The MELISSA project

MELISSA Final Event

2011-10-18T11:12:00.000+02:00

A lovely little article about our final event. Thanks to Laban Bagui

Prof. Cantoni also utilised the short visit to Cape Town as a social and business opportunity. The 5-day visit kicked off with the final event, followed by a solid dinner at Marco's African Place (although the Mopani worms proved to be too much, perhaps). With colleagues from MELISSA and the Youth Hospitality Initiative (YHI) then headed to RLabs the following morning. RLabs is "a global movement that provides innovative solutions to address various complex problems." We met Brent Williams, one of the directors. His enthusiasm was inspiring, and we could certainly see many possibilities for collaboration. Afterwards, we introduced Prof. Cantoni to Kirstenbosch, one of our nation's beloved botanical gardens. We then proceeded up Table Mountain, which is a must for any visitor to Cape Town. While you're at it, please vote for the mountain to become one of the New7Wonders of Nature. Afterwards, we had an in-depth discussion with our friends from the YHI, followed by an extraordinary dinner at the Kalk Bay Harbour House: Live Bait.

The following morning, we thought it a good idea for our Italian visitor to experience a classic wine tasting in the Franschhoek valley. First stop, Graham Beck. This is a rather fancy place, with fancy wines and fancy tables (although, one unlucky guest's table basically exploded...spooky). Next, Solms Delta. This place seemed more "close to home", and we were made to feel very comfortable by our local host. Oh, the wine and food was also delicious.

On Monday, we met the CPUT Dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Design, Prof. Johannes Cronje, as well as the HOD Prof. Bennett Alexander, and the IT Programme Coordinator, Prof. Retha de la Harpe. Our hosts were spirited and introduced us to some of their research activities at CPUT, particularly the Kujali Project. After having a short closing meeting with the MELISSA team, Prof. Cantoni headed home. Overall, this wrapped up a successful project visit.

Feedback

2011-09-05T13:51:00.000+02:00

We've received some very positive feedback from our training participants. The graph below indicates how respondents perceived their ICT skill level, both before and after the course. Overall, this is a positive indication of the impact of our training programme.

MELISSA Final Event 2011

2011-09-05T13:43:00.000+02:00

The MELISSA Project will soon host its final event for 2011 in Cape Town, South Africa. This one-day event is scheduled for 6 October, and will grant an opportunity for our delightful participants to discuss some of their experiences with the project. Prof. Lorenzo Cantoni will also be making a keynote address. Further, this event is a great networking opportunity for learners, educators, and professionals interested or working in the field of e-learning (and -training!)

More details to follow soon!

Cape Town: the venue for this year's final event

ReSNES Colloquium 2011

2011-09-05T11:54:00.000+02:00

We've recently submitted a paper to the Research Network for e-Skills (ReSNES) Action-Research Colloquium, to take place in South Africa in November. This is about educators in the MELISSA programme and their discourses surrounding interactions with ICTs in schools. An abstract of it below:

Considering the pivotal role educators play in the education system, it is expected that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) interventions in schools will be effective only if educators are willing and able to appropriate the intervention to their actual needs, and derive real benefits. One of the barriers to the meaningful integration of ICTs in education in developing countries is the lack of alignment between what funders and project implementers intended (on the one hand) and the social meanings educators assign to the technology (on the other). The aim of the study reported here was to understand the discourses around education and technology, as articulated by educators in disadvantaged contexts in South Africa. Data for the study was collected through in-depth interviews with teachers from under-resourced schools in Cape Town, in the Western Cape in South Africa. The results show that teachers appreciate the value of ICT in education and are willing to adopt it. However, at the same time, they feel they lack capacity and support to effectively achieve that goal. The study also shows that global discourses on ICT may deny teachers in disadvantaged communities the power to voice the challenges they face when integrating ICTs in their teaching processes.

The colloquium will be hosted by the South African Department of Communications. For more info on this paper, please contact us.

MELISSA updates

2011-09-05T11:47:00.000+02:00

It has been a busy few months. Training has been completed at our four schools in Group B, and we are now in the process of analysing data. We've also worked on a number of publications, some of which are pending review. One such paper discusses our blend of qualitative and quanitative methodology. An abstract of it below:

This paper presents challenges and trends emerging from an on-going project, named MELISSA – Measuring E-Learning Impact in primary Schools in South African disadvantaged areas). MELISSA measures the impact of exposure to ICTs in teacher training and learning. The intention is here to understand and analyse changes in attitudes to and uses of ICTs. To accomplish this goal, the MELISSA team applied a mixed investigative approach, merging qualitative and quantitative methodologies. This paper intends to offer an evaluation of the respective (blended) approaches. Although the project is not yet completed, preliminary data will be extracted to demonstrate the feasibility of both quantitative and qualitative analyses. It is hoped that more light will be shed on the question of whether measurement is an effective means of gaining project insight. It may be examined if both approaches (methodologies) are necessary and mutual counterparts to one another. Ultimately, this paper will describe a critical approach to measuring e-learning impact in disadvantaged contexts; one that may advance a better understanding of qualitative versus quantitative measurements.

We hope to present this at this year's CIRN Conference in Prato, Italy. If you'd like to know more about it, please contact us through the comment box.

Training Day: 11

2011-02-24T08:00:00.000+01:00

Back in our favourite location: Langa, day 11. I arrived quite early at the school, did the usual rounds at the secretary's office (only experience can tell you that you need to formally announce your presence on arrival), and proceeded to set up the PCs. Only to learn, to my not-so-astonishment, that the internet was capped. Alas, one of the problems most - if not all - our schools have is that of bandwidth. They have ridiculous bandwidth caps - something like 3 or 5 GB per school per month. Just think how easy it is to reach that limit after a thousand kids and fifty teachers have visited the lab. Nonetheless, we had to make due...I've been in this situation before, and honestly, the first few times I panicked. It wasn't an option today: these teachers were motivated (could it be because the aircon was working again?), and arrived on time as well. Even the former 'class rogue' pitched up (aircon?).

I happened to notice that certain local sites were still functioning, including Google's local engine. I then decided to combine Google capabilities with that of the ever-evasive MS PowerPoint in what I shall here refer to as: the slideshow special. Oh and by the way, our Post Doc and new Doc was on-site as well, which was awesome: we had three skilled people to manage a room of six. That's hands-on right there. I first asked teachers to create personal folders on the server. Then I proceeded to do an MS PowerPoint introduction. I asked teachers to compile a slideshow that was relevant to what they taught in class (i.e. biology, math, health, etc.). This then involved searching the local Google for pics and information on those very topics. Fortunately we were able to copy pics (I should say thumbnails) from Google into our presentations. I proceeded to demonstrate how PP animation is done, and teachers were so excited by the results. All in all, I think it was a fruitful session: we combined basic internet functionality with basic presentation software, and I think such a combination can be useful if deployed well.

Several teachers asked for some kind of 'work pack': a PDF or similar which illustrates everything I taught, step by step. This is something we did during the former module as well, and it is something I still need to do (aside from the introductory one I already copied onto each school's server). Due to the fact that I've improvised - quite significantly! - I haven't really had the opportunity to sit down and condense everything into a nice PDF. That's it for today, will check back in soon!

Our doctoral candidate Patricia

Training Day: 10

2011-02-23T09:56:00.000+01:00

Langa, day 10 (of training). Because this school had 'discipline training' on a Thursday, we moved their slot to Tuesday. Note to self: one of the most important things of school training modules is that you need to constantly improvise. That means having to readjust your time schedule on short notice. Also, you need to evaluate the progress of the 'class' and always be sure to accommodate a slower/faster pace. Anyway, so the first problem we had yesterday was punctuality. Yes, we operate on African time. Which always means we start 30 minutes late. I arrived an hour earlier yesterday, announced myself at the secretary, and requested her to make an announcement that teachers be on time for the module, which starts (promptly, in an ideal world) at 14h30. I then proceeded to prep the room, making sure we have connectivity, and that the module content is loaded and ready to go. However, only three teachers arrived..and only at 15h00.

I don't always get why. But yesterday it seemed like they were still busy in class. But the Department only allows research until 15h30. Which means, given that they take 10 minutes to log in and access the net, we only have like 20 minutes left! In any case, I made due with what was happening and we started with creating personal folders on the common server. I then did a recap on the previous lesson by asking teachers to create a new Word document, with a WordArt header on top. By this time, another three teachers joined us, and our Post Doc - and future Module 2 trainer - handled them separately. We then proceeded to Internet Explorer, navigated to Google, and searched for images. We then pasted relevant images - "things I like" - into Word, rearranged them and saved the document. Two teachers were extremely happy with what we've done: documents like these are very useful as classroom worksheets (apparently), and for the first time they were shown how to create it themselves.

During the development of this module I realised that the smaller things can really make a difference. Something as simple as pasting images from a search engine into a document - these are what they seem to like and enjoy. And best of all: it doesn't require major bandwidth, nor advanced (browsing) skills. I came into this module again with these awesome software tools in mind, that I really wanted to WOW teachers with. But I did not really get that they are WOWed with the slightest information, in this case, that of creating a personalised worksheet. Until tomorrow!

Training Day: 9

2011-02-17T16:10:00.000+01:00

We didn't run around so much this week as in the last. Our school in Athlone postponed their session, and our school in Gugulethu had unexpected computer trouble. In fact, they had some folks over from "insert institution here" who installed the Talking Stories software. The 'sudden' result being stubborn and dysfunctional computers..I don't know what happened; we may need to reassess things at this school since they are now at least 4 sessions behind. This was also the case in the former module, and we're now almost out of options!

Some good news though, was that our one school in Langa had a really good session. Teachers were requested to use Google - as our preferred search engine - to find information on "things they like". We demonstrated to them how to find, copy, paste, and rearrange pictures from the net onto Word. I asked them to repeat these steps on their own, adding a 'definition of e-learning' in there. This is a first step in familiarising them towards the internet and some of its basic functionalities. We will move on to more advanced systems next week, where I'll start introducing several e-learning tools (and e-teaching aides). This was the more exciting bit in the previous module, as teachers really enjoyed online tools that help them with administrative duties and lesson preparation. But, I'm concerned about their overall skill level. Teachers are not nearly on the level where they (can I say?) should or could be. This perhaps speaks to our own methodology, but also to the level of training we assumed they received from Khanya. We'll have more next week, until then..

Training Day: 8

2011-02-11T08:45:00.000+01:00

I quickly dashed off to Athlone, to give a teacher his laptop back (which he asked me to repair). I don't mind actually helping the teachers out with their laptops...anything that would encourage them to use the devices with more confidence. I then proceeded to Langa, where the participants were quite late. This is a definite annoyance at some schools; they seem to operate on a time which differs from mine. And I understand teachers are slow to get to the training, given it starts right after school ends. But there's nothing we can do to avoid this, since no one but no one wants to be there after 15h30 anyway.

We eventually started off with MS Word - as a brief recap of the previous module. There was I think one teacher who was quite skilled, and she outperformed anyone else. But the rest were, although not entirely new to the program, what one would call 'beginners'. I focused on the formatting abilities of Word once more; things like increasing text size, changing fonts, B/I/U, inserting images, and the like. These are for me the very basic, yet fundamental, functions in Word. Our participants did seem to enjoy it, especially near the end when I asked them to demonstrate what they've learned without any help. And this basically took up the hour. We had to reschedule next week's sessions for this school; I'll visit them next Tuesday. Until then!

Before I forget: an interesting factor that I noticed yesterday was that all teachers/participants were women. And then I thought: the majority of our participants across the 6 schools are women as well (most of them Xhosa). I wonder what this may say about gender, digital immigrants, culture, and professional learning. Are there more female teachers than male (which in this case would solve the intrigue)? Are female teachers more inclined to be digital immigrants/unskilled in ICT? Whatever the case, this dynamic is definitely worth exploring in the future. Let's hope someone tackles it!

Training Day: 7

2011-02-10T11:54:00.000+01:00

Langa, day seven. Since teachers have completed the questionnaires, and watched the introductory videos, we proceeded with a recap on the previous module. We started off with MS Word - the majority noted that they were not experts in this program, so I kept things simple. I focused on basic formatting and editing, which included: typing, paragraphs, spacing, text effects, inserting clipart/pictures, keyboard shortcut, print preview, saving, and exiting. Even though it was dreadfully hot - aircon not working - teachers were patient and seemed to cope well. I devised a small 'test' in which I asked teachers to repeat everything I taught them without any assistance. And hey presto, they managed to do this extremely well.

That was it for the hour. I'm still deciding whether to continue with the MS Office package, or just move on to the internet training. In my opinion, our teachers are not quite ready to tackle advanced internet capabilities...and we need to keep this in mind. But at the same time, there are awesome tools out there, of which could be quite valuable for teachers. I guess we'll see how it goes.

Training Day: 6

2011-02-09T11:47:00.000+01:00

Back in Athlone, day 6 of the MELISSA training. It was a fruitful session once again. Teachers were a bit held up by a meeting at the start, but we made up for it in no time. I decided to recap on a little MS Word, which is always a useful piece of software. It is arguably one of the most important software packages that teachers use (daily). We took it from the ultimate start, learning teachers how to format text, undo/redo, and insert pictures, etc. Teachers seemed to enjoy it a lot and even congratulated us at the end of the session. One teacher said she was very very afraid of the training, but, seeing that we were patient and helpful, started to relax and enjoy it. This is always good news - most of our participants are solid digital immigrants, and so we encourage slow-paced learning.

My only concern here is that we do not have a lot of time this quarter, and I have to move on to Internet training quite soon. But this is always the paradoxical twist in teacher training: logistics and educational priorities often make full-fledged, intensive training impossible. And yet, such training is imperative to skills development, which will hopefully lead to better equipped educators in the future. Let's see what happens!

Training Day: 5

2011-02-04T16:18:00.000+01:00

Back in Langa, day five of the MELISSA training. The first session at this school was somewhat chaotic, but this one was a mild success. Teachers arrived on time, and were asked to log into the MELISSA Moodle page. This requires some practice, and I urge them to visit the page as often as they can. They had some difficulty, but were more efficient at this than the previous week. I then proceeded to show them some of the resources, including the 'common' server space, where they can access relevant training materials. They then watched a video related to the introduction of ICTs in various settings (ranging from medicine to education). This gave them a good practical overview of some of the key components to the ICT arena.

I proceeded to do a 'Challenges and Opportunities Matrix', where I encouraged educators to list some of the key barriers and benefits of ICTs, both in education and elsewhere. In light of the video material, teachers could now engage more critically with the topic. They raised several interesting points, one of which is that ICT can be rather limiting, and not as overly effective as popularly assumed. I really wanted to drill this point home, and urged them to think about the restrictive factors of technology. Again, teaching should be the central concern, and ICT must be regarded as a tool..not a solution or replacement. From what I could observe, they felt somewhat at ease with this, and agreed that ICTs have to be contextualised within any educational setting. Things to always keep in mind would include resources, skills, and time constraints. Not to mention willingness and sense of professionalism. These are all factors that I would encourage our participants to think about when thinking about (or working on!) their PCs.

And finally, this was also the first time our new PhD student, Patricia, joined the session. I hope it was worth her while, for she will play a key part in the future of Module 2. Until next week!

Teachers hard at work

Training Day: 4

2011-02-04T13:59:00.000+01:00

Athlone, day four. This was our first session at this school in central Athlone. And I must say, what a pleasant experience it was. The teachers were really enthusiastic and on time too! The principal joined us as well.. always good to see someone leading from the front. We started off with the questionnaire and there were no technical glitches this time around. Afterwards, my colleague - new Post Doc - proposed that we have an online feedback session. So we asked teachers to check out the discussion page, which also included a chat section. This they enjoyed so much, and a lot of fun was had between them. Amazing how something as simple as a chat function can really boost the energy in the room. Mind you, they didn't really bother to give feedback.

After this, time was up. I created a folder on the 'common' server, in which I placed several videos and documents for teachers to access in their own time. I really encourage our participants to try and play around with the training materials during the week - if and when they have time. I want teachers to become as involved as possible, and not view the weekly sessions as something they are forced to do. We'll report more on this in the coming weeks.

Training Day: 3

2011-02-04T11:30:00.000+01:00

Langa, day three. All teachers were able to attend the session; we started off with a brief introduction of the MELISSA project and its various aims and intentions. All participants completed the research questionnaires, and then proceeded with watching two videos which gave the context to our endeavours. Both videos concern the use and adoption of ICTs both globally, and locally. It was important for us to provide teachers with some 'mass' on what we were there to achieve. Many of them have not encountered ICTs as a real educational tool; and it became crucial for us to allow teachers to think critically about such opportunities. As an acquaintance told me that same day: the focus should be on teaching first, and only then can it shift to that of technology. This is an imperative and useful philosophy for us to live by; we should be engaging critically with ICTs in education, and never make assumptions on its supposed empowering qualities.

Anyway, as Murphy would have it, the online questionnaire system was not cooperative. Firstly, the school's network administrator has blocked basically 90% of the web, including the questionnaire site. This chewed at the patience of all, and I was forced to use a web proxy to circumvent the annoying network restrictions. And second, I was man alone in the effort. So it took quite some time for us to complete all the questionnaires, which tested everyone's character. But we managed, and were finally able to watch the videos - which, in foresight, I was able to make available offline. For bandwidth, as always, remains a key concern at all our participating schools. But that was all for day three.

Yesterday, I returned for the third session at this school. But teachers had unexpectedly had an athletics event the afternoon - of which they failed to inform me - and were already gone when I arrived. So this is yet again Murphy at play...the logistics and schedules of schools are probably the biggest impediments to providing full-scale, full-time training. And yet, there is very little to be done about this. We've tried phoning in the afternoons, but that doesn't help either: sometimes they have the inclination to cancel the session over the phone for no apparent reason other than them being 'too busy'. So I prefer to arrive at the school regardless. At least then I can have a personal chat to those in charge. Let's hope we are able to schedule a back-up session for this school.

A teacher doing some lesson preparation. Haven't seen much of this in the labs.

Training day: 2

2011-01-28T10:06:00.000+01:00

Yesterday we facilitated another training session at a primary school in Langa. The majority of teachers had a short-notice meeting to attend, but we made due with those that were indeed present. Because we could not do the questionnaires - everyone needs to be there - we recapped some of the previous work (digital literacy). Teachers were interested in PowerPoint, and we did a recap. Most were not overly familiar with this software, and yet, it has such a lot of 'teaching and learning' potential. Just think of all the presentations in classrooms around the world - PP provides the opportunity for an 'interactive learning experience', surely. In any case, teachers had to undergo the basic overview of what this grand program can offer. They were very excited and at the end, proclaimed that they enjoyed it very much. This was a successful introductory session and we look forward to getting into the 'meat' of things.

Training Day: 1

2011-01-27T11:45:00.000+01:00

After a slight delay, our first MELISSA session of the year kicked off at a primary school in Langa township, Cape Town on Wednesday. Teachers were excited and were keen to learn new things. This year's module focuses more on ICT as a teaching aide, and our participants are eager to see how they can implement communication technologies in its variety of uses. For the first time since its inception, the training was presented to volunteers - those educators that really had the time and the enthusiasm for the course. We understand that the teaching profession is a challenging one, and it thus becomes improbable for everyone to partake. That said, the 13 volunteers seem to be a resourceful group of individuals, and we look forward to bringing them all - figuratively speaking! - the net has to offer.

We started the session off with a brief introduction, moving on to the research questionnaires. These give us a good indication of where teachers position themselves in terms of ICT capability. Getting on the net - via Internet Explorer - and browsing to the Moodle site to fill out the questionnaires, took some time. But this is a good little experience for participants, since they have to acquaint themselves with the basics - address bar, hyperlinking, browsing, scrolling - before we can move on. The activity was rounded off with viewing two videos about ICT in Africa. This was met with several technical issues, i.e. the uploading of AVI files and the use of headphones (which are not all in working condition). And this summed up the first training session!

In retrospect, we have to take heed of the fact that sessions will be much slower than we can always anticipate. Because most of these educators are digital 'immigrants' ...or even 'foreigners', they need lots of time and practice before they will feel they've 'accomplished' each respective activity. Some move slower than others, but this is natural. It is up to the facilitators to adapt. Overall, the session went reasonably well, and the only limitation is that of time. Tomorrow we bring you the second day, keep checking in!

First training sessions around the corner

2011-01-21T07:52:00.000+01:00

The MELISSA project commences its 2nd module soon; we'll be having three training sessions within next week (Tuesday to Thursday). We'll be regularly updating this page through a 'project diary'. Keep in touch!

2011 kick-off!

2011-01-14T10:38:00.000+01:00

The New Year is upon us and we'll soon be launching our latest ICT training module in four Western Cape schools. Teachers will undergo around 40 hours of "teaching and learning in the knowledge society" training. We're also looking to build 'personal ICT projects' for those educational duties that can be expedited through good technological adoption. We'll be sure to post the latest developments!

How Online Classrooms Are Helping Haiti Rebuild Its Education System

2010-12-01T14:03:00.000+01:00

Thanks to Mashable for the article

Credit: Digicel Haiti Foundation

7 Free Social Media Tools for Teachers: #7

2010-12-01T11:15:00.000+01:00

Four important video sites for both teachers and students: Youtube, Teachertube, Schooltube, and Watchknow. That's it for our 7 free social media tools - do be sure to check them out!

7 Free Social Media Tools for Teachers: #6

2010-11-30T14:17:00.000+01:00

Edmodo is a social network for teachers and students; a simplified, safer Facebook if you will. There's added group security and no student-student private messaging (which eliminates a few problematic areas). Overall, this tool is - or, seems to be - useful for class collaboration and engagement.

7 Free Social Media Tools for Teachers: #5

2010-11-29T10:05:00.000+01:00

Kidblog is the safe and easy way to get your (younger) students blogging. A good collaborative tool for the digital classroom.

7 Free Social Media Tools for Teachers: #4

2010-11-24T10:56:00.000+01:00

Edublogs: for teachers and students. Nice for group projects, homework assignments, school newspapers, classroom websites and -pages, and individual journals.

Free maths e-learning with Nokia

2010-11-23T16:30:00.000+01:00

Maths tuition in South Africa via MXit.

Wolfram gives Mathematica 8 a human touch

2010-11-18T10:08:00.000+01:00

Mathematica 8 was launched recently. Check it out!

Thanks to Cnet for the article (and the pic link).

7 Free Social Media Tools for Teachers: #3

2010-11-15T10:53:00.000+01:00

Today's teacher tool: Collaborize. This is an online learning and engagement platform, giving students the opportunity to participate in classroom discussions online. In a resource-strained environment, this tool will be met with some difficulty since it presupposes some (advanced) knowledge of learning management systems. Which, in our case, teachers do not always posses. However, as a type of 'classroom extension', this could be a rather useful platform. The question is, how best do we exploit it in under-resourced settings..

7 Free Social Media Tools for Teachers: #2

2010-11-04T11:06:00.000+01:00

Next up, SymbalooEDU: a personal learning environment tool for teachers. An e-portfolio, if you like, where you can organise your teaching resources in one place and encourage students to interact.

7 Free Social Media Tools for Teachers: #1

2010-11-02T10:46:00.000+01:00

Thank you to Sarah Keshler and Mashable for the original article. We will borrow your list and make good use of it. First up, EDU 2.0 - a collaborative learning management system in the cloud. You have access to the usual: quizzes, networking, chats, debate tools, classroom blogs, resource sharing...the lot. Check it out!

Cellphone maths revision in South Africa

2010-10-28T10:53:00.000+02:00

A Pretoria-based company is offering mobile services for Matrics additional learning material on their cellphones. Check out the article, and be sure also to check out Quizmax

Poverty Is Not a Game (PING) – A game about poverty

2010-10-27T14:30:00.002+02:00

Poverty is not a game from IBBT on Vimeo.

THE MELISSA PROJECT - POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP

2010-10-26T10:33:00.000+02:00

Background

MEASURING E-LEARNING IMPACT AMONG DISADVANTAGED SCHOOLS (MELISSA)

MELISSA is a three-year joint research project between the University of Cape Town, Cape Peninsula University of Technology (in South Africa) and the University of Lugano in Switzerland, now in its third year. The aim of the research project is to study the impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) training on teachers working in primary schools in disadvantaged areas in the Western Cape Province. The study focuses on the teachers' perception of ICTs and how they (the teachers) can integrate the technologies in their teaching activities. In the project, 100 primary school teachers from disadvantaged areas are being trained in ICT skills and how to incorporate these skills in their pedagogy in an informed and sustainable way.

Value and tenure of Fellowship

The Fellowship is valued at R120,000 per annum and is tenable for 12 months. The University will apply for a tax-exemption on this amount on behalf of the successful candidate. The fellowship is all-inclusive and no additional funds are available for travel and benefits.

Academic Criteria

Applicants must have qualified with a Doctoral degree within the last 5 years in a field of study deemed to be relevant to the MELISSA project. Applicants must have qualified with a PhD degree no longer than five years ago and must not have held any permanent professional position.

Individuals who have held professional posts (including academic posts) are ineligible.

The successful candidate will be expected to be based in Cape Town for the duration of the Fellowship. No direct services will be required in return for the Fellowship, although some supervision and academic guidance of postgraduate students will be expected as part of the successful candidate's professional development.

Application Procedure:

Applicants are required to submit a letter of application for the Fellowship to Professor Wallace Chigona (Wallace.chigona@uct.ac.za) by 30th October 2010, briefly describing qualifications and areas of research interest.

The following supporting documents are required:

A CV including a comprehensive list and detail of all publications

Certified copies of all academic transcripts, including proof that the PhD degree has been achieved no more than 5 years ago

An outline or indication of the proposed research to be carried out.

2 letters of reference from academics who have taught/supervised the applicant at university.

The University reserves the right to disqualify late and/or incomplete and inappropriate applications. The University reserves the right to change the conditions of award and/or to make no awards at all.

RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms

2010-10-26T10:29:00.000+02:00

Check out RSA Animate's incredible work, featuring Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk on changing education paradigms:

Cellphones and education?

2010-10-21T11:38:00.000+02:00

A while back, I attended a seminar on the supposed "false value" of mobile technology in development. The speaker questioned the true ability of mobile technology - in particular mobile phones - in empowering people at the peripheries of society. Although he presented little empirical evidence, the point was clear: we should not take for granted that "cellphones equate development". This is certainly not the case, and the argument is made for more in-depth research. The media has a knack of publishing tear-jerking stories of such accounts; take this story as a typical example. Upon perusing the article, I'm unsure how "empowerment" is actually (i.e. socially, culturally, economically, politically, environmentally, et al.) effected. For example, how does sudden "access" to mobile networks now lead to market exposure for farmers, and entrepreneurship in general? These questions are not addressed, it seems initially, by the media.

Then there's this article, which I stumbled across this morning. It even quotes one of our MELISSA team members, which is a total coincidence. Anyhow, it's about MXit - a kind of internet relay chat client in South Africa, hosted on your mobile. The app requires GPRS or 3G, but it costs a single cent (1c) per message sent. So, effectively, it's a cheap - very, very cheap - SMS service. Back to the article: first paragraph, the claim is made that MXit has helped students prepare for exams during the big teacher strikes in South Africa. OK. Interesting. But how? The article then goes to make a point, referencing our beloved team member, that mobile technologies like MXit has captivated the youth, and has even become part of their identity. Nice. And furthermore, that mobile technologies (like MXit) has the ability to "hasten the spread of broadband in emerging markets". Now that I can believe. However, I call upon our journalists to state the point clearer, by addressing the very question we as researchers strive to address: how and why? Thus moving away from the relatively straightforward "what".

Coming back to the point of education: cellphones and mobile tech certainly have the potential to contribute (somehow) to educational development. There have been some interesting and influential research programmes tackling exactly this (see Kujali). It is hoped, also, that the upcoming Red Conference in Lugano, Switzerland, will deliver valuable insights in this regard. However, whilst evaluating these issues more closely, we should be careful in our assumptions of "mobile value". I differ from the idea that mobiles are only a means to empowerment, and not empowering itself, but this is a research problem we have not properly dissected (insert reference to important author here). Oh, my point: our primary goal should be to scrutinize mobile innovations like MXit, and evaluate its feasibility in emerging markets. Until we do that, we cannot assume any intrinsic value.

Creating a new culture of teaching and learning

2010-10-14T14:48:00.000+02:00

..."computers are a means, not an end, to student learning." Check out this great article by Education Week.

Wolfram Education Portal

2010-10-13T11:20:00.000+02:00

A collection of educational resources, and demonstrations from the Wolfram Demonstrations Project. Check it out!

Red Conference deadline approaching!

2010-10-11T11:26:00.000+02:00

The submission deadline for the Red Conference has been extended to 17 October, which is less than a week from today. Keep those papers coming! Looking forward to seeing you all at the conference in March next year.

Curriki

2010-10-07T11:24:00.000+02:00

I guess you can never have too many educational resources. A contact recently introduced me to Curriki, and I must say: impressive. The basic ingredients are all there: it's an nonprofit, open-source, online environment which hosts infinite educational materials. So you can either find materials for your class, publish your very own material, or connect and network with other educators. Check it out!

Umonya: Introducing kids to programming

2010-10-06T11:01:00.000+02:00

Knol

2010-10-05T10:32:00.000+02:00

I thought Knol was redundant but, apparently not. What is Knol? Well, it's a 'host' of web content, typically consisting of "units of knowledge" (or, "knols"). Such units are usually written by 'experts' in the respective field, and may contain scientific observations around the particular subject. For example, this knol is about e-learning and contains several theoretical insights about the concept and its use. Ultimately, Knol makes it easy to write and share your knowledge with the web. And it's a more suitable platform than say, Wikipedia or individual blogs, since it has the benefit of expert collaboration, refined searchability (if such a term would exist) and article review, and increased visibility (through author promotion). For instructors, it contains a large pool of knowledge around various interesting subjects. Often, reading a knol is like reading a research article or a textbook entry. Students should feel right at home! Check it out. By the way, here's a useful introduction to using the site.

Infinite Thinking Machine

2010-09-30T11:03:00.000+02:00

Blogs for educators..by educators. Not much else to say. You'll find innovative concepts and a "bazillion practical ideas" - all somehow related to education. Some good inputs on Web 2.0 as well. Do be sure to check it out!

Google SketchUp for Education

2010-09-29T11:07:00.000+02:00

Google SketchUp is a 3D modeling/architecture tool, with limitless possibility in virtual design. And of course, there are some folks who've been using it in the classroom (see video below). The SketchUp for education community offers cheaper/free licensing options for the Pro package, which includes more powerful features. I've been trying my hand at this software, and I must say, there's a learning curve to it. But once you're into it, you'll be hooked. The video example shows a class using 3D design to reconstruct historical buildings. In the process they learn not only the architectural significance of their designs, but also of these designs' meaningful place in history.

Khan Academy

2010-09-27T17:07:00.000+02:00

The part Google-funded Khan Academy is a non-profit organisation that seeks to provide high quality education to all. The open-source project is an ambitious collection of practical videos and exercises on hundreds of topics. A free classroom, as such. Google has donated $2 million in a bid to create more course material, and to enable the folk at Khan to translate their core library into more languages.

Video content is made up of 10-20 minute "chunks especially purposed for viewing on the computer as opposed to being a longer video of a conventional "physical" lecture". Moreover, the style of presentation and discussion in these videos are the "tonal antithesis of what people traditionally associate with math and science instruction". This bodes well for those who seek more upbeat instruction, and are bored to death with monotonous lectures (taken for granted that these lectures do, in fact, take place every day, somewhere in the world). Worth checking out!

Google Teacher Academy

2010-09-23T10:16:00.000+02:00

Primary and secondary teachers from around the world can get the opportunity to participate in the Google Teacher Academy (GTA). This consists of an intensive one-day workshop where teachers will get closely acquainted with Google softwares and other ICTs. Once completed, all participants become Google Certified Teachers and can share what they've learned with their local schools and communities.

The GTA is designed to create a professional learning community of educators, skilled in the latest (communication) technologies. Learn more by following the link.

Crucial Thought blogger Chris, a Google Certified Teacher

Wolfram|Alpha Wednesday

2010-09-22T16:31:00.000+02:00

A video demonstration of how W|A can be used as an educational resource (click on the title!)

Google Earth for Educators Community

2010-09-21T14:58:00.000+02:00

Woa, these days you're lucky to be a teacher. One with (reliable) internet access that is. Google Earth, for those who don't know, is a virtual satellite snapshot of the entire globe. A snapshot that you can navigate as you please.. Its formal web definition is this: "a virtual globe, map and geographic information program". Yes? Of course such a complex suite would have infinite possibility as an elearning tool. Hence: the Google Earth for Educators Community. Here you'll be able to view basic videos and tutorials on how to use the software in your class. You can access lesson plans, discussions, student showcases, and even grants. I'm rather intrigued by all the "online communities" out there and this one is sure to keep you occupied for a while. I can imagine teachers of Geography and Earth Sciences may be quite pleased. Check it out!

Computer Science for High School (CS4HS)

2010-09-17T13:09:00.000+02:00

It seems Google is keen on promoting computer science at a secondary level, most likely to absorb any geniuses once they finish school. CS4HS is yet another initiative by the Internet Dominator, which aims to host workshops on Computer Science at high schools across the...globe, actually. Colleges can obtain grants from the Google Education Group and initiate 2-day workshops at secondary schools. These would incorporate international talks (by industry experts), and "discussions on new and emerging CS curricula at the high school level". Check out the URL for related resources. This is an example of one such workshop, at Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology.

Computer Science Department, College of Charleston

Wolfram|Alpha Wednesday: Step-by-step math

2010-09-15T16:03:00.000+02:00

W|A, our long-time internet companion, is totally able to help you with your maths. High school students: take heed. Ever fail to solve a problem because of that terribly evasive step? Quadratic equations numb your brain? Good news is, W|A can show you the steps - including alternative steps, and the eventual solution - to a number of complex problems. I can hardly say more, not least given my shameful maths ability. But, as you will come to understand, this tool can be great for homework assignments. And it also demonstrates the numerous solutions to a single problem. Check out the examples using the provided link.

Screenshot thanks to squareCircleZ - another guy who recognises the functional value of W|A

Google Apps for education: teacher training

2010-09-14T15:48:00.000+02:00

A truly good find today (not done with the Internet Giant quite yet): Google Apps for educators. As a teacher, you'll be able to learn how to use all the apps in the Google suite within the context of education. These include Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sites, and more. Visit the online Training Center for an overview of the various training modules. And this is news to me: you can even become a Google Apps for Education Certified Trainer, and deliver professional training to schools.

Google Apps have become essential tools for daily users of the web. In light of this, it may be safe to assume that they could be applicable in other areas of our social worlds, including education. I use these softwares practically every day and am excited at the very prospect of including them in my professional activity. Check it out!

Credit goes to DigitalQatar for this pic. The site has a nice article on the adoption of Google Apps in education. Find and read it HERE.

Updates!

2010-09-13T13:48:00.000+02:00

Dear all

August is of course the "month of bliss" for most Europeans. So there have been less updates. This post informs you that there will be some new posts to follow. If you were interested, that is..

See you soon, with some exciting news from the ICT/education world!

From: SCPRS

Student opportunities @ Google

2010-08-05T17:35:00.000+02:00

For any student interested in working for the infamous net Giant, Google Jobs may be worthwhile to check out. Aside from a list of international employment opportunities, the site showcases potential student offerings (internships, scholarships, and the like). Moreover, the student job section offers an inside peek into the Google domain, with an official student blog, video spotlights, and competitions. Google is renowned for being a rather unconventional company, and it certainly will push creatives to the extreme. So, shun those nerves and go work for one of the more inventive agencies on the planet today.

Thanks to Bloggers Point for this pic.

Wolfram Alpha Wednesday

2010-08-04T12:19:00.000+02:00

Instead of focusing on single lesson plans, which I find to be quite boring, I list them all here. Teachers can choose between maths, science, and social studies, but the true limits of the engine are yet to be discovered. Lesson plans, usually in PDF format, can be used by students preparing for assignments, or educators that want to add that little extra to their classroom activities. I think I've said it before but I'll say it again: you can also submit your very own content. This makes the engine a rather OER-type hub, which I love. And which you should love too. Check it out.

Google Scholar

2010-08-03T11:16:00.000+02:00

I would submit that many a net surfer is not aware of Google Scholar. Even though I don't quite have the research to back it up. Let's just go with ..observation. In beta form, obviously, Google Scholar allows the keen student or desperate academic to "stand on the shoulders of giants". The simple power in the system is this: you can look for scholarly articles or journals related to your topic. Let's take elearning, for example. This is what we get doing a basic search. Immediately, the list of results seem...more legit than what you would get by entering the same into the search engine. Not to devalue the latter; but if you're writing a specific article, or submitting that late-night research report, you're probably looking for solid resources. Google Scholar gives you just that.

The site allows you to differentiate between what you're looking for, as any good search operator should. Articles, patents, legal opinions, abstracts, journals - the list is endless. You can do an advanced search, where you may select the author you're looking for, or even choose the specific collection/subject in which your topic falls. Documents are ranked as they would be in academia, considering type of publication, author, and the number of citations in other literature.

What's really the hook, line, and sinker for me is the ability to track down full-text documents whilst not having to trawl through copious and tedious pages of useless info. I should say, this element is minimised (refer to UK spelling), not quite fully eliminated. For, you still have to find exactly what it is you're looking for. All in all though, Google Scholar is a savvy piece of digital infrastructure, really making it easy to find relevant topics in the pool of scholarly literature.

Google for students in Computer Science

2010-08-02T11:13:00.000+02:00

Today we're sporting a brand new look. Hope you like it.

This weekend, I decided to toy around with Google Education Resources. I must say - the dominator of the internet certainly knows how. I will dedicate quite a few postings to this ; first up, Google Code University. The so-called uni provides sets of tutorials and courses for Computer Science (CS) students and educators. The point? Learning more about current technologies and CS approaches of course. Materials are Creative Commons licensed, which means they are for the open benefit of any recipient and/or creator.

Course content includes topics around AJAX, Linux, algorithms, MySQL, web security, languages, and distributed systems. The uni also offers assistive tools, such as debuggers and IDEs. What's more, there is an entire section devoted to Curriculum Resources, which may be especially useful to instructors. Finally, you are also allowed to submit content, which I think is one of the more remarkable features. This surely encourages an open information dialogue, to the ultimate advantage of resource-strapped participants. Students in Computer Science: take heed!

Image credit Adam Crowe

Open Educational Resources: Educator handbook

2010-07-30T13:00:00.000+02:00

For those of you who don't know, Open Educational Resources (OER) are free learning materials, open for use and (re)distribution. This may include content (courses, materials, modules, journals), tools (learning management systems, ...), and implementation resources (design principles, intellectual property licenses, ...). Any teacher's dream, basically. The world of OER is huge, however, and users may find it challenging to navigate. Hence the OER handbook. Its sole purpose is to help educators in finding, utilising, developing, and sharing these resources. The goal here is to improve the overall quality and accessibility of OER, which will hopefully translate into frequent and practical adoption. I would recommend any teacher to check it out!

The OER Handbook cover.

e-Learning for Kids

2010-07-29T12:03:00.000+02:00

The e-Learning for Kids website has certainly been a favourite among our groups of educators. Basically the site offers free "courses" or modules, composed of interactive training materials in a variety of subjects. You have the choice of subject (maths, language arts, science, ...) and/or grades (K-6). This is great for any learner wishing to enhance their skills in whichever area. Educator-wise it's great too, for the materials can be easily added to any existing lesson plan (if the resources allow it, of course).

But e-Learning for Kids offers so much more. Parents can get involved too, as the content offers the ability for interactivity and engagement. What's more, educators and experts are able to contribute knowledge or information to the site; commercial and private developers can submit material; businesses can channel their social responsibility efforts; etc. e-Learning for Kids is ultimately a non-profit organisation that really strives to make free content available for kids around the globe. For this we can totally recommend their site; our teachers have thoroughly enjoyed the content and have started to integrate it with classroom activities.

One of the many interesting courses available on the site.

Cheap technology, big potential

2010-07-28T10:17:00.000+02:00

India is at it again; this time developing the world's cheapest tablet computer. The device is expected to cost around $35 bucks (an astonishing R256!), and could drop to as low as $10. It will support many of the features of the "modern" PDA, including PDF viewing, multimedia functionality, video conferencing, and word processing. These goodies will be bundled into an extremely low-cost tablet, or as one commentator put it, "the poor man's iPad", available to consumers in 2011.

Whilst the exact purpose of the device is still unknown, the potential that it may have is infinite. In emerging markets like that of India, South Africa, and Brazil, this device will all but prove invaluable to citizens who were previously excluded from the knowledge society. Picture if Khanya were able to distribute these to learners and educators, instead of spending big money on stagnant PC labs. In fact, this very device is part of the Indian government's drive to modernise schools.

The classic dualism is called to mind, though: quality vs. quantity - which is better? But if the folks down at the Indian Institutes of Technology and Science have learnt anything in their tenure as engineers, it will sport a robust design that houses new media features well. Only then will we see something that offers the ability to saturate the market (which, in this case, has to be a good thing).

Human Resource Minister Kabil Sipal proudly displays the cheap tablet. Photo courtesy of NY Daily News.

A Wolfram|Alpha lesson plan for math

2010-07-27T10:37:00.000+02:00

Given the popularity of my earlier posting on Wolfram|Alpha as an educational tool, I thought it a good idea to keep the train rolling. Perhaps I'll dedicate a post each week to the engine's practical ability? This week: a maths lesson plan for fifth graders. Note, if you live in the US you may find this especially useful, since most of the site's content examples are US based.

The PDF lesson plan can be found here. It will allow students to measure/estimate distances between point A and B. Since I live in Lugano, Switzerland (aka "paradise"), I decided to measure the distance between here and my city of origin, Cape Town, South Africa (aka "next best thing"). So I merely enter: Lugano to Cape Town into the search box and viola! Not only am I informed of the distance (which happens to be a solid 8905km!) between the two cities, but also of other relevant information. This includes certain direct travel times (aircraft, light, sound), current local times, geographic properties, and basic demographics. No wonder you can base an entire school assignment on this engine; it's simply very powerful.

The lesson challenges students to estimate the distances between various cities in the world, as well as different landmarks (i.e. Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, ...). The are also challenged to estimate the distance between their classroom and the cafeteria...closest estimate wins! This tool is certainly useful - I can only wish it was available back in the early 90's.

Lugano to Cape Town.

eSchooltoday

2010-07-26T11:20:00.000+02:00

Some time ago I came across this great website for parents, teachers and students alike: eSchooltoday (and no, they're not paying me!). It offers basic interactive learning materials on a variety of topics, notably African-themed. Whilst the content is minimal, I found this site useful in demonstrating the basic potential of elearning. It offers videos, games, and downloadables. In future, it may be worthwhile to expand contents so as to reach a broader audience. But for the time being, do make a point to visit!

Courtesy of Enviro Kids

Updated list of publications

2010-07-22T17:52:00.000+02:00

As per the title, this is an updated list of our project publications. We will be presenting our latest paper at the eSkills Summit in Cape Town next week. Hope to see you all there!

Beautiful Cape Town, home to the eSkills Summit 2010. Image courtesy of Adventure Travel.

Erasing divides

2010-07-15T15:38:00.000+02:00

There are a number of exciting ICT initiatives in South Africa - of them, the Western Cape Khanya project is one of the better known success stories. Its goals have been to not only source digital infrastructure in schools, but also to improve curricula via these technologies. This of course notwithstanding Khanya's notable shortcomings (of which I will leave to the imagination). Anyway, this week I read about a creative approach whereby disadvantaged youths are taught programming languages using Linux platform, Ubuntu. The 19 participants were thus exposed to a free and safe-r operating environment, differing to Windows-based adoptions (as is the case with Melissa, for example). As a side note, this raises new questions as to how alternative (non-mainstream) softwares may be integrated into grassroots ICT training.

Whilst the article provides little to no detail about the project itself, it goes on to reference the importance of skills development in educational computing. This is a premise we like, and hope that it will be honored! Yet, in a somewhat offbeat nature, the article also states (boasts?) how free computers were given to each of the 19 students upon course completion. This is particularly interesting, but not surprising. There is much debate in development circles around hand-outs (aid, donations, ...) and its role in actually promoting (self)sustainability. Whilst I do not wish to exacerbate the argument, I have to wonder how the project leaders will justify this in terms of not creating a dependency mentality. The same goes for Khanya.

In any case, it is our position that projects like these (usually) have honorable intentions. But, they may end up inflaming the problem by convoluting it with hand-outs.. Moreover, it has to be a central concern that whilst ICT training is a necessary function in education, the impact of that training should be examined more closely.

Image courtesy of Cynthia Karena, The Age

Say your goodbyes to OBE

2010-07-13T15:29:00.000+02:00

This week, in a remarkable twist of fate, we've had a little more transparency from government than we're used to. South African Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, said her department will "lay the OBE ghost to rest". This is seemingly good news, since the OBE curriculum, whilst appreciated in theory, was never practically feasible in a country marked by mass inequality and lacking resources. The press statement, detailed by the Mail & Guardian, lays out Motshekga's intended plan of action:

Less administrative work for teachers;
A "repackaged" curriculum (details TBA);
"Learning areas and programmes" to be renamed as "subjects"';
Grades 1 - 6 to receive Education Department workbooks;
Grades 3, 6, 9 to have externally set assessments in literacy and numeracy; and
Grades 4 - 6 to study only six subjects.

These were some of the primary issues in Motshekga's update. She invites public feedback on this matter, and would hopefully integrate some of the insights from thought leaders around the country. A comprehensive framework, dubbed Action Plan 2014: Towards a Realisation of Schooling 2025, will soon be published. Let's hope this plan reflects a true intention from government to alleviate the withering education system. Thank you to the M&G for the original article.

Image courtesy of Times Live.

Oh, and an update on yesterday's hacking antics. It seems our site is alive and well again. There appears to be no significant damage done, although I've yet to confirm this with the administrators. Hopefully we've ironed out any security loopholes.

We've been hacked!

2010-07-12T12:39:00.000+02:00

So, as I was innocently browsing to our project domain this morning, I made a startling discovery. Ladies and gentlemen, we've been hacked. Ironically, it was quite an exciting feeling. To know that some lad in Turkey was intrigued by our website. So much so that he had to disable its functionality and prevent all entry. Well, needless to say...this is causing problems. Now, our groups of primary school teachers are unable to access their electronic training resources. The very same resources we spent ages to find, develop, present, and integrate. The teachers are starting school this week after a good rest period - and some classic soccer matches. Only to be introduced to GHoST61. A list of his/her/its recent accomplishments can be found here. A notable CV, I might add. Whether it translates into any sort of fame or power status...doubtful.

At the moment I'm not particularly aware of any damage to the site...I guess we'll soon find out. Thank you GHoST61, even though we do not agree with your approach, we feel somewhat honored by the attention you've given us. This experience has also shed light on the (many?) security vulnerabilities in the Metro South Education District domain. Hopefully we will be able to resolve them asap. It also raises concerns related to e-learning and information security governance. As ICT4D practitioners, we need to be aware of the very real threats to our online endeavours. This matter is a beautiful example of how technological platforms are exploited at the expense of grassroots citizens. I think this calls for a very careful analysis.

Image courtesy of our man, GHoST61. Thank you again, Patrick Swayze.

An(other) introduction to e-learning

2010-07-09T10:24:00.000+02:00

The basis of our communication with teachers in disadvantaged primary schools is e-learning (activity). But we can get lost in its many adoptions and theoretical complexities. This document is an introduction to what it means to integrate education within the knowledge society. Enjoy!

Image courtesy of Synectic Solutions, Inc.

eLearning - a knol by Lorenzo Cantoni

2010-07-08T10:28:00.000+02:00

We find this "knol" article particularly useful. It offers a contextualisation of e-learning, also stressing its theoretical roots. For any research practitioner in the field of ICT and education, this is a must read.

Image courtesy of the Higher Education Academy

Wolfram|Alpha for Educators

2010-07-07T14:39:00.000+02:00

So not too long ago I stumbled across this great resource for educators. Wolfram|Alpha is what is called a "computational knowledge engine". Basically, it tries to make all systematic knowledge available and computable. In this sense, it computes whatever is computable. View some examples here.

Google has adopted this approach to some extent, i.e. in "predicted search" and single-display results. But the difference, in my humble and limited technological opinion, is that Google remains a search engine (but a clever one, at that). As opposed to W|A being a knowledge engine. The former displays an index of relevant results; the latter a single display of the actual result(s).

All this nonsense aside, the team at W|A has developed a seemingly useful educational tool leveraging this knowledge engine. How, might you ask? Well, to quote the website, this tool offers the ability to:

gather information on general concepts (derivatives, maps, animals, ...);
create visual aids for presentations or handouts;
research details on specific topics (sinX, H20, South Africa, ...); and
generate content-specific lesson plans across various subjects (Maths, Science, Social studies, ...).

This offering could prove to be very exciting for our groups of educators in disadvantaged primary schools. As you know, these teachers are limited in terms of capacity and resources. Yet W|A for Educators may be one of the infinite possibilities in delivering and improving basic education. I've already included it in our "Teaching and Learning" Module, and teachers seemed to be impressed with its capabilities. The task is now to understand exactly how to (at least partially) integrate it within local education systems.

Check it out: Wolfram|Alpha for Educators

Where to next?

2010-07-02T13:15:00.000+02:00

Hi to all our avid readers (if we have any)! So, I've basically written an essay on our past activities. But where to from here? Well, as you could surmise from earlier posts, next term (mid-July onwards) we tackle the control group. This group is considerably larger than our experimental group, with three schools added to the existing two. All schools are Khanya recipients and are kitted out with professional computer labs. We would look to repeat our core activities with this group, again running teachers through some basic ICT modules. Based on our experiences with the Experimental Group, we will also seek to improve on said modules. We will try and make them more practically oriented, so as to maximise the value for teachers.

We've started to interview members of this group and everyone seems very excited, to say the least. We look forward to delivering this course and will keep you updated as we go along.

Teachers from the Experimental Group

What have we been up to?

2010-06-30T12:36:00.000+02:00

A good day to all. Well, over the past few months we've been rather absent on this blog (or any other blog for that matter). Truth be told, we were occupied with the mammoth task of delivering teacher training modules to our participating schools. For the sake of pre-publication anonymity, I will refrain from mentioning any school by name. For the time being, I can safely say that we've completed our first cycle with the Experimental Group. This group consists of two schools, in the areas of lower Claremont and Langa respectively.

As great enthusiasts of teacher technology, these schools happily underwent our training sessions. Basically, these sessions comprised of three key modules: digital literacy, web 2.0, and e-learning/e-teaching. The idea was to put teachers through an intensive period whereby they'd be exposed to ICTs in areas of personal and professional development. The third and final module was completed a few days before the end of the second term. Of course, we too had to make way for the World Cup!

Staying true to our academic inclinations, this project is also very much research oriented. That is, not only are we committed to delivering teacher training; we also want to establish the impact of this training. To do this, we take as a starting point the notion that "self-efficacy" is a good indicator of impact. Self-efficacy, according to theorist Albert Bandura, is essentially one's judgement of one's personal abilities. According to Bandura, this judgement, or perception, may greatly influence one's behaviours and actions. Therefore, a positive efficacy may lead to a positive behavioural impact.

In a nutshell, and to spare you elongated blabber, the notion of self-efficacy remains central to Melissa and it's stated objectives. We are out to really determine what impacts ICTs may have on teachers' perceptions of, well, being better teachers. Whether or not this impact translates into sustainable, or continued, integration of ICTs within the educational space is the next reasonable question. One to be followed up, hopefully, by future Melissas. For now, we are assessing what it means to introduce technology in the teaching profession. If we can show, even slightly, that ICTs improve teacher self-efficacy (over time, and with consistent adoption), then we are on the right track.

Right, that's it from me for today. I will be back tomorrow, bright and early, with some more news!

Image courtesy of Khanya

List of publications

2010-06-25T15:18:00.000+02:00

The MELISSA team has been rather busy over the past 12 months, grinding away at academic papers. We link a list of those very publications here, for your viewing pleasure. Feel free to contact any of the authors or myself if you wish to obtain copies.

red-conference

2010-06-23T10:57:00.000+02:00

We thought this a perfect time to promote - however shamelessly - the upcoming red-conference that will be hosted in Monte Verità, Ascona (Switzerland) next year. The event is presented by Università della Svizzera italiana, Ecole Politechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, and the University of Sankt Gallen. It will focus on the intersection of technology and education, with specific reference to innovative learning design, technological support, and new forms of informal learning. It'll be a good opportunity to network with experts and funding agencies active in the field. For more details, visit www.red-conference.ch

Updates: soon!

2010-06-22T11:59:00.000+02:00

Dear all

The MELISSA team has been a little "preoccupied" to say the least. Within the coming days, we will update our avid readers - if we have any left - of the latest developments regarding this exciting initiative.

Stay tuned!

Photo credit: Trevor Samson / World Bank

The curriculum is in place, schools are on board

2009-05-25T12:23:00.000+02:00

At a series of meetings the project team has designed and agreed a curriculum for the MELISSA project to offer teachers in primary schools in South Africa. The curriculum works with teachers' capability to:

Use their PCs and internet-related technologies effectively
Apply these technologies in their teaching practice
Understand relevant aspects of educational theories

We want to share and test our ideas with interested stakeholders, and on June 8th we will be holding an "open day" at the CPUT research offices in Roeland Street, in Cape Town.

The objectives of the day are:

To inform stakeholders about the project
To discuss some of the details of the project
To establish a stakeholder-based monitoring group
To establish stakeholder-based success criteria

Do let us know if you would like to be involved, or if you have questions. We have already engaged with schools and we hope that they will be represented at the open day.

Let's do what we can to help teachers in disadvantaged primary schools in Cape Town!

Work begins

2009-04-25T18:04:00.000+02:00

Wow - it's nearly May and here in Cape Town autumn is setting in. Today we had the first real rain and it's great. It's welcome! After six months (or thereabouts) of almost constant sunshine the rain is MOST welcome.

Enough of that, there is work going on here and as you came to this page you may be interested.

We have drafted a curriculum which will be offered to the participating primary school teachers, probably on a two-hours-per-week basis, and we have been granted permission to initiate the research in a selection of schools to be taken from a "long list" of 15.

If you are interested, there is now a pamphlet which describes the project. Contact us if you would like a copy, or you can download it from here.

UCT appointments are made

2009-02-06T10:03:00.000+01:00

Congratulations to Agnes Chigona and Bojelo Mooketsi, who are now appointed to the UCT "leg" of the Melissa project. Bojelo is appointed to the doctoral research position, and Agnes to the post-doctoral position.

Bojelo is a qualified teacher and she has a strong interest in information technology in an educational context.

Agnes completed her doctorate at CPUT, and has a strong background in gender, education, research methods and computer literacy. She also has extensive international experience.

Congratulations both, we look forward to working with you!

(We are still working on the two doctoral appointments at CPUT - more news about that soon)

Welcome to the new year

2009-01-04T10:35:00.000+01:00

Well, it's the new year at last and things will be ramping up quickly here in South Africa, both in the Melissa project and in all other regards, as the end of the summer holiday period comes upon us. The news of the moment (relevant to the Melissa project) is that the end-of-academic-year school examination results are out. This is the first year when students have emerged wholly from an OBE curriculum that has, since the late 1990's, been one of the most contentious issues in school education here. We will hear more about that.

Seasonable greetings to all, and we look forward to seeing you here soon!

Doctoral and Post-Doctoral research opportunities at UCT and CPUT

2008-12-05T12:12:00.000+01:00

Local doctoral and post-doctoral bursaries are available at UCT and CPUT, and applications are invited from suitably qualified researchers already working in e-learning in and having a special interest in primary schools in disadvantaged areas of South Africa.

The field work will be undertaken principally in the Western Cape, and the project will draw on previous experience gained recently in a similar project in Brazil. The bursaries are available for three years,and at current levels are worth R70000 (doctoral) and R120000 (post-doctoral). The work will be undertaken with local supervision in Cape Town, and in close co-operation with researchers from the NewMinE Lab, University of Lugano.

Comprehensive CVs, with a covering letter motivating the application, should be sent to Dr Wallace Chigona at wallace.chigona@uct.ac.za with a copy to Professor Lorenzo Cantoni at lorenzo.cantoni@lu.unisi.ch.
The closing date for applications is 22nd December.

kick-off Meeting in Cape Town

2008-12-04T15:34:00.000+01:00

Lorenzo Cantoni and Isabella Rega from the Università della Svizzera italiana, Wallace Chigona from the University of Cape Town, and Andy Bytheway from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology met in Cape Town last week to plan MELISSA kick-off.
A call for enrolling 3 phD students and 1 PostDoc is being running; furthermore the school selection process has started.

Project Details

2008-12-04T12:02:00.000+01:00

Under the MELISSA project 120 primary school teachers based in disadvantaged schools will be trained to understand ICTs, and how to incorporate ICTs in their teaching in wise and sustainable manner.
MELISSA research is designed as an experiment involving both an experimental group as well as a control group. Both groups will be assessed through questionnaires and interviews, in order to measure their:
- Computer Self-Efficacy
- Teacher Self-Efficacy
- Locus of Control
- Social Meaning of ICTs
yielding an integrated set of impact measures which can be eventually applied in order to design better ICTs training experiences, policy guidelines and evaluation activities, and to better allocate available resources.

The project starts in November 2008 and lasts 36 months, involving 4 PhD students, 1 from the Università della Svizzera italiana, 1 belonging from the University of Cape Town and 2 from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, and 2 Post Docs, 1 from the Università della Svizzera italiana and 1 from the University of Cape Town.

If you are interested in, see the slide show!

Melissa Overview

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.