The Education of the 21st Century

As educational leaders, classroom teachers, students and parents will agree, 21st century teaching carries with it acomplicated mix of challenges and opportunities. Challenges include the issues of teacher turnover, accountability, changing student population and student expectations, mounting budget pressures, and intense demand to build students’ 21st century skills.

 

John Clause said "We want our teachers to be highly effective. A teacher can be highly qualified but still not very effective. That’s why we had to start thinking more comprehensively about how we are going to step into a digital learning environment to strengthen our professional development and support."

Quality of South African schools

The known barriers to quality education were also

cited in the  Rooyen, referred to the lack of parental support as

an added barrier to the attainment of quality

education and good matric results. She wrote that

South Africa’s education system as well as some

parents are failing their black children, who are

matric results were once again marked by a striking

shortage of black pupils among the country’s top

achievers. The majority of those with multiple

distinctions were mostly white with a fair spread of

Indian candidates.

My intention and commitment as a prospective Mathematics teacher

I as a mathematics future teacher intend to provide education that is fair and will help my students prepare for their future and become successful. Before the class my intention is to write a lesson plan with some objectives, to teach learners to be independent and become critical thinkers.

I as a teacher hahve to act in a value free way, for I education should inform certain values and embracess commitment to:

• Respect for persons.
• The promotion of well-being.
• Truth.
• Democracy.
• Fairness and equality.

Educational revolution in South Africa

Over the last decade, consensus has grown about the kinds of changes needed if learning is to occur seriously,The Convention on the Rights of the Child guides us towards a more child centred model of teaching and learning, one in which students participate actively, thinking and solving problems for themselves. Learning for life in the 21st century requires equipping

children with a basic education in literacy and numeracy, as well as the more advanced, complex skills for living that can serve as the foundation for life. 

If the success of education is to be gauged by what and how children learn, better ways must be found to measure the quality and relevance of education.

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED)

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED)  is responsible for public schooling in the province from Grades 1 to 12, they also provide various specialised education services and subsidise Grade R and adult education.The WCED primary objectives are to build solid foundations in literacy and numeracy in primary school, improve learner pass rates, and to improve the number and quality of our matric results.

IMPORTANCE OF ICT IN EDUCATION

Literacy Bridge saves lives and improves the livelihoods of impoverished families through comprehensive programs that provide on-demand access to locally relevant knowledge. At the heart of the programs is the Talking Book – an innovative low-cost audio computer designed for the learning needs of illiterate populations living in the poorest areas in the world.

Simple and actionable instructional messages that are repeatable and can be played when needed enable people to learn and adopt new practices to fight poverty and disease.

Overview

Spread Health & Agriculture Info

We partner with local experts to produce, record and distribute relevant information in native languages and dialects. The easy, on-demand access to health and agriculture information leads to learning and behavior changes that are life-saving and life-changing.

Listen, repeat, share

Users navigate simple audio menus in any language then listen to the information they are interested in — from 35 to 140 hours. They can repeat audio as needed, play it back for family and friends, or simply lend the small, durable devices out.

Interactive reading

Learning becomes more self-directed when users can adjust the speed of the audio to suit their pace or be prompted by ‘audio links’ to hear word definitions and answer multiple choice questions.

Connect and exchange audio

Any two devices can be connected to copy audio from one to another. With no additional services or technology, new information is able to spread wherever people have Talking Books at hand.

Record on-demand

Anyone can record their own audio onto the Talking Book to expand on existing ideas, share new information, or relay feedback to the organizations that provided the devices.

Durable and accessible

The Talking Book is small and portable so it is easy to transport and share. The device was also built to survive life in dry dust storms and tropical rain.

REFERENCE

http://www.literacybridge.org/talking-book/?gclid=CJi-h-2a1bACFSghtAod9x1Jzw

A comment made by communication minister

The minister of Communication Dina Pule

Communications Minister Dina Pule says "Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can help governments across the continent improve services given to citizens, by improving the quality of health care services as well as connect schools to the Internet to improve the quality of education".

It is been years since the ICT programme planned to improve the quality of life in South Africa but still, it is not yet being improved.