Group items tagged

because of the myriad obstacles to widespread digital access in South Africa, some educators and experts in the technological field argue that e-learning is not viable for us. They believe that bridging the digital divide is too big a challenge.

in developed countries

technology allows them to engage more deeply with the subject matter, while – crucially, in today’s technology driven world – also allowing them to become comfortable with using digital technology.

Implementing e-learning programmes in South Africa is difficult.

that implemented properly, e-learning can assist in both equipping learners to enter a digital world, and alleviating what many see as a crisis in our education system.

proper implementation” lies in using educational technologies that span the online and offline worlds.

solutions

using educational technologies that span the online and offline worlds

Via Afrika

developing digital learning tools that require only limited Internet connectivity to work, and can be used both online and offline.

LivingPages app for Grade 10, 11 and 12 textbooks

interact with their textbooks using a smartphone or tablet

it enhances the printed page with extra digital content

can be streamed directly through the smartphone.

video

graphics

audio

Another

example

the Via Afrika eBook series for Grades 4–12.

e-textbooks can be read in the MobiReader app

allows for learners to engage with digital enhancements such as videos, slide shows and audio offline

Government is also making inroads into overcoming barriers to e-learning

Gauteng

its intention to introduce e-learning to the province’s schools, and distribute 88 000 tablets to schools that need them.

2014-03-05

broadband technology is also becoming increasingly accessible

Too often underprivileged learners who gain entry into tertiary institutions find themselves poorly equipped to work with the technology needed to succeed in these institutions.

If given the opportunity to engage with digital technologies from a young age, learners won’t have to face such challenges later on.

will only increase as cheaper smartphones and internet access become available.

creative educational solutions

Africa has the highest growth rates in eLearning in the world for four out of the five self paced eLearning products and services, including packaged content, custom content development services, cloud-based authoring tools, learning platform services, installed authoring tools, and installed learning platforms.

there are three central challenges that continue to exist which hinder effective implementation of eLearning in Africa.

Internet Access / Connectivity.

Availability Of Locally Developed Content And Curriculum Online.

Training And Professional Development.

South Africa’s peak connection speed was measured at 16.8 Mbps in the first quarter of 2015, giving it a world ranking of 112th.

A large proportion of the educational software produced in the world market is in English.

where English language proficiency is not very high, especially outside urban areas, this represents a serious barrier to eLearning. There are significant challenges in terms of language patterns and local language usage (especially in serving the youngest populations), and as such there is a need for locally developed content.

Teachers on the continent have been brought up in education systems with limited technology and they find it difficult to utilize technology to engage and support learning.

A huge challenge is to develop and implement training and professional development for teachers so they may embrace teaching with technology and understand the benefits of teaching with technology as a way to advance the academic outcomes of students

In South Africa, Microsoft has trained over 31,000 teachers and school leaders on ICT integration with the aim of enhancing teaching and learning and having an impact on nearly 4 million learners. Over 800 trainers from the South African Department of Education have been trained to roll out, scale and sustain the Microsoft Partners In Learning program.

The goal of delivering a high quality education to every child in Africa remains unfulfilled, but technology presents an opportunity for this to be a reality