Be SMART about it

In our fast-paced world with technology continuously progressing beyond the realms of science fiction, it is not surprising that some of this advanced technology is being utilised in our education sector.

Each passing year sees the creation of new and improved learning material. Providing quality, accessible education that stimulates and intrigues young minds is the key to further development. Mathematics and science have thus far been singled out as vital subjects within the curriculum and require quality teaching.

SMART Board interactive whiteboards have given new life to South African schools by catapulting education and teaching methods into the 21st century.

SMART Technologies was founded in 1987, with its headquarters in Calgary, Alberta in Canada. Its technology is used by over 20 million students in over 900 000 classrooms, in 175 countries worldwide.

Extensive training was provided for teachers who wished to use the boards as an alternative teaching method.

Mpumalanga schools have benefited from cutting-edge technology with the introduction of an e-learning programme.

Provided by the Ligbron Academy of Technology, Ermelo, this programme aims to multiply Mpumalanga’s reach, by use of videoconferencing technology. Lessons are shared with the academy, which has 920 students. Thus far, at least 20 disadvantaged schools have been involved in the programme.

The Mpumalanga Education Development Trust manages corporate and private sponsorship for the programme which, in turn, is managed by the Mpumalanga Department of Education.

The extent of the programme’s success is partially dependent on funding in the form of contributions from the private sector, through the public private partnership process, is matched by the department on a rand-for-rand basis.

“The project has proved extremely successful in bridging the urban-rural digital divide and a positive attitude has been created, especially in rural schools, towards using technology to spread educational material displayed on SMART Board interactive whiteboards,” says Dr Harduza Martiz, project manager of the e-learning programme for the department.

This documented success prompted the use of wireless technology in order to reach three under-resourced schools within a 50 kilometre radius of the Ligbron Academy.

Two of the pilot-phase schools – Camden Combined School and Umzimvelo Combined School – are rural, while Ermelo Combined School is in the town. The schools are wirelessly connected to Ligbron and use Bridgit conferencing software to share their lessons.

An LCD screen, along with a digital camera, is connected to a PC, creating an atmosphere of active participation as schools are linked.

“Being able to share quality teaching among geographically dispersed classrooms has had a marked improvement on the quality of lesson content and teaching methodology,” says Dr Martiz.

“There has been an improvement in discipline and concentration levels of learners. They are positively motivated to learn, and attendance at schools involved in the pilot phase has improved during the past year.”

This initiative proves that quality education, with the help of technological components, can be delivered to both urban and rural classrooms.

With children growing up in a technologically advanced society, the use of technology in a learning environment engages the learners and makes them willing participants in the lessons.

Among the 17 participating schools this year, 13 are secondary and four are primary. Nine schools in the Nelspruit and Hazyview areas will use the technology for teaching mathematics, science, English language, accounting and information technology. Four schools in the Middelburg area will participate in mathematics, science and English language lessons.

The plan to include four primary schools in the Graskop area is in its early stages.

“The Ligbron e-learning initiative using SMART educational technologies has been an exceptional proving ground for applying the latest information and communications technology (ICT) in bridging the digital divide in our education system,” says Frans Kalp, technology teacher and project manager at Ligbron. “It is a marvellous role model for other South African provinces.”

e-Learning Innovation Expo

Since its inception, e-learning has provided a platform for many and the concept has branched out into numerous other areas. The e-Learning Innovation Expo is an example of the programme’s success.

Hosted in Queensland, Australia, this event took place on 8 and 9 September 2009. Initiated in 2008, the event has already exceeded all expectations. Personalities such as Mark Treadwell (author, IT company director and consultant to education institutions), Gary Stager (the pioneer of the 1:1 laptop) and Professor Stephen Heppell (founder of Europe’s ICT and learning research centre) will be among the speakers and presenters.

This two-day annual event addresses the issues of learning and innovation and how ICT could enhance it. Among the list of topics to be addressed at this event are: SMART classrooms and students’ perspectives of learning in a virtual world. SMART Technologies will be presenting on the use of educational technology to enhance learning and transform education in South Africa.

The programme will provide an update on the success of the Khanya Technology in Education project. Khanya has installed computers in 1 000 schools in the Western Cape, reaching 20 000 educators and more than 770 000 learners.

The programme includes the rollout of electronic interactive whiteboards, viewed by educationists as “the biggest technology revolution in classrooms”, providing students with immediate access to a wide range of digital and online resources.

If South Africa is to maintain its position within global economics, it is paramount that it maintains its focus on early technology education.