iSchoolAfrica aims to bring the best available education technology and practices to schools in South Africa.
iSchoolAfrica’s success and sustainability is a result of the following:
The mobile classroom - no complex infrastructure required
Each participating school is issued with: 1 mobile classroom containing12 MacBooks, 12 video cameras and 1 projector. This is kept in a secure, mobile case. The mobile classroom is an efficient way of deploying scarce resources and can be moved from classroom to classroom, ensuring integration into subject teaching and learning. It’s a tool for accelerated and collaborative learning.
Access to the world’s best educational technology
The critical piece of hardware is the MacBook, Apple’s special-purpose education laptop. This MacBook comes preloaded with the award-winning iLife suite of applications, which is the absolutely essential toolkit for the creation of multimedia projects - allowing learners to make movies, music, websites and more. This supports creative, challenge-based learning which is used by teachers and learners to create curriculum-relevant projects.
The iSchoolAfrica facilitator-skills transfer
A key focus of the programme is capacity building. The iSf works with teachers in the classroom, ensuring ongoing professional development. This particular set-up, consisting of the mobile classroom and facilitator, takes away any barriers to implementation of technology in the classroom. Teachers are emboldened by the presence of an experienced aid that can assist in the classroom, as well as provide training outside classes. As a result, the levels of comfort and competency rise and soon they are using technology independently in the classroom.
The school resident facilitator - ensuring sustainability
The iSf identifies and trains the most committed and capable teacher in each school to become a resident facilitator, who will take over the facilitation and become responsible for lesson plan development and integration.
The impact of iSchoolAfrica - igniting enthusiasm for teaching and learning
Teachers and learners are introduced to ICT in a motivating way. Within a short period of time, results are evident. Learners develop creative and critical thinking skills, essential for effective and meaningful participation in daily life. Teachers are empowered. The focus of the programme is learning and teaching, not tools, nor infrastructure.
