Embracing technology-enhanced learning in South African schools calls for an integrated sustainable approach to curriculum development. Both teachers and learners should be sufficiently equipped with digital learning skills in order to embrace 21st century learning opportunities.
It is important to start by training the teachers, as not all of them are fully technologically advanced or even assured enough to teach and impart these skills to learners. According to an online report, statistics released in Parliament in 2013 by the Department of Basic Education showed only about 6000 of the country’s 25,870 schools were ICT-ready. Problems included a lack of funding, staff training, limited and expensive internet connectivity.
VastraTech's ‘Teachers for Change’ programme is bridging this skills gap, together with the Department of Education and Mathew Goniwe, in its largest initiative – to train 12,000 teachers to ensure true transformation in the classroom.
“Our focus is transforming people development by fostering the use of 21st century skills such as creativity, communication, critical thinking and collaboration,” says Candice du Preez, product marketing manager at VastraTech.
The organisation makes learning and training easier for teachers, using interactive whiteboards and displays that will help fast track the future of education everywhere. These technologies encourage student collaborations and heighten group activities within all teaching spaces.
The combination of audio and annotations with lessons adds a new dimension to school curriculums and enhances student engagement in an easy and visually stimulating way.
The educational programmes and interactive teaching provided by VastraTech has proven to create more engaged learners, develop essential skills and prepare them for their future endeavours. The company is one of the leading value-added distributors of technology and converged communications solutions for customers in the enterprise, SME, government and education markets. It has a sub-Saharan network of specialty resellers that focus on delivering innovative solutions that improve the way people collaborate.
“To prepare kids for this world and their future means evolving education and instructional strategies to match the times our children are growing up in, while also teaching them good citizenship skills,” said Giancarlo Brotto, global education strategist for SMART in his blog, ‘How education technology helps students flourish’.
For more information, go to www.vastratech.com.
