Julian Wood at TeachMeet Leads 2011 explains a Personal Learning Network and how teachers can benefit from this.

Baldev Singh from http://imagineeducation.org

I can hear you asking, “A TeachMeet? What is that?” I asked the same question before attending the Partners in Learning Institute in July 2011. Baldev Singh, one of our presenters, who is a founder of http://imagineeducation.org in the UK introduced the idea to us. He said this informal type of professional development is starting to supercede other forms of professional development in the UK.  If there is one way to enhance the spread of technology integration in the classroom, this is it!  We soon discovered that TeachMeets are also popular in the USA (where they are often called EdCamps) and all over Europe. Oooh, I’d love to introduce this idea in South Africa!

So what is a TeachMeet?

In a nutshell, teachers choose a successful lesson they have done in technology integration, and depending on the time limits set by the TeachMeet organizers (can be 2 minutes, 3 minutes or 7 minutes), they use a data projector and computer and share their lesson. TeachMeets can be held anywhere and at any time.

Before leaving for the PIL Institute week we were asked to watch this YouTube video on TeachMeets by Brainpop.

Some of the ‘rules’

• The teachers listening take notes, photos, videos, they tweet or just listen.
• Presentations need to be short and sharp.
• Can use technology to present i.e.  PowerPoint, video, photos etc.
• It is fine to hold up a poster or even sing a song.
• You need to plan before the time.

Some of our teachmeets at the PIL Institute week

We loved the TeachMeet session where we presented to the USA Innovative Teacher finalists. If I can find any of the presentations on video I’ll post them here. One that I did find on YouTube was from Dan Roberts from the UK. He cleverly got us singing a Songsmith song together using wireless microphones scattered around the room.

What happens if there are too many people wanting to share something?

The organiser uses some kind of random selector so that you never know who is next. If you are not selected this time, there will be another time … the next TeachMeet. I found this random name generator on the internet: http://classtools.net/education-games-php/fruit_machine

The organiser could alternatively draw names from a box, or use an Excel spread sheet random selector.

TeachMeets from our PIL group on other occasions

Here are some more examples of TeachMeets given by two of our PIL Institute group members on other occasions back in the UK.

Jan Web, a teacher from the UK,  organises TeachMeets. Here is a video from YouTube where she is presenting a TeachMeet on using Microsoft’s free tool called Mouse Mischief.

In fact Dan Roberts from the UK presented a TeachMeet at the Bett Show this year.

Other examples of TeachMeets found on YouTube

Here are a few more TeachMeet videos from YouTube illustrating the essence of a TeachMeet. You’ll notice that these are slightly longer – 7 minutes.

Kerry Turner on a Schools’ History Project TeachMeet

Julian Wood on ‘What is a PLN?’ (‘We’ is better than ‘me’)

What happens if the teacher talking goes on too long?

The organiser has some way of telling them time is up. They stop immediately, hard as it is. A stopwatch is essential for an organiser.

How long does a TeachMeet session last?

In the UK apparently they are very common in pubs from 5 – 7pm.  The length of time depends on who is organizing but often it is a two hour session.

What are the benefits?

It seems like there are so many benefits in our social media age.

• Teachers meet teachers from other schools.
• Teachers share their great ideas and learn from others.
• After the TeachMeet you mingle and ask questions from people who shared something you liked.
• They are great fun.
• Teachers love building on ideas, and in the wave of technology integration that is happening they will be encouraged to integrate technology with the curriculum which benefits our digitally-minded learners.

As Baldev Singh told us, every teacher is a source of knowledge and its our simple ideas which can transform another teacher’s classroom. It’s the power of collective wisdom.

Can you show us a preparation template?

Here is the one created by Baldev Singh:

http://www.slideshare.net/fionabeal/teachmeet-template

Please comment here about TeachMeets if you have attended one.  If you live in South Africa and introduce one, please let me know how it went.  If you happen live in Cape Town and introduce one, please invite me!  If you want me to help you organise one in Cape Town please contact me at fiona@schoolnet.org.za.

Any teacher interested in integrating technology with the curriculum would jump at a chance to visit Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond to attend their Partners in Learning Institute, wouldn’t they? Well I consider myself in that category and from 24th – 31st July I had the privilege of such a visit! This PIL Institute is a new part of Microsoft’s vision for teachers, and they plan to hold many more of these events.

Who attended this training?
Microsoft’s educational wing known as Partners in Learning shortlisted 50 innovative teachers from 31 countries to attend the inaugural training in Redmond. Three South African teachers were selected – Cheryl Douglas, Ngaka Ralekoala and myself.

Where did we stay?
We lodged at the incredibly luxurious Hyatt-Bellevue Hotel in an area between Seattle and Redmond known as Bellevue. The hotel had magnificent views from the rooms. The conference staff organised a very busy week right down to the last detail late at night – but I must say that every second was well worth it.

A room with a view at the Hyatt-Bellevue in Bellevue

What was the purpose of the PIL Institute?
The purpose of the Microsoft Partners in learning Institute is to grow innovative teaching and learning practices around the world through a cadre of teacher trainers who will take what they have learned to their communities to coach and train other educators.

Baldev Singh from www.imagineeducation.net

What did we do each day?
During the day we had training, workshops, discussions, field trips, work sessions and some learning excursions around which we created a project. I also enjoyed the TeachMeet where we got the chance to give two minute presentations on something successful we have done in technology integration. I would LOVE to introduce this TeachMeet idea in South Africa. It would really enhance technology integration, I think. We also learned at length about 21st century skills and how to create and assess activities using 21st century skills. (We have homework to do on this due for the 15th August). It was marvelous to get to talk to teachers from all the different countries and find out how education happens in their country. Another treat was to be able to view the 102 USA finalist entries for the Microsoft Innovative competition. I always love to see what teachers come up with.

One of the USA PIL Innovative Teacher entries

One of the highlights was to visit the Microsoft Home of the Future at Their Headquarters in Redmond.

Who were our presenters?
The Institute was run under the Directorship of Maureen Cain. Our presenters were of the highest quality and everyone benefitted from their professional input as well as from the warm friendship and enthusiasm of the fifty teacher participants. One of the conference presenters was a Technology Integration specialist, Sonja Delafosse, from the Lake Washington school district. Now that is a job I would enjoy – helping teachers integrate technology into their lessons, because then both the students and the teachers benefit. What do you think? Their classes seem to have netbooks at their disposal. Sonja explained how technology integration in schools is very important to the parents of that area, since Seattle houses Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon.com, and Google also has offices there. In fact while we were participating in our Partners in Learning Institute, Google was holding one of its Google certified teacher courses at the same time.

Did we do a lot of sight seeing?
The 50 of us were transported everywhere by luxury coach. Seattle is a great city. It is very green with beautiful trees and fresh clean air. Some call it the Emerald City. We didn’t have time for much sight-seeing in our busy schedule, but as mentioned, Microsoft cleverly arranged learning excursions in groups, with each group visiting a tourist site, and creating and completing a project about it. We stored these in our Partners in Learning Network shared folder, and shared them with one another.

Our group visited the Seattle Underground

With so many great Microsoft tools such as Photosynth, Windows Movie Maker, Autocollage and Songsmith at our disposal everyone felt as though they had been everywhere!

Honestly I can’t believe Microsoft’s commitment to teachers – it is awesome! The company is playing such an active role in education. We saw previews of how Partners in Learning wants to facilitate change through educators. They are launching a completely new Partners in Learning Network in November, which we saw a preview of, and I think this will facilitate a powerful network of teachers world-wide. I loved this sign at Microsoft. After eventually working out that it stood for ‘Pedestrian crossing’, for me it still seemed to say… ‘Xing into pedagogical change’. I have come back with a renewed vision for professional development. Thank you to Microsoft.

Yesterday evening I went to my twelve year old son’s parent evening. Not a single teacher had anything negative to say about his progress. He is bright, working hard and achieving an A aggregate. He received a wonderful report, and I should have been very happy, but I wasn’t. His older brother is exactly the same, and I’m not happy. When I was at school my reports were equally glowing, and that’s the problem. I was also a Lazy A student. I sailed effortlessly through school and University, and I’m not complaining. But the problem is that I never amounted to anything. Not really. I became a teacher, and I hope that my students think I am a good teacher, but for someone who was top of the class all through school, I have never really amounted to anything. And that’s the problem.

All the research indicates that all over the world, Lazy A students are not amounting to anything. They do alright: of course they do. But they don’t go on to achieve what they ought to be achieving, and that amounts to a massive loss for our society.

If it’s all too easy, and you never get to push yourself, you don’t go on to achieve what you are capable of achieving, and often the really high flyers come from the ranks of those who have had to overcome some adversity, who have learned from the hurdles they had to overcome, who have learned how to succeed because it wasn’t just plain sailing all the way. It seems that what people really need in life to help them become successful is a good dose of failure along the way.

Winston Churchill is the archetypal example. His life was one long catalogue of failure preparing him for success! Increasingly our society is coming to understand the necessity of failure. In the corporate world companies prefer to hire employees who have been blooded by working for companies that have failed than those who have only ever known the blissful ignorance of success. Increasingly in Education, too, we have begun to recognize that we are doing our students a disservice if we make it too easy for them.

I’ve been mulling over what to do with my Lazy A students, the ones I teach as well as my sons. My eldest son is in high school now, and writing exams. My wife kept catching him on the computer, playing games instead of studying. He has his own company, called Back of The Bakkie Productions that he and a few friends have formed to create games. They are collaborating with someone in America who is helping them with the 3D modeling. He spent much of the time he was supposed to be studying for his exams, on Skype with his partners talking through some problems they are experiencing with the new games engine they are modding. I should have been angry. He should have been doing his school work, but actually I was as pleased as punch.

He will get a good mark in the exams anyway – he always does! But the time he spent working on the game is teaching him priceless lessons. He is learning to overcome what often seems like insurmountable barriers. He has had to start learning a programming language so that he can mod the game effectively. He has had to deal with copyright issues around the choice of music, and a host of issues around difficulties in collaborating with others. He has had to learn to deal with the criticism of others, and the bitter realization that sometimes you can’t get your way when working with partners. He has had to learn how to work around short-comings in the games engine they are using, how to cut his losses and start again, and how to accept times when he had to walk away and learn new skills before he could move forward.

These are hard lessons for a fourteen year old to learn, and I am really proud of what he and his friends have achieved. Most importantly there is nothing resembling the Lazy A students about his games design persona! He finds it hard, unlike his school work. He works tirelessly at trying to overcome his short-comings. Games design requires a really hard set of skills. You need to have enough programming knowledge to be able to tweak existing engines and add your own twist, but you also need to be creative, and savvy about the world out there. The group has constantly posted what they are doing on Internet forums to get feedback from other games designers and players. What really impresses me also is the amount of mentoring and support they have received from this community. It is a model of what education should be, and usually isn’t.

The Horizon Report for 2011 has listed Gaming in Education as the next big thing, and Games have a great deal to teach us. Multi-player games in particular. Games like the often derided World of Warcraft teach us that we need to set really hard challenges for our students to overcome, and then be extremely tolerant of failure, and very supportive in providing mentoring. In a game, there is no margin for error. If you fail, you die! But you can start again, and again, and again, until you get it right. Whatever level you are in the game, you are accepted as a full and important member of the group. Others will show you what to do, and help you along the way. And every time you level up, your achievements will be recognized and celebrated by the group as a whole.

By comparison, in our classrooms, we tend to reject the notion of failure and consequently make it all too easy for students.  I’m not suggesting for one moment that we need to throw the curriculum away and all start playing World of Warcraft all day! But we do need to learn how to make our curriculum a great deal more like a game, or we risk impoverishing our society by accepting failure because we do not accept the importance of using failure to cultivate real success.

When it comes to international results, Finland’s schools score consistently at the top. However, pupils study the fewest number of class hours in the developed world. The BBC travels to Helsinki to find out the secret of the Finns’ education success.

There is always much debate about the education system in South Africa. There are many positive and negative arguments, for and against our education policies, the Department of Education, schools, teachers, principals and learners in general.

There is certainly no doubt that there is a massive difference between the level of education at our former ‘model C’ schools and of our disadvantaged schools. I call them disadvantaged schools because that’s what they are – disadvantaged.

What really constitutes an advantaged and a disadvantaged school though? Is an advantaged school one where you walk into every classroom and see an interactive whiteboard and a laptop in front of every learner? Is an advantaged school one that is built out of bricks and has airconditioning, electricity and running water?

Personally I think that there is more to being an advantaged or disadvantaged school than just what the school ‘owns’ or ‘has’.

People were created with a natural instinct to do great things even without great resources at their disposal. There are countless success stories of disadvantaged schools making education happen without having all the fancy gadgets (or even the basic necessities!) that their counterparts have in the leafy suburbs.

But why then is there still such a high percentage of learner failures, particularly from the disadvantaged schools?

I was watching an episode of Special Assignment a while back, and something that a black teacher said really struck a cord with me. I don’t remember her name or what school she was from, but the gist of her argument is that the poor quality of education happening at disadvantaged schools is a legacy of the old and racist ‘Bantu’ education system in which for every R10 spent on a white learner, only R1 would be spent on a black learner.

Quite shocking, but if you think about it, it makes sense. People are quick to blame teachers for incompetence and laziness, but many of the teachers at disadvantaged schools are themselves a product of Bantu education. Of course, this doesn’t make teachers from advantaged schools any better, but the past is the past, and there is nothing we can do to change it. However, there is a lot we can do to fix it.

In a September 2010 article on Teacher’s Monthly, Dr Malcolm Venter writes:

The recent public servants’ strike was perceived to have been mainly about money – about increased salaries and better conditions of service. However, that is not the real issue. Underlying it all there was a deeper, more sinister, issue.

The State’s argument that it could not afford more was ludicrous and insensitive in the light of its wasteful spending on fancy cars, homes and hotel stays, its corruption, the unaccounted-for millions, etc. So much so that it became evident that the strike was about the perceptions of the populace that the high-ups in government were only concerned with feeding at the through, of the tendency towards ‘a predatory elite’ (as Vavi of COSATU put it so accurately).

Lester Venter, in his book When Mandela Goes (1977), writes:

South Africa has now experienced a political revolution, and is confronting the early stages of a social revolution. The first prepared the way for the second.

He points to the ’development gap’ between the two worlds that make up South Africa—the first world and the second. He then goes on to say:

The change has still to come. And come it will. Moreover, change will not come primarily through the actions and policies of government. It will come from underlying forces to which governmental action will usually be a confused response.

Expectations have been aroused. Those in whom they have been aroused will not tolerate the frustration of unfulfilment for ever. Even if a present, older, generation is—to some degree—resigned to the immutability  of life and acceptant of a pitiable fate, the sons and daughters of the next generation are not. Expectations are self-fulfilling, at least partially. A process of change is already in motion. Change in South Africa didn’t end when the results of the 1995 election were announced, as many people seem to think. In truth, that’s when change began.

I don’t think that giving a disadvantaged school an airconditioner, a computer, a brick hall, or a jungle gym suddenly makes that school any more advantaged. I think that the Department of Education needs to focus on strong training and retraining of existing teachers, and make the teaching profession something that people really admire and look up to. I believe that is crucial for the improvement of education.

Watching Top Billing’s recent episode on Mandela Day, it is obvious that Nelson Mandela considered education to be one of the strongest weapons in fighting for freedom. Not just politcal freedom, but also the greater freedoms that education gives. The ability to be successful, to help others, to understand the world and make a real difference. These things come from learning.

Lets face it, one can say that talking like this amounts to racism or whatever, but the point is that nothing will change until South Africans face facts and start talking. For all his obvious rudeness, media blunders and now possible corruption charges, at least Julius Malema has made people start seriously thinking about the differences between the rich elite and the derelict poor.

Over the past few months there has been a fair amount of media coverage on Finland’s education success. Bert Maes wrote an article regarding this:

Explaining the excellence of the schools in Finland is extremely complex. They have beautiful school buildings, well-trained teachers, state-of-the-art technology any fancy textbooks, but that doesn’t explain everything. I will not present an exhaustive or exclusive explanation for Finland’s success, but 10 CHARACTERISTICS MAY BE HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND:

1. When Finnish kids turn 7 years old they go into compulsory primary school during nine years. All kids start at the same level, no matter what socio-economic background they have. They learn the basic knowledge, skills and attitudes of lifelong learning, which is consistently paying off with better academic achievement in later grades. These primary schools are places where playing and learning are combined with alternative pedagogic approaches, rather than mere instructional institutions.
2. All teachers are prepared in academic universities. Teachers are highly respected and appreciated in Finland, partly because all teachers need a master’s degree to qualify for a permanent job. And the selection is tough: only 10% of the 5000 applicants each year are accepted to the faculties of education in Finnish universities. Finland improved its public education system not by privatizing its schools or constantly testing its students, but by strengthening the education profession and investing in teacher preparation and support. Their high level knowledge and skills makes that Finnish teachers:
   - can have considerable independence in the classroom to choose their preferred appropriate pedagogical methods;
   - are very willing to continuously update their professional skills via post-graduate studies;
   - are more willing to work on themselves, are open to new ideas and developed broader perspectives;
   - are eager to be involved into the school development processes in their own schools as well as in national and international projects.
3. Since the 1960s political authorities always have seen education as the key to survive and thrive in an increasingly competitive world. All governments, from left to right have respected over the past 4 decades, that economic growth is the primary goal, with education as the critical driver (according to some researchers, education explains 25% of Finland’s growth): “Investment in people is the best investment”.  To be competitive, the governments concluded, Finland has to substantially boost investments in education and research to foster innovation and cutting-edge development.
4. Because the central government ensured sustainable funding to ensure FREE education for all, i.e. took care of ALL costs of tuition, warm school meals, learning materials, text books, transportation, new equipment, new facilities, student counseling, etc,  the teachers are able to focus on teaching and learning, and bringing new ideas and practices in schools.
5. There are no mandatory tests or exams; except for the nationwide National Matriculation Examination, in mother tongue, foreign language, mathematics and social/natural sciences, at the end of the upper-secondary school (from 17-19-year-old). Teachers make their own assessment tests, not quoting numeric grades, but using descriptive feedback, no longer comparing students with one another. This helped teachers and students focusing on learning in a fear-free environment, in which creativity and risk-taking are encouraged. Teachers have more real freedom in time planning when they do not need have to focus on annual tests or exams.
6. Trusting the schools and teachers is a common feature in Finnish schools. Schools receive full autonomy in developing the daily delivery of education services. The ministry of education always believed that teachers, together with principals, parents and their communities know how to provide the best possible education for their children and youth. Except for guidelines for learning goals and assessment criteria, The National Board of Education (taking care of curriculum development, evaluation of education and professional support for teachers) doesn’t dictate lesson plans or standardized tests. School can plan their own curricula to reflect local concerns.
7. For Manufacturing Education: In higher education, Finland offers university level studies or the polytechnics insitutions.  The polytechnic system was the focal point of education policies in Finland during the 1990s and the top priority for regional development. There is a wide consensus on increasing technology, environmental sciences and entrepreneurship education – all of which seem to contribute positively to economic development and growth. As a result regional support networks are developed to help schools and teachers to adopt new technology in education and incorporate technology into classrooms.
8. Building upon the expertise of local players, whose experience, opinions and abilities allowed them to indicate the best ways forward. The teacher unions and the educators themselves have always had the opportunity to be heard, to help crafting a blueprint of the reforms.
   - The key to get their commitment and support was tapping into and welcoming their expertise as professionals in laying the groundwork of reform. Expert committees of teachers, union representatives, university researchers, textbook authors and government officials designed the new frameworks, hashing out their differences and using each other’s valuable and varied expertise.
   - Another key was reassuring teachers would not lose employment security and salaries. Before the reforms even commenced the teacher trade organization achieved this in negotiating higher teacher compensation for the extra more demanding work.
   - Also experiments and pilot programs in developing curriculum reforms have helped ease concerns and win the teachers’ professional commitment. All experimental projects, coming from bottom-up as well, were monitored by university researchers, bringing a consistent culture of innovation in the Finnish education system.
   - Education reform could only have proceeded if it gave the teachers a way to maintain their pedagogical freedom, creativity and sense of professional responsibility, by allowing them to choose textbooks and learning materials, and to determine the best way to cover the curriculum.
   - he execution of new curricula, learning materials and new instructional methods was always carefully planned, province by province. Provincial Offices approved the plans from every municipality. The switch to a new reform was also guided by in-service training by a network of national level instructors.
9. Political consensus and the capacity of policy makers to pursue reform: governments, trade unions and employers’ organizations form a tripartite in Finland, closely coordinating, communicating and heading to a common goal. In many countries the opposing-parties usually polarize debates and public opinion. Since the beginning of the 1970s until 1987 the ministry of education had two ministers from the main parties, requiring close political cooperation, resulting in workable solutions as both parties could endorse them. This proved to be the key factor behind the continuity of Finnish education policy. The parties detached from their populist political objectives and strategic maneuvers and began focusing on the subject-matter, on cooperating and acting together. Via the close partnership between the labor organizations and the governments, between the employees and the employers, in both planning and implementation stages, the teacher union changed from external political pressure group into a stakeholder in government decision-making, i.e. into one encompassing labor organization, that looks at the interest of the COMPLETE SOCIETY, just like the government. This key element in good quality of governance and public institutions turned out to be the driving force of education performance and economic competitiveness in Finland.
10. Regional development and networking: Today the most important component of providing good education is the management and leadership skills of local political authorities, experts and school principals (carefully selected for their understanding of education development, their experience in teacher-education and their solid proven management skills). The key in the educational reforms was ‘how to find ways to help schools and teachers come together and share what they have learned about productive teaching techniques and effective schools’. The result was the creation of multi-level, professional learning communities of schools sharing locally tested practices and enriching ideas, and matching the needs for local economic development.

I do not necessarily agree to all of the above, but it makes an interesting comparison on the freedom the Finnish education departments give to teachers coupled with the importance they place on very high standards of initial teacher training as well as ONGOING teacher training.

So to answer the initial question, “Are South African teachers lazy?”: No. But many are poorly trained and poorly supported by the Department of Education. The Department of Education should be there to support teachers. Teachers should be there to educate and support learners. Right now I get the feeling that the Department of Education places more value on the learner than the educator. Without the educator, there is no learner.

When will the South African Department of Education realise that good education starts with the teacher?

Click here to watch a video on Finnish education by the BBC.

This past Friday and Saturday I had the great priviledge of attending one of the most inspiring, outrageously entertaining, and compelling education conferences ever. This, of course, was the EdTech Conference 2011 hosted at the International School of Cape Town in Wynberg.

I’ve never seen ‘ordinary’ teachers this excited to use technology before. The vibe was amazing, and the learning and sharing that went on between teachers – both IT/computer teachers as well as classroom teachers -  was fantastic!

Day 1 started with an inspiring keynote address by Rev Dr Dion Forster who opened up the ears, eyes and minds of all the delegates. Dion is a published author, public speaker, blogger and new media advocate and certainly got the conference off to a good start.

Delegates were treated to presentations by Fiona Beal of Fish Hoek Primary and Karen Stadler from Elkhana House Senior Primary on free ICT teaching tools and resources that they have integrated with their curriculum lessons. Both Fiona and Karen are passionate about web 2.0 and shared their success stories with great enthusiasm to a crowd that was blown away by the sheer resourcefulness these two teachers display in ICT integration. Fiona reminded delegates that even although Fish Hoek Primary has limited funding available for technology, they have still embraced it full on. Fiona was a finalist in the Microsoft Innovative Teacher competition in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and represented South Africa at the World Finals with a blogging project entitled “Bonding Through Blogging” which connected a Grade 4 and 5 class with an elderly community.

Tim Keller entertained delegates with a thoughful discussion on the latest “buzzwords” floating around at the moment. From “Twitter” to “open source” to “apps” to “wikis”, Tim’s presentation focused on encouraging delegates to think about the possible applications that each tool or resource can have in the classroom environment. The culmination of this presentation saw delegates form groups centered on each buzzword and a lot of interesting discussion was created. Tim also gave delegates a look at the “Future Classroom”. It became apparent to me that it is really very difficulty to visualise what future classrooms may look like. Many of the teachers present seemed to share the view that the ‘teacher’ is no longer the sole source of all information in the classroom, and that resources such as Google and Wikipedia are fast becoming somewhat of a norm for learners and students who are wanting to enrich themselves with information.

Maggie Verster, a well-known school 2.0 activist, certainly made the point that everything we knew, or thought we knew, about information and knowledge sharing is quickly becoming obsolete. Maggie kept the delegates laughing throughout her great presentation on the latest tools she uses for information sharing. She gave a run down on Twitter, Diigo, Wikipedia and a host of other tools that teachers may be surprised to realise have a place in the classroom. Maggie has delivered numerous papers, keynotes, conducted workshops and developed resources to assist teachers to effectively use ICT and social media for professional development (through Personal Learning Networks) and in their classrooms.

Gavin Keller, principal of the Sun Valley Group of Schools, and Nicholas Hall, a candidate attorney at Michalsons Attorneys presented a talk on social media policies in relation to schools. Gavin started the discussion with some Facebook and blog ‘horror’ stories and Nicholas rounded off by presenting schools with various options they have available to protect themselves and their learners from a legal and moral standpoint when it comes to social media.

Arthur Preston, a Teacher’s Monthly author and headmaster at Lanner House School, gave a humourous (and very true!) presentation on technophobic teachers. From Arthur’s talk and subsequent group discussions, it is apparent that all schools – from state to private – have technophobic teachers. Arthur gave some ideas and thoughts on how to deal with teachers who have no interest, are too comfortable, or too scared to embrace technology.

Overall, the EdTech Conference was aimed at creating discussion and encouraging participation by all present. Teachers had the opportunity to try free tools and resources during the “interactive” lunch and tea break sessions. There was also much excitement created by the live Twitter feed where teachers could post comments, thoughts, questions and share links to tools that they make use of.

Comments shared by delegates regarding the conference included:

- “Thoroughly enjoyed this conference more than any other I have attended [and I've been to Aussie x 2 for same] – this by far is the most stunning conference.”

- “What I loved most EdTechConf 2011 was the chance to meet a hundred like-minded people, from across the country.”

- “Thanks to organisers of Ed Tech Conf. Excellent quality presenters , so much to do and think about now!”

- “This conference rocks!”

- “Thanks for all the cool ideas from best practice!!”

Visit the official EdTech Conference web site – www.edtechconf.co.za

This article was written by Heather Wolpert-Gawron and originally published at Edutopia.org. I came across it while searching for reasons why our schools SHOULD push for ICT integration.

We speak about the achievement gap between the different cultures in our schools. Meanwhile, however, many of the stakeholders in education have created a vast trench that lies between those who accept the inevitability of technology and those who still refute its place in our classrooms.

Policymakers demand our schools must reflect the 21st century, yet continue to deny schools the funding to do just that. Additionally, our districts block many of the online sites for collaboration from our schools.

It is fear that guides many of the decisions about educational technology: fear that we will be left globally behind by countries more committed to technology integration and also fear that our students will somehow be scarred its use.

Frankly, there are many reasons to avoid providing technology as a more common and frequent tool in education. However, as stated in “Strictly Ballroom,” one of my favorite movies, “a life lived in fear is a life half lived.” Fear cannot shut us down from our mission: to educate students for their future.

For the Naysayers

Here are some typical arguments against technology in schools — and better ones for using it:

1. The legal issues are daunting: what if a student writes inappropriate content online? Answer: Our job is to teach them how to use the tools of the real world. After all, using a circular saw is dangerous too, but only through shop class have many students learned to build a birdhouse safely. So is it with technology. Parents and teachers must be a part of monitoring and modeling. It may be scary, but without teaching students about appropriate use, they will surely encounter exactly that which we are most scared of.

2. How ever will we train all those teachers? Answer: It’s simple. Have teachers train teachers. Give teachers who know how the paid release time to be trainers during their contracted hours of those who don’t know how. There are willing teachers on every site, at every district, teachers willing to take on hybrid roles in education that allow them one foot in the classroom and one foot working to improve the pedagogy and practice of those who need to learn. For those who train, they will, as a result, avoid burnout by being permitted ways to utilize their other skills, all the while helping other teachers improve their own 21st century knowledge.

3. Where does the time come from? How can we add more to a teacher’s plate? Answer: How ’bout this? Don’t. Instead, take something off teachers’ plates rather than put more on. We have to prioritize, and including technology is too important. We can’t continue to have teachers waste their time on the curricular needs of yesteryear. We need to redefine how a teacher spends their time during the day and redefine the curriculum of tomorrow.

4. Some students don’t have access to technology at home so how can we expect them to use it for assignments? Answer: To this I say, many homes don’t have libraries either, but we still teach how to read. The fact is that it’s a school’s job to step up to provide and instruct. Even though some students may not have access to a computer at home, the school needs to see its role in equalizing the differences between those who have and those who don’t. It’s also society’s role to find a way to provide for those homes in a more equitable way or our country’s children will be left behind. Some districts are already working in conjunction with phone providers and computer companies to help bridge this gap. Those districts should not be few and far between, but should be commonplace.

5. It’s expensive. Answer: Nevertheless, we cannot afford to fall any more behind in our comfort and use of technology. Policymakers need to start backing up their demands with funds. Parents need to be a part of monitoring their student’s use at home. Teachers must continue to develop the skills that make them the technology guides in the classroom. For as the gap gets ever wider, the money it will take to fill the divide will increase. We are already in the red. Our reluctance to think and plan ahead has already created a debt of technological knowledge.

Taking Action

We can’t allow fear to dictate our progress, nor can we allow those who won’t move forward to dictate whether we do move forward. We cannot allow policymakers to insist on adoption and not provide for it, or worse yet, tentatively provide it and not find bravery and support by those within education’s walls.

Teachers need to be on the forefront of curriculum, not in its wake. We need to be leading the charge towards preparing our students for their future, not hindering our march towards tomorrow.

The above question crossed my mind when I received a phone call from my SMGD (school management governance developer), enquiring about learners who have passed grade 12 at our school.  Apparently the department wanted to offer them bursaries for the following fields: IT, CA, Engineering and Agriculture.

Of the learners I had, no one qualified.  Not in terms of performance, because they did perform.  The main reason was the combination of their subjects.  Those that have Physical Science and Life Sciences have Mathematical Literacy instead of pure Mathematics.  Those that have Accounting do not have Mathematics.  What a combination!  The practice at our schools is such that all learners who are struggling with pure maths, are encouraged to take mathematical literacy so as to assist them to pass at the end of the day.   Choosing not to do this, leaves the school with a dilemma of retaining the learners longer than required,  or plainly falling under the category of under-performing schools.

The fact that the schools in the FET phase are measured in terms of the grade 12 performance does not help either.  We as teachers employ all methods we possibly can lay our hands on just to make these learners pass even if it means throwing them in the deep end.  I have been aware of this for quiet some time but the telephonic request from my senior aggravated it.  It even sunk in deeper when I discussed it with a friend outside the education department who made me aware that most of our learners have to bridge before starting with whatever course they intend doing at tertiary institutions.  This really got me thinking.   I asked myself what happened to people whom we did not know that much back in the years as we were scholars?  Tests would just be given to us to write and we only learnt as we grew older that these were psychometric tests.  They would just be conducted without any warning and we would be given results afterwards.  We would be assisted to choose fields which perfectly suited our profiles and capabilities.

When I applied to become a student teacher, which I so much hated then, it wasn’t at the college itself. A panel of lecturers visited our school, and our teachers selected us to go for an interview where the panel would evaluate us.  It must have been something they saw in me that made them realize I would make a good teacher.  The point I am trying to make here is that we got assisted all the way up to the level where we were correctly placed. Even as we made subject choices, the assistance that was provided to us crafted a clear path to follow even after our school years.  It was all about grooming us for a particular field.

It is sad to find learners today having a concoction of subjects thrown in together, which when results come out at the end of the year, their names appear in the newspaper because they have passed.   The ecstasy experienced is just short-lived when reality strikes, the reality of what these subjects they have passed, subjects which have put their names for everybody to see, can actually do for them after their school careers.  One question keeps on reverberating through my head, and that is – as their teachers, are we really making them competent to finally exit their school career gracefully with hope and trust that they are getting somewhere in life? Or are we flushing them out of the system? If we opt for the latter, are we really prepared to raise a generation of unemployed youth which is forever ogling our successes waiting for any given moment to pounce at?  After all, they are only human.

Written by Pali Lehohla

From the 10 government priorities, twelve outcome areas were derived and one of the outcomes is outcome 5 which focuses on a skilled and capable workforce to support an inclusive growth path. In light of this Stats SA looked at education as a proxy for measuring skills in the country and focused on the educational attainment of the employed and unemployed. There results a very telling picture.

The 2009 results of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey showed that of those who were employed an estimated 59% had less than a matriculation certificate as educational attainment. This included 3,6% of the workforce having no education at all. Those who matriculated made up approximately 29,% of the workforce while those with higher education comprised 18,5%. When looking at the racial breakdown of the employed and their educational qualifications, almost 60% of employed blacks had less than matric as their educational qualification. This was made up of 36% of the employed black workforce having completed only some secondary education, 6% having completed primary education, 12% with some primary education and about 5% with no education. The same pattern was observed of the Coloured workforce where 55,5% of the employed had lower than matric qualifications. This consisted of 40% who had some secondary education, about 6% who had completed primary education, approximately 8% with some primary education and almost 2% with no education whatsoever. The proportion of employed blacks and coloureds with tertiary qualification was 13,4% and 12,1% respectively.

On the other hand approximately 85% of employed whites had completed matric or tertiary education. The proportion of employed whites who had completed matric was 40% and those who had completed tertiary education had an even higher proportion of 45%. A similar pattern was observed with the Indian workforce where 75% of those employed had completed matric or higher education. This was made up of 49% of the workforce having completed matric and 25% having tertiary qualifications. The results therefore showed the disparities in educational attainment amongst the employed of different population groups. The proportion of employed whites with tertiary qualification was more than three times that of the black and coloured workforce.

The indicators for employment also drew insights regarding the absorption rates. For those with tertiary qualifications the employment to population ratio ranged from 79% to 84% amongst the different racial groupings. It is also important to observe that for those with a qualification of lower than matric, the absorption ratio ranged from 23% to 33% in the different population groups.

Irrespective of educational attainment, men had higher absorption rates than women. Amongst those who had completed matric men had an absorption rate of approximately 60% which was higher than that of women by 15 percentage points. The gender disparities were visible even in the tertiary qualifications as the absorption rate for men was at 86% compared to the one of women which was 77%.

As regards job search behaviour, the results showed that of those who were looking for work almost 62% had qualifications lower than matric. Approximately 46% of those without matric had some secondary education, 5% had completed primary, 8,6% had some primary education and 2,2% had no education.

Educational attainment as an indicator for measuring skills is very useful as illustrated here, however it is not a sufficient indicator by itself as other facets to skills development such as on the job training, the quality of education received and the recognition of prior learning (RPL) do play a role on the subject of skill.

Originally published in the Business Report on 7 November 2010.