Tools to transform education process

The general question is: How to improve quality of education process? I propose:

• Educative Digital Tools (EDT) are technological tools with programs that allow the use of digital information for the development of educational processes related with personal and collective goals. Information has to be organized and filtered and emerges the need of a study plan.
• Emergent Study Plan (ESP) is a product of negotiation where students and teachers decide strategies to study digital information and precise skills to reach students' goals.
• Skill map (SM) lets students be aware of their abilities (skills, intelligences, knowledges, attitudes, mentalities) to face challenges and execute tasks related to their personal and collective projects. The SM must define strategies to develop skills.

EDT, ESP and SM could transform education processes. These tools will let teachers to improve their teaching process and students know their skills, make plans and decide about their lives. 

The Colombian Ministry of Education (MEN, 2020) accepts that “recognizing the impact of science and technology on the social and economic development of nations, makes education for the 21st century a priority that develops in people the ability to acquire and transform their knowledge and skills, to enhance the ability to innovate and apply knowledge in problem solving. But, at the same time, education must offer tools to address the other side of scientific and technological progress: environmental problems and social inequalities”.

The quality of education is affected by: technological infrastructure, quality contents, strategies to discover and develop skills, study plans and student participation. Traditionally, teachers decide what tools to use. However, student must participate in the process of finding information, designing tools like study plans, and strategies to discover and develop skills for their life projects.

Relevant Statistics:

Pamplona currently has 60,000 inhabitants, 62 educational establishments (28 rural, 34 urban); 7,500 students in basic and secondary education; 517 in preschool; 3,100 in primary education; 3800 in secondary and middle school (2016-2019 Development Plan).

Population of Colombia: 50,000,000

Students in Colombia (grades 1-11): 10,203,000

Teachers in Colombia (grades 1-11): 220,124

Population of Latin America and the Caribbean: 629,000,000

I work as a volunteer at the ICTP (Culture and Tourism Institute of Pamplona, www.institutoculturapamplona.org). The ICTP has within its functions to protect, conserve, rehabilitate and disseminate the Cultural Heritage of Pamplona; promote and preserve the plurality and cultural diversity, promotion of art, science and culture. ICTP develops training programs through Artistic and Cultural Training Schools in areas such as Band-School, Choirs, Traditional Music, Plastic Arts, Theater, Dance, Heritage, Literature and School of Arts and Crafts.

These programs are developed through 14 hour week courses. Students access to this service voluntarily during the afternoon, out of school time.

The teachers began workshops to formulate problems around the need for pedagogical strategies for the development of artistic and cultural skills. In this process, we started searching for materials and organizing contents, designing execices to discover skills to start courses. By the end of march (2020) teachers Will have acces to technology to develop courses thanks to an agreement with  Cultural Foundation Art and Culture.

Those who participate as trainers and parents will be allowed access to new teaching materials, the construction of emerging study plans and skill maps that will allow them to design strategies with the active participation of students.

The ICTP offers services such as courses in musical initiation, traditional strings, band-school, crafts, photography, video, dance and audiovisual production. In the process of training those responsible for these courses began a process to assess the capabilities of applicants and the study of digital platforms such as fabermana.blogspot.com and www.teoria.com

An agreement ICTP- Cultural Foundation Art and Culture signed to combine technical, human and logistic efforts and resources for the development of art programs. This agreement will allow students access to educational platforms through several computers conected to internet.

These courses begin in March 2020. With the products the students in each of these courses there will be exhibitions aimed at the educational community of Pamplona.

Another process is underway to promote cultural entrepreneurship in rural schools in the municipality of Pamplona. In this process, there is the advice of Crafts of Colombia (www.artesaniasdecolombia.com) and the support of the Department of Rural Development  of Norte de Santander and Pamplona.

The idea is to identify products that come from the culture of their village and that are obtained from traditional trades. The idea is to recover the products that are obtained with a view to turning them into a company. The products that are identified must have the following attributes:

• Be produced with raw material obtained from the region.

• Your transformation must be done through a recognized trade.

• The product must be representative of the regional culture.

It is about starting a process that Will allow the innovation of its rural schools by introducing cultural entrepreneurship programs into educational processes to introduce the use of digital platforms, emerging study plans and the construction of skill maps to improve the quality of the educational processes of rural students and in general improve the quality of life of rural settlers.

Finally, the ICTP is Will create two organisms: one, the School of Arts and Crafts and extend it to neighboring municipalities such as Pamplonita, Mutiscua, Chitagá, Bábega and Cucutilla. Subsequently, carry out a pilot sample of the Norte de Santander department and project the solution at the national level.

The other one is the Artistic and Cultural Observatory of Pamplona is planned to be created at the ICTP. The observatory seeks to strengthen cultural practices of dialogue and assessment of local identities, based on research processes aimed at finding solutions to the problems of artistic and cultural development.

The best example of change is the “coronavirus (covid-19)”. In Colombia, the first case was detected fifteen days ago and today (March 16) it produced enormous changes in all aspects of national life. In the educational field, for example, universities opted for virtual classes, schools have suspended classes and have ordered virtual work for all teachers.

The Ministry of Education from Colombia made available to the educational community a virtual platform called "colombiaaprende.edu.co". There, teachers will have workshops, guides, guided activities, free activities, search activities, etc. Surely, universities are adjusting their platforms, training teachers in their management as well as students.

This demonstrates the enormous importance of digital information in educational processes. On the other hand, it surely study plans and strategies to develop capacities Will be transformed. “Remote” or “virtual”to work requires the development of another type of skills from “face-to-face” work. Educational institutions must be aware of technology necessary to use platforms and must be aware that “virtual classes” require another type of skills in both, students and teachers.

Students and teachers that still use classes where content is imposed, fixed schedules are established and teachers decide everything in the educational process, have to change. Study plans can not be imposed anymore by teachers without the participation of students. The emerging study plan could be a result of as a negotiation process and for the solution of the problems proposed by students.

The basic question is: What role does the student have to have a very active participation in the process of using digital information and constructing tools like study plans and skill maps to achieve their life projects?

It is time to show that the student must participate in the process of achieving their goals. Any theory must be formulated with student participation.

The theory should contemplate that the student should:

1. Recognize what is capacity and observes it in himself and others and recognize differences among skills, intelligences, mentalities and attitudes to face problems. The skills are put into action and produce reactions, changes, products, transformations when facing challenges. In general, processes or actions that generate transformations

2. Develop a skill map as an inventory of capacities and the relationships between them to achieve their goals, their life projects. Facing the challenges, problems, tasks that relate to a proposed goal must discover the skills needed to achieve it. Each of the established relationships becomes a training problem. The SM is a way of representing a formation problem.

3. Face challenges to learn to:

• Problematize their training and propose alternative solutions,

• specify what facilitates the discovery and development of their capabilities,

• specify what slows the discovery and capacity development,

• build scenarios where it is possible to develop the answers to training problems,

• formulate plans and projects, • face changes, effects, products, reactions generated by the use of his skills and others´ skills in a specific context.

The North of Santander Department has been a pioneer in the development of rural educational models. The New School (1978); Rural Postprimary (1996); Rural Media Education (2004).

I was part of teams that designed these models. These processes began with experimental schools and with the results demonstrative schools were created and became pilot schools in the process of model expansion.

The idea in this case is to experiment with the art courses offered by the ICTP, the processes of rural entrepreneurship to build a proposal of tools: Install Educational Platforms in schools, promote the design of emerging study plans and capacity maps. With the results of this experimentation phase will be designing the following phases:

Phase 1 (2020): experimentation in Pamplona with students of basic education courses in artistic training and cultural entrepreneurship.Phase 2 (2021): extension of coverage to Formal Educative Institutions of Pamplona in both rural and urban areas. The participation in the process has to be voluntary. Actually there are 170 students

Phase 3 (2022): extension of coverage to neighboring municipalities. Educational institutions of Pamplonita, Mutiscua, Chitagá, Bábega y Silos. At least 1,000 students

Phase 4 (2023): extension of coverage to the North of Santander Department: provinces of Cúcuta and Ocaña. Ate least 5,000 students

Phase 5 (2024): extension of the experience of the Táchira State (Venezuela). At least 1,000 students Phase 6 (2015):  extension of the proposal at the binational level. At least 5,000 students

Year 1: Experiment and consolidate a proposal to use educational platforms in the Educational Institutions of Pamplona, build emerging curricula and Capability Maps (knowledge, intelligence, attitude, mentality) that allow it to serve as an instrument to problematic your training and build responses effective.

Year 2: Propose the creation of pilot schools where the proposed tools can be implemented. This experimentation would be done in municipalities near Pamplona and in municipalities in the main regions of the North department of Santander.

Year 3: Extending the experience to a border state of Venezuela such as the Táchira State.

Years 4. Construction and implementation of a National proposal Years 5: Construction of a proposal that includes Colombia, Venezuela and in general Caribbean countries.

1. Get resources for technology from both public and private sectors. In the public sector this is only achieved by the presentation of projects that follow national policies and their inclusion in the development plans. In private sectors by signing agreements.

2. Resistance to change of teachers and managers who think that the center of the educational process is the teacher. The Colombian education system still uses the traditional 45-minute class system, with groups of 40 and more students: Teachers do not use and do not yet know how to access digital information: Technology in schools is reduced to computer rooms to train in the Computer use. Study plans are designed by teachers without the participation of students. Students do not recognize their abilities.

3. Connectivity in schools is reduced to placing an internet point in schools without technical support, or adequate power, without sustainability.

4. The increasing tendency to generate fears to ignore the enormous importance of using digital information to solve problems. In Colombia there is a proposal at the legislative level to prohibit the use of cell phones at school. 5. The resistance to apply the concepts of Marketing in education to identify social needs that allow solutions for Educational Institutions to find “clients” and ensure that parents or guardians value the importance of these processes in education.

To show results I have decided to start the process with a municipal entity outside the official education sector. In ICTP I have been accepted to work as a volunteer on projects where I have achieved unrestricted support. The agreement with the Cultural Art and Culture Foundation is showing us that it is possible to obtain support from the private sector.

Resistance to change in teachers is perhaps the greatest barrier. Teachers will change only if there is proper sceneries and if he's convinced of the effect of changes. This will be achieved if teachers  participate  in experimental work.

Connectivity must be an institutional effort that must be supported through the support of local authorities.

Cultural barriers, in general, are overcome by promoting changes on a personal level that are proposed in each activity that is developed. The construction of maps of skills and emerging curricula in teachers can be the key to changing them regarding the need to promote them later with their students. When the New school program was developed, teacher training was carried out using a methodology similar to that designed for students. In this case it will be necessary to work hard in the search for educational platforms to teachers and challenge them to build curricula and capacity maps. Only in this way will it be possible for them to propose them to the students. Promote educational marketing processes in educational institutions through a research process to identify specific needs and find their clients (students).

I would search en the specific country for experiences:

1. Use of Educative Platforms

2. Use of emergent study plans

3. use of talent maps in the education It is very important to contact them previosly to make make an agreement.

•  The current ICTP team for music and plastic arts courses is composed of:

Institute Director: Margarita Camacho

Musical Initiation: Diego Mora

Traditional strings: Carlos Araque

Band-school: Lucia Espinel

Crafts: Lady Villamizar

Coordinator: Diana Villamizar

Auxliar: Nelly Rodriguez

The agreement with the Cultural Foundation Art and Culture includes the linking of a computer expert and a psychologist who will be linked to the team.

• The ICTP team to address the rural cultural entrepreneurship program is composed of:

Institute Director: Margarita Camacho

Entrepreneurship expert: Danitza Espinel

The director of the Rural Development Secretary of Pamplona and the directors of the 28 rural schools of Pamplona Will be invited to participate in the Project. 

It is expected to link in this project to the official education system in which we would have the participation of at least 28 teachers.

The project is supported by the Secretariat of Development of the North of Santander and the Office of the United Nations Program based in Cúcuta.

Full time ICTP of Pamplona:

• Institute director: Margarita Camacho
• Musical Initiation: Diego Mora
• Traditional strings: Carlos Araque
• Band-school: Lucia Espinel
• Crafts: Lady Villamizar
• Coordinator: Diana Villamizar

Part-time

• Volunteer: Josué Ramón

Josué Ramón: He was part of teams that designed the rural models of New School (1978); Rural Postprimary (1996); Rural Media Education (2004). 

Margarita Camacho: experience in evaluating cultural projects; development of research projects with tangible and intangible heritage; resource management and sponsorship for event production; logistical and organizational management for the production of artistic shows; advice to public and private entities in the elaboration of projects related to culture. Currently (2020).

Diego Mora: Music student (ninth semester).He has experience in percussion instruments; session musician (2011-2015); percussionist, director, musician, participation in cultural and artistic events, member of musical groups, founder of the Bochalema Music Band, and percussion teacher.

Carlos Araque: Music in Gutarra Jazz (8 semesters). Experience in traditional Colombian music training. He is bearish, requintista and tiplista.

Lucia Espinel: Technician in the repair musical instruments; Experience in musical groups, symphonies; member of musical groups; director of musical bands, founder of the Bandung Show of the municipality of Pamplonita; professor.

Lady Villamizar: Experience in painting, drawing, crafts and ceramics; creative in handling recycled material; Plastic Arts trainer; craft instructor.

Diana Villamizar: Experience in administrative and financial management, auditing, project coordination, management of administrative processes, creation of production units of entrepreneurship, productivity, marketing, organizational competitiveness.

Danitza Espinel: create Alpargatas Crab. Specialized in administrative law, she is diligent, responsible, charismatic, enterprising, with the ability to establish new and good relationships, committed and capable of taking on new challenges.

Nelly Rodriguez: Technologist in market administration. Experience in administration, administrative assistant and services.

Cultural Foundation Art and Culture: an agreement has been signed to provide technical and human support to ICTP progrmas.

Taking the Canvas social entrepreneurship model:

Objective: Achieve changes in the quality of education by introducing innovations in tools such as digital educational platforms, emerging study plans and capacity maps.

Impact: if we improve the quality of education it will be possible to change the quality of life. One benefit will be to have the student recognized as the center of the educational process. One way to assess whether students are successful is through the consolidation of life projects.

Segments: The clients and beneficiaries are basic and secondary education students, teachers and parents. If education is to be compulsory and free, the state must finance the service.Problem: improve the quality of education through educational tools.Value proposition: the tools are not imposed but built with clients and beneficiaries.

Solution and key activities: face the challenge of looking for information in educational platforms, organize it and give it courage to solve individual and collective problems. As a consequence, propose new forms of study plans and the necessary skills to solve problems.Resources, partners and key actors: mobilize Universities, We Organize Multinationals, Private and State Companies provide educational platforms to educational institutions as part of their social responsibility.

Channels: starting from the need to establish communication with students and teachers through their educational needs.

Differential Advantage: Success will be achieved since there is awareness that current educational models are not responding to the needs of society.

The project has not generatted donations, grants.

I hope TPrize will support me to consolidate a pilot experience in Pamplona that serve to show the social impact of the proposed tools on the quality of education and the costs of the experience.

A pilot experience could provide data to consolidate the experience at the national level and bring the experience to Caribbean and Latin American countries.

Then, TPrize could connect me to companies and ways to reach resources form them for technology.

Education is in crisis because of Coronavirus (covid-19). Many paradigms are changing and when one paradigm changes everything goes back to zero. I think the entire world has turned its gaze to the use of digital information in educational processes.

In my opinion, the students, who have not been asked what they would like to learn at this time of crisis, are going to discover many things: that on the Web there are things much more interesting than what they see in class, that's not necessarily the teachers they are telling the truth, that they can study at home, that they need another type of study plans.

Sure, the students (and the teachers) when being “forced” to carry out tasks using digital information will discover that they need to develop other capacities to achieve objectives proposed by the study plans. So, I would like TPrize to generate a debate on the issues that this project raises: use of digital information, emerging study plans and strategies to discover and develop capacities.

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For me it is very important to contact organizations with educational platforms such as: Platzi, edX and Udemy.  Especially, I hope that Harvard and MIT could carry out a pilot experience of the edX platform in Caribbean and Latin American countries. The great effort would be to adapt the edX courses that to Colombian, Caribbean and Latin American students and teachers.

It is about making an effort so that students  and teachers have participated in the elaboration of courses, so that study plans could be the result of an agreement. It is not about using presided courses that may not respond to the needs of Colombian students.

The courses and the objectives of those courses are pre-established by a group of people who are not aware of the reality of the context and individual and collective needs of the users. If these organizations decided to let us participate in the process of designing courses, the solution could be accelerated.