Back in 2002, when PDC held its Stakeholders Meetings with community leaders
to propose the Community Conservation Education Complex (CCEC) concept to
them and get their feedback, one message was clear from the stakeholders:
give our children computer training. Computer training had not been part of our original idea, but we quickly adapted our CCEC vision to include it.
As of the first of March this year, the first
step in our implementation of this goal was accomplished. iganyana Bush Camp
now has a 17 terminal computer lab, used as part of the normal bush camp
experience of local students. Instead of merely listening to their bush camp
guide tell them about painted dogs and show them pictures before going on
the walkway to search for the resident orphans in the Painted Dog Enclosure,
students now learn about painted dogs from a computer “learning lab.” At the
same time they learn some basics about computer usage. The computer
programme is designed like a mock website and will more than suffice until
the dreamt of day when we actually have internet access at the CCEC.
The first step in this long process was to
solicit donations of computers. Greg Rasmussen and our many European
supporters managed to coordinate the duty-free shipment of over twenty old
Mac desktops from “Computers for Charity” in the UK. Then, Adam Chromicz, an
American volunteer for the project in Zimbabwe set about inventorying the
stock to find what still worked and what was too old. He took the 17 most
compatible working computers and set up a lab in the bush camp office. It is
a little cramped, but it will have to do until the CCEC Visitor Centre is
finished.
Bruce and Adam then worked together to
design and produce the programme for the kids to use. It was decided, since
this will be the very first exposure to computers for the vast majority of
the children, to make the programme a “mouse-only” experience, and to limit
the amount of interactive pages so as not to overwhelm the students. Then
the many pages of text had to be translated into the local Sindebele
language by Hle and checked by Wilton.
Wilton
and Bruce then trained the bush camp guides in how to most simply and
effectively teach mouse and monitor use to first-timers. Grade six students
from nearby St. Francis Xavier Primary School were the first class to try
out the lab on the second of March and we all held our breath to see how our
plans would actually work. The children were nervous but excited. Each
student touched the mouse so gingerly at first, afraid breaking something.
But with a few hours of practice, they were navigating with much more
confidence. The classes were fascinated by the programme and very grateful
for this rare opportunity.
Next,
Jealous
came to the bush camp to train the guides how to use the tracking equipment
to lead children in a hands-on research techniques lesson. While one child
with an activated radio collar went and hid in the bush camp, another led
the rest of the pack with the antenna and receiver to find him. Of course,
everyone wanted a turn paying both roles. It was great fun and made a real
impact on the children’s understanding of what Greg, Jealous and Peter do to
monitor the local dog population.
Our goal is to make the Children’s Bush
Camp Programme have as big an impact as possible on the local community.
With time, we hope to encourage an increasingly vital stakeholders attitude
in local community members toward the conservation of the painted dogs. The
new bush camp computer lab is one more important step in this process.
first step in this long process was to
solicit donations of computers. Greg Rasmussen and our many European
supporters managed to coordinate the duty-free shipment of over twenty old
Mac desktops from “Computers for Charity” in the UK. Then, Adam Chromicz, an
American volunteer for the project in Zimbabwe set about inventorying the
stock to find what still worked and what was too old. He took the 17 most
compatible working computers and set up a lab in the bush camp office. It is
a little cramped, but it will have to do until the CCEC Visitor Centre is
finished.
and Bruce then trained the bush camp guides in how to most simply and
effectively teach mouse and monitor use to first-timers. Grade six students
from nearby St. Francis Xavier Primary School were the first class to try
out the lab on the second of March and we all held our breath to see how our
plans would actually work. The children were nervous but excited. Each
student touched the mouse so gingerly at first, afraid breaking something.
But with a few hours of practice, they were navigating with much more
confidence. The classes were fascinated by the programme and very grateful
for this rare opportunity.
Jealous
came to the bush camp to train the guides how to use the tracking equipment
to lead children in a hands-on research techniques lesson. While one child
with an activated radio collar went and hid in the bush camp, another led
the rest of the pack with the antenna and receiver to find him. Of course,
everyone wanted a turn paying both roles. It was great fun and made a real
impact on the children’s understanding of what Greg, Jealous and Peter do to
monitor the local dog population.