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.

Article written by Leslie Katz and originally published on CNET News.

We’ve been told that social networking can make us depressed, envious, and filled with self-doubt, not to mention mess with our marriages.

Now, a new study out of Columbia University suggests another Internet-related side effect: All that Googling we’re doing may be impacting our memory (which might not be a bad thing if it helps us forget all the scary things our online lives are supposedly doing to us).

The good news is our dependence on Internet searches isn’t necessarily shrinking our cerebral cortexes or making us forget where we put our car keys. Instead, it’s changing the way our brains organize and retain information, according to the study.

“Since the advent of search engines, we are reorganizing the way we remember things,” Betsy Sparrow, a Columbia University assistant professor of psychology, said in a statement. “Our brains rely on the Internet for memory in much the same way they rely on the memory of a friend, family member, or co-worker.”

In other words, the Internet has become a primary form of what psychologists call “transactive memory,” or externally stored recollections that we know where to access when we need to.

The research, which comes out tomorrow in the journal Science, suggests we forget things we’re sure we can find on the Internet, and are more likely to remember things we think we can’t (probably very little these days). Furthermore, the research says, we are better able to remember where to find something on the Internet than we are at remembering the information itself.

Sparrow’s paper, titled “Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips,” is based on research conducted with colleagues Jenny Liu of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Daniel M. Wegner of Harvard University. It involved four memory tests.

One experiment involved the participants reading trivia statements. They were then tested for their memory of them when they believed the statements had been saved (searchable later as is the case with Internet search and databases) or erased. Subjects who believed the information would be accessible did worse on the memory test than those who believed the information was gone.

The same trivia statements were used to test memory of both the information itself and where the information could be found. Participants again believed data either would be saved in general, saved in a specific spot, or erased. They recognized the erased statements more than the ones that were saved.

Sparrow doesn’t want her research to alarm people. She thinks a greater understanding of memory in the Google age could impact teaching and learning in beneficial ways.

“Perhaps those who teach in any context, be they college professors, doctors, or business leaders, will become increasingly focused on imparting greater understanding of ideas and ways of thinking, and less focused on memorization,” Sparrow said. “And perhaps those who learn will become less occupied with facts and more engaged in larger questions of understanding.”

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and Columbia’s department of psychology.

The following article by Jonathan Jansen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State, landed in my inbox a few days ago. I though it deserves a read, as it highlights the glaring misgivings of our current education system here in South Africa.

By Jonathan Jansen

I have in front of me the 2010 “Statement of Results” for the National Senior Certificate statement of a youngster who demands to study at university.

They are: Afrikaans 43, English 39, mathematical literacy 38, life orientation 78, business studies 41, computer applications technology 31, life sciences 28.

At the bottom of the certificate is this unbelievable statement: “The candidate qualifies for the national senior certificate and fulfils the minimum requirements for admission to higher education.”

Understandably, this young woman takes these words literally, and correctly demands a seat in any place of higher learning. With the young woman’s claim to study I have no problem. With the society that sets the bar for performance so low, I have serious problems.

Slowly, slowly we are digging our collective graves as we fall into a sinkhole of mediocrity from which we are unlikely to emerge.

We make excellence sound like a white thing. Behind a massive wave of populism, and in the misguided name of regstelling (setting right the past), we open access to resources and universities to young people without the hard work necessary to achieve those gifts and to succeed once there. Of course, you’re a racist if you question this kind of mindlessness; how else do you, as a politician, defend yourself against the critics of mediocrity in an election year?

I miss Steve Biko. In the thinking of black consciousness, he would have railed against the low standards we set for black achievement, in the language of the 1970s.

This young (incidentally black) person did not achieve anything above 50% in her Senior Certificate results for any exam subject, but we tell her she can proceed to higher studies. What are we saying? That black students are somehow less capable and therefore need these pathetic results to access higher education? No, I am sorry, but today I am angry about the messages we send our children.

I saw black parents and students squirm the other night when I addressed a racially diverse group of parents and students and made this point clear: “If a black student requires from you different treatment and lower academic demands because of an argument about disadvantage, tell them to take a hike.” (Okay, I used stronger
language.)

I saw white teachers squirm when I made the other important point: “If you have lower academic expectations of black children because of what they look like, or where they come from, that is the worst kind of racism.”

Our society, schools and universities have adjusted expectations downwards, especially in relation to black students, and that is dangerous in a country with so much promise for excellence.

As stories come rolling in from across the country for our Great South African Teachers book, I am struck by one thing. That many black professionals who are chartered accountants, medical scientists or corporate lawyers tell of attending ordinary public schools under apartheid, often in rural areas, and having teachers at the time who, despite the desperate poverty and inequality, held high expectations of their learners. There was no compromising on academic standards; there was homework every day; there was punishment for low performance; and there was constant motivation to rise above your circumstances.

Not today. Mathematical literacy is a cop-out, a way of compensating for poor maths teaching in the mainstream. Parents of Grade 9 children, listen carefully – do not let your school force your child into mathematical literacy because they will struggle to find access to academic degree studies at serious universities. Insist your child does mathematics in Grade 10 for that important choice determines what your child writes in Grade 12.

It is not, of course, mathematical literacy that I am concerned about; there are good teachers of the subject. It is about the message we send: that children can’t do maths.

In other words, a message again communicated of low expectations. Do not buy into this culture of mediocrity in the way your child makes subject choices. Also, tell your child not to take life orientation seriously; as you can see in the above results, there is no positive relationship between high marks in academic subjects and this thing called life orientation.

Small wonder young people with better results than those above are without work. The marketplace, and serious universities, know this child will not succeed with these kinds of results, even if Umalusi does not “get it”.

Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Mxit, Ning, Digg, Plurk, LinkedIN, Blogger, Bebo, Tumblr, Reddit, Google Buzz, FriendFeed, Faqpal …

The list could continue, but I’m going to stop there. With the increasing popularity of social networking, instant messaging and online communication, learners are connecting with more and more people on an national, and often international level. I think this is a positive trend and certainly something that ‘old-school folk’ can do nothing about. Particularly with the increasing view that social networking and the internet is becoming the next great learning tool.

However, learners seem to be interacting face-to-face with their peers less often, and some key communication and teamwork skills are being left out. It’s quite possible that the ability to communicate directly with another person is degenerating. Despite the growth of online communication, direct communication will always be important and necessary. Learners with good direct communication skills will always be at an advantage as opposed to those who can’t quite get along with their peers.

Group work tasks are a great way of giving learners the opportunity to communicate directly and practise positive teamwork skills. To teach teamwork to learners, you will first need to highlight the importance of direct communication, delegation and compromise.

Here are some skills to highlight …

Listening
The most important skill of effective teamwork is the ability to listen to others. This is not only to show respect, but also important for each learner to know what is being discussed and where the discussion is heading. A simple way of helping learners with this is to give the group an object (e.g. ruler, pencil etc). Only one person may speak at a time, and that person is the one who is holding the object.

Speaking
Most learners have no problem talking with their friends, but to work in a team they’ll need to know who to talk to an audience. Learners will not only need to know how to bring their argument across, but also how to keep the attention of those who are listening. Learners need to express themselves clearly and get to the point quickly so that they are easily understood. People can daydream if someone is talking for too long. I do all the time!

Confidence
Not so much a skill as a state of mind, but I believe confidence is something that can be practised. To participate in teamwork tasks, learners need confidence. Confidence to express their own ideas, confidence to accept and direct negative feedback. Confidence building can take a long time, but the more learners are exposed to unfamiliar situations, the more they learner how to adapt and get along.

There are many other skills to teach including respect, leadership, delegation and more. You should go into these other skills in more detail once the learners have mastered the three fundamental skills above.

A great way of introducing teamwork is through classroom games and activities. You can try team games, or individual games that will expose learners to other peers whom they generally do not communicate with.

Here is an online list of corny games to try. I’m sure if you Google it you’ll be able to come up with much cooler games.

Alternatively, submit your classroom games in the comment box below and stand a chance to win a R250 Woolworths gift voucher …

About ICDL South Africa

The ICDL is the international standard in computer skills certification – available in 148 countries, in 36 languages, with almost 10 million Candidates registered worldwide.  Contact us to find a registered ICDL Centre in your area, or to find out how your school/organisation can offer this international certification to your learners, staff and community.

Our contact details …

www.icdl.org.za
info@icdl.org.za

Tel: 086 123 ICDL / 021 671 1070
Fax: 021 674 1805

About Computers 4 Kids

Computers 4 Kids specialises in providing a unique ECDL Foundation endorsed Integrated ICT Curriculum, as well as all the backup, support and in-service training to ensure your ICT centre works for you!

Currently servicing hundreds of schools and hundreds of thousands of learners each day, we also provide a home school version as well as an entrepreneurs model where educators can offer ICT classes (or ‘extra lessons’) from their homes or small offices using our internationally renowned educational software. Computers 4 Kids prides itself in the fact that it is the only company worldwide (148 countries) to have a primary school product endorsed by the ECDL Foundation in Ireland.

The Computers 4 Kids programme is available internationally and in a number of languages – please visit our website or www.e-learner.mobi for further information.

Our contact details …

www.computers4kids.co.za
info@computers4kids.co.za

Tel: 021 712 7800
Fax: 021 712 2639

This article was written by Melanie Gow.

So you have a computer centre at school, now what?

The latest technology is awaiting eager minds hungry to learn, so what do you teach them?

Most schools decide that the only thing that should be taught in a computer centre is computer related skills. Are there common guidelines for what needs to be taught/covered/acquired by the time a learner graduates to grade 8? Most schools follow their own ‘syllabus’, some (at huge expense) pay for programs which very cleverly link the curriculum to computer literacy, and others still are not sure what skills they should be doing at all. What does the Education Department have to say about this?

Judging by the software chosen by the highly successful Khanya project, in the Western Cape, they advocate curriculum development as a priority for the computer centre with a major focus on numeracy and literacy. Gauteng Online follows a similar strategy and are almost at the stage of allowing schools to choose their own curriculum development software.

I had the privilege of meeting with the Head of e-learning for the Eastern Cape (East London District). His main message is: “Computer centres should be used for curriculum development and the computer skills will follow. Where in the curriculum does it ask for a dedicated learning area called ‘Computer Literacy’?”.

Why the debate? Primary schools are spending a lot on dedicated teachers and programs to teach computer literacy – which is a fantastic skill – but then lose out on valuable integration time with the curriculum. Why is this seemingly a waste of resources? The progression from primary to high school – where on the computer skills ladder does the high school need to begin? From the bottom, as there is no set guide/outcomes for the teaching of computer skills. Therefore who knows which primary schools have covered which aspects?

So how should computer centres be utilised to maximise the capital outlay? Well I say for curriculum development (and choose software that adds real value) AND computer skills. There is place for both, it’s an injustice to reserve such a privileged resource for one purpose only. So let computer centres adopt a female gender and multi-task!

Viva Bafana Bafana Viva South Africa!!!

PRESS RELEASE

Date: 29 April 2010

The Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) and Tshwane Mayoral AIDS Council will be launching a programme called “Managing HIV in Schools”, on the 21st of May 2010 at 3pm at FPD Head Office in Lynwood Ridge. The keynote speaker of the day, Dr G Ramokgopa, Mayor of Tshwane has engaged 350 schools in Tshwane to participate.

Statistics show that 6-8% of children are orphaned by AIDS in South Africa. To these orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC), schools serve as a place of safety and support where many receive their only meal of the day. Across Tshwane, the picture in our schools is just as devastating with a large number of OVCs and children infected with HIV. According to statistics from the Tshwane Mayoral AIDS Council, there are approximately 14 000 HIV positive ‘missing’ children who have not received testing and are therefore not receiving antiretroviral treatment.

Educators, who are crucial to our learners receiving a solid education, have one of the highest HIV prevalence rates as a group in South Africa at approximately 12.8% and 21.4% amongst teachers in the 25-34 age groups. On World AIDS Day in 2009, President Jacob Zuma said that, “We need extraordinary measures to reverse the trends we are seeing in the health profile of our people”. This programme will be one such extraordinary measure that expects to achieve increased voluntary counseling and testing amongst the school’s learners and staff, create awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention and management strategies and most importantly, integrates participating schools into government and NGO treatment and support services in the area.The Mayor of Tshwane, Dr G Ramokgopa has the following to say about the programme: “the success and integration of this programme within Tshwane’s existing school support programmes will be critical to reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS across our schools and communities”.The pilot programmed will be launched in May 2010 across Tshwane’s four school districts with the hope that the programme be expanded beyond Tshwane as soon as possible.

Contact: Joanne Brink
Education Faculty

Tel: (012) 816 9035
Fax: 086 584 7376
Mobile: 072 728 5877

E-mail: joanneb@foundation.co.za
Website: www.foundation.co.za

If you’re a teacher stuck in the dark age, perhaps you should watch this video … if you know how.

If you’re a teacher reading this column heading with shock and disgust then hang in there. I do know how to spell and my grammar is about as good as any 24 year old, technically-savvy, sms generation man.

I matriculated at SACS High School in 2004 after spending both my junior and high school careers at the oldest school in South Africa. When I finished school, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life other than knowing that it would be along the creative line. I toyed with the ideas of being a chef, a fine artist or something in the film industry.

After two years pottering around working random jobs and generally gaining post-school experience I woke up one day knowing exactly what I wanted to do with my life … I wanted to be a graphic designer. What’s more, I had made the decision all by myself, and I knew it was the right one.

“Take that, people who said dropping maths and science would be a grave mistake!” I thought to myself as I read my acceptance letter to study Graphic Design ND at CPUT. “Take that teachers! In fact, take that school! What did you do for me?” I thought.

Sure I had studied Art at school and that was probably my favourite subject (not only because we could get away with almost anything thanks to a few very liberal teachers over the years). Otherwise I couldn’t think of a single other subject that I had taken and stressed-out about come exam time, which played the slightest role in what I had decided to study and most likely would make a life of.

“What a waste of money!” I convinced myself. All those years of wearing a uniform and boater and getting average marks when I could have just gone to some design school to begin with.

I actually immaturely held that view for most of my tertiary education until it gradually dawned on me that what I had learnt at that fine school was far more important than the subjects or the sports games.

I had learnt how to be a gentleman, a people’s person and a confident young man. I had learnt social skills, etiquette teamwork and leadership. Qualities that made me stand out from others and skills that made me proud of everything I had achieved. Skills that didn’t come from any particular subject but from my entire, fortunate schooling experience at the hands of dedicated teachers and traditions that dated back over 150 years.

I now see the absolute importance of a good education and how vital it is to developing character, as well as a sound academic mind. It doesn’t matter whether or not the subjects you did had any bearing on what you end up doing after school.

Today I am working as a Marketing Manager for a company that develops educational software for schoolchildren and teachers.

Thank you SACS.