Local development of digital reading books in Guatemala

• In Event: Development of open educational resources: a sustainability model for literacy in bilingual environments

Proposal

This paper discusses the partnership implemented with Bloom to develop reading materials that, on the one hand, respond to the model, but have also been developed using the open educational resource and universal design strategy. The partnership has allowed access of bilingual materials to a larger number of users, as well as to straightened capacities of local MoE staff in the development of reading materials in local languages and in Spanish.

The Bloom software was identified as one that fit the OER and universal design to respond to the need to expand availability of resources. This tool allows different people to be involved in the creation of a large collection of reading materials, and teachers can create readings from any Mayan language or Spanish and use it with students. In addition, this digital platform allows the wide dissemination of materials created in the country, as well as having access to other materials developed in different countries and languages.
This intervention is generating significant achievements: 1) Personnel from the Ministry of Education, Departmental Directorates, Universities, other national actors and others from other countries have been trained in collaboration with other USAID projects for the design of educational resources related to reading. 2) The process has led to a revision of the teaching order of phonics and the letters in Spanish and Mayan languages. 3) Generation of local reading materials with different reading levels, to establish parameters and, criteria to produce Spanish and Mayan reading books for children. 4) Creation of literacy that emerge and responds to local contexts. 5) Writing among teachers and students is being promoted; which represents a process of expansion and democratization of writing. 6) This software and national parameters have been included in the technological equipment that the MoE is delivering to schools. Its access through a simple and digital platform promotes a more inclusive education and inclusive social development. 7) Generation of quality resources in Mayan languages in a faster and cheaper way when comparing the time and cost of production of traditional editing processes. 8) These contributes to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, mainly: quality education, and reduction of inequalities.

The experience shows the importance of involvement of the MoE as part of the whole process. In addition, consider the importance of raising awareness to key stakeholders because that traditional paradigms in the process of production and editing of reading books are broken.

Author

• Sophia Maldonado, USAID Lifelong learning project, Juarez and Associates, Inc.