In May 2024, I went to the Arusha Region of Tanzania as part of the “Designing Technology Solutions for Schools in Africa” program. The first ten days were spent at MS-TCDC, a small university and training center on the slopes of Mount Meru where I and the other students in the program learned the basics of the Swahili language and about the culture, history, and geography of Tanzania. The remaining time was spent in Mto wa Mbu, a small town several hours to the west, where we participated in a variety of activities related to increasing technological proficiency among teachers and students at local schools.

In addition to the general work that we all participated in such as training students and teachers on various computer programs, each student was given the opportunity to work on an individual or group project of their choice. My goal within this education abroad program was to gain insight into the proficiency, habits, and needs of a population that is vastly different than my own so I can more effectively design products that meet the needs of a larger range of audiences, and I ended up creating an English learning board game. The game was playable by all students, but it was especially designed for students beginning secondary school as I learned this is a time when many students drop out of school due to the difficulty in transitioning to class instruction exclusively in English (as opposed to Kiswahili in primary school).

During weekends, we participated in activities such as trips to national, a trip to a local market, a visit to a coffee farm, and a cultural tour around the town. In the three national parks we visited, it was amazing to see up close and personal some exotic animals such as zebras, giraffes, lions, hippos, and rhinos that previously we had only seen in photographs or in zoos. There were also some great landscapes to be seen, such as snowcapped mountains, lakes, and lush forests on the valley floor. Even in town, it was remarkable how drastic a change in landscape you could see after a drive of just a few minutes, with desert to the east, a lake to the south, banana fields in town, and cool forests as you move up the escarpment of the Great Rift Valley.

On the cultural tour, students could either ride on a bicycle or in a tuktuk as we made stops at a woodcarving shop, a painting studio, and a Maasai Boma where we learned firsthand about Maasai (a prominent tribe in Tanzania and Kenya) culture.

Overall, the program provided a great opportunity to immerse myself in an environment where I could learn about ICT applications in schools and the rich culture of Tanzania, and additionally allowed for a great bit of fun during the touristic activities.

Name: Jesse Edward Asselin Sanderson
Status: Graduate student
Major: Media and Information
Hometown: East Lansing, Michigan
Program: Designing Technology Solutions for Schools in Africa