Travel Blog
I reflected on my international field experience on a blog. Visit musingsonmorocco.blogspot.com to learn more about my trip.
Research Question for International Travel
Prior to my trip, I formulated a research question to guide my inquiry and study in Morocco. My question was: To what extent is technology producing change in Morocco's educational system? When it came to exploring this question, I hit the jackpot since my partner teacher, Houria, also has a keen interest in technology.
"Change" was the cross cultural theme implicit in my research question. My underlying assumption was that the Moroccan government provides funding for technology in schools. The methods I used to gather information included classroom observations and interviews with educators and students. Supporting questions included: How is change defined? Who decides?
Immediately upon arrival at Houria's school in Sale, I found several forms of technology including a lab of desktop computers and a reservation-only classroom equipped with a SMART board and LCD projector. These items had indeed been funded by the Moroccan government. However, at the time, the Ministry of Education was not providing internet access which significantly limited the technology's functionality.
In her daily lessons, Houria made do the best she could with the available resources. Students investigated important, relevant topics such as "brain drain" and shared their findings through Power Point presentations using the SMART board and LCD projector. Afterward, they engaged in thought-proving class discussions about the various issues. (Brain drain, by the way, refers to the emigration of highly trained and intelligent individuals from a particular country. This topic is of great concern in Morocco and is even part of the country's high school curriculum.) Through conversations with students, I learned that the research for their presentations was conducted mostly outside of school hours using cell-phones, internet cafes, or home web access.
Later, when I reconvened with colleagues who had traveled to other parts of Morocco, they recounted similar experiences of rarely used computer labs and poor internet access. This held true at the secondary, collegiate, and graduate levels. Clearly, technology is an issue affecting educational institutions throughout the country.
I relied upon Moroccan teachers and students to define change and assess the extent to which technology is producing change in their schools. Both educators and learners lamented the fact that internet access is not available at school and stated emphatically that its absence hampers improvement of Morocco's educational system. In addition, they maintained that the lack of technology is a major obstacle in preparing students for the work force. They pointed to other countries with iPads and 1:1 laptop initiatives in their schools, intimating that these students are getting a "better" education. Many learners stated that they hope to leave Morocco after graduation to pursue educational and career opportunities in Europe and North America. (Sound familiar? This is brain drain at work.)
Although technology permeates every aspect of the social lives of Moroccans, when it comes to education, bureaucratic factors are hampering progress. Could the provision of internet and other technological resources by the Ministry of Education reduce brain drain and increase Moroccans’ confidence in their schools? In the future, I hope to hear from my Moroccan friends that this issue has been addressed by the Ministry of Education and the national government.
Disclaimer: This blog is not an official U.S. Department of State blog. The views and information presented are the grantee’s own and do not represent the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program, IREX, or the U.S. Department of State.