No resources, but with motivation. Without a computer, but with enough willpower to teach computer science to students with chalk, a whiteboard and a lot of energy, the image of this Ghanaian teacher, who designs the Word interface in his classroom, has gone viral, inviting us to think and understand that to change the world (or improve it) you only need attitude and will.
The protagonist of this story is Owura Kwadwo, professor of information and communication technologies (ICT) who works in a small school in Kumasi, Ghana, is a rural environment, with few educational resources and no internet connection. Paradoxically, the school curriculum stipulates that children acquire basic computer skills.
- The passion for what we do makes us understand that.
- In life.
- The only limits that exist are those that are in our minds.
Mission impossible? Of course not. Because, even if the conditions are not optimal, human beings can overcome any obstacle with their attitude, and better, it can also inspire others not to see obstacles, and to be aware only of possibilities.
This is what Professor Kwadwo does every day with his students, there is no boy or girl who does not feel motivated in this class, because he knows that new technologies will serve as progress for his country and that when the time comes, when he finally has a computer in his hands, he will surely be able to handle it thanks to the will of this ghanaian teacher.
The ease with which images travel the world in minutes is amazing. A few months ago, we were thrilled by the story of Wang Fuman, an 8-year-old boy from a small Chinese village who walks about 4 kilometers a day to get home. The temperature in January is about 10 degrees below zero and Wang came to class one morning with frozen hair and eyebrows and swollen cheeks.
His classmates welcomed him laughing, while his teacher decided to take a photo of him to share a reality that for most of us is distant and unknown, the same happens in this small classroom in a town in Ghana, here the protagonist is not the cold, It’s the irony, it’s the story of a computer teacher without a computer. They are students who must have computer skills, because each year they have to pass a test to demonstrate their skills in this area.
Now we could talk about the already known differences between the first world and the third world; However, before dwelling on these reflections, with which we undoubtedly all agree, let us pay attention to their protagonists, in small stories that have their own name. Owura Kwadwo teaches how a program that he does not have access to, however, is not an obstacle for his students to become familiar with the image of a basic computing resource.
Every day, using a chalk of colors and a whiteboard, he draws Word in detail and accurately. He says he loves his students and does whatever it takes for them to learn each lesson. All teachers at this school do their best, and this The teacher tries to make all these drawings as quickly as possible, so that every process, function and command is clear. He knows that of all the subjects that children can learn, IT will make them more competitive and attractive to companies investing in their country.
Will these students really learn how to use Microsoft Word through a whiteboard and explanations from a teacher who isn’t used to using a computer either?However, these children are nourished day by day with curiosity, motivation, a visual and imaginative stimulus that puts their minds before any other child in the first world, feed on the dream of having a real computer in front of them and knowing what to do. with that.
We must remember that such notable figures in this technology, such as Bill Gates, were educated without computers, all their academic internships were carried out without this technological resource and yet managed to differentiate themselves from the others in this field. a teacher from Ghana makes children look. If there is one thing we know about educational issues, it is that one of the most fundamental components of student stimulation is motivation, it is attitude.
Owura Kwadwo educates with heart and need. He knows that teaching computerless computer courses is like learning to drive without a car. It’s hard, but not impossible, not if you’re willing and able to capture students’ interest through images, colorful chalks. and commands where you can visualize each step, describe each function.
Thus, a few days after the image of the Ghanaian teacher went viral, Microsoft ended up connecting with the school to provide them with a computer, and the solidarity that has been generated with this story has also been very inspiring, and it is hoped that in the coming weeks more teams will arrive in this town and other schools in Ghana. Sometimes the little stories and attitude of the humblest people are the ones that manage to change the world and open their eyes.