Hello!

 In this blog I would like to explore the past, ponder about the present and envision the future of ICT and Technology in education.

As well as share best practices from teachers in the ICT and Technology implementation.

Check my insipration page made to remind me of the important things in life.

Yours in technology

Ariellah

Integration Mobile technology in teaching

The following slideshare was created inspired by Professor Drori talk at the World ORT Wingate seminar 2009.

I hope that this short presentation will give you a “taste” of Prof. Drori’s  inspirational  speech.

Project based learning bridging gaps

Technology, a subject that was introduced in the SA curriculum in the nineties, is designed to create awareness amongst students for the needs and challenges of society and the environment. The aims of this learning area are to develop knowledge, technological skills as well as thinking and problem solving skills.

ORT SA has for the past four year worked closely with the King David schools to assist teachers with the integration of the subject in the most relevant way and as close to policy as possible. In addition to ensuring that the subject of technology is being tackled, current world-wide educational trends in teaching methods and strategy have been incorporated in ORT SA’s work with the KD schools.

Trends such as project based learning, collaborative learning and web 2.0 based methods are part of students technology projects modeled in the recently introduced Diverse Culture days in King David Linksfield Primary school. These Diverse Culture days have been inspiring and motivating for teachers and students alike.

Grade 7 students received a case study of the socio-economic conditions in which the kids in Alexandra Township live. Alexandra Township which for some is only about five minutes away, is socially and economically worlds apart to what the KD students are exposed to.

Grade 7 students learnt from various sources about the common diseases affecting this township – they listened to a person who was affected by TB, heard about the conditions in Alexandra from teachers who work in schools in Alexandra and learnt about HIV/AIDS from a doctor who specializes in the disease as well as being involved in research to find immunization.
Realizing the importance of healthy nutrition which is hampered by a scarce supply of fruit and vegetables has been the case study for technology and the students designed and made greenhouse models. Kind David Linksfield school included plants to give away to schools in Alexandra.

Grade 6 students who took part in first aid awareness, made first aid kits to donate to schools in Alexandra.

Grade 6+ 7 KDL students  in Diverse Culture Days

A special ceremony is planned where KDL students will hand out the greenhouses and first aid kits they have made to their peers from Ithute Primary School in Alexandra.

The extraordinary thing is that although three subjects were integrated (Technology, Life Orientation and EMS) this required immense time for planning and logistics, and more effort in the execution– teachers LOVED it!

Case studies were real-world and relevant and required students to define the tasks ahead and plan appropriately. Students were required to construct their models at school from scratch (without help from parents) and collaborate with their peers. These days of building this Technology project were vibey with activities filled with passion and enthusiasm expressed by students. The students had FUN!

When I asked a student about this day, her response was “I will definitely remember this when I grow up!”

Technology + Mobile = Disengaged students?

I would like to start my reflections on the mobile and wireless technology seminar  with some questions fellow teachers raised regards the implications of the use of mobile technologies in education.

As you can guess not many participants are convinced regards the importance of incorporating mobile and innovative technologies in education. Follow are some of the questions  often raised:

1. “Laptops make a good school better, but they don’t make a bad school good” (Fellow twitter-@dajbleshaw)
2. “In a class with perfect equipment and perfect teacher – will a perfect teaching and learning occurs? Are the pace, depth and outcomes achieved in this class satisfying?”Reeva, Israel
3. “What can a laptop/ other gadgets provide that a pen and pencil can not?”
4. The following movie from the Series South Park illustrate classroom situation when computers are used by students http://vimeo.com/4689743

Agree/ disagree? Please share your experience and thoughts.

Mobile technology seminar

On the 11^th May 2009 18 delegates from ten countries gathered in London at World ORT headquarters for a seminar on wireless and mobile technology in education.

World ORT, celebrating its 130 year since established, has designed and delivered a world class, cutting edge seminar presenting participants with new technologies in education which I am hoping to share in this blog in the future.

Reflecting on the seminar and on the amazing people whom I had the privileged to meet, makes me think about the story of a shoe owner factory,  He decides to sends his two sales people to a rural area in Latin America (let’s leave Africa for a change).  The sales people are tasked to check the area and return with recommendations as to whether there is a market for his shoe business in this rural place.

The one sales person returns despondent and reports back “Ah, don’t waste your time, people are walking bare feet, no business opportunity there”

The other sales person returns back all excited “ this is such a great opportunity! Everybody  is walking bare feet”

As each of us returns to our country we need to seek the opportunities that wireless and mobile technology has for the enhancement of education. We must not despair because of “ time, infrastructure, funds etc” and find ways to enable implementation of technologies that will bring us closer to 21^st century proficiency.

Please comment and share your experience with different technologies in your country.

If you are interested in collaborative projects drop me an email or comment in this space.

Thanking ORT SA for sending me to the seminar.

children’s rights bullies

This week SABC 1, SA TV channel broadcast a programme on “lunchbox bullies” which was filmed in a school located in Alexandra Township, northern part of Johannesburg.

The programme focused on learners who are considered ”naughty”- they bully other children, steal their food, beat and punch occasionally during break time. These bullies were then followed to their homes and caregivers were interviewed.

One story revealed a child who has been beaten regularly when he comes home and asks for food. The scars and bruises all over his head can’t hide the truth; His head has been thrown onto the wall and punched and all because he asked to eat!  His grandmother seldom hides food for him while his mother spends her time drinking booze with friends. The reality is that most of the time this child walks hungry, his most basic needs not met. Subsequently at school he is caught stealing a sandwich from someone’s lunch box and R2 from his gran so he can buy a Simba chips for 50cents.

Those learners are an example of many other children living in impoverished areas where children’s rights are violated on a daily basis. 

It just happened to be that the programme was filmed in the same school ORT SA has intervention in Mathematic at the Foundation Phase (Grades 1-3), where intensive work is done with teachers and vast amount of money has gone into provision of resources and textbooks.

Therefore it made me think that there is no doubt that education is critical for these learners and the society they live in. Also the fact that those learners acknowledged the importance of education in their lives may be a step forward to a better future.  However, I’m not sure it’s enough, as very soon those learners will drop out school to satisfy their basic needs and become a burden to society.

Our role as the NGO at these schools is to ensure these learners have access to best education possible. We do what we know best i.e., teachers’ professional development; enhancing content, subject and methodology knowledge, providing support and mentoring to ensure implementation. We obviously want to ensure impact on learners. 

 How are we to deal with these out of control factors affecting child’s performance?

Is it our responsibility?

What are we to do?

Thoughts? Please share your thoughts, suggestions and experiences.

How to integrate ICT at your school?

No more talking about the problems, frustrations and the state of ICT in education, in this post I would like to propose a process a school can follow for the integration of ICT.

The steps to consider when thinking about ICT integration at your school:

• 1. Start by defining ICT distinctively to your school. 
  

  What is ICT?

Definition of ICT can be found in the DOE White paper:

Information technology (IT) is a term used to describe the items of equipment (hardware) and computer programmes (software) that allow us to access, retrieve, store, organise, manipulate and present information by electronic means. Personal computers, scanners and digital cameras fit into the hardware category; database programmes and multimedia programmes fit into the software category.

Communication technology (CT) is a term used to describe telecommunications equipment through which information can be sought, sent and accessed – for example, phones, faxes, modems and computers.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) represent the convergence of information technology and communication technology. ICTs are the combination of networks, hardware and software as well as the means of communication, collaboration and engagement that enable the processing, management and exchange of data, information and knowledge.

 Note that not all ICT implications are internet or computers based. This broad definition needs considering when a school defines their “own” ICT vision and mission.

 •2.       Planning process   “He who fails to plan, plans to fail”

Planning is a vital and crucial component in the implementation of ICT and its importance lies also on who was involved in the planning.  (Don’t treat planning strictly and be flexible to adopt your plan to changes as you encounter them in the process)

The planning process starts by setting up a steering group comprises of educators, parents’ representatives, lay leaders in your community, experts in the field of ICT.

• i. Define the role and tasks of this group
• ii. Visit schools and have workshops on ICT to ensure your group of people are knowledgeable and well informed regards ICT at schools
• iii. Develop a vision for ICT at your school (based on School’s vision)
• iv. Conduct an ICT audit (infrastructure, software, teachers’ competency skills, survey learners/ parents/ teachers)
• v. Perform a SCOT analysis after data has been collected and analyzed
• vi. identify the gap between your vision and your current status at the school (you may need to adjust your vision based on findings)
• vii. you are now ready to put a plan scheme

 
•3.       Plan scheme for ICT integration “A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow” 

 It is a good idea to collate all your findings and thereafter include in your plan scheme : project goals, project’s description (a brief description of activities and actions to be taken to implement ICT at your school) project’s deliverables, outcomes, performance indicators, and time line.

 This post is inspired by the following site: http://ictpd.net/techplan/

Keep your rebelling teenagers safe

 I have been pondering about cyber bullying, internet safety and the virtual world and its effect on our teenage children. Worrying where our children go in the virtual world and who they meet are all genuine and important reservations.

But what happens in the REAL world? Where are our teenagers boys and girls spend their “free” time, HOW they spend it and with whom? This was on the agenda of my daughter’s high school parents evening.  An undercover policeman, a Rabbi and people who “have been there” took part of a panel discussion.

Clubbing, under-age alcohol drinking, Hubbly-bubbly smoking, ID faking and drugs are all dangers that are not unique to a certain area, social status or school.  They can affect any of our children who are in their most vulnerable stage; young and naïve yet regard themselves grown up and mature. Their “duty” as teenager to rebel exposes them at risk to temptations out there. And these, apparently exist all over. Even these so called “Under-18″ socials are no safe zone from those dangers.

Here are my thoughts based on the discussion held with the panel and parents:

1. Technology, Cell phones and the use of computers are NOT the cause for our children loosing respect in us parents. They may be the reason for a broader gap between generations but technology cannot be held accountable for the fact that we don’t control our children.
2. Setting up boundaries and rules are crucial to enable us gain control. We are not set to seek the love of our children at this stage. They will appreciate it though in a later stage in their life. Be it based on religion, tradition or your believes these rules and boundaries are our responsibilities to our children.
3. TALK to your children, from an early stage, about the dangers out there and the reasons for rules and boundaries. All in small doses from early stage will hopefully build a child that is strong, knowledgeable and have the power to face peer-pressure when needed.

Oh, they will rebel, no doubt about it, but let them find “safer” zones to fight you about. After all this is in their “job description”.

 Please share with us how your school and community are dealing with this problem .

Sawubona Ivory Park

Whenever we start a new project in a previously disadvantaged area, I get excited to meet the teachers and principals of the schools we are working at and look forward to meeting them during the project.

The excitement and anticipation, makes me think…

The state of education in this country is not great to say the least. In 2008 only 62.5% of Grade 12 learners passed matric; but an even gloomier picture is when you compare the number of learners in Grade 11 in 2007 to the number of these learners that wrote matric. Then you discover that only 64% of those grade 11 learners wrote matric in 2008. Of this original cohort of 2007 only 36.2% passed matric. Some regard this number as a more accurate state of the matric pass rate. Link for SIRR report

Another sad number is that only about 20% of the students who passed matric qualify to enroll to undergraduate study at university, (11.7% if you do the math from 2007)

While I don’t think this is a situation that can be fixed from today to tomorrow, I am optimistic…We have to get to the roots of the problem.

I believe the efforts should start from early Childhood. Trying to “fix” the problem at the high school level is too late and as we can see, it does not achieve any progress.

Therefore I feel lucky to be working at an organization such as ORT, who has the vision of “educating for life” , targets Foundation and Intermediate Phase teachers and  is close to cutting edge technologies that are applied in our services of teachers’ training and on-site support.

So these are my thoughts when we are launching the Ivory Park ABSA project. This project aims to enhance the Science and Technology state in the Ivory Park area for Foundation and Intermediate Phase teachers.

The launch in the community centre in Ivory Park is due next week on the 25^th of February 2009 and I am looking forward to welcome all … Sawubona! (Hello in Zulu)

Web 2.0 Diary- If life gives you lemon…make lemon meringue

Web2.0 brands and logos

 In the past year I have been exploring and experimenting with Web 2.0 through trial and error.  When I realized the great potential it holds, I began “advocating” to colleagues at work and to the teachers I work with about the uses of Web 2.0. Most of them seem to look at me (thinking silently “this woman has no life”) and then start with justifications for not trying any of the tools:

• I have no time
• my internet is so slow
• not enough broadband
• the server at school keeps collapsing
• I don’t know how to
• this is so confusing
• I’m no good at that
• Where do you find time?

 Though infrastructure and poor broadband is a common and pertinent factor for the lack of use of the internet, I still maintain that if you are able to log on to the internet and receive and send your emails regularly you should explore and utilize what Web 2.0 has to offer.

And why?  

for  YOU – your own personal and professional development

Let’s take blogging and Twitter as examples for Web 2.0 tools that can fairly easily be used by “non-IT professional“.

Some of the advantages:

• Expand the network of experts (get out of the staff room / office)
• Access to pick the brain of unlimited number of people
• Share and collaborate with people all over the world
• Find like-minded that are completely strangers but yet fascinating people
• Learn, explore and discover!

Find ONE application that you may find interesting and start exploring….

(Here is a mind map on what web 2.0 can offer for teachers Mind map Web 2.0 designed by Steve Kirkpatrick)

If life gives you lemons, skip the lemonade, add some ingredients and a bit more effort and enjoy a lemon meringue with family and friends. 

 The World is changing- the Internet is at your finger tips- make use of it!!

(while your at it – the cake it is – dont foreget to invite me – I love cakes)

Math is the buzz word in Alexandra township

I am just uploading photos into a photo album in Picasa of one of our projects in Alexandra Township where ORT SA is running a Math project for Foundation Phase teachers.  This four years project which commenced in 2007 and is funded by Bidvest, targets Math skills and knowledge of teachers as well as provision of learning materials (Math textbooks and learners’ workbooks) and classroom based support. 

Four years may sound like a long- time for a project to run. And yet, here we are on our third year already and feeling very connected to the people in Alexandra and committed to make a success story of this township.

Looking at the photos, you will see the beautiful little faces reflecting the innocence of a child, yet hiding the hardship these children are facing on a daily basis (poverty, poor living conditions, hunger, HIV/AIDS, abuse, and more). The smiley eyes send us hope and confidence in us adults.

And us, at ORT SA, as an NGO specializing in Math education linked to World ORT’s cutting edge technology, we have the obligation to change the status of Mathematics in the community of Alexandra.

We can do it! We must!  After all these children are our future.