Cape+Town+Schools+Visit

==Report – Visiting Cape Town Schools ==

// 14 – 16 September 2010 //

Background:
Givyne Coltman and I (Glen Williams) paid a visit to 11 schools in the Western Cape area from Fishhoek to Bloubergstrand during the period of Tuesday, 14 September 2010 to Thursday, 16 September 2010.

The Schools:
Fish Hoek Primary; International Qualifications Alliance; The Grove Primary School; Rondebosch Boys’ Preparatory School; Bishops Preparatory School; Bishops High School; Rustenburg School for Girls; St. Cyprians School; Elkanah House Junior Primary; Elkanah House Senior Primary; Elkanah House High School.

Area of Interest:
I asked Celine and Givyne to compile list of questions they’d like answered and then added that to my own questions. Celine and my questions typically revolved around the software learners were familiar with; the type of projects which were rolled out; basic rules and restrictions enforced in the computer labs; how and when assessments take place; printing arrangements; policy on Facebook, YouTube, Google Earth/Maps; free internet software/tools used; the skills acquired in the various grades; degree of lesson integration. Givyne asked more technical questions and are not included in this report as he said he’d compile his own report.

Findings:
All the notes from the various schools are combined and summarized into the following points. · Learners are limited by __the number of pictures__ they can save on their profiles in order for them not to fill up their allocated space with pictures – not leaving any space for work. · Banned list seem to be widely used for repeated offences. · Permission cards are also used to control access to the computer labs and restrict unauthorized movement between classrooms and labs. · Some use recycled paper collected from businesses as a //green// alternative to new paper. · Discourage printing of projects. Rather email projects to teachers or save on shared drive for teachers to mark. This is both cost saving and another “green” initiative. · Copy and Paste webpage content into Word document before printing to avoid accidentally printing long web pages, unnecessary design elements like banners and navigational bars, and background colours. · Keep copy of “allowed/suggested” websites in a Word document on the shared drive for the learners to access – it is easier to click on the hyperlinks as opposed to typing in the long URLs. · Some schools invested in Evalunet as a means of presenting and marking assessments. · Another way to curb the restricted internet sites problem it to close all websites and open websites as they are needed and verified to contain safe and educational content. · The computer labs at some schools are seldom accessible to learners before, after, and at break times. Some of these schools do however have other computers available – like in their library for instance. · Use templates to teach specific skills. · Some school email school reports to parents (Pencil Box) · The length of periods varies from 30 to 60 minutes. · Most schools seem to follow a 10-day timetable. · FaceBook and YouTube are not allowed. · Learners may not play games unless it has been checked and deemed to be of an educational value. · Computer labs have a telephone for practical and convenience reasons. · MS Office 2007 is widely used. · Windows XP is still the operating system of choice but schools are looking towards upgrading to Windows 7 in 2011. · Printing is free at most schools, some use a quota system, and others charge a small fee for printing. · Schools use standard schoolbags. ·  Lockers and/and shelves for stacking of school bags are provided in passages or designated areas.  · Staffrooms have cold fruit juice in addition to tea & coffee available for the staff. Some magazines/newspapers are also provided. · 1 or 2 extra computers are available in a designated area for students to use when doing their practical.

Conclusion:
Sunridge Primary’s IT department is definitely on the right track. We have a winning recipe and will keep on this path but I do foresee some minor changes being implemented in the near future and a few more before we hit the 2011 school year. It was interesting to see how different schools have a very different way of doing things. It is clear that IT plays a very important role in education and that it needs constant funding.

Thank you:
A big thank you to all the parties which made this trip such a success. Which cave would we as the human race still be stuck in had it not been for our hunger for knowledge and willingness to learn from each other?

Brenda's comment: Thanks Glen, it's great to hear what other schools do. I'm really glad to see email being used instead of printing out projects. Go for Green! 