Let me start with a FACT: Within 30 minutes or less, you can setup and start using the EasyPay Mobile Money API to automatically receive payments from your website visitors. This commonly advanced and complicated process has been dramatically simplified by the Newly Updated Easypay Mobile Money WordPress Plugin Version 1.1.6 as at the time of this article.

What is Easy Pay?

EasyPay is a smartphone and web based mobile digital wallet used to make electronic transactions like paying bills, paying for goods and services, etc. Easy pay was founded in 2016 by Payline Holdings Limited, one of Uganda’s advanced providers of Online Payment Solutions.

The easypay app, available on android, iOS and web, can be used to send or receive money at lower transaction charges, pay all the utility bills, do event management and e-ticketing, process bulk payments like salary payments, collect money for your causes/startups and allow any internet enabled device/system to process payments securely and instantly through the easypay API.

Why the Easypay Mobile Money WordPress Plugin?

Although EasyPay has developed an Open API which is well documented on their website, truth be told, the biggest percentage of website designers meet a lot of hardship playing with APIs, since they require advanced programming skills.

Therefore, to reach out to the majority of the potential clients who cannot manually code to integrate the API into thier websites, EasyPay developed a Plugin for WordPress, the World’s Most Popular website creation software. The plugin is now available in the Offical WordPress repository with the following description:

“Allow mobile money (MTN,Airtel,M-Sente & Africell Money), Visa & Mastercard payments within your woocommerce stores and wordpress. Easypay combines the open mobile money api, open visa api to bring you the latest in Payments. EasyPay Plugin for WooCommerce 3.0+.

Simple steps of setting up EasyPay on your WordPress Site

1. Get the EasyPay App and register to create your EasyPay account
2. Install the EasyPay Mobile Money WordPress Plugin
3. Activate the plugin and link your website to EasyPay by entering your Your EasyPay Number ( Phone Number) and PIN under the plugin options.
4. Configure and Enable EasyPay Payment Gateways under WooCommerce settings.
5. You are ready to start testing! After Testing, submit your KYC to remove the default account limits.

1. Get the EasyPay App and register to create your EasyPay account

2. Install the EasyPay Mobile Money WordPress Plugin

3. Activate the plugin and link your website to the EasyPay API

After you activate the EasyPay Mobile Money Plugin, you will automatically be redirected to the login screen within the wordpress dashboard, where you will have to simply type in your EasyPay registered phone Number.

Once the system verifies that the number you typed in is a registered number, you will now be prompted to login with your EasyPay PIN to automatically link your Website to your EasyPay Account. NB: If the phone number you want to use is not yet registered with EasyPay a quick alternative of registering from within the plugin can be used, by clicking on the Register tab. But if you have already done step 1 above, just login into the plugin and voila! you are done!

4. Configure and Enable EasyPay Payment Gateways under WooCommerce settings

After logging in successfully, you will be taken to the Woocommerce -> Settings -> Payments section. If not, then go there.

Here you will have to setup/manage/customise the available payment gateways and choose to activate the ones you like.

EasyPay Mobile Money Plugin v1.1.6 has a number of payment gateways:

• The Mobile Money gateway supports Airtel Uganda, MTN Uganda, Africell Money and Uganda Telcom M-sente.
• The Card payments gateway allows VISA, Mastercard, Discover and American Express card payments.
• You also can use Easypay wallet payment which has lowest transaction costs and has the smoothest experience.

5. You are ready to start testing!

You can now add some lost cost trial products for as low as UGX500 to your shop and test the payment gateways . If you prefer prices in Uganda Shillings, set UGX as your default Woocommerce currency and EasyPay will take care of the converstions automatically.

See your EasyPay Statements within the WordPress admin dashboard

For all easypay transations, you will find records under WooCommerce -> EasyPay Account.

You can click on the view link for more details about each transaction. The current account balance is always reflected at the top of the statement.

Withdrawing your Money

You are excited, arent you? All the records within your WordPress dashboard are synconised with the EasyPay app in real time and you can keep monitoring your sales while on the Go.

NB: When transferring money from easypay wallet to your mobile money account, there are some payout charges as detailed on thier website.

Finished testing? Submit your KYC to remove account limits.

By default all accounts are limited to transactions worth 100USD/month for both incoming and outgoing transactions. To remove this limitation, you will have to submit your KYC documents details to EasyPay. Know Your Customer (KYC) refers to the process of verifying the identity of your customers, either before or during the time that they start doing business with you.

Companies have to provide the following copies of KYC documentation:

• Certificate of registration
• Company M&A of association
• Company form 7(particulars of directors)
• National IDs of directors
• Tax registration certificate
• Trading licence
• Proof of physical address

NB: There is also a provision for individuals to be approved with lesser KYC requirements.

To submit your KYC, you have to visit the EasyPay offices locally located at 1st Floor Tirupati Mall. Kabalagala. Kampala, Uganda, or email them at info@easypay.co.ug for direct guidance and assistance.

Other benefits of using EasyPay

• Your visitors are not redirected away, the payments are completed from within your checkout page.
• Rich Knowledge base and good customer support with a live chat on thier website.
• The EasyPay App is a harmonious “all in one” solution to electronic transactions, offering you convinience in how you may want to utilise your money, such us buying Airtime or Data for all networks, Paying for Utility bills, and several others.
• No MBs(Data)?No problem! You can use easypay through USSD *270*26# and select 1) Easypay Wallet. It is the quickest way by far to join easypay and you can still access your account without data…. It is free on Airtel…but MTN charges for USSD sessions.

What needs to be added / improved in future version of the EasyPay Mobile Money plugin

Currently the EasyPay only integrates with WooCommerce, and therefore other users who need to receive mobile money payments through donation plugins, paywall/subscription plugins, etc are not supported.

The annual Wordcamp Kampala Conference is starting on Friday this week (tomorrow!).  It is scheduled for Fri 23rd – Sun 25th November 2018 at Hivecolab, Kanjokya House, Kamwokya, Kampala.

WordCamps are casual conferences covering everything related to WordPress, organised in several cities world over. WordCamps are attended by people ranging from blogging newbies to professional web developers and consultants, and usually combine scheduled programming with unconference sessions and other activities. WordCamps are meant to be low-key local gatherings that are affordable — cheap, even — to allow people from all walks of life to attend, meet, share, and learn. Sponsorships and donations make this possible, keeping ticket prices low.

In Uganda, the first Wordcamp Kampala was held last year 2017. Read about how it went down and more details about the wordpress kampala community. This year, Wordcamp Nairobi Kenya will also kickoff on 23rd Nov.

Open to all, content galore, shared with community.

WordCamps do not discriminate, and WordPress users, developers, designers, and other enthusiasts should all feel welcome at a WordCamp, regardless of their experience level. Sessions generally span a variety of formats, including lectures/presentations, live demos, Q&A, workshops, ignite-style lightning presentations, panels, interviews, and any other format you can imagine. Presentations are shared with the broader WordPress community by posting session slides/videos to the WordCamp channel on WordPress.tv.

The content of sessions is firmly focused on using and developing for WordPress. Issues around blogging, business, and social media that are related to WordPress use may be included, but the bulk of the program (at least 80%) is specifically about WordPress.

3- day schedule

This year’s wordcamp has several sessions by distinguised speakers. Click on the links for details.

Contributors Day – Fri 23rd November 2018

Time	Activity
8: 00 am	Arrival and registration
8: 30 am	Breakfast
9: 30 am	Gutenberg: How do we tell our story? Speaker: Laurence Bahiirwa
10: 00 am	WordPress for Non-Profits Speaker: Ewangu Hillary Otine
10: 30 am	10 Reasons to use Jetpack and other must have WordPress plugins Speaker: Mukalele Rogers
11: 00 am	WP language translation and CSS customisation Speaker: Laurence Bahiirwa
12: 30 pm	Leveraging WordPress Multisites Speaker: Kasirye Arthur
01: 00 pm	Lunch
02: 30 pm	How to Redirect Users to Random Blog Articles Speaker: Julius Masaba
03: 00 pm	How to Start a blog with WordPress and make money online in Uganda Speaker: Martin Tumusiime
03: 30 pm	Yoast and other SEO options Speaker: Kasirye Arthur
04: 00 pm	WordPress Debugging Tools and CSS Speaker: Laurence Bahiirwa
04: 30 pm	Closing remarks

Day 1 – Sat 24th November 2018

Time	Activity
8: 00 am	Arrival and registration
8: 30 am	Breakfast
9: 30 am	The Power of Mental Toughness in Content Generation Speaker: Lawrence Namale
10: 00 am	ADVANCED USERS AMP-lify your WordPress website with Google AMP in 2019 Speaker: Mukalele Rogers	BEGINNERS 5 ways of installing WordPress – The famous 5 minute WordPress installation Speaker: Lutaaya Shafiq
10: 30 am	Developing and Deploying WordPress with Docker Speaker: Lyzacholi
11: 00 am	WordPress Load Speed Optimization – To Better User Experience. Speaker: Mukiibi Mackson
11: 30 am	Earn a side income with WordPress: Create Gutenberg Blocks for Sale Speaker: Kevin Bazira
12: 00 pm	Tips on how to promote your blog from a professional marketing manager with WordPress Speaker: Charlotte Beauvoisin – Diary of a Muzungu
12: 30 pm	Building a team as a freelancer building on WordPress Speaker: Cerinah Nalwoga
01: 00 pm	Lunch
02: 30 pm	Secrets To Achieve Sustainable Income Blogging with WordPress Speaker: Kwehangana Hamza		ICT TEACHERS SESSION WordPress promoting Education: How teachers can collaborate and publish educational content online. Speaker: Mukalele Rogers
03: 00 pm	The cure is collaboration – Making the world a better place one commit at a time Speaker: David M. Wampamba
03: 30 pm	Demystifying the WordPress Myth Speaker: Andela Representative
04: 00 pm	When your WordPress Website contains malware Speaker: Patience Nekesa
04: 30 pm	Preparing to go viral Speaker: Ayebare Mucunguzi Brooks

Day 2 – Sun 25th November 2018

Time	Activity
8: 00 am	Arrival and registration
8: 30 am	Breakfast
9: 30 am	The Future – WordPress as a headless CMS Speaker: Laurence Bahiirwa
10: 00 am	SEO for WooCommerce Speaker: Kasirye Arthur
10: 30 am	Cyber Threats &; Data Privacy Speaker: Nixon Kamugisha
11: 00 am	So You wrote a Post, Now What? Speaker: Atwiine
11: 30 am	WordPress site security Speaker: Marvin Alinaitwe
12: 00 pm	Panel
01: 00 pm	Lunch

Great opportunities and Freebies

There is something for everyone. All participants are to get t-shirts for the conference. Several colors and sizes have been made. In addition, other goodies from wordpress including pens, stickers etc will be given out.

Getting started at no cost: For the beginners who want to get started, I am offering to help them with free hosting for one year on the center4webpresence.com server. Online WordPress installations will be made for everyone so that even begginers can start practicing with the self-hosted WordPress CMS with a powerful cpanel, free domain names and free SSL certificates. Everyone is therefore encouraged come along with a laptop. Wi-Fi will be available. NB: Interested members can whatsapp/email me (see contacts on contact page) thier desired domain names and I start creating thier accounts.

Wordcamp Tickets

The ticket prices go for only $5 or UGX 22,000 which caters for meals and breakfast for both days, Wi-Fi, an after party and a WordCamp shirt. Your Ticket will give you access to all the activities that will consist of training, competition and fun. Several tickets have already been booked by participants who paid in advance as per the guidelines on the official Wordcamp Kampala website.

Accomodation for participants who cant commute from home

All participants who need accomodation are encouraged to travel early and first book thier accomodation for Friday Night and Saturday Night, before coming to attend the wordcamp. These will be private arrangements, because no accomoadation arrangements have been made by the conference organisers. Kampala has very many hotels and guest houses which provide classy accomodation, but the costs may be abit high, depending on your finanical standing. There are some affordable Guest Houses in Kamwokya town (which is near the venue) – This week I checked out Yahoo Guest House has self conatained rooms at only UGX 20,000 per night and Rank inn Kamwokya has rooms at only UGX 15,000 per night, among other places. Like I said, participants are encouraged to make accomodation arrangements early enough, or better commute from home rooo from thier relatives and friends places in Kampala who can accomodate them for the two nights.

Wordcamp Sponsors

As you can realise, this ticket price is highly subsidised. Without funding from sponsors, the price to meet all the conference costs would be way heigher. The sponsors for the Wordcamp  include WooCommerce, Jetpack, Bluehost, GoDaddy,  Digital Blend Uganda, and Andela Uganda Ltd . Please read more about these sponsors here. Some of the sponsor-representatives will have a word to share with the participants.

Fun. Fun! More fun!!

I almost forgot to mention the most obvious part of WordCamps: they’re fun! Getting to geek out for a day or two with other people just as obsessed with WordPress as you are is just plain awesome. You’ll meet people who are crazy smart, insanely inspired and inspiring, and maybe even a handful of talented singers. Most WordCamps follow the conference with an afterparty at a nearby location where you can have a few drinks with your new friends and hatch your (WordPress-based, of course) plot to take over the world.

After getting the basics from the retooling workshops over the past seven years, what is vital now is to upskill the teachers capacity to effectively teach ICT/Computer studies. The Uganda ICT Teachers Association steering committee has thus decided to start orgarnising annual capacity building workshops.

Background

Over the years since 2011, the Government of Uganda through Uganda Communications Commission and Ministry of Education and Sports has been supporting National ICT Teachers Retooling workshops, funded through RCDF. However, this year it was revealed that the National retooling workshops at Kololo SS were being phased out and instead Governement was to embark on organising regional workshops upcountry.

The workshops were originally aimed at equiping teachers of other subjects already in active service to teach ICT and Computer Studies, after realising a shortage of ICT teachers yet ICT had just been introduced at A Level. The retooling workshops have built a network of teachers who have been meeting annually. First, they formed mailing lists and social media forums on Facebook and Whatsapp where they could continue the interactions even after the workshop. It is from these social media forums that the idea of forming the ICT Teachers association came about. A steering committee for the association was elected and is speerheading the popularisation and estabishment of the association.

Through Uganda ICT Teachers Association (UITA), the ICT teachers are putting efforts and minds together to support each other to innovatively improve their methods of work, thereby promoting ICT education and increasing computer literacy in Uganda. This is done do through coordinated discussion platforms, the UITA website, workshops, seminars, events, national ICT competitions, debates, regular meetings, member guidance and counselling, resource sharing, fund raising and projects.

The mission of the association is to provide a platform for ICT teachers to share, innovate and facilitate world-standard research, teaching and learning ICT inUgandan schools. UITA seeks to devise solutions to a number of problems such as the low levels of ICT literacy in Uganda, the high demand for ICT skills as a major requirement for employment, the unequal access to basic ICT training resources, the need to reduce the digital divide in the country and the various challenges being faced by teachers of Computer Studies and ICT in Ugandan schools.

The vision of UITA is a vibrant association in which members find a sense of belonging and actively participate in activities that enhance teaching ICT and Computer
Studies in Uganda.

‘Capacity Development’

According to Wikipedia, Capacity building (or capacity development) is the process by which individuals and organizations obtain, improve, and retain the skills, knowledge, tools, equipment and other resources needed to do their jobs competently or to a greater capacity (larger scale, larger audience, larger impact, etc). Capacity building and capacity development are often used interchangeably.

 

About this years workshop

Focus for this year’s workshop is on new trends in the dynamic world of ICT and building of the teachers’ capacity to handle commonly challenging areas of the UCE Computer Studies and UACE subsidiary ICT curricula.

Several experienced and inspirational facilitators have been invited to share with the teachers about project based teaching, use of ICT Clubs to spur innovations in schools and how to embrace Computer Aided Assessment and collaborative project based teaching in all subjects. It will also be an opportunity for the ICT teachers to network and share resources and also get access to some new teaching & learning content on CDs and books which will be on sale. See attached draft program for the workshop details.

Kololo Senior Secondary School will host this annual national in-service ICT Teachers Capacity Development Workshop from Wednesday 5th to Thursday 6th September 2018. This years workshop is being organized in conjunction with the Uganda ICT Teachers Association and some partner organizations.

 

Tickets

Unlike the past free-to-attend (but invite only) workshops which have been funded by government, the costs for this years workshop are going to be met by the workshop participants.

The workshop fee is UGX. 20,000/= per day for non-residents or UGX. 50,000 for all days for residents. The money will be used to cater for meals, workshop materials, accommodation, and utilities.

The UITA steering committee hopes that with time, some other organisations will come on board to support the noble cause of fighting computer illeteracy through empowering ICT teachers as change agents. This is beacause there is need to sponsor some teachers especially those from rural areas to be able to travel to the capital, network and share with the rest of the teachers. Tickets for the workshop can be bought online through the event page on eventbright, but will also be available offline at Kololo SS dring registration. The teachers can confirm participation through this form for early preparations, or call/whatsapp the workshop cordinator on +256776960740 / +256706060740.

 

Invitation Letter

An Official Invitation Letter addressed to school headteachers is circulating in schools. A scanned copy is embedded below:

[google-drive-embed url=”https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nuJgJAVTCNs8KwOsoYxBxz1cljNaG-hA/preview?usp=drivesdk” title=”ICT Capacity Devt 2018.pdf” icon=”https://drive-thirdparty.googleusercontent.com/16/type/application/pdf” width=”100%” height=”400″ style=”embed”]

 

The Bagwere live in the eastern Uganda, mostly in Budaka District, Pallisa District and Kibuku District, where they make up over 80% of the population. They have the Bagisu, the Basoga, the Balamogi and the Iteso, the Banyole and the Jopadhola (Badama) as their neighbors. The city of Mbale, one time reputed to be the cleanest city in Uganda is home to some Bagwere. Bagwere are also found in the following towns in Eastern Uganda: Pallisa, Budaka, Kibuku, Kagumu, Kamonkoli, Kadama, Kabweri, Iki-Iki, Bulangira, Kaderuna, Tirinyi, Butebo, Kakoro and Kanginima.

The Bagwere are said to have emigrated to their present area from Bunyoro and Toro, and travelled along Lake Kyoga, crossing River Mpologoma. For this reason all the tribes that settled along the shores Kyoga like; Baluli, Bakenye, Balamogi have a similar language to Lugwere.

You can Read more about the Bagwere on the kingdom website and on the wiki page.

Bugwere Anthem

Chorus

Onamadu avuga! Eyo eitaala lyakira e’Bugwere; Ebyalo bisanyukenga o’bugwere busagaaluke; Mwize twanguwe embuga, ewataite ikumbania; Twegaite tutakengane obugwere atutumuke…

Chorus x2

1. Egyabirana Nigyo embiro; Buli moiza ayanguwengaku; Tukulemberwe abaita bangi; Abakwenda be ebitegere; Tube nomukago gwa maani; Tutakenganenge; Obugwere atutumuke inno; Mu Yuganda yona yona;

Repeat Chorus

2. Imwe abakaali abatobato; Empango gye ebugwere; Mube nempisa ensa; Mube oti bazaiza baanyu; Mu kanyangule kalaamu; Niiye empalani yanyu; Imwe ebimuli bye ebugwere; Era olumole lwa Yuganda.

Repeat Chorus

3. Twebalya Inno oKibumba; Olwe kyalo ekisenyente; Atwongerengaku obumanyi; Okukuumanga obubumbe bwe; Tulwanisye nga obuwavu; Obutamanya ne’ndwaire; Yuganda etutumuke inno; Tuwaane nga oKibumba.

Repeat Chorus x2

Download /Play MP3 Here:

Any comments / corrections? Let me know in the comments!

The Ministry of Education and sports (MoES) in conjunction with Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) and KAWA have organized a five days retooling workshop for secondary school teachers in the Eastern region scheduled to take place at Mbale Secondary School starting from 7th to 11th May 2018.

Two teachers from each of 107 schools in Busia, Tororo, Butaleja, Palisa, Budaka, Kibuku, Mbale, Bududa, Manafwa, Namisindwa, Sironko, Bulambuli, Kapchorwa, Kween, and Bukwa districts which received computers through UCC’s Rural Communications Development Fund (RCDF), have been invited to attend the workshop. A sample of the invitation letter signed by the Permanent Secretary, of MoES Mr. Sam Kuloba is pictured below.

 

Similar workshops held in the past have been national and the venue has usually been at Kololo SSS, but this time UCC decided that they should start having regional retooling workshops since the RCDF is supposed to focus on rural areas.

 

About RCDF

The Rural Communications development Fund (RCDF) is a Universal Service Fund (USF) to communications in Uganda. It was established in 2003 and it is administered at arms’ length by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC).

The projects implemented by RCDF include; Internet points of presence (POP) – 76, Internet cafes – 106, ICT training centres – 78, Public payphones – 4,099, District web portals – 78, Multi Purpose Community Tele-centres (MCT) – 13, Postal projects – 45, School ICT laboratories – 708, Health ICT facilities – 174, Voice network sites – 90, Content development projects – 106, Local governance projects 2, and Other unique projects – 31.

ICT Retooling workshops are meant to enhance the usage of these ICT facilities established through RCDF.

 

About KAWA

Kisubi Associated Writers Agency (KAWA) is a national provider of professional development services to enhance learning outcomes for educators, schools and children around the country.

Leading the latest thinking on teaching and learning, KAWA offers a combination of blended professional development face-to-face workshops and online learning combined with Virtual teachers and mobile services to dramatically improve educational outcomes at national and regional levels.

It was founded by senior teachers of St. Mary’s College Kisubi, supported the old boys of the college and embraced by the Ministry of education, Science, Technology and Sports since 2011. It has now developed into a network covering the whole country with close attachment to Makerere University Business School.

Current Status of ICT and Computer Studies

Performance of students at National ICT examinations and computer studies is improving. The number of students offering ICT at A level has grown significantly over the last decade; while performance continues to increase partly due to:

1. Installation of ICT infrastructure/Computer labs by Uganda Communications Commission
2. Retooling of teachers to teach ICT/Computer studies

However, performance remains below the expected standard.

 

Recent UNEB reports on Candidates Work revealed that the major reasons for failure were that students had not been adequately prepared, or never covered at all some topics – and therefore these topics were unpopular. Moreover, teachers have indicated that they face challenges teaching those topics:

• Website Development
• Desktop Publishing
• Elementary Programming

Assessment too is still a major challenge

1. A survey of the joint mock examinations and individual school papers also revealed that most of the questions set are not standard.
2. Marking/scoring of students’ work is haphazard and erratic in internal examinations. Consequently, even if students are well taught, they cannot competently handle the UNEB style questions.
3. Incongruence between marks scored in internal examinations with those scored at final examinations also reveals weaknesses in assessment.

 

Areas of Focus for this Mbale workshop

The following are the units planned for the workshop.

 

UNIT#1: WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

Objective

To develop teachers’ knowledge and skills in effectively teaching and assessing Website development in line with the national curriculum and trends in the job market.

Rationale

Website development is one the areas in the O-Level curriculum which is currently very unpopular in national examinations because teachers avoid teaching it. Students who attempt the question often score very poor marks. Teachers also report that this area is challenging, and are not even sure of what software or approach to use in teaching it.

Yet, Website development is one area with great potential and applicability in Uganda’s economy. Competent graduates can easily start earning from it as independent website development teams with small businesses and organization.

Focus of the Workshop in Website Development

1. Overview of the syllabus in regard to website development
2. Recommended and practical teaching strategies; Choice of Website authoring software (What works best for teaching, skill development, examinations and job market?) and how to balance the seemingly competing demands
3. Qualities of a good website/webpage
4. Practical/Hands on website development in barebones html (Hypertext Markup Language) and using web authoring software.
5. Assessment of student learning, including setting theory and practical questions, scoring candidates work and use of portfolios

UNIT#2: ELEMENTARY PROGRAMMING

Objective

To introduce participants to basic concepts and practices in programming as specified in the national syllabus

Rationale

Elementary Programming is one of the areas in the curriculum. Being a new area, many teachers find it difficult to teach the topic. Consequently, they either don’t teach it or teach it inadequately.

Skipping a topic is extremely risky since questions from it can also be tested in other areas such as in MCQs which puts students at a disadvantage.

Besides, Elementary programming is meant to build a foundation upon which Uganda can start the computer software development industry.

Focus of the Session(s) on Elementary Programming

1. Session will involve a presentation of basic concepts (theory) in programming, followed by program design using Pseudocode and Flow charts.
2. Introduction to C-Programming language, and develop 2 simple programs – one for outputting text on the screen and the other to do basic calculations. Choice and installation of IDEs (Integrated Development Environments) for programming
3. Assessment of Computer Programming – How to set test items in programming and scoring students work.
4. Looking beyond the syllabus: ideas for working with students to develop additional skills through computer clubs and national competitions.

 

UNIT#3: DESKTOP PUBLISHING

Objective

• To develop teachers’ skills and knowledge to effectively teach Desktop publishing
• Develop a positive attitude among teachers to teaching Desktop Publishing

Rationale

Desktop Publication, while apparently straight forward is poorly handled by teachers of ICT. Indeed, most teachers avoid teaching the unit altogether. UNEB in its 2016 UACE report indicated that this was one of the most unpopular questions and those candidates who attempted it scored poorly. Yet Desktop publishing is one the areas that has immediate applicability in the field in Uganda.

 

Focus of the workshop

1. Overview of the syllabus Unit in Desktop publishing including the objectives and competencies required
2. Selection of appropriate desktop authoring platforms.
3. Using MS Publisher to design, save and print business cards, Certificates, Restaurant menus, calendars and flyers
4. Effective Teaching Strategies
5. Use of Support files in assessment of Desktop Publishing

 

 

UNIT#4: ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION OF ICT/COMPUTER STUDIES

Objective

• To increase teachers’ capacity to translate content into standard examination questions
• Increase teachers’ ability to effectively assess learners in line with national syllabus

Rationale of Assessment and Evaluation

It is one thing to teach well and another to have students excel at national examinations. Many times, there is a discrepancy between marks scored by students at school and those at national examinations. This divergence can be attributed to inadequate assessment by teachers. What scores and what does not?

Teachers need to keep abreast of developments in assessment if their learners are to excel at national examinations.

Focus of the Session

1. Assist teachers to learn to translate what they teach into test items that reflect students’ abilities. This independent session will focus on troublesome areas in the curriculum besides those identified above. Some such as areas include system startup and development, trends in computing and practical theory questions.
2. Introduce participants to different forms of assessment used in ICT/Computer Studies, discussed challenges, reviewed an examination paper etc.
3. Set test items, prepare marking guides, present their work to peers and give feedback
4. Use of Support files for practical examinations
5. Review marking guides and modal answers in sessions besides those highlighted above

 

 

Watch out for more details including the list of the 107 invited schools and the workshop program to be shared on this website..

 

This week I have been working on the website for Uganda ICT Teachers Association (UITA) which I volunteered to develop free of charge. The general design is now ready and the website is publically accessible at ictteachersug.net, although still under development (some page content is to be added/edited in the coming days and new posts added).

Some of the features on the UITA website are:

✅A navigation structure with links to key sections on the website, including a quick links menu to a number of resourceful systems.

✅A slideshow on the home page with featured information such as vital notices.

✅A blog section which any members who register and are validated can utilise by publishing articles, research work and resources.

✅A page dedicated to quick resource sharing (upload and download) only visible to logged in members.

✅An ecommerce shop where any members can list their items available for sale such as premium e-resources.

✅An events management system which will keep track of events for ICT teachers throughout the year.

✅Social media (Facebook and Twitter pages) have been created and integrated such that they website automatically posts to social media whenever any member adds something new to the website blog.

✅ The website is mobile responsive, so check out both mobile and desktop versions.

✅A search facility for quickly locating any needed content on the website.

✅A member directory having a listing of profiles for ICT teachers registered on the website.

 

About Uganda ICT Teachers Association (UITA)

The Uganda ICT Teachers Association (UITA) is not yet established, but discussions about it have been taking place since last year.

UITA is being formed as a forum for devising solutions to a number of problems such as the low levels of ICT literacy in Uganda, the high demand for ICT skills as a major requirement for employment, the unequal access to basic ICT training resources, the need to reduce the digital divide in the country and the various challenges being faced by teachers of Computer Studies and ICT in Ugandan schools.

Through UITA, the ICT teachers will put efforts and minds together to support each other to
innovatively improve their methods of work, thereby promoting ICT education and increasing computer literacy in Uganda. This shall be done do through coordinated discussion platforms, the UITA website, workshops, seminars, events, national ICT competitions, debates, regular meetings, member guidance and counselling, resource sharing, projects and financial contributions.

 

 

 

Uganda ICT teachers countrywide are therefore requested to:

✳Register on the website so that their accounts are created. The website administrators will have to first verify that they are valid ICT teachers before their accounts are given rights to use all features on the website.

✳Members who wish to be part of the pioneer working executive should fill in a form on The Executive Committee page under About US.

✳On the website, you can setup your profile by clicking on the settings button ⚙ on the right of the profile cover page and also uploading a custom profile photo. After logging in, you will also find a link under the members area menu where you can click to access the back end where you can make blog posts, add your digital / physical products for sale, and upload resources to the resources page.

✳Let’s join hands in developing a wonderful website we shall be proud of by adding quality posts, editing content on pages and giving feedback for improvement.

Whats to be discussed about UITA during the next ICT refresher worshop.

Members are encouraged to attend the forthcoming ICT Refresher workshop at Kololo SS on heroes’ day organised by MTInfo-Tech, in which we shall have a session to quickly review the draft constitution and establish a steering committee which will be tasked with finalising with the constitution and organising UITA elections for the pioneer executive. We shall also have a brief overview on WordPress basics: how to publish content and manage the website. Apart from UITA issues, other items on the agenda for the ICT Refresher workshop are indicated on the Invitation letter [PDF]. Up-to-date 2018 editions of all my books will also be on display together with a variety of books by other authors who will be free and ready to sell.

More updates and any developments will be communicated in due course. Please subscribe on the website using the subscribe form in the footer order to receive emails automatically whenever new posts are published on the website.

 

Here’s a list of books authored by Mukalele Rogers currently on market. Every year the books are updated basing on new developments in ICT and new trends at UNEB and changes in the syllabi.

1. Computer Studies for Uganda

Price: 35,000/=

• Based on O Level NCDC Computer Studies Syllabus topic by topic. Complete notes on all the twelve chapters in the syllabus.
• Comprehensive coverage on new topics including: programming (program design with pseudo code and flow charts, using both C and Visual Basic programming languages). Updated notes on Web design, trends in computing, applications and computer networks.
• Has theory class notes, practical procedures and activities, a glossary and answers to chapter exercises at the end of the book.

2. Lab Activities for Computer Practical Applications

Price: 25,000/=

• Consists of over 200 practical examination-type activities arranged systematically for every practical topic on the O level and A level syllabi.
• Special chapter on usage of support files at A level.
• 20 sets of standard examinations have been added in the latest edition, including UNEB and MOCK past papers. Support files for all questions have been uploaded on the sharebility.mukalele.net portal and direct download links are included in the book.

3. ICT Revision Questions and Answers for Uganda

Price: 10,000/=

• This book has been compiled to help A level candidates as they prepare for their examinations. The book contains over 500 Past Examination Questions and Answers compiled from marking guides of past papers.
• The UACE Subsidiary ICT Syllabus outline, together with the question allocation per topic has been included to further guide the candidates on the topics to read.
• Teachers can also make use of this book as a question bank for assessing their candidates. New revised editions of this book will be released periodically with new questions and answers for various examinations as they become available.

4. Subsidiary ICT for Uganda

Price: 35,000/=

• Based on A Level NCDC Subsidiary ICT Syllabus topic by topic.
• Has comprehensive teaching notes for both theory and practical topics arranged and partitioned on a term by term basis.
• Has revision questions and practice exercises at the end of the chapters.
• Has a handy glossary of ICT terminologies at the end of the book.

***Special Discounts*** can be made for bulk / wholesale purchase arrangements

 

About the Author

THE AUTHOR of these books has taught ICT and computer studies since 2009, in schools like Rock High School Tororo, Jinja College and Kololo SSS. He emerged as the best graduate in science based disciplines during the 67th Graduation of Makerere University, having obtained a CGPA of 4.91 in Bachelor of Information Technology. He is currently pursuing his masters in computer science.

How to Order

You can contact the following people directly to place your orders:

• Mukalele Rogers the Author himself Tel: 0776960740, 0706060740, rogers@mukalele.net, www.mukalele.net
• Mpeirwe Nobles, Marketing / Sales Assistant, Tel: 0753797809, 0775356622 mpeirwe.nobles@gmail.com

YOU CAN ALSO FIND THE BOOKS WITH THE FOLLOWING PARTNERS.

1. Kwagala Bookshop next to Bank of Baroda, Kampala Road, Kampala.
2. Bible World Bookshop, Maria Galeria Building, Behind Cairo Bank, Kampala.
3. Aristoc Booklex, Kampala Road.
4. Adit Bookshop, Kabale Highway – Mbarara.

NB: More partners are being considered countrywide, bookshops to be added to this list countrywide.

DOWNLOAD this summary in PDF form

Bedesoft.org E-LEARNING PLATFORM FOR UGANDA is a new initiative by Sir. MUNYAGWA NICHOLUS KUSIRIKA. the website has a great set of video and audio lessons explaining some key ICT and Computer Studies concepts.

Nicholas is an ICT teacher at Nakamwa SSS, but he is also does school music composition and software development at bedhesoft company, the creator of the popular ELECTRONIC SCHOOLS’ INFORMATION SYSTEM esis being used by several Ugandan schools. He earned the “SIR” title from his highness the King of Buganda after composing the “EBINYIGA OBUGANDA ” single that portrayed all historical and political challenges of Buganda in only 3 minutes. The videos and school music can all be found on his Bedhesoft Filming channel on Youtube.

Benefits of using Media to in the education

Research suggests that people learn abstract, new, and novel concepts more easily when they are presented in both verbal and visual form. Other empirical research shows that visual media make concepts more accessible to a person than text media and help with later recall.

In Willingham’s (2009) research he asks a simple question to make his point, “Why do students remember everything that’s on television and forget what we lecture?” – because visual media helps students retain concepts and ideas. Bransford, Browning, and Cocking (1999, p 194) also note the crucial role that technology plays for creating learning environments that extend the possibilities of one-way communication media, such as movies, documentaries, television shows and music into new areas that require interactive learning like visualizations and student-created content.

Video As a Flexible Teaching Medium…

The more interested and engaged students are, and the more interactive each learning session is, the more students will enjoy, learn from and retain information from the lesson. Video provides a means of interactive instruction and is a very flexible medium. Having the ability to stop, start and rewind is absolutely invaluable.

As educators, our aim is to get students energized and engaged in the hands-on learning process, and video is clearly an instructional medium that is compelling and generates a much greater amount of interest and enjoyment than the more traditional printed material. Using sight and sound, video is the perfect medium for students who are auditory or visual learners. With the added use of subtitles each child then has the choice to watch, listen to, or read each presentation. Video stimulates and engages students creating interest and maintaining that interest for longer periods of time, and it provides an innovative and effective means for educators to address and deliver the required curriculum content.

Media — Brings your lessons to life!

Day Two of #WordCampKampala has started really well. We have had some ‘Bazungu’ sharing with us inspirational stories about blogging and online presence. Participants have also shared thier experiences.

UP NEXT: My Session on Child themes.

In brief:

When trying to make changes to a website, such as copyright information in the footer, a many people opt to edit their ‘parent’ themes directly. This creates a number of problems.
The biggest disadvantage is that any modifications made to the theme in this way will be lost once the theme is updated. As a consequence, users either won’t be able to keep their theme up to date (which is bad for security) or will find all of their customizations gone when they do.

A much better idea is to use a child theme. This allows you to make any number of changes to a website without touching any of the original theme files.
In this session at WordCamp Kampala 2017, we take a detailed look at what WordPress child themes are, how to create them and how to use them to customize WordPress websites — the right way.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD MY Child Themes Presentation

 

UPDATE: Photo Gallery and How to Join the Kampala WordPress Community

Some of my key moments during the recent #WordCampKampala. The WordCamp Kampala was so energetic during the two day event bringing together the most self taught wordpress enthusiasts, tech lovers, influencers, bloggers and wordpress users in Kampala all in one place at Outbox Hub.

Read details on how it went down at:

https://www.gotechug.com/how-it-all-went-at-the-wordcamp-kampala-2017/

and
https://irukundo.wordpress.com/2017/12/19/wordcamp-kampala-2017/

and
https://musanjufublog.wordpress.com/2017/12/22/wordcamp-kampala-2017/

 

Join the WordCamp Kampala Meetup group to keep in touch with upcoming events and preparations for the next WordCamp. You can also join the Kampala WordPress community’s Whatsapp Group through THIS LINK.

Today is the D-Day for #WordCampKampala. Everything has started as scheduled. Earlier speakers have delivered inspiring talks on creating an online Digital Footprint, doing Website Consultancy and doing SEO as an Internet Marketing Strategy.

Arthur Kasirye talking about SEO as an Internet Marketing Strategy

Christo Innocent leading a session on How to establish and expand your Digital Footprint online.

My Session: Moving Toward SSL

At 12:30 pm, I am going to lead a session on SSL, What it is, Why you should care about it and How to do it. I will also do a practial demo at the end of the session.

There are increasingly many features in WordPress which require hosts to have HTTPS available. Just as modern PHP versions are critical for performance, SSL just makes sense as the next hurdle web developers are going to face.
SSL basically means that the link between your browser and the server is encrypted. SSL used to be difficult to implement, and often expensive or slow. Modern browsers, and the incredible success of projects like Let’s Encrypt have made getting a certificate to secure your site fast, free, and something every host should support by default.

Google also weighs SSL as a search engine ranking factor and begun flagging unencrypted sites in Chrome as “unsecure connections”. You should always protect all of your websites with HTTPS, even if they don’t handle sensitive communications. Aside from providing critical security and data integrity for both your websites and your users’ personal information, HTTPS is a requirement for many new browser features.
This session will focus on the advantages of HTTPS, types of SSL certificates and how to get, install, renew and revoke SSL certificates for WordPress websites, including available tools and plugins to help manage SSL and HTTPS on WordPress Websites.

CLICK HERE to Download my PowerPoint Presentation for this session.