If having access to quality education is the first step towards breaking the cycles of poverty or vulnerability, technology is key to reducing the digital shortcomings that maintain this gap in less digitalised countries. That is why just bringing technological tools into the classroom can improve the living conditions to millions of people.
The experience of Aleyda Leyva is an example of what it means to insert technology in the classroom. Leyra is a teacher at the Colegio Peruano Español in Chiclayo, a school in one of the most populated regions of Peru. Her students had never seen the snow, something that some might seem impossible but is quite the reality in this school in northern Peru, which led her to initiate a sister school project with a school in Cantabria, Spain, so her students would have the opportunity, not just to travel to Spain, but also to set foot in the snow for the first time.
Digital skills that pave the way
Aleyda managed to infect her students with her curiosity and entrepreneurial spirit to accompany them on a pathway of knowledge and involve them in initiatives that would open up a road for them and train them in digital skills. By acquiring these skills, they will be prepared to face the challenges of the digital era.
Her teaching experience has led this Peruvian teacher to try out different methodologies, tools, materials and activities, not only to reinvent teaching systems and forge a closer bond with her students, but also as a means to facilitate their integration in the development of the classes themselves. It is a process of evolution and change that has led her to become one of more than 300,000 teachers benefiting from ProFuturo programmes, an initiative that began out of a collaboration between Fundación Telefónica and “la Caixa” Foundation. The goal of this technology-led educational innovation programme is to narrow the education gap for children who live in vulnerable environments in Africa, Latin America and Asia, providing quality digital education and guaranteeing inclusive and equal learning.
The bond between the teacher and the organisation through this collaboration has allowed her to access courses that have empowered her skills and laid down the theoretical foundations of technological concepts. Aleyda also makes particular mention of the ties that have been created through ProFuturo, who gets together with educators such as herself who share the same passion for innovation and digital immersion in their schools. “It motivates me to meet other teachers who work hard and bring about changes,” she says.
The programme has left such a deep mark on the teacher that over time she herself has become a digital tutor for nearly 300 educators to help them develop educational projects using technology to later transfer them to the classroom, identifying and rediscovering digital opportunities.
Communication, collaboration and new projects
Aleyda also mentions that the communication between institutions with different backgrounds is one of the core bases of the program. Her first collaboration came about as part of a contest, where she struck up a conversation with Charo Caro, a teacher at a school in Cantabria, Spain. Both women compared their teaching methods, pooling together the methodologies used by the other and providing feedback for the functioning of their respective classes. It all ended up having a positive impact on their students, who were able to share ways of living, education, gastronomy and ecosystems in what Aleyda defines as “a life experience”.
One of the projects they have a fond memory of is the development of a Virtual Museum, for which they ended up winning their first international award. It consisted of developing a website which encompassed all the cultural aspects of the country, so their students would be able to visit and gather information for their own museum, even geographical aspects, for which there were still no ad hoc studies.
New opportunities with great results
Aleyda’s experience confirms that the “opportunity” to participate in ProFuturo has meant an improvement to the digital and curricular skills of both students and teachers. Thus, over the eight years the programme has been in existence, innovative methodologies have succeeded in taking root to improve the learning of students in over 5,000 schools in 39 countries.
ProFuturo brings its experience in educational innovation through technology and the implementation of education projects, basing itself on a cascade model of implementation. Firstly, teachers are trained so that these can later train other teachers who are already part of the local educational system, and thus be able to reach many more students.
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