Participate Technologies was proud to sponsor the recent Distance Education and Teacher Education in Africa (DETA) Conference, held at the Mauritius Institute of Education, R'eduit, Mauritius, from 20 -24 July 2015.
The sixth of its kind, the conference was formed to offer a unique platform for educationalists to share knowledge and deliberate on educational issues. This year's theme was exploring the role educationists could play in creating "The Future We Want" for education on our continent, Africa.
The conference was attended by over 170 delegates from 24 different countries, which made it the largest yet, and Participate Technologies was privileged to be a part of it.
For many of the participants, this was their first exposure to audience response technology (commonly referred to as clickers in education).
The delegates' experience of voting in the audience with their handheld clickers and seeing the live results displayed on the screens created somewhat of a spectacle. Many "oohhs and aahhs" could be heard from the auditorium as the participants enjoyed the gratifying experience of seeing their response choice displayed on the screen, comparing it against what their peers had chosen as responses.
Using the clickers to ask questions of the audience during the keynote session transformed the passive one-direction communication of the presentations into an active two-way participative and engaging experience.
The display of many responses were met with delight when consistent majority votes came showing unison in thinking around certain issues.
On occasion, perceptions were changed as the audience vote was met with surprise as the responses displayed a different reality, presenting polarisation in thinking around certain issues, thus concluding there is much work still to be done in addressing the challenges that the African continent faces in education.
Sub-themes of the conference:
1. Teaching children in diverse African contexts;
2. Pedagogies that will achieve "The Future We Want" for education in Africa;
3. The role and impact of technology on teacher development; and
4. Quality in education as a prerequisite to establish "The Future We Want" for education in Africa.
Learn more about the conference by visiting the official Web site. For more information about how clickers are being used in South African universities, click here to view the student response system information pack.
You can also watch the presentation delivered by Professor Jan Verschoor on how teaching with clickers improves your ability to teach large classes.
For more information, please contact hello@participate.co.za or call Participate Technologies at 0861 10 63 65.
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