Collaborating

I think it will be proper for us to continue communicating through blogs and sharing our experiences and developments of e-learning in our districts and schools.I think if we follow each us others blog we can sharer and learn a lot from each other.I have enjoyed reading people views and interesting e-mails from our Hons google group.This has taught me that we should use every tool that is available.I think we learnt a lot from using discussion forums,uploading assignments ,viewing our grades and following our assignments. This was a very educational and interesting journey.

What a Year?

I dont regret registering for this qualification.In this two years I have become a better person in the the use of Technological resources .I was so curious of wanting to know new products and how are they used.Any advertisement paper from shops like incredible connection would not pass my hands without being glued on it.I think as a woman I can be motivation to other women so that they dont fear the technological environment .As soon as I touch any technological resource, immidiately understand what it must do.I think next year I will use my time improving on what I have learnt in the two years of my study ,reflecting back and implimenting the tools that I have learnt and making sure ICTs are used in my school.

Research Project

As were involved in the phase1 research project, I think for all of us it was aninteresting experiences especially when visiting schools. I have few that I will like to share with you .I have noticed that most of the schools in quintile 5 which are previously models C schools they still have more resources than quintile 1,2and 3 schools which are in townships and informal settlement. The computer laboratories are functional and schools use the sms system to communicate with parents. What I have noticed is that townships schools which have Gauteng- on- line ,computer laboratories they are either locked or used only by educators who are computer literate to do their work.I think there's still a lot that the Department need to do in ensuring that the laboratories are useful to both educators and learners. Let us not deprive our learners of the opportunities that are available for them.

Teachers in action with computers

I am beginning to see change in my school. Educators in my school are gradually buying in the use of technological resources. We spend most of the time in the staffroom after contact time developing each other and doing our administrative using computers instead of writing. Some of the educators have started developing their assessment worksheets and their daily lessons worksheets. I think they are now aware of how much time they save when using computers as a tool to do their daily work. There are teachers who are using cell phones and cameras when facilitating learning in their classroom. Wow! I think they now ready to move into a 21st century classroom. These are one of the pictures I shot during the professional development session.

A motivation for a class of 2009

We are herding towards the end of the year, which means to all us, final exams and end of the journey. We are all looking forward to graduate and be honors ICT graduates. When we started this qualification we had a vision and drive. There was a reason why we made a decision to specialize in ICT .The question now is “where to from here”? Are we still as motivated and enthusiastic about our goals as when we started? Be it your answer is yes or no here is something to motivate you to hang on to that goal and vision and keep on.

Watch those distractions.

These are some distractions that could rob you of your dreams.

1. Obstacles

Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal (to pass the course and make a difference in the lives of our learners).Therefore if you come across the mountain, climb it, round it, or tunnel through it! Don’t allow it to stop you.

2. Criticism

“If you in a front line you will be the one to be shot at, of course you will be criticized. If criticism is leveled at you, analyze it, and if there is anything that can help you, learn and grow-good, use –it, otherwise put it behind you and keep going .You cannot afford the luxury of carrying excess baggage. Remember we are here to make a difference for our learners to give them the future they deserve.

3. Circumstances

We often pin the blame for our lack of accomplishments on others or on circumstances but history is filled with inspiring stories of those who fought against the odds and won. Don’t allow health, ethnic background, where you were born, of opportunities as a child or lack of education. Let’s teach our learners that despite their socio-economic backgrounds they can pull through.
Good Luck to all of you. Hope to see you at graduation.

Inspired by a book by Dr David Molapo “If you‘re not growing you’re dying"

Intergrating technology in the classroom

Throughout the year we learnt about ways we can use to intergrate ICT into our lessons. The following slides serves as a refresher course on the lessons learnt.
To get a full view of the presentation click on " view on slideshare" You can also access more information on this topic from: http://www.slideshare.net/plandeen/technology-presentation?src=embed

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

id="__ss_68349">Technology Presentation

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Using different forms of assessment

It is important that we familiarize ourselves with different forms of assessment so that we don’t end up doing only written test with memo for assessment. In this video I was teaching about emergency services and their contact details. For assessment learners had to compose a rap song in groups with all the facts they had learnt on this theme. I used a rubric to grade group presentations. Learners enjoyed and for them it was a very interesting lesson.

Goodbye paperwork, hello my learners!

As we are on the last day of the third term, I am starting to enjoy the benefits of technology. Gone are the days where i would be extremely exhausted by ths time due to too much administrative work that we, educators are expected to complete. Thanks to the effective use of computers in my school I can now relax as all the term schedules and reports have been printed and all I have to do is to issue these to the learners. I never thought life would be this easy.

It is important that as educators we spend most of our time in the classroom teaching rather than doing administrative work. As the new GDE mission states "Ensuring that quality teaching and learning takes place in the classroom, everyday." To achieve this we have to be innovative in our use of technology to alleviate ourselves of the burden of administrative work, or should I say, paperwork. Watch this space for some tips on how this can be achieved by an educator.

Developing children holistically

Let us remember that for the children to develop cognitively we also need to develop their physical well being.The following photos will show evidence of how I'm engaged in extra-curricular activities in my my school .During their dance lessons I usually talk to them on issues like behaviour,taking care of themselves and protecting themselves.

Windows 7

Microsoft will be lauching Win7 by October 2009.What does it promise?

• Better battery power


• Automatic data backups through a home or business network,either at the office or at the coffee shop


• Easier connections to wireless networks either at office or coffee shop.


• Automatic data backups through a home or business network,no-pushing required


• Encryption for external storage devices,lost or stolen USB memory stick and strangers will not have access to your data.


• More automated troubleshooting and les time spent fixing problems.

I think tecnological users will benefit from this windows 7.Lets wait and see if it will really do what it will promises.

Smart Technologies Seminar

I attended a siminar organised by Smart Technologies in Fourways High School.Smart Technologies company was advertising the use of smartboard and presentations on the use of ICT in the classrooms.Several school demonstrated their achievement when using technology in their schools.I was fascinated by one schools from Mpumalanga .Their school is networked to five other schools .They then use a video to share lessons in different grades.Teachers present lessons e.g N.S from one schools and allow oppportunities for questions from learners in other schools.This show how schools especially educators can share lesssons , ideas , approaches and collaborating using technology.

Webquest Presentations

The webquest presentations on the 15th August were very interesting.It was a change of environment where we managed experience difference strategies of teaching using ICT.I would have loved to have done my presentation because it was for grade3 learners and I took into consideration the use of colours ,font and to be user friendly for foundation phase learners.I will be presenting the webquest workshop in our school and I think the educators will enjoy and have an understanding of what do we mean when we say intergrating ICT in learning.

My Recent Achievement

On the 7th August the Ekurhuleni Cluster hosted the National Teacher Awards for 2009 at Emperors Palace .There were different categories for the awards.I was one of the finalists for the category "Excellence in Primary School Teaching".Guess what? I got position 2. This was one of greatest achievements I ever received for the good I do for the learners. One of the reasons I was nominated was the ICT project that I initiated in my school and in our district.From this I learnt the importance of sharing what I'm learning and implimenting the use of ICT in my school. The main objective for 2009 is to make educators do all their administration work using computers and using the internet as a resource for their lessons. With the motivation and continuous feedback about the progress I think "I can" and if "I can" then "we can".

Summary about Webquest

Did you know?

Berni Dodge is the first webquest creator.He defines webquest as "an enquiry-oriented activity in which some of or all the information that a learner interact with comes from resources of internet".

Building blocks of webquest.

The important building blocks of webquest are Introduction,Task,Process,Evaluation and Conclusion.

Selecting a webquest

Remember that when selecting a webquest it should be tied to curriculum assesment standards,make good use of the resources,have clear understanding so that learners transform information that they gather into something different and it could be a lesson that you were not totally satisfied with.For more information about webquest go to www.schoolnet.co.za you will find interesting examples of webquest.

MY EXPERIENCE AND BENEFITS FROM THE COURSE

It is my wish to share my experience and the benefits of this ICT course. I had an opportunity to share my knowledge with hundreds of my colleagues during an ICT conference which was held at the Gauteng East district in March 2009. It was recommended that I present the same paper to different clusters in our districts as per evaluation feedbacks.I presented a paper on e-maturity in schools. The focus of the presentation was to show ICT educators in schools ways in which they can assess the level of ICT use in their schools. The BECTA site was the main resource that I used as a source of reference in my presentation.

This gave me an insight into the shortcomings in the way the White Paper on e-Education has been advocated in our schools. Most of the educators are still in the dark as far as this policy is concerned. This gives us a challenge as ICT students to go out there and share information with our colleagues on this exciting experience and how they can make their lessons interesting for their learners by creating positive learning ICT environments in their classrooms.

Let us be change agents, and positive resources in our schools and institutions for the benefit of our learners and to help in driving the goal of bridging the digital divide by 2014.