CoDesign: The person we connected with is Saul Mwame, who runs a beekeeping business named “Haven Bees”. He currently runs his beekeeping business in Tanzania, but he is yet to run it internationally. Something that interested me about the connection with Saul, would be his determination to do good for his country. He appeared on a broadcast for the UN explaining his plan to improve education for students in Africa. Additionally, Saul presented himself to our class on the Zoom call, and I felt interested in his goal for beekeeping and wondered how our class can help him out. However, a problem I wanted to address about Saul’s business would be the lack of promotion internationally, which may be a challenge for him.
CoOperate: After doing some research on a solution for the problem I addressed, I have found many things that would help Saul expand his business. Firstly, spreading the word to family, friends, and associates, about Saul’s business can be a great help. Social media could be very helpful in raising awareness, as it is accessible to many. Also, hosting workshops or events related to Saul’s beekeeping business can possibly make many want to support him. Lastly, encouraging Saul to sell his beekeeping products internationally could go very well if he is determined to do it.
CoCreate: As I spent time brainstorming about a solution for the problem, I thought of a few things to promote Saul’s beekeeping business. One of them is to create posters with information about Haven Bees to display across the school. Another one was to use an Instagram account to promote Haven Bees. And lastly, I had an idea to make business cards for Haven Bees and distribute them to local businesses and/or markets that would possibly be interested. The one idea I decided to focus on was making an Instagram account with a group to promote Haven Bees. For this, I would need the skill of teamwork, working with a group that is assigned different tasks. As for materials, all I need is a device which is capable of doing research and posting on social media.
Commemorate: During the process of Connections-based learning, I was able to learn based on my interests, ideas, and experiences, which was one of the things I enjoyed most about the assignment. The process of making connections allowed me to expand my understanding of topics much better. Overall, I think this was a great experience because it allowed me to develop meaningful connections with my learning. As for the process of my post, I think the quality of it is good because I worked hard to add a good amount of information about everything I’ve done and gained knowledge about in this assignment. Lastly, one thing I could’ve improved on would be the quality of the Instagram account to promote Saul’s business. Me and my group could’ve done better with the design and organization of the account, as well as managing it. I’ll keep it in mind to work on these things harder next time.
Citations:
(https://theirworld.org/news/tanzania-youth-ambassador-wants-to-start-aerospace-university/)
(https://thebeeconservancy.org/10-ways-to-save-the-bees/)
(https://grocycle.com/beekeeping-for-profit/)
(https://www.fisheyemarketing.com/blog/6-marketing-strategies-everyone-in-the-beekeeping-industry-should-do-in-2021)