Posts
1. What is a Micro blog?
A web service that limits the number of characters that you can submit in a post
2. Micro blog address?
http://www.twitter.com/weblearning
3. What are social bookmarks?
Public links to web pages that a person would like to share with other people. These bookmarks are usually categorized by tags
4. URL of Instructors bookmarking service?
http://delicious.com/weblearning
5. What is a blog?
A website usually authored by one person who would like to share their news, opinions, etc
with other people
6. Instructors blog?
http://www.weblearning.co.za/blog/
7. What is a social network service?
A social network service is a web based server that provides means for people that share
interests / activities to interact over the internet.
8. URL of the class social networking service?
http://ukznav.ning.com/
9. What is wiki?
A collection of web pages designed to enable anyone to be able to contribute / modify content
10. Wiki address
http://ukznav.wetpaint.com//
11. What is photo sharing?
A website service that allows people to update, arrange and tag digital photographs
12. Address of Instructors photo sharing site?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/weblearning
See the photo we took of our efforts:
http://ning.it/ajcPfa
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Field Trip to Sizisizwe High School
The bus trip wasn’t as long as I expected and it was quite festive with everyone on board. The roads were also better than I thought they would be but maybe that is just because I lived on a farm with really bad dirt roads. The physical surroundings were beautiful, rolling hills, green grass and trees. 
I was surprised at the conditions of the classrooms – I thought there would be more broken windows than there were, the burglar guards were neat and in good condition. The classrooms were quite bare which was a stark contrast to the classroom of my observation week where the walls were covered in learning material, posters, newspaper articles etc. I considered whether this could be a result of the lack of resources or perhaps product of circumstance where things might go missing if placed on the walls. The resources at the school were also better than I expected but there were a few odd imbalances: there was a TV and a computer room but no running water. I also noticed that the teachers didn’t have their own space in the classrooms, no desks, no cupboards and no shelves.
It was interesting to note that although there were resources available, there seems to be a general trend of poor use of the available resources. It was mentioned that often these resources are locked away to protect them and thus never used.
It was also mentioned that what is needed are qualified and professional teachers with strong content knowledge. While the realities are quite the opposite where teachers are not qualified and locals have to be used because of the lack of teachers willing to teach in the rural schools. This is mostly due to the lack of decent accommodation where there is no running water and no electricity. There is also the problem of teachers who go to rural schools to secure their permanent posts and then leave once they have experience or their loan is paid off. Some teachers are not even getting paid as their files have been lost in PMB.
I really liked the idea of the Rural incentives which have been scrapped because the Unions said that they were unfair. It was an idea that if a teacher who taught physical science, maths, accountancy or life sciences taught in a rural school they would get an extra 10% - was allocated per school so if teacher moved school would not get the incentive.
I think an important initiative is to try and instil an appetite for education in the learners and to encourage them to return to rural communities and contribute or re-invest in their community using the skills and knowledge they have acquired.
Transport in rural areas seems to be a problem for the learners, parents and teachers. Long distances need to be covered on foot sometimes by the learners and some teachers travel from Durban everyday to get there. This also limits the involvement of the teachers as well as the parents who are mostly agricultural workers for Sappi.
Disciplinary measures were discussed for learners and teachers (one teacher has been truant for over a week without any word). Learners are disciplined if they are late, absent, for failure to submit, failing test, being outside during class time. Just had an incident of theft they are currently dealing with.
It was interesting to note that although there were resources available, there seems to be a general trend of poor use of the available resources. It was mentioned that often these resources are locked away to protect them and thus never used.
It was also mentioned that what is needed are qualified and professional teachers with strong content knowledge. While the realities are quite the opposite where teachers are not qualified and locals have to be used because of the lack of teachers willing to teach in the rural schools. This is mostly due to the lack of decent accommodation where there is no running water and no electricity. There is also the problem of teachers who go to rural schools to secure their permanent posts and then leave once they have experience or their loan is paid off. Some teachers are not even getting paid as their files have been lost in PMB.
I really liked the idea of the Rural incentives which have been scrapped because the Unions said that they were unfair. It was an idea that if a teacher who taught physical science, maths, accountancy or life sciences taught in a rural school they would get an extra 10% - was allocated per school so if teacher moved school would not get the incentive.
I think an important initiative is to try and instil an appetite for education in the learners and to encourage them to return to rural communities and contribute or re-invest in their community using the skills and knowledge they have acquired.
Transport in rural areas seems to be a problem for the learners, parents and teachers. Long distances need to be covered on foot sometimes by the learners and some teachers travel from Durban everyday to get there. This also limits the involvement of the teachers as well as the parents who are mostly agricultural workers for Sappi.
Disciplinary measures were discussed for learners and teachers (one teacher has been truant for over a week without any word). Learners are disciplined if they are late, absent, for failure to submit, failing test, being outside during class time. Just had an incident of theft they are currently dealing with.
Initially I was very open to teaching in a rural school but this experience has made me think twice about it. It is unusual because before the trip I thought the conditions would be worse than they are and yet I was still willing. But the actual experience its self has opened my eyes more to the challenges and reality of it all. The main challenge I experience was the language barrier. None of the learners could understand English. This was a huge shock to me and all I could thing of is what I would have done if there weren’t other students in our group to translate. Another thought which scared me is how will they understand the exam papers which use proficient English? Newspapers were given to the scholars to read and improve their English but there didn’t seem to be anyone to make sure there was comprehension. It is very easy to read a different language and yet at the same time not understand anything you have read. The only contact they have with English is through school and that standard was really bad by the evidence on the chalk boards and the blank stares when someone spoke to them in English.
The other thing and perhaps the main reason behind my change in enthusiasm to teach at a rural school is the incident the principle mentioned below:
A prospective student attacked a teacher with a broken bottle – he still has a right to education so they have to accept him.
It scared me that I would be putting myself in this kind of environment everyday if I were to work in a rural school and being a single mom, my parental instinct kicks in, and I need to make sure I am safe in order to make sure I will be around to care for my daughter.
I feel the trip was really valuable as you can not beat the experience versus the theory of it all. It is made so much more real and as I mentioned above, you have certain ideas but until you are put in that situation you can never really say how you will react. I also gained a deep sense of appreciation for my peers as without them the message I had would have fallen on deaf ears. Not only did they translate but they expanded and spoke of their very real experiences which far outweigh the theory or the information we gave them on paper.
I love the idea of this mutually beneficial partnership, I love that I have lecturers who are so passionate about helping the rural and poverty stricken schools. It inspires me and makes me happy to know that we can bring hope & care to learners even for one day and at the same time get an invaluable experience and exposure to the challenges in a rural school and community.
My PCGE Education Experience
How did I land up studying AGAIN?
You would think after matriculating almost 20 years ago, it might be a bit late to start another Career.
Well, there comes a time in your life when your priorities change, and you realise the value of Quality Time and that money cant buy happiness.
I want to make a difference in peoples lives, particularly, little peoples lives. I want to contribute to the world, specifically, my beloved country.
So here I am after 20 years of studying other things while working hard and making money.
I'm going back to basics, back to what matters, and I feel alive for the first time in a long time!
You would think after matriculating almost 20 years ago, it might be a bit late to start another Career.
Well, there comes a time in your life when your priorities change, and you realise the value of Quality Time and that money cant buy happiness.
I want to make a difference in peoples lives, particularly, little peoples lives. I want to contribute to the world, specifically, my beloved country.
So here I am after 20 years of studying other things while working hard and making money.
I'm going back to basics, back to what matters, and I feel alive for the first time in a long time!
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