Tech in the classroom: Teaching the teachers

Children more technically adept than their parents and teachers….

WHAT IT MEANS: Gauteng and Western Cape schools lead the rest. Some older teachers are resistant to technology

Its no secret that SA’s teachers need to broaden their skills. But how can someone like Moipone Morakile, an educator at Itumeleng Primary School in the Free State who is struggling to grasp new teaching technologies, be helped?

Morakile is one of the teachers who are looking forward to taking a digital literacy course with publishing house Via Afrika that is paid for by means of crowdfunding. The course could be transformative for her students — and in this way anyone can contribute to it.

Technology has the potential to change the way educators teach and even the way teachers and students communicate.

It is an important element in learning and will help produce students who are ready to tackle 21st century problems.

Learners require quick access to information, University of Cape Town professor Mamokgethi Phakeng says. Speaking at the Century Learning Conference held by Future Nations last month, Phakeng said students needed teachers to re-envision the role of technology in teaching. In SA, where digital skills in the classroom are often lacking, teacher education for this has become a priority.

“We have preschool learners navigating the iPad better than their parents and teachers, and 11-year-olds who already have the Internet and follow blogs, while teachers struggle to keep up,” says Phakeng.

Government launched the Operation Phakisa ICT in Education Lab initiative a year ago to transform teaching and learning through technology and to keep pace with the white paper on e-education published in 2004. “The department is still in the process of formulating a national strategy. It has not been finalised yet,” says Troy Martens, speaking for basic education minister Angie Motshekga. Read more…..