Please vote for e4Africa
Saturday, January 21st, 2012 | Blogging | 4 Comments
I was both surprized and amused when I received an email from someone in the USA informing me that e4Africa was nominated for the Most Fascinating Blog 2011 awards in the category Teaching Blog.
The decision of the panel who nominated this blog was based on a rather controversial posting that appeared in March 2011. This particualr posting ruffled many feathers, evoked 322 emotion-laden comments and looking back, it is the one post I wish I’d never published.
If you find that posting fascinating, or think that e4Africa holds any fascination for you, please vote for it. Simply click on the blue voting badge displayed on the right, search for e4Africa and cast your vote. By doing this you are helping to put a proudly South African education blog on the map.
Could teachers soon be replaced by technology?
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 | education, technology | 2 Comments
The proponents of technology say, “YES.” The education fraternity says, “NEVER.”
This question is discussed in an interesting blog posting on the blog Education Land, maintained by a teacher of English in Saudi Arabia. A few interesting comments, giving some food for thought, are found in this posting. For example, the following observation is made:
Computers and technology already serve as teaching aides. Whether it’s teaching children their ABC’s or helping a college freshman memorize the periodic table, technology for educational purposes is already available.
Is this the future of education?
It is already possible for technology to take over some of the functions of teachers.
As technology tools become cheaper and more readily available, we can anticipate that it will take over more functions of teachers.
Will technology ever replace teachers? Perhaps not completely, but it can go a long way towards filling the void where there is a shortage of teaching skills.
Picture credit
CAPS: using cell phones to assist teachers and parents
Saturday, January 14th, 2012 | education | 1 Comment
As thousands of young South Africans start a 13 year journey from which they will emerge in 2025, the question on many lips is: will the outcome be any different from the class of 2011 as yet another adjustment is made to the national curriculum? It is not only the learners who face the new academic year with trepidation, but educators too as they implement the National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) for Grades R to 3 and Grade 10. Other grades will be implemented in 2013 and 2014.
- Cell phones – the gateway to enhanced learning
What is CAPS?
Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) are single, comprehensive, and concise policy documents to replace the current Subject and Learning Area Statements, Learning Programme Guidelines and Subject Assessment Guidelines for all subjects listed in the National Curriculum Statement Grades R to 12. ( http://www.education.gov.za )
Teaching a curriculum that has been revised, changed, amended, adapted and reworked a number of times in the past 17 years, educators may rightly be concerned about how they will adopt the new system in their class in 2012. “Don’t despair; help is at hand!” says Kathy McCabe.
Kathy McCabe, CEO of Radical Learning, a training and skills development enterprise and software developer operating throughout South Africa, has developed a new product to support educators in implementing CAPS using cell phone technology. Says McCabe: “We have designed simple, effective daily lesson plans for teachers to use in maths and literacy from Grade R to Grade 3. With the companion product, a weekly homework activity schedule, parents too can keep up to date with what their children are learning. Much needed support is available at the touch of a cell phone button! All that a teacher or parent needs is a cell phone that can access the internet.”
With cell phone penetration in South Africa at almost 100%, this aid to CAPS support is accessible to educators, learners and parents in even the most remote rural areas. Teachers can engage parents’ support by sending a cell phone message informing them of the homework schedule a week in advance. “The CAPS curriculum will be executed in such a way that all teachers around the country will be teaching the same concepts at approximately the same time. This makes the Radical Learning “teach CAPS” material practical and accessible for educators in all provinces.” says McCabe.
To try out these free samples online choose the website for the relevant grade:
Grade R – http://www.teachcaps.co.za/r
Grade 1 – http://www.teachcaps.co.za/1
Grade 2 – http://www.teachcaps.co.za/2
Grade 3 – http://www.teachcaps.co.za/3
For more information on “teach CAPS” contact Kathy McCabe at kathy@radicallearning.co.za or send an sms to 072 048 1089.
Post written by Ingrid Graham Ingrid Graham Consulting (+27 82 492 1873) ingridg@xsinet.co.za
Is ICT useful to teach all subjects?
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 | education | 1 Comment
A learner using a computer to hone her mathematics skills by doing repetative exercises
Can ICT can be used as a teaching tool – and more importantly, as a learning tool – in all subjects? Yes, it can! It simply calls for a teacher who understands technology tools to think up ways in which ICT can enrich the classroom.
Here are a few of the ways in which technology can be used in your classroom:
Start a history lesson by using a data projector to display a picture of a historical person or a video clip of a historical event to stimulate discussion in the classroom.
Computers are useful in teaching mathematics – drill and practice exercises help develop skills through repetition.
When teaching geography, nothing beats having Google Earth on tap in the classroom.
Science experiments can be simulated repeatedly in a normal classroom environment through the application of ICT.
Blogging and the use of email are excellent ways to develop writing and communication skills of learners in any language.
In what subjects have you found technology to be useful?
Why our computer’s clicking device is called a mouse
Friday, January 6th, 2012 | Miscelaneous | No Comments
Can you see the similarity?
Some things may seem obvious to us … but not to others.
Take the use of the term mouse as an example.
Why is a mouse called a mouse? This is the heading of one of my postings way back in March 2009. According to the statistics package I use to inform me about traffic to this blog, this is one of the most popular items I’ve ever posted. After three years people around the world still ask their search engine ”Why is a mouse called a mouse” a few times every day.
You can read the full answer in the original posting, but the short answer is:
a mouse is called a mouse because it looks like a mouse.
A call to action: Invest in technology in education
Wednesday, January 4th, 2012 | education | 4 Comments
A page on the website of the Department of Basic Education (DBE) contains three statements pointing to the importance of the use of technology in education.
The first one is embedded in the logo at the top of the page:
- >>>-<<<
The second technology hint is found in this statement:
The aim of the DBE is to develop, maintain and support a South African school education system for the 21st century.
An education system for the 21st century without a rich presence of technology is like a soccer match without a vuvuzela … you can’t have one without the other.
A third suggestion of the importance of technology in education is the Mission statement:
Our mission is to provide leadership with respect to provinces, districts and schools in the establishment of a South African education system for the 21st century.
Once again, mention of the 21st century, with the implied significance of technology, and a promise that the national department will support the provincial education departments to move in the right direction.
He hear the right noises from the national education authorities … let us now hope for some action. But we can’t just hope and wait – what contribution can you and I make to support these noble goals?
How does ICT affect job opportunities for teachers?
Sunday, January 1st, 2012 | education | 1 Comment
When teachers are introduced to technology, logical questions for them are:
- How does technology affect my career?
- Is it a threat?
- How will it help me in my current teaching job?
- Does it open up other job opportunities?
Here are a few thoughts for you to ponder about ICT and your career?
As schools move towards digital inclusion, ICT skilled teachers will be the first hired and the last fired.
Being skilled in ICT may not lead to an immediate promotion for a teacher, but it opens up many future career opportunities.
Teachers don’t have to fear: technology can make them more productive, but it will never make them redundant.
Some teachers who learn how to use technology in the classroom find other career opportunities opening up to them.
For those teachers who view teaching as their permanent chosen career, ICT empowers them to become super teachers.
White paper on e-Education
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 | education, ICT in Africa | 3 Comments
The White Paper on e-Education, published by the former Department of Education in 2004, states the following:
Every South African learner in the general and further education and training bands will be ICT capable (that is, use ICTs confidently and creatively to help develop the skills and knowledge they need to achieve personal goals and to be full participants in the global community) by 2013.
Or are we chasing rainbows?
With only a few days left before we reach 2012 (and eight years after publication of the paper) one wonders … how far have we progressed towards reaching that goal?
What do you think … will we make it?
What is an interactive classroom?
Monday, December 19th, 2011 | education | 2 Comments
- Boring, boring, boring!
It is the dream of every teacher to be in a classroom where learners respond and participate in the learning process. Sadly, this is often just a dream. Many teachers battle to grab the attention of learners, let alone getting them to interact during lessons.
An interactive classroom is one in which learners participate as equal partners in the learning process. The teacher acts as a facilitator and guide, but the learners are enthusiastically playing their part in learning. Apart from the fact that learner participation makes the teaching task more interesting for the teacher, research has shown that much more learning takes place in an interactive classroom than in a passive one.
What are the features of an interactive classroom? It definitely is not a place where a teacher lectures and the children passively listen. Learners do writing exercises, take part in class discussions and actively participate in solving problems. An interactive classroom also requires that learners engage in higher-order thinking tasks, which include analysis of information, evaluation of the facts and a process of synthesis to build new knowledge.
Many teachers have acquired the skills to transform a dull classroom into an interactive one. Different techniques exist to do this and where teachers apply these techniques the attitudes and achievements of learners are affected positively.
The key to a successful interactive classroom is in the hands of the teacher – it is not dependent on any fancy tools or equipment. However, children are fascinated by technology. They grow up in a world dominated by technology and they likely have cell phones or other mobile devices in their pockets. The wise teacher makes use of technology to enhance the learning experience of their learners. In this way technology enables an interactive classroom.
You can have learner interactivity in the classroom without technology … but if this goal is illusive, technology will help you to attain it.
Oxygen masks and classroom technologies
Sunday, December 11th, 2011 | education | No Comments
When you are about to take off in an airplane you are given safety instructions. Among other things you are told about the oxygen mask that will drop from a panel above you in case of an emergency. “Only when your own mask is secure, assist children or fellow passengers,” you are instructed.
Compare the oxygen masks to classroom technology
Have you wondered about this? My natural instinct – and I suppose that of most parents – is to help my child first.
But if you think about it, the instruction makes sense. If you don’t have a steady oxygen flow you may not be capable of assisting your child or others.
The airplane oxygen mask is a perfect metaphor for other situations: we must make caring for ourselves a priority if we hope to be of assistance to those around us.
Let’s apply this principle to the use of technology in the classroom: “Only when you are secure in the use of technology as a teaching tool, assist children and fellow teachers to use it as well.”
The point is: you can only help others to use technology as a teaching and a learning tool when you know how to use it. Some children may learn quicker than you how to use technology, but many will need your help. Even those children who manage to operate the technology will need your guidance to learn how to use it as a learning tool.
What about your fellow passengers – those teachers who are travelling with you on the e-learning road? With your skills and experience you will be able to help your colleagues in your own and neigbouring schools – even your curriculum advisors and other education department officials – to become expert e-learning practitioners.
You may wonder what you must do if you are battling to come to grips with technology. A flight attendant will help you if you can’t manage to secure your oxygen mask. Similarly, you can call on your technology advisors to assist you. In most cases these will be your hardware or software suppliers, or the agency that provided your initial training.
The bottom line: secure your own technology position to enable you to render technology support to others.
My last few tweets …
- If you have not done so yet, please vote for my blog (Most Fascinating Blog of 2011) ... go to http://t.co/nqp3P69Z for voting instructions. Tweeted 4 days ago
- mDoes educational software packages add value or volume? ... http://t.co/NcH30BjV Tweeted 4 days ago
- @SaeedMobarak True ... but balance is required. Social networking can broaden a child's horizons, allowing them to interact across cultures. Tweeted 6 days ago
- @chasfred The moral of the story: whatever device you use, do your backups regularly ... the cloud is a painless way of doing so. Tweeted 6 days ago
- My growing professional networks on Twitter, Plurk and LinkedIn are proving to be more valuable by the day. Tweeted 6 days ago