The Kakamega pre-vist was undertaken betwenn 25th-29th jan.I happened to visit quite a number of schools in Kakamega,Mumias and Vihiga. A few things worth sharing:
that accessing the School Heads was not easy,they were either away in meetings or were not available
A good option i learnt was to approach the School's Computer teacher who was easy to deal with(in some schools,the teacher okayed the visit and project and in others refered me to the head)
nothing tells it like a live demo,it realy worked!
The' free-ness' is bound to generate controversy,Explaining more about Wikimedia Kenya worked
Some teachers even wanted the same Installed for them right away-unfortunately I did not have a 4gb flash disc.
that not all schools are willing to accept our offer-this is because
some have just introduced the Computer studies program and felt they aren't well prepared for that
some needed the MoE letter showing we have its blessings
yet some liked it but could not okay it as the School Head was away(due to Form one selection,most heads were away in meetings) or needed consultations with owner.This was quite a problem as I had limited time and was running on a tight schedule and limited resources.As such,I tried calling the Heads where possible but most insisted on having a physical meetup to discuss the same
I had to visit alternative schools where it was impossible to obtain on-spot confirmation as waiting for the school head would have wasted time and could not come back later due to cost implication and not being sure to find him/her
It would thus be prudent for other Teams to consider some of this approaches and be ready for the a forementioned complications.
I designed a questionnare that I ysed to collect all the relevant data as concerns the school's infrastructural state,contact information and availability.I will share the same later if need be.It was a duplicate form that would enable us have proof that the school okayed our visit and that we got a date with them as it had the schools official stamp.it also served as my Wikimedia ID,so guys please work on Identification,some guys realy needed it.I also printed the PREAMBLE for the Wikipedia for schools selection on the ZIM file,It served as my preamble and I left a copy to each school i visited.
I managed to bring 10 schhols onboard including Sigalagala technical Institute; the following are the schools we will undertake the pilot:
Kakamega High School
St.Agnes Shibuye Girls
Musingu High School
Mukumu Girls High School
St.Peters Mumias Boys
Muslim Mumias boys
Sigalagala Technical Institute-main campus
Sigalagala Technical Institute-Town campus
mbale Shalom academy
Vihiga High School
I had telephone conversations with other schools and we may pass by them during our pilot if we have time.Of interest was the fact that Chavakali high School have the Wikipedia for Schools. :-)
Lastly,so far the Kakamega pilot is set for the 1st week of march,and this are the participants who have confirmed their availabilty in the same:
Limoke Oscar
Wafula Alex
Osano Sarah
Obwari Branton
Nyamboga Lilian
Bakari
I thus look forward to their input and suggestions in the Pilot. I would be happy to respond to any queries and concerns over the same.