Sindh Information, Science & Technology Department signed a MOU with Tech Valley Pakistan, a local country partner of Google for Education to launch CS First Phase 4
Sindh Information, Science & Technology Department signed a MOU with Tech Valley Pakistan, a local country partner of Google for Education to launch CS First Phase 4 Sindh Information, Science & Technology Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 25th August 2022 with Tech Valley Pakistan, a local country partner of Google for Education, to launch CS First Phase 4, with the support of Google in Pakistan’s one of the biggest metropolitan cities, Karachi. Under Phase 4, Tech Valley, collaborated with the Sindh Information, Science & Technology Department to organize training sessions in different government schools in Sindh and equip kids with basic coding knowledge. Under this program, 5 schools were nominated by the Sindh IT Department and a total of 250 students and 100 teachers were trained on Google CS First and Be Internet Awesome program. Teachers’ Training A one-day training session was organized in Karachi for all the teachers of 5 schools. The purpose of the one-day training session was to gather these teachers, have their insights and give them a chance to share ideas and their feedback regarding the current computer science curriculum and how CS First can be implemented at their respective schools. We found out that these schools do not particularly focus on computer science as they do not have a vision regarding incorporating advanced curriculum at schools. Currently, only two lessons per week are conducted as part of their syllabus and repeatedly their learning about the components of a computer. Since there is no planning, every year students go through similar content. The problem is bigger than we can comprehend. In the session, we did the following activities to help teachers get started with Google CS First Program: Assigning Curriculum: Our trainer introduced Google CS First Curriculum to the teachers and went through each module to provide them with an overview of what the training entails. LMS Account Creation: Google CS First has its own learning management system, on which we created teachers’ accounts. LMS Overview: Once they logged in, we provided them with an overview of the learning management system and helped them navigate through it. Hands-on Practice: We went through the curriculum, focusing on game design, and taught teachers how to develop games using Google CS First. Performance Metrics and Management: We discussed how they can see the performance of students and on what basis they can evaluate different projects. Teaching Tips & Techniques: Our Master trainers provided some teachers tips and techniques on how to teach students the curriculum effectively. Electronic Handout on Guidelines for Teachers: The handouts designed by Google CS First program were shared with teachers so that they can take help from the guidelines developed by Google CS First. Activity Planner: The handouts also had an activity planner to help them design their course contents. Certifications: Teachers were provided certificates as a token of appreciation for their input and efforts. Students Training Firstly, students were given the introduction of ‘Be Internet Awesome’ which teaches kids the fundamentals of digital citizenship and online safety so they can explore the online world with confidence. Students love to play games and some of the students also completed the Be Internet Awesome Game during the training and were certified as “Be Internet Smart”. Afterwards, the students were provided with the training on Google CS First- Gaming theme and our master trainers made sure that the trained teachers from the previous session were properly utilized, hence each teacher was given a batch of 5 students to keep in check. This helped in clarifying the questions of students and teachers as well as they were given a chance to teach under the supervision of master trainers. In the end, students were asked interactive questions regarding the lectures and were awarded swags. Graduation Ceremony To commemorate the successful completion of the training, a graduation ceremony was held in which the Secretary of Information, Science and Technology, Sindh participated as chief guest and appreciated the efforts of the whole team.
