Dr. Emil Ahangarzadeh, Director of California’s Technical Statewide Education Technology Services
It’s about setting up a framework, rules, and a common purpose.
the need to abide by the law
is about finding the appropriate balance between allowing teachers and students enough choice over what technology they may use and the necessary level of control the administrators need apply
“According to analysts Bill Rust and Jan-Martin Lowendahl of Gartner, the best way for education technology leaders to allay the risk of pandemonium within a BYOT program is to offer their stakeholders a sustainable and viable level of choice.”
more than just having everyone connected to the internet at school. It’s about incorporating technology into the curriculum and equipping our students with the technological skills needed to succeed in the future
A major issue for most schools is bandwidth.
Many schools have limited internet and wi-fi capabilities.
Adding scores of devices to an already burdened system may take some networks over the edge.
This is an important variable for schools to consider before they start a BYOT program
what the goal of their BYOT will be.
Will the BYOT program focus on supporting teacher and administrator need? Will it focus on the needs of students? Or will be all inclusive.
no “one size fits all” solution
Each school will have to take several factors into consideration before it implements a BYOT program.
Bring your own device (BYOD)—also called bring your own technology (BYOT), bring your own phone (BYOP), and bring your own Personal Computer (BYOPC)—refers to the policy of permitting employees to bring personally owned devices (laptops, tablets, and smart phones) to their workplace, and to use those devices to access privileged company information and applications.[
The term BYOD first entered common use in 2009, courtesy of Intel when it recognized an increasing tendency among its employees to bring their own devices (i.e., smartphones, tablets and laptop computers) to work and connect them to the corporate network
Distractions of games and videos
Unmonitored social networking leading to bullying or predation
Consumption (and creation) of inappropriate content
Social status and stigma of devices
Personal computing changed the nature of human life forever
The impact of these devices on the lives of adults and children of today is amazing but it is only the beginning
a wave of innovation in digital assistive devices
devices like Google Glass
people are never without their smartphone and rarely out of range of a network connection.
human condition is radically improved by the immediacy of information and social interconnectedness that these devices enable
smartphone has become a seamless compliment to my human brain. With my brain and my smartphone on, I am more powerful
addictive
We are all more powerful beings armed with our devices
Whose responsibility is it to teach responsible use?
important to teach children how to use their other technology “brains” as it is to teach them to use their physical brains
So how are teachers and administrators to cope with the risks of unfettered online access with the responsibility to teach students how to leverage this irreplaceable technology?
Seek tools to manage content
Put policy and technology in place
Surround the access points with security
Leverage the speed of these new technologies to discover and participate in experiments with pioneering institutions in the digital world.
how are parents to cope with the risks of unfettered online access at school
supporting your local school in their efforts with BYOD and technology initiatives
Associating technology with learning in the minds of our children
These are not JUST tools for playing games.
both physical books and ebooks
read to your children
sources of interaction like ebooks
devices can be used for knowledge consumption and knowledge contribution
Show them how you manage your work life and home life with the help of your own devices
etiquette for email and SMS in the same way that you discuss the polite ways to interact personally
assist the following target groups:
The Department of Transport
Officials at the Arrive Alive Campaign
Road users
Tourists
Students and scholars doing research projects on road safety.
Private business in a variety of industries including motoring, trauma and healthcare, legal and insurance companies
Victims of road accidents and their families
will also benefit visitors from other countries worldwide - and especially other road safety initiatives and campaigns in Africa!
knowledge can only be shared through the unselfish contributions from people with expertise in a wide variety of fields
Department of Transport must increase the visibility of traffic officers on our roads and ensure that regular and random vehicle roadworthy inspections are being carried out.
IFP Spokesperson on Transport, Mr Petros Sithole, MP, said “the consistently high visibility of traffic officers on our roads will go a long way in preventing such incidents
passenger taxi was overloaded
carrying more than twenty people.
We urge the Department of Transport to understand that campaigns like “Arrive Alive” should not only be a festive season initiatives but rather continuing campaigns.
Premier Helen Zille formally launched the Western Cape’s eLearning “Game-Changer” at the province’s Legislature building in Cape Town today (8 September 2015).
will provide free high-speed internet access to all Western Cape schools by the end of 2016, to support teaching and learning.
for improving access to quality education in all communities.
vision is to use eLearning to improve literacy and numeracy, and to ensure that our learners are better prepared for the 21st century.
two key parts.
free high-speed broadband access.
first
second
give learners and teachers instant access to the very best digital materials for teaching and learning.
ePortal
Western Cape Government (WCG) is investing R3.8 billion over the next 10 years to bring high-speed broadband to all residents of the Western Cape.
And schools are our first priority. Over the next decade, R2 billion of the total investment will be on connectivity at schools.
broadband system will provide a Wide Area Network (WAN).
total of 581km of fibre optic cable will have been laid by the end of 2016,
alongside the existing 1251km Neotel cable network
backbone
connects all schools and other sites across the province.
Western Cape Education Department is also installing Local Area Networks (LANs) in schools, district offices and head offices to connect classrooms, teachers and learners to the broader admin system.
Work started in September last year, and the first schools were connected to the WAN in April this year
31 August 2015, service providers have completed connectivity at 275 schools
end of 2016, all schools in the province will have free, high-speed internet access.
“smart classrooms”
including interactive whiteboards, laptops, projectors and other devices to support teaching and learning.
addition
will be able to use their own devices,
3 350 smart classrooms were established in schools in 2014/15. The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) also refreshed 249 computer laboratories in the same year.
The WCED has provided 26 000 ICT training opportunities to date, to support teaching and learning.
the new eLearning Portal has gone live, and is accessible at www.wcedeportal.co.za.
Our new broadband system and the digital revolution are making it much easier to respond to the individual needs of learners, teachers, parents, school managers and governors.
individuals can easily access the ePortal from any location
content available on the ePortal will be entirely demand-driven, with content suppliers competing to provide the best digital resources.
Few schools in South Africa have the ability to roll out effective e-learning programmes because of a lack of understanding of these platforms, says an industry insider
many South Africans schools, and the authorities that govern them, are misinformed as to what e-learning actually is,” Ian Light, chief executive of Eiffel Corp, told Fin24.
Eiffel Corp is an e-learning specialist and Light said that the lack of local understanding of the process makes it difficult to define the exact number of schools that have effective programmes in place.
some of the biggest barriers to schools having a successful e-learning ecosystem is the lack of a well-planned teaching and learning strategy that incorporates technology, a lack of funding to invest in online platforms to administer and deliver e-learning content as well as the complementary subsidising of network data and connectivity infrastructure at places of learning,” said Light.
In Gauteng, Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has spear-headed the provincial e-learning programme in which the paperless education system is expected to cost around R17bn.However, the programme has had challenges with a number of devices stolen.
More than 100 smart boards have been stolen in our schools since the installation in July 2015 of the ICT programme in the Grade 12 classrooms in 377 schools
But a critical component is the training of teachers to manage the delivery of the curriculum through technology tools.
it should be clear that the training (perhaps we should call it up-skilling) of teachers is a massive task
expensive and a labour intensive
But unless it is done in tandem with the roll-out of technology devices in schools, there will be minimal return on the technology investment," Kobus van Wyk recently told Fin24.
Van Wyk is the chief executive of the Associated Distributors of Educational Supplies in Southern Africa and managed the Khanya Project for a decade.
“South Africa needs strong, committed national leadership and complementary government policy to foster innovation and direct efforts to encourage teacher skills growth in this area,” said Light.
Poll that revealed more than half of school children said they knew more than their teachers about the use of tablets and computers for learning.
for e-learning to be effective and assist with bridging the divide for all learners, it needs effective planning that integrates with sound, measurable academic practices, cheap and reliable data connectivity as well as committed, long term funding from government,” said Light.
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.
According to Michael Kransdorff, chief economist and co-founder of MyTreasury.co.za, “If like many South Africans, you drive less than 50km a day, using an Uber will save you money.”
Uber states on its website that drivers who wish to join the service must meet a set of requirements – which includes background checks and a driving evaluation.
Drivers wanting to join Uber must:
Produce a valid South African PrDP (professional driving permit).
Complete a background check with an approved agency, which includes checking for a criminal record.
Complete a driving evaluation with an approved agency to ensure the driver can safely and professionally transport passengers.
Complete an Uber certification session, which includes a test administered by Uber.
A vehicle insurance policy, vehicle operating card and registration certificate, and a vehicle inspection report must also be submitted.
Taxi drivers in South Africa have had a fierce reputation dating back to the days of apartheid and have often resorted to violence to protect their routes.
In the posh business area of Sandton, a passenger was pulled out of an Uber car a week ago and the driver was threatened with whips and batons. The meter taxi drivers say they are angry with Uber for taking their customers, and making business difficult for them.
Under apartheid the white minority government had neglected to provide reliable public transport for the majority of South Africans. Mostly black individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit took it upon themselves to start an informal taxi service. They have been running it for decades.
Now the government wants to regulate it and it is finding it difficult to penetrate the multi-billion dollar industry. Minibus taxis ferry millions of people every day to and from work. They provide an essential service.
And it is under this tense climate that the innovative Uber business idea has arrived.
customer
her Uber driver was too scared to pick her and her husband up from Sandton after being harassed by the metered taxi drivers.
Uber in AfricaLaunched in Johannesburg in 2012
Uber prices are cheaper and its cars are much cleaner
11. What influence did the intimidation of Uber drivers and customers had on the Uber service?
a regular Uber customer
she has found ways of using the service, undetected by metered taxi drivers.
"I ask them to pick me up away from designated pick-up spots in order to enjoy the cheaper service without being intimidated."
Its Johannesburg general manager, Alon Litz, said in statement that intimidation was getting worse.
"We are in constant communication with the drivers assuring them that their safety is our number one priority. We're looking into ways to reduce cases of intimidation," he said. 'Like third-class citizens'
I asked 70-year-old Peter Moloi what problem he had with Uber?
that Uber annoyed him because it had jumped the queue for operating licenses.
"We are tired of being treated like third-class citizens in our own country."
foreign-owned firm received its taxi licence quickly, compared with some of his colleagues who had waited for years.
Uber in South Africa had one million rides in 2014 - in the first half of this year it has already reached double that.
Theron said tolling schemes for long distance economic corridors make sense, but not when these are applied to daily commuter routes such as the Gauteng Freeway network.
What is the main cause behind the potholes, according to CSIR?
According to CSIR (The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research), the main cause behind the pothole situation lies in a lack of adequate improvement in the preventative maintenance on a number of roads.
The roads in Gauteng have been under serious scrutiny. In recent media reports, it was identified that, in a space of six years, the amount of roads considered to be in a poor to very poor condition had increased from 20-46%. This deterioration has led the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) to roll out a 'road rehabilitation campaign' which aims to address and repair 12 703 potholes and 37 545 patchings and clearings.