Author Archives: Laura McAdams

About Laura McAdams

Laura McAdams is a Master’s student at University of Pennsylvania studying International Educational Development. Her experience in the MENA region includes 15 months as a Fulbright student researcher to Fez and Ifrane, Morocco in 2010 and 2011. Her project was interested in understanding the disconnect between the policies of technology usage in education and the reality of how these policies unfold in the classroom. Summer 2012 she returned to the Middle Atlas mountains of Morocco to work with a women’s weaving cooperative. She is excited to learn more about other countries in the MENA region and issues involving education policy and reform, technology usage in curriculums and gender equality in education. One of Laura’s lifelong goals is to one day be able to sit down and leisurely read a newspaper in Arabic.

Amy’s Eid Visit to Jordan

Posted on October 17, 2013

Eid al Adha has come and gone, and so has Amy. She was in Jordan for just three short days over the break, but we fit in so much during that time. After picking her up from the airport and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Hands-on Science Saturdays

Posted on October 12, 2013

I’ve started looking forward to setting my alarm for early wakeup on Saturday mornings. For the past month and a half, the Scientific Cultural Society and I put on a 2 hour workshop every week for Syrian refugee kids in … Continue reading →

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The assorted catch-up post: Facebook, UNESCO, and Eid al Adha

Posted on October 10, 2013

I’m back to regularly posting on my blog, especially now that I have disabled my Facebook profile for good. I’ve checked Facebook every day for nine years since I created an account as a college freshman at the University of … Continue reading →

Posted in Boren Fellowship in Jordan, 2013-2014 | Tagged amman, eid al adha, facebook, ghor asafi, hands-on science activities, umm sayhoun | 1 Comment

Ramadan Iftaars in Jordan

Posted on August 9, 2013

This weekend marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. It is a pretty big deal for Muslims as it is one of the five pillars of Islam and a big deal for … Continue reading →

Posted in Boren Fellowship in Jordan, 2013-2014 | Tagged iftaar, Jordan, mansaf, non-formal education, Ramadan | Leave a comment

Fun with Science in Irbid

Posted on August 9, 2013

Alhumdulileh Ramadan is over! Work hours return to normal, I can eat and drink on the streets without fear of arrest, and I’ll be able to resume site visits to the non-formal and informal education centers with members of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Boren Fellowship in Jordan, 2013-2014 | Tagged hands-on science activities, Irbid, science education, Volunteerism | Leave a comment

Visit to Za’atari Refugee Camp

Posted on July 22, 2013

Last week, after filling out an official UN request for travel, getting my boss and his boss to sign a travel schedule, and submitting a copy of my passport to Questscope, I finally was able to accompany Questscope on a … Continue reading →

Posted in International Educational Development Program at UPenn, 2012-2013 | Tagged informal education, Jordan, mentoring, refugees, Syria, Za'atari refugee camp | 2 Comments

Keeping busy around Jordan

Posted on July 9, 2013

Since my last blog post, I have been keeping busy all day at the office and there always seems to be some event or activity after work. I have not had much downtime since I moved into my new apartment, … Continue reading →

Posted in International Educational Development Program at UPenn, 2012-2013 | Tagged informal education, Jerash festival, Mt. Nebo, Nancy Ajram, non-formal education, Ramadan, Wadi Mujib | Leave a comment