be tankful if Rising Voices may provide additional support to our team members in regards to development of training materials / instructional leaflet (comment, provide information about OER, similar projects, etc.); and support the dissemination of project results.
Contact name
Katarina Kreceva
Organization
Dominium Cultural Hub