Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Teaching Quality ITC Practices: UNESCO and Whiz Kids Workshop

UNESCO reported today on its partnership with Whiz Kids Workshop in training students to improve the quality of children's media in Ethiopia. Producers of the internationally-recognized program "Tsehai Loves Learning" train students; the goal is to improve the quality as well as to improve the diversity of children's media content.





Five students were selected from over 400 applications to enter into a two-month training that covers all aspects of children's media programming. These students are from the Amhara, Tigray, Oromo, and Hadiya groups and come from various faiths. According to Whiz Kids Workshop co-founder Bruktawit Tigabu, this program reflects the goal of increasing the different cultures and languages represented in Ethiopian children's media.


Whiz Kids Workshop co-founder Shane Etzenhouser further indicated the work these students do will "empowers the students to raise-up their voices for a better world for Ethiopia’s children."


The training program itself has been in existence for two years but has just been redesigned to offer a more hands-on experience for its participants. Students will complete one episode of "Tshehai Loves Learning" by the completion of the program.



The collaborative efforts between UNESCO and Whiz Kids Workshop began in 2005 with developing educational children's programs focused on the environment. Since then, UNESCO and Whiz Kids Workshop have joined efforts in producing children's programs and trainings regarding HIV and AIDS as well as numerous aspects of education.


The show "Tshehai Loves Learning" is an Amharic language education show featuring talking giraffe puppets that began airing in September 2006. It targets preschool and kindergarten-aged children and seeks to raise awareness about social issues and promote positive personal values and development.


For the full article, click here.

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