My name is Theresa Munanga and I earned a Master of Arts degree in Digital Media Studies (with an emphasis in Instructional Design) at the University of Denver in March 2012.  As part of my master's project, I created six games related to helping refugees and immigrants better understand American culture.  This website holds the end products (individual games and documentation) of my master's project.
   
My Bachelor of Science degree is in Multimedia Writing and Technical Communication from Arizona State University (2010), and I also have an Associate of Occupational Studies degree in Computer Programming from Vatterott College (2000).  Someday I hope to earn a PhD or EdD in a field related to educational technology.
   
I am also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. I served almost three years in Kenya, from 2004-2007. That's where my passion for creating educational technology blossomed. My interest in and concern for the cultural challenges faced by many refugees and other immigrants also grew while I was a Peace Corps Volunteer.  When I returned to the United States after serving in Kenya, I wrote a book: No Hurry in Africa: Life as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kenya (iUniverse, 2010).

Over a million immigrants arrive in the United States every year, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Migration Policy Institute. Whether the immigrants are refugees, asylum seekers, students, temporary workers, or permanent residents, chances are high that many will arrive in the U.S. not knowing about our culture. And while some immigrants will arrive already fluent in English, others will not be able to read or write in any language. All of them will need to learn American culture as soon as possible in order to be successful in their new lives.

If you're asking what makes American culture any different from other cultures, think about this: Imagine having an April Fool's Day prank pulled on you when you've never even heard of the holiday. Or seeing skeletons, ghosts and other scary items when you don't know what Halloween is. And can you imagine living in a community where time is not valuable at all? An immigrant who used to spend all day just searching for clean water or food for their family may need to learn that Americans believe "time is money," and that it's unacceptable to be late for work, classes, interviews, appointments, or meetings.

So how do you teach American culture to immigrants? Or, a better question: How do you teach American culture to immigrants who may not be fluent in English, may not even read or write in their own language, might have little to no experience with computers, may have never seen the icons/graphics used in place of words, and may have never seen or played American-style games before? And why teach with games at all? How can you assess learning with games? And how can you assess learning at all if the student doesn't speak English very well? These are all good questions, and I asked myself them as I worked on this project.

  
Click on the Cultural Awareness Games link to view and play the games.

  
Click on the following link to see the project documentation:

• Master's Project Final Document and Video

  
To contact me, click on the Comments/Suggestions link and send me a note.