Some stakeholders in the technology industry have called for more inclusive learning through the usage of visuals, animations, graphics and other media tools in schools and colleges.
The stakeholders made the call at a workshop organised for educators at American Corner along Murtala Muhammed Airport Road, Ikeja.
The event was sponsored by Vibranium Valley Tech City and Venture Garden Foundation and facilitated by Wifi combat Academy.
The theme of the event was: “Animate to Educate.”
The convener of the empowerment programme, Ms Dele Tejuoso, in an interview on the sidelines of the workshop said the centre had been engaging in re-training of educators for the past 10 years.
“We have been training educators from both public and private schools and other stakeholders in appreciation for using media tools for inclusive learning.
“I am happy with the trend of tech appreciation in Nigeria over the years, now we are way ahead of other countries when it comes to coding and tech learning among children.
“However, we are still lacking in some areas which includes using the old ways and method of teaching in our schools which is a bit outdated,” she said.
Tejuoso added that they wanted children to grow up becoming tech gurus, who were ever ready to solve critical problems in the technology industry.
She noted that presently teachers were lagging behind because they were not equipped with the right skills, adding that some don’t know how to empower themselves with technology.
“This programme is meant to open their eyes to know their self worth; our teachers need to be aware of the value of technology.
“Also, it is designed to empower the teachers to be the right resource person to create contents especially in the digital space. Contents that cannot be learned in the four walls of the university.
“Our educators need to change the way they teach because teaching should be more engaging. Our children now have access to mobile gadgets which they can learn faster from,” she said.
Tejuoso urged educators to be more creative and ensure that their contents were put on various platforms online.
“Our educators should see create content online that can go viral. There are different ways to do this either through videos, animations, illustrations, graphics which are more engaging.
“Visuals and media tools are way better than text forms. Our text formats need to be converted to animations to make them more engaging.
“The easiest way to learn now is through animation which expose the educators to more of visualised teachings,” she said.
Tejuoso noted that the old literature written by scholars could be saved by adapting them into animations.
“There is a demand for African local content around the world now. The world is going through culturalisation which is the use of culture to teach.
“Our literature text, folklore and others can be converted to animations to tell the world who we are, so that children can know their roots and be involved in our evolving world,” she said.
The Keynote Speaker, Ms Nissi Madu, the Managing Partner, Co-creation Hub Ltd., said telling African stories in digital form would go a long way in adapting to inclusive learning in Nigeria.
“There are lots of conversation around telling our own stories, so that the upcoming generations can have a reference point and help strengthen our cultural identities.
“Visual is the best way of connecting the old generation to the new generation.
“The kids nowadays watch Super Heroes, and now, they want to create our own version creating videos of African children who are going on adventures to solve problems.
“Having these visuals empower them, build their confidence, self esteem and make them realise that they can solve their problem and that all they have to do is to create contents,” she said.
Madu added that the old traditional way of learning was difficult and cumbersome.
“Our curriculum is not yet perfect because we have some of the subjects that we need to work on.
“The visuals around our children can make them learn faster, parents can also take their children out to teach them practical example such as engaging them in some simple transactions.
“The challenge in our educational system is upscaling the teaching methods from text to visuals. The process of upscaling should start from the Colleges of Education and the Faculty of Educations.
“The pre-training schools need to have cutting edge equipment and visuals to aid the educators. Also there is a need for more in-training for those already in the system,” she said.
Another facilitator, Mr David Victorious, said Africa had a lot to tell about her cultural heritage that could be a landmark for learning across the world.
“The passion in building African culture across the world is stronger now. Africa has a wealth of story, we pride ourselves in creating authentic values.
“Our kids are at the forefront of learning and we need to start teaching them now while they are young. We need to look into the future right now.
“Animations can bring great support to learning. The best way to learn now is through visuals instead of books,” he said.
Over 80 educators benefited from the workshop and empowerment which had various scholars teaching on the use of technology to aid learning in schools.
