E-education vision for Western Cape

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) last week announced it has developed an e-Education Vision, which will see the expansion of its existing technology base and digital resources.

The vision involves a shift to virtual learning environments, with digital resources and systems more readily available to schools, and enhanced engagement between educators and learners, says MEC Donald Grant.

"We believe that e-education is primarily about learning and teaching and not about technology, and it is the 'e' in e-education that supplements and enhances teaching and learning experiences in the classroom. The 'e' in e-education is, therefore, not a substitute for our teachers, but is rather a resource intended to aid our teachers in the important work that they do."

He adds that the vision for ICT in education will see teachers, education managers and learners being empowered to use technology effectively and innovatively.

It will also see models, methodologies, pedagogies and digital content that are responsive to the education needs of learners; robust and reliable ICT systems that support e-education; a technology-enriched environment that enables effective learner-centred e-learning; and robust and reliable ICT systems that will reduce the administrative burden often associated with planning and management.

"The new era of e-education in the Western Cape is a natural progression from the ICT solutions that have been introduced by the Western Cape Education Department over the last 10 years."

Grant explains that, in 2001, an ICT programme was initiated in the Western Cape to explore the potential of using technology in schools to improve curriculum delivery.

The functions of this project were to ensure that every school learner and educator had access to some form of ICTs that would enhance education by 2012.

"As a result of this project, all our schools have technology of some nature, be it a computer laboratory, or some form of classroom technology like an interactive whiteboard."

The department is provisioning technology to new schools and upgrading technology in existing schools.

It is also researching and evaluating the use of e-education methodologies and cutting-edge technologies; training educators in ICT; and sourcing, procuring and provisioning digital resources through multiple access points.

The WCED developed an e-education platform in the form of a curriculum Web site and Learning Management System.

"This platform currently houses a repository of educational digital resources and provides facilities for teachers, learners, and departmental officials to communicate and collaborate with each other in support of teaching and learning.

"To date, we are able to use this platform to access over 400 free digital learning objects, a collection of free software for educational purposes and a collection of apps for tablets, which can be obtained in formats such as documents, videos, animations and simulations."

Deputy national education minister Enver Surty last week launched the BMW computer-aided technology (CAT) schools programmes.

Powered by HP, the programme aims to ensure learners taking part are encouraged and adequately prepared to take up ICT-related studies in their tertiary education, says the department.

It adds that the programme also aims to build capacity among the schools' teachers, and to that end the humanities and ICT faculties from the Tshwane University of Technology will be providing focused training and capacity-building at each of the schools.

"We are all confident that this programme has the potential to contribute to increasing the pass rate as well as raising awareness of ICT-related courses that can be pursued by these learners," says Surty.

The eight schools benefiting from this programme are Soshanguve High School, LG Holele High School, Makhosini High School, Wallmansthal High School, Kgadime Matsepe High School, Central Secondary High School, Lethabong Secondary School and Malatse Motsepe High School.