It's hard to believe that ten weeks have passed by so quickly and its sad to say goodbye to my new online friends, I hope they keep in touch. Ten weeks ago I enrolled in a webskills course through the University of Oregon, not knowing what to expect and what I was going to learn. My ICT skills were somewhat limited and I was a "newbie" at studying online.
This course has changed the way I look at things and has given me the necessary confidence to explore more and use the many things that are so freely available on the internet. I believe that I have learned a lot of new skills that will be able to assist me in planning many of my activities and presentations in the new year. It has been a rewarding experience communicating and interacting with various teachers scattered all around the globe. What I have come to realize is that although we are from diffrent cultures and countries, we are very much the same in the difficulties we face and the joys we experience in teaching people. Not everyone is cut out to do this job (you need patience, patience and more patience).
Participating in a web based course is a weird experience, you communicate with people you don't really know, through a medium that is actually very impersonal and alien to me. I am a people's person, and this course has taken a lot to getting used to, but I managed and it has been fun. A special thank you to Robert Elliot for his patience, guidance and support during the course as well as the knowledge he has imparted on me. I would like to thank Francinah Mogoro and the United States Embassy in Pretoria for sponsoring me for this course and for developing educators in South Africa. I am in your debt.
On Sunday, my family and I will be leaving for the Eastern Cape coast, for a much deserved summer seaside holiday. It has been a rough year and I am glad that I can finally take a break and get a tan.
God Bless, and have a joyful festive season.
Greetings from a very warm South Africa.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Webskills Course: Week Nine
Week nine has come and gone and I am slowly starting to develop withdrawal symptoms, one more week and we will be finished. One thing I am sure of is that I will be spending much less time in front of the computer. Believe or not... after nine weeks of the webskills course I still can't tell you what the time difference between Centurion and Oregon is. Sorry Robert!
We sent our draft projects to our fellow team members for peer reading and also peer reviewed their drafts. It is quite daunting having your work peer reviewed by someone you hardly know. I find corresponding with someone you don't know online (a faceless person) difficult. The comments I received from my team member were useful and I incorporated some of his suggestions. I am very positive about my project that I plan to implement in the new year and really believe it will work. Our District Office received a sponsor from Vodacom (cellphone service provider). They will be donating a fully functional computer centre with all the bells and whisles to us. They will be starting in January, so by February we will have our own centre that teachers can visit.
Many of the new things I have learnt on this course will be used in my future lessons and training sessions. Before I forget, I also want to thank Francinah Mogoro from the United States Embassy in Pretoria for sponsoring me and providing me with this opportunity.
Greetings from a very hot South Africa and have a great week.
We sent our draft projects to our fellow team members for peer reading and also peer reviewed their drafts. It is quite daunting having your work peer reviewed by someone you hardly know. I find corresponding with someone you don't know online (a faceless person) difficult. The comments I received from my team member were useful and I incorporated some of his suggestions. I am very positive about my project that I plan to implement in the new year and really believe it will work. Our District Office received a sponsor from Vodacom (cellphone service provider). They will be donating a fully functional computer centre with all the bells and whisles to us. They will be starting in January, so by February we will have our own centre that teachers can visit.
Many of the new things I have learnt on this course will be used in my future lessons and training sessions. Before I forget, I also want to thank Francinah Mogoro from the United States Embassy in Pretoria for sponsoring me and providing me with this opportunity.
Greetings from a very hot South Africa and have a great week.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Week 8
Another week has passed and we are slowly nearing the end of the webskills course. I have learnt so much in the past eight weeks, its scary. I have also never spent so much time in front of the computer, maybe because our internet is so slow..ha.ha.
I mailed my prelimenary drought project plan to Francis and Maria and also recieved Francis's. I loved Francis's course plan it was so relevant and most of all honest. I can just imagine the looks on the children's faces when Francis introduces the videos & projector into his teaching, the learners will be amazed. African children love photos and cameras and will pose for a photo at the drop of a hat. I really hope that Francis will receive the equipment that he so richly deserves.
I found the Anvill tools very helpful and believe they provide a large variety. It must be so nice to have all these options so readily available but not the internet speed to access it. Township children have to access internet at sidewalk internet cafes (sometimes housed in shipping containers) its not free. Costs: There can be no comparison between the need food (necessity) and internet access (nice to have) We are a developing country in a Third World continent our priorities at the moment are very different. We have to get our education system working again after years of damage. Untill we have decent internet connectivity and speed we will have to be inventive. I think the voice boards must be very exciting to use, it just opens up new avenues and exciting learning opportunities. Anvill really helps with learner autonomy because it appeals to the different learning methods. Some people just prefer listening to something while others want to see it. Anvill, is excellent for oral lessons or activities, where I would maybe use Nicenet for written activities. I suppose you use the right tool for the right job, whatever works the best and you have access to it.
Greetings from a very warm and rainy Centurion, South Africa
I mailed my prelimenary drought project plan to Francis and Maria and also recieved Francis's. I loved Francis's course plan it was so relevant and most of all honest. I can just imagine the looks on the children's faces when Francis introduces the videos & projector into his teaching, the learners will be amazed. African children love photos and cameras and will pose for a photo at the drop of a hat. I really hope that Francis will receive the equipment that he so richly deserves.
I found the Anvill tools very helpful and believe they provide a large variety. It must be so nice to have all these options so readily available but not the internet speed to access it. Township children have to access internet at sidewalk internet cafes (sometimes housed in shipping containers) its not free. Costs: There can be no comparison between the need food (necessity) and internet access (nice to have) We are a developing country in a Third World continent our priorities at the moment are very different. We have to get our education system working again after years of damage. Untill we have decent internet connectivity and speed we will have to be inventive. I think the voice boards must be very exciting to use, it just opens up new avenues and exciting learning opportunities. Anvill really helps with learner autonomy because it appeals to the different learning methods. Some people just prefer listening to something while others want to see it. Anvill, is excellent for oral lessons or activities, where I would maybe use Nicenet for written activities. I suppose you use the right tool for the right job, whatever works the best and you have access to it.
Greetings from a very warm and rainy Centurion, South Africa
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Week Seven: Certainly not heaven
Wow! It has been a hectic week. Balancing my Masters studies with my webskills course is very challenging. I have a serious education law article/research project to submit on Tuesday after it has been language edited.
The highlight of this week was forming a working group with Francis and Maria, I am sure we will work well together. The prescribed readings of Thanasoulas and Sheu were very interesting because it touched a cord with what is happening here at home. I think learner autonomy is vital especially in the South African educational context. The Outcomes Based Education system in South African (well, our version of it anyway) I believe, makes learners lazy. Groupwork has its benefits but our first year university drop-out rate proves that learners are unable to work on their own and take responsibility for their own studies and destiny.
The education disparities of the past has come back to bite us in the but and OBE has not helped. Those that are able to work on their own succeed and those that are not fall further behind. I can not tell you what the remedy is, because I think the problem is much deeper and complex than we think. Educational authorities really have to have an introspection and investigate the problems to find possible solutions. I really don't know what the solutions are, but that we have a huge problem is very evident, especially if you look at literacy levels. Past TIMS and SAQMEC results prove that our education system is failing us. Results prove that we are are far behind our compatriots in other developing countries. Sad, very sad isn't it.
Through our discussions on Nicenet, I have come to realize that many fellow educators also have to teach in one computer classrooms and the lessons they develop are absolutely incredible. Well done everyone! Where there's a will there is always a way.
Have a super week!!!!
The highlight of this week was forming a working group with Francis and Maria, I am sure we will work well together. The prescribed readings of Thanasoulas and Sheu were very interesting because it touched a cord with what is happening here at home. I think learner autonomy is vital especially in the South African educational context. The Outcomes Based Education system in South African (well, our version of it anyway) I believe, makes learners lazy. Groupwork has its benefits but our first year university drop-out rate proves that learners are unable to work on their own and take responsibility for their own studies and destiny.
The education disparities of the past has come back to bite us in the but and OBE has not helped. Those that are able to work on their own succeed and those that are not fall further behind. I can not tell you what the remedy is, because I think the problem is much deeper and complex than we think. Educational authorities really have to have an introspection and investigate the problems to find possible solutions. I really don't know what the solutions are, but that we have a huge problem is very evident, especially if you look at literacy levels. Past TIMS and SAQMEC results prove that our education system is failing us. Results prove that we are are far behind our compatriots in other developing countries. Sad, very sad isn't it.
Through our discussions on Nicenet, I have come to realize that many fellow educators also have to teach in one computer classrooms and the lessons they develop are absolutely incredible. Well done everyone! Where there's a will there is always a way.
Have a super week!!!!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Week 6: Webskills
Another week has passed and it's hard to believe that it has been six weeks already. This weeks assignments were very interesting and enjoyable, mainly because I learnt new things on Powerpoint (design keys and action instructions) I have been using Powerpoint for years and never felt the need to really change my presentations. Changes were usually limited to design and adding some pictures or photos to enhance my presentations. Making Powerpoint interactive is a very new feature to me and I will definitely make use of it in the future. When using Powerpoint I suppose its a case of "whatever works for you", but if you don't now what is available, you are losing out. I have made use of "text to dialogue" in a PPT presentations, and I must say the audience enjoyed it and so did I (just make sure your presentation is audible).
The prescribed readings on using technology for large classes was interesting but in our case its a "nice to have". Class sizes will always be a contentious issue, especially in South Africa. These technological innovations are fantastic but I believe we still have a long way to go, to catch up with the rest of the world. In some schools we have educators that make use of Mixit (social networking site) to give mathematics sums. The learners send the answers back to the teacher. This works quite effectively, because most of the learners have cellphones. Unfortunately technology can also be used for the wrong reasons. This week a school girl was given "roofies" (Rohypnol "date rape drug") and was gang raped on the property adjacent to her school. This incident was recorded by various pupils. The video footage was then up for sale on the internet for only R10 (+- $1,50), sad isn't it?. Fights on the playgrounds are also often recorded and desseminated.
Looking forward to week 7.
The prescribed readings on using technology for large classes was interesting but in our case its a "nice to have". Class sizes will always be a contentious issue, especially in South Africa. These technological innovations are fantastic but I believe we still have a long way to go, to catch up with the rest of the world. In some schools we have educators that make use of Mixit (social networking site) to give mathematics sums. The learners send the answers back to the teacher. This works quite effectively, because most of the learners have cellphones. Unfortunately technology can also be used for the wrong reasons. This week a school girl was given "roofies" (Rohypnol "date rape drug") and was gang raped on the property adjacent to her school. This incident was recorded by various pupils. The video footage was then up for sale on the internet for only R10 (+- $1,50), sad isn't it?. Fights on the playgrounds are also often recorded and desseminated.
Looking forward to week 7.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Week 5: I'm still alive
Week Five, has come and gone, and what an interesting week it was. I never knew that you can find so many examples of rubrics on the net. I made use of the Rubistar format and found it very useful. I know that there's a lot of room for improvement, but hey, it's a start. In reading Susan Gaer's article on PBL I've come to realise that sometimes we use certain techniques without actually knowing that it has a certain name and is used widely. During the World Cup 2010, many schools, especially primary schools made use of football as the vehicle to introduce new concepts and made the learning process more interesting. Learners used to wear their favourite or the national team's football strips to school every Friday "Football Friday". We are a sporting crazy nation, so this was quite easy to incorporate. This made teaching fun, but more importantly, learning became more fun, interesting and relevant. This is what the modern learner wants, less of the "usual" and more of the world that they find themselves in. This tradition of "Football Friday" is still continuing, some of us re-named it "Funky Friday", but is just as relevant especially if your team won over the weekend. Our National Women's Football team is currently participating in the CAF Cup (African Cup of Nations Championship) and has gripped everyone's imagination. On Fridays, everyone wears their national
I agree with Susan Gaer, when she states that there should be less teaching and more learning (less of teacher-centredness and more of learner-centredness). Let the learners decide what their topic would be for the next week/module. This gives them a sense of ownership and relevance and in the end everyone benefits.
Have a great week
I agree with Susan Gaer, when she states that there should be less teaching and more learning (less of teacher-centredness and more of learner-centredness). Let the learners decide what their topic would be for the next week/module. This gives them a sense of ownership and relevance and in the end everyone benefits.
Have a great week
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Week 4: Reading/writing skills-building
Week 4 has been a very interesting week and I am finally getting the hang of it. I have found a very interesting article at http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/.. recent lesson. Title: British actress attacks English slang. In this article the actress Emma Thompson comments on the slang that her peers and the youth are using in their everyday communication. I found this article very interesting because there are a lot of similarities with the South African youth. I think that this topic can be very helpfull in developing a suitable lesson plan.
I feel, I may have stumbled onto a topic that I might want to persue. Oral traditions and story telling are very deeply rooted in the African traditions. This could be used in such a way that it will enhance and help my educators in confronting their fears in computer usage. It is something they are familiar with and help them to overcome their fears in learning to use computers for everyday uses.
I found the University of Tennessee's lesson plans quite useful, but encountered problems downloading the Word or PDF format, perhaps I will try again later today. Greetings from sunny South Africa, perhaps we will have some rain today.
I feel, I may have stumbled onto a topic that I might want to persue. Oral traditions and story telling are very deeply rooted in the African traditions. This could be used in such a way that it will enhance and help my educators in confronting their fears in computer usage. It is something they are familiar with and help them to overcome their fears in learning to use computers for everyday uses.
I found the University of Tennessee's lesson plans quite useful, but encountered problems downloading the Word or PDF format, perhaps I will try again later today. Greetings from sunny South Africa, perhaps we will have some rain today.
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