The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) recently donated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipement to Gaopotlake High in Mokgalwaneng, in the North-West Province, the school is situated about 100 km from Rustenburg. The school has approximately 585 learners: 290 Grade 10, 212 Grade 11 and 83 Grade 12.
The purpose of the donation is to bring the best available technology and practical skills in schools through iPads and MacBooks. The school was chosen because it is the only high school in ward 29.The department believes that it is important to introduce the iSchoolAfrica project to high schools because the learners are getting ready for tertiary institutions and this will help the learners regarding their career choices. The neighbouring schools can also benefit from the project because they have access to use the equipment in Gaopotlake High School.
The department has provided 12 Apple MacBooks, 14 Nikon cameras, 1 adapter, 1 video camera. A total of R570 000 has been used to fund the project. The equipment is kept in a secure, mobile case. The mobile case is a way of deploying scarce resources and can be moved from classroom to classroom, ensuring integration into subject teaching and learning. The place where the equipment is kept is safe.
There are 14 iSchools, sponsored by DRDLR across the country. The schools are located in Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Western Cape. The iSchoolAfrica assists with the integration of the technology into the classrooms. Facilitators work with the respective schools for a duration of three years. They guide them on methodology and on using the MacBooks as tools to assist with curriculum delivery.
Teachers and learners are introduced to ICT in a motivating way. Learners develop creative and critical thinking skills, essential for effective and meaningful participation in daily life. The critical piece of hardware is the MacBooks, Apple’s special-purpose education laptop. This MacBooks comes preloaded with the iLife suite of applications, allowing learners to make movies, music, websites, etc.
The focus of the programme is learning and teaching, not tools, nor infrastructure. However, language proves a challenge as most projects are not created in the vernacular. It is envisaged that the intervention will help teachers in improving the teaching practice and ultimately having a positive impact on the learners.
The coordinator of the Peermont School Support Programme works with schools on drawing up timetables and planning how best to use the tablets and MacBooks so that each class gets the maximum benefit.
Enquiries:
Eddie Mohoebi
Tel: 012 312 9648
Cell: 082 550 1445
