Mar 05 2009
Is our future left behind in South Africa?
In my ongoing persuit of getting teachers to embrace 21st Century social media tools in their classrooms in South Africa, I have mostly had to deal with severe resistance and antagonism. The best case scenarios have been amused interest, avoidance and lurking participation. The use of social media tools within school walls has mostly been banned, severely controlled or renegated for use by specialist teachers (CAT and IT). Huge amounts of money are still being spend on outdated “drill and practice” (and believe me I have also been there once) software. School managements are “controlling” their learners’ social media habits by banning cell phones and social media networks like Facebook, under the pretence of caring for their learners’ safety.
So what am I saying?
I know about the risks. I know about privacy issues. I know about cyberbullying. I know about information overload (indeed). I know about time limatations, especially for our teachers. But this is the new world reality that we are supposed to prepare our learners for! The scary thing is that they are out there, without our guidance, embracing IT and incorporating IT into their very being in high definition colour and without constraint and thought. And yes, they are using IT at school under the tables and in their pockets. And yes, you can ignore IT, ban IT, firewall IT, suspend IT/them, but you are not going to stop them using IT!
So what is the answer?
There are no answers, only the persuit of knowledge for life. And our learners’ future will depend on how wisely and effectively they will be using the tools afforded to us in the 12st century and beyond. So yes, we can return to our blackboards/whiteboards/”interactive” whiteboards and teach the way we have been teaching for centuries, turning our backs on where they are now and where they will be in the future, but we will be failing our learners yet again. And this time we cannot even blame OBE, the digital divide, the government or for that matter, alien invasions. The problem lies squarely with us, as keepers of our learners’ future.
Solutions are never easy, they are brave, so….
- Accept that learners are on top of the technology- ask them to guide you (teach you) in the use of the tools, while you add your wisdom and experience as an educator in facilitating subject skills, knowlege and values.
- Instead of banning 21st century tools, use them actively in your classroom- get the kids to create and share their knowledge using their favourite tools.
- As far as the inherent dangers of using these tools are concerned: Equip yourself with the know-how of using the tools- it is the only way that you will be able to protect and guide them
- Go online, Mxit up, because what happens in real life, happens online, just faster and easier. So be there- you have to be!
So what can you do practically? Just a few ideas…
- Learn one tool a month (Mxit, delicious/diigo, twitter, blogging, Facebook, slideshare) and go and lurk in their spaces.
- Talk to the CAT teacher about how you can incorporate a new media tool into a lesson plan- once a month!
- Think about how you can incorporate cellphones into your lessons
- Read Steve’s blog on “Beyond the computer lab: Rethinking ICT for education”
- ………..
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I have much empathy with the article as a university lecturer and adult educator. That sais, in my experience, I nuance the statement “Accept that learners are on top of the technology”.
This statement assumes that learners wish to share their knowledge with people outside of their peer (or whatever) in-group. Even with computer students, I am startled how little they seem to associate the digital media as a learning tool. They seem to see it as a recreational and professional tool, as well as useful to copy and paste information for academia but as a learning tool in its own right, they tend to reflect the status quo of teacher-centered learning.
Oh, did I mention that I do not live in South Africa, but in a part of France where unemployment is higher than the national average.
amitiés
Michel
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My full empathy to this well written post. Maggie you have described the frustration, and aggravation that many of us who work with teachers on ICT integration have to endeavor on a daily basis.
As you mentioned the problem also lies within management, I believe that schools’ management teams need to drive and push integration and use of Web 2.0.
Another issue that contributes to my frustration is that of the negative image of the internet and cellophane which inhibit people to pursue this knowledge further.
I think that it is important also to run as many ICT conferences as possible to demonstrate to the teachers models of what works and that it is not as difficult and “dangerous” as they may think.
The one good thing is to know that you are not alone trying to pursue the vision for a brighter future for SA.
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@Michel never mind the computer students, I find that even the CAT teachers teach the tools without emphasis on the learning aspect of the tools.
You are so right, I have highly skilled techie kids that can programme and WOW very virtually, but using the tools to learn does not ever come into it! That is exactly the bottom line- we need TEACHERS to interfene on their level. So it could be (but isn’t) a wonderful way to create a collaborative relationship with learners. They could teach us the tools and we could teach them how to use it to learn….?
@Ariella – we are lone soldiers (am just having a feel- sorry for myself day) How do we light this candle of knowledge seeking in a global connected world (the teahcers tells me they ahve enough distractions already)- This was all started when I got a tweet from a global teacher (@NZWaikato) asking me for directory of SA teacher blogs….and I looked at my handfull of local teacher blogs proportionally to the effort that I have put into getting teachers to blog and I think maybe I had lots more success in my maths class! Thanks for your blog http://ariellah.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/web-20-diary-if-life-gives-you-lemonmake-lemon-meringue/ Maybe I need to go and have a nice big slice of meringue- it will make me feel much better!
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@maggie – Could it not, also, be that the term “LEARN” has very different practical meaning for different people?
For some, it is about reflection-in-action growth and transfer to other domains of our lives (a more “educational”/constructivist approach for want of a better word).
For others, it is short-term problem solving in order to obtain a more short-term reward (a more positive-reinforcement/behaviourist “training” approach that many video games seem to deploy).
I know I am being expediently binary here and, in fact, we are on a continuum, and people are in-between. The point being, maybe we need to help “others” people be more explicitly aware :
1. what they want to learn (and its implications)
2. How they know that they learn something
3. different ways of learning the same thing
4. ??
Maybe, “we” need to explore more about what others learn and want to learn, and I think this is what you are saying here in this post Maggie, is it not ?.
Being a precursor, or a voor-trekker (pulling from the front), one has to cope with the wilderness that the agter-stooters don’t have to contend with. (Please excuse my deplorably, distant memory of Afrikaans that as a French migrant in the 70’s was bo mijn vuurmaak plek.)
@Ariella – question is how do we management-speak to show them how they cannot afford not to ignore emerging ICT?
One strategy is to get management use ICT themselves. Why not by offereing a short online course with ICT. Often they decide with no on-hands knowledge of grassroots realities.
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Well said, Maggie. It’s very frustrating when the advantages are clear but the uptake is so low. Of course there are risks and constraints, but the ONLY way to deal with these is to engage with them. They are NOT going to go away. The ostrich head-in-the-sand approach is only making the problem worse.
So, keep up the good work, we’ll get there in the end!
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Its a very thought provoking post. The reason that I was after a school blog list is that most countries around the world do have them and we have a significant number of South African students here in New Zealand. I only starting blogging last year and there were various places around the world that its very strong in – Australia, United States. Canada England not so much. The networking with other countries is great as it tends to allow students to communicate with others directly, and I was looking for contacts in South Africa, I thought it would be really interesting firstly for students of South African origin to be in contact with students from their ‘home’ and also for students from New Zealand to learn about the country. My partner whose also a teacher at another Waikato school has students who are fluent in Afrikans and its wonderful to share that with others. We’ve done the same sort of thing with my last Auckland school with Tongan and Samoan lessons, and sharing their culture and they loved it. As I said and incredibly thought provoking post.
Myles Webb, Melville Intermediate School, Hamilton,
Waikato, New Zealand.
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Test Comment!
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I think is would true to say, each of us understand the learning potentional for WEB 2 and the importance of getting it to be appreciated and used in education.
WEB 2 is not just an Educational Revolution, it is a REVOLUTION that IS and WILL change the way we do LIFE!! (The Pros and Cons are another topic altogether – JUST keep a Balance.)
YES we are been left behind. The thinking just isn’t there YET.
The fact is MOST schools in South Africa DO NOT HAVE e-mail!
MOST schools in S.A. prefer to be contacted by FAX and that does include former model C schools. As for No fee schools which are the majoratory in SA. the best way to contact the school is by SMS or cellphone call, IF you have a cellphone number contact!
MOST schools that do have e-mail, prefer you to send them plain text e-mails.
I recieved an “Excel database” from the educational department 1,5 years ago with 2700 schools on it out of a total of 27000 school.
I requested help from some of the Unions in contacting member schools…..Acurate databases DO NOT exsist.
We’re talking WEB 2 for SA, but how can we get there if this is the reality above.
I don’t think that WEB 2 will have any kind of eductional department or Government priority for years to come in SA!
BUT that does not mean we must give up. (Whats happend to one LAPTOP for all +/- 370 000 educators in SA? – What about the fact that most of the 27000 schools in SA don’t have one computer?)
WE have to work with what we do have.
We have former Model C schools and Private schools. Many have computers and access. Converting this group to WEB 2 will lead the way.
Firstly it is going to take Educating Management , very Sharp PTA and Governing Body presentations on WEB 2. These are the guys that drive the policy in these 4000 odd schools in SA. Once the school management is behind WEB 2, the funding will be raised. (Non profit WEB 2 fundraising organisation needs to be setup in SA so that schools can apply for assistance.)
The next step is the availabilty of WEB 2 Facilitators that can be depolyed to schools for a 3 month period, to get ALL educators in that school up and running.
The success of these schools can lead the way.
How many WEB 2 seminars and presentations are conducted in SA? Need funding for losts of seminars and presentations, plus it seems because educators are “afraid” of change/ more work/ technology. Perhaps these will need to be incentivised. (Non Profit Funding for this too?)
IF you have the Funding I’ll put a business plan in Place that will ensure:
Phase 1:
WEB 2 presentations are conducted on an ongoing basis to Governing Bodies and PTA’s arround SA.
Phase 2:
Set up non Profit Funding vehicle for infastructure that schools can apply for a parcial or full subsidy. This funding needs to also fund the WEB 2 Facilitator Training and 3 month deployement to a school. Schools must be in a position to carry running and operating expenses to qualify.
Phase 3:
When the school has the WEB 2 backbone in place, the WEB2 Facilitator is deployed for a period of 3 months, to get every Educator in the school WEB 2 literate.
Thank you Maggie, you’re a shining light and your work is making a difference.
An to end a quote:
“All truth passes through three stages:
First it is ridiculed
Second it is violently opposed
Thirdly, it is accepted as being self-evident.”
– Arthur Schopenhauer
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Hi Gaylin,
Was it only last year that we had our little workshop in Hogsback which lit up the web 2.0 flame for you? I propably trained, talked to, canvassed about 500 teachers last year and I reckon my success rate to get them to where you are now has been around 1%. But as I believe in exponential growth from a mathamtical point of view……ther is lots of hope!
You are so right in putting it out there that ongoing training for teachers needs to become a priority for school administrators and yes I agree that the logical place to start would be private schools and schools with internet access. Seen in the contexts that I have trained at schools where there still are no toilets- we do get a spectacular insight into the strange educational landscape in our country!
But I also maintain that Web 2.0 tools are for the people! It can be used by teachers with little access to computers and only access to cellphones. I love to stay in touch with my rural teachers using MXit and we need to take responsibility for the digital divide as well!
All I am really asking for is for all of us to make a little place for the use of web 2.0 tools within the classroom. Roll on phase 1.1!!!!
@NZwaikato Thank you for thinking about a way of connecting SA learners overseas up to their roots back here. I will defintely find you some teachers to collaborate with. If you send me some more specific info about more or less what age group and context then I can use it to pressurise a non suspecting teacher into starting a collaborative project…….online using social media
@stevevosloo: Maybe be can run a course for all the ostriches along with your projects as part of Gaylin’s Phase 1?
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I discovered an incredible resource since incorporating Mxit into my lessons and acting as a tutor for my students at night. Make no mistake I find technology and the use of various web tools fascinating and very useful. However I do find students will be students, and still abuse the privileges you give them as soon as the numbers exceed a small class of +-20, since it then becomes imposable to monitor their usage of the appropriate tools. The bottom line is as educators our role has gone from teaching technology and the aim thereof, to educating children in acceptable behaviour and good morals. The great sadness in that is the fact that the community and the social lifestyle in the world do not encourage what we now have to educate since role models are not. The requirements of FET is very high and for students to really excel you have to work much wider than what is recommended in the NCS documents, I am willing to use any medium to reach my students. Unfortunately there is only 24 hrs in a day.
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Your post has made me think deep into the state that our schools are as far as ICT and Web 2.0. I have reaised that it is not only about web 2.0 or the use of computers as a tool for education, but a broader spectrum of intervention that each school can take upon itself.
See my post on the proposed steps for ICT integration at a school. Please comment and provide feedback. http://ariellah.wordpress.com/2009/03/18/ictintegration/
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