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

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!!!!

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.

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