Meet Linnie Pawlek | Founder, Teach by Tech, Inc

We had the good fortune of connecting with Linnie Pawlek and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Linnie, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
. Teach by Tech, Inc provides work force training to adult refugees and immigrants in the Denver metro area. But it is more than just providing classes. We want to create a community of learning and help our participants find the resources they need to live as well as encourage them to pursue careers that will bring them joy as well as a sustainable, living wage. We build relationships with our students and connect them to jobs or other training sources. Currently we are working to build direct relationships with industry partners, specifically in manufacturing, construction and food & beverage. This will allow us to train our students to the specific needs of industry and directly place participants with employers we trust. During Covid, TBT took on another dimension. We were connected to a small organization in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. Their schools had closed, no resources were coming in and they wanted to help their students. They asked us if we could provide a solution. We were not sure we could. A small nonprofit in Colorado with a smaller budget. But we like to think about problems and try to come up with viable low cost solutions. After collecting data from the partners in Dadaab we knew our solution had to work without electricity, it had to be durable and easy to transport, but most of all it had to be effective where there was no internet or connectivity. Easy, right? After a bit of trial and error we developed an offline digital library, about the size of your phone, that was capable of holding over 600 books, 45 audiobooks and multiple podcasts. The device emits its own wi-fi, so students can connect to the device with their smartphone and download and content curated to the device. To overcome barriers because of digital literacy we added buttons and a QR code. To date this device is serving students of the Refugee Youth Education Hub in Dadaab. To improve upon our design, we had local students use our device and give us feedback about its functionality and usability. Most people expressed that travel was limited, safety was a concern in the camps, electricity was sporadic and smartphones were a shared device, usually controlled by the head of household. With this feedback we began experimenting again to eliminate the need for a smartphone. Our next iteration has the same features of the original design, but now also contains an embedded projector. Content can now be displayed on demand. We think the sky is the limit with the possibilities of the device. We believe that this can transform education in remote locations or in locations where there is a shortage of trained teachers. Specialized content can be provided in multiple languages for on demand viewing. The device also has a call home feature, which allows for remote uploads new content if and when needed. We have not deployed our new device into the field yet as we are looking for local organizations on the ground that we can partner with to localize content and create solid partnerships.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have always been involved in education in someway. After graduating college, I moved to Osaka, Japan to teach English at a small language school. It was a leap, I didn’t know Japanese, I knew very little of the culture and I didn’t know a soul in the country. My parents did not want me to go. It was too far and they were worried, but much to their credit they did not try to stop me. This was one of the best decisions of my life. It opened my eyes to a very different world than the one in which I was raised. I learned valuable skills and it gave me a sense of purpose and aspiration. It also gives me empathy in my current job. Though I can never imagine the hardship that my refugee and immigrant clients have been through, I can understand arriving in a new country, not speaking the language, not having a support network and having to navigate daily life and needs. I was lucky to meet wonderful people in Japan, who helped me set-up a bank account and showed me how to get to the grocery store. I learned to snowboard in Japan. These acts of kindness helped me to integrate into the community and I remember this and try to emulate this in my life now. Upon returning to the States I moved to Colorado and taught middle school for 4 years. Being a K-12 teacher demands so many different skills. You have to be quick on your feet, ready to adapt at any moment, really good at time management and master planning. You also have to have excellent interpersonal skills and excel at conflict resolution, all while working with an impossibly small budget. After completing my Master’s degree I began working as a history professor at a local community college for over a decade. I had amazing students and colleagues, but I was also privy to inequities in education and life. I was watching as technology was becoming more prolific, making education more available through online and hybrid classes. I could see this was helping single parents finish school, working adults receive a diploma or credentials, or students in more remote locations were able to access college classes. I began to wonder why are we not using this hybrid model for our most underserved populations? How can we use the hybrid format to make education and training more accessible for Newcomers in our community. I began researching gaps in service in Denver. What information was not readily available, but crucial to success and/or fraud prevention. So, we began with ESL financial literacy- using contextualized language, real world scenarios and custom videos to help refugees and immigrants navigate financial institutions, create budgets and understand credit in the U.S. The success of this spawned new classes more focused on workforce and especially digital literacy as Covid highlighted the digital divide that existed in the U.S and around the world. With our partners we have developed workforce curricula for manufacturing, construction and food and beverage. Each curricula consists of 4 tiers- contextualized ESL, digital literacy skills, soft skills and technical skills training. Each class is adapted to meet the needs of the specific sector.
Has it been easy? Absolutely not. Whenever you start a new venture, you have to build trust within the community and this takes time. There is also limited funding available and many organizations competing for the same funds. Sometimes as the new start-up or smaller organization the deck is stacked against you. But, we believe in our mission and continue to persevere. With each year we learn more about developing partnerships, increase our confidence in applying for funding and learn more from the community we serve. I think this is one of our strengths. We developed a human centered approach and really listen tot he feedback our clients give. This drives our growth. In 2024 we are hoping to expand our trainings to include Construction pathways training with accreditation from NCEER. One of the biggest obstacles here is finding affordable space near public transportation in proximity to our clients. We are hoping to share a space, but we will see how the hunt goes.
On the international front the challenges are similar, but the space is so difficult to break into. In 2021, we created a device to assists students in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. This came about when a colleague of a colleague put us in touch with a grassroots organization frustrated by the lack of educational resources available exacerbated by Covid 19. We met online and discussed needs and wants. Communication was difficult and sporadic and our partners were not sure what they wanted, they just wanted our help. They also had no funding, but we were hopeful that we could find a solution. Easy, right? So we began researching the location to understand difficulties and challenges. After research and discussion we settled on a developing an offline digital library that could be used in conjunction with a smartphone. It is small, portable, weatherproof, runs on solar power and does not need internet to work. We sent it to our partner and the communication became sporadic and we did not receive much feedback on its use. However, we have seen it used on social media posts. But, this was a lesson we had to learn. We were so excited to see our device in use and anxious to expand access to education that we didn’t enter into a formal partnership and layout expectations and protocols. We trusted that each side would support the other. When we weren’t getting much feedback, we turned to our trusted clients, asking them to use the device and give us their thoughts about its functionality and usability. Most people expressed that travel was limited, safety was a concern in the camps, electricity was sporadic and smartphones were a shared device, usually controlled by the head of household. With this feedback we began experimenting again to eliminate the need for a smartphone. Our next iteration has the same features of the original design, but now also contains an embedded projector. Content can now be displayed on demand. We think the sky is the limit with the possibilities of the device. We believe that this can transform education in remote locations or in locations where there is a shortage of trained teachers. Specialized content can be provided in multiple languages for on demand viewing. The device also has a call home feature, which allows for remote uploads new content if and when needed. Our biggest challenge now is spreading the word about the existence of our device and finding on the ground partners. We are not sure even how to market this device. We are excellent problem solvers and people who look for creative solutions. We are not afraid to try something new or repurpose existing tech with a new novel approach.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
On our way home from the airport we will stop at Stanley Marketplace. There is something for everyone and you get a sense of just how unique Denver can be. First day, we are going to show at Red Rocks. This is the coolest venue I have ever seen. We will probably grab a bite and a drink in Morrison before we head to the lots early to enjoy the vibe of the crowd before the show begins. Next morning we will enjoy brunch at Snooze before heading to the Highlands and walking around. We will definitely stop in at Pinwheel coffee. After checking out the local shops, we’ll go to the Grateful Gnome for awesome sandwiches and a refreshing pint. Since I am imagining a hot summer our next day will be spent at the Eldorado Springs pool. The view is picturesque and the water perfect for a hot CO day. Next day we are headed up to Boulder to walk 16th street mall and check out the CU Boulder campus. Hopefully, there will be an outdoor summer market for local produce and goods. As the night begins we will go to Avanti F&B Boulder. Hopefully, it will be a trivia or bingo night. Next day, we will take it easy and head to RiNO maybe go to Central Market and then check out the murals along the alley, maybe check out a lecture or event at the Posner Center before we head to stem cidery for a flight. Last day we hike the Devil’s Head Trail and take in the beautiful Colorado scenery.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband for always supporting me and encouraging me to follow my dreams. My son for making want to do better and leave the world a better place. My mom for being an amazing role model. Project Worthmore here in Colorado. They were our first partner and we are continually impressed with and inspired by their commitment to the refugee and immigrant population in Denver.

Website: https://www.teachbytech.org/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/teach-by-tech/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teachbytech