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Date: 09 Sep 2005 Title: Mini labs take science to rural schools --------------------------------------------------------------- By Kulani Mavunda Bethal - Rural high school pupils in Mpumalanga will now have access to well-equipped mini science laboratories. The mini laboratories are small, compact, durable boxes that weigh no more than 15kg and do not need electricity. They also come with printed and electronic manuals, as well as equipment and chemicals for the Grade 8 and 9 Natural Science curricula. "The mini labs are designed to bridge the gap between secondary and tertiary education by stimulating an interest in science," said provincial education spokesperson Thomas Msiza. He said the mini labs were donated by a marketing company called the Bright Idea Project. "The new laboratories will allow pupils to put theory into practical learning," he said. Mini-labs have already been donated to Lekete and KwaMhlanga high schools. Co-owner of the Bright Idea Project, Isaac Johnson, said the manuals would eventually be translated in all eleven languages and cater for grades four to nine. "Language will not be a barrier," he said. "We envisage the mini lab to be a standard item in all under-resourced schools, in both rural and metropole regions, within the next two years." On Friday, eight more mini labs, worth R48 000, will be handed over to Ikhethelo Secondary School in Mzinoni near Bethal. - BuaNews

Making the language lab available to the ESL students just seemed a natural extension of the foreign-language program, several school educators said. "It's just such an important tool to get the kids speaking and listening," Preisel said. "You get more in one session here than in an entire year" in just a classroom. For the non-English speakers, the chance to go through exercises slowly, to be able to repeat words and phrases, to hear themselves speak in English and to do so under teacher supervision seemed a perfect match with the lab's purpose, Moshi said. "It wakes the kids up. It's still English, but it gets their interest. I think it's a great motivational tool," he said. "A lot of the ESL kids aren't computer-literate, so there's an added benefit — it's an introduction to computer literacy."

HIGH TECH: 21st century classroom on the horizon Pupils have say in their future - by John Thorne in Mid Devon Gazette - 6/11/01 Primary school pupils have been given the opportunity to say what they think a high-tech 21st century classroom should contain. The pupils took part in a technology day at Chulmleigh Community College, which has been chosen as the site for a pioneering classroom of the future project, along with Witheridge and Winkleigh primary schools. Devon County Council has been awarded £900,000 by the Department for Education and Skills for the innovative scheme. It aims to help boost learning opportunities for children and adults in rural communities. Devon is one of 12 local authorities selected following an invitation by the Government to councils to come up with plans for a classroom of the future. Each of the three schools would be equipped with the latest computers, audio and video technology. This would allow pupils and adult learners to benefit from video links with experts at three of Devon's technology colleges, including Queen Elizabeth's at Crediton. They would be able to take lessons or give lectures without moving from their home base. The idea is to provide greater learning opportunities for people living in rural areas and help to cut down social exclusion in isolated communities.

The twelve local education authorities developing pilot projects are Bedfordshire, Bournemouth, Camden, Cornwall, Devon, Durham, Kensington and Chelsea, Milton Keynes, Norfolk, Richmond upon Thames, Sheffield, Telford and Wrekin.

To make the paradigm shift with campus wireless possible—or even advance its evolution—wireless must be ubiquitous and seamless. Wireless devices need to work, not just on campus, but globally, and they must be able to go from campus to home to plane to Sri Lanka seamlessly. And we can’t teach a course that makes effective use of wireless technology without an appropriate wireless device. With these infrastructure requirements, we could have classes that really use the mobility of mobile devices. One small step in that direction would be to have distributed classes where some students would physically be in a classroom while others would be distributed to various action sites. Learning about pollution? Have some students locate different polluted sites and participate in the class on site like the evening news. “This is Sue reporting Podunk the toxic chemicals are pouring into the Crimea River.”