The winners in the 2010 Lesotho Microsoft Innovative Teachers Forum (ITF) awards were announced at an awards ceremony in Maseru on Friday. The winner and two runners-up were chosen from among 10 finalist projects that demonstrate how technology can transform teaching and learning in Lesotho's schools.
Spurred on by a Lesotho teacher's global award last year in Brazil, 67 teachers attended workshops on how best to use technology innovatively to engage learners in the classroom, leading to a drastic increase in award entries this year.
The awards focus on content, collaboration and community, and the winner is Moeketsi Jack Hlazi of Masite Primary School. His class project, entitled: “Drugs and Substance Abuse”, involved learners using cellphone voice recorders and digital cameras as tools to collect information about why people use drugs.
The learners then used the information they gathered to create a drama highlighting the dangers of drug abuse. This drama was shot using a digital camera and edited using Movie Maker. It is now available on a DVD, which has been shared with other schools. Some class members have also been interviewed on radio about their learnings.
Runner-up Lilian Ofori Asare of Phethahatso English Medium Community Primary School's “Maize as a Main Meal” project involved class five learners collaborating with learners in a school in Ghana to identify how maize is used as a main meal in West Africa and Lesotho respectively. Technology enabled the learners to collect video clips, information, photographs and recipes, and to share these with the other class.
Second runner-up Berlina Mokhakala of Mamoeketsi Community Primary School used her project: “Effects of Migration” to address the issue of migration through the use of ICT. Learners used digital cameras to capture photos and take videos while interviewing officials and members of the public. They also created a newsletter to record their findings and so share them with others.
The awards, hosted in partnership with the Lesotho Ministry of Education & Training and the School Technology Innovation Centre (STIC) at the Lesotho College of Education, honour outstanding teachers who use technology creatively in their classrooms to prepare students for the 21st century.
“Today we can celebrate the strides that many teachers have made in adopting and using ICT to enhance their teaching practices,” says Dr Kasongo Kalanda, manager of the Lesotho STIC. “The ITF offers a worthwhile opportunity for teachers from Lesotho to share their ideas and to network with one another - thus creating a community of practitioners who can collaborate on further projects.”
Local Lesotho partners, SHA-Computers and Denvertech, have supported the Innovative Teacher Forum by contributing towards the cost of two of the winners' air tickets to Mombasa. Lesotho Motor Clinic and Techware are also providing prizes for the winning teachers.
“Often, teachers are hesitant to adopt technology into their curriculum until they get a chance to experience firsthand the benefits and possibilities for their students,” said Zongezile Dlangamandla, eSchools Coordinator at the Lesotho Ministry of Education and Training.
“The award is fantastic, but even more meaningful is the chance for teachers to discuss with their peers how technology is able to transform their students' learning environments.”
Angela Schaerer, who heads up the Partners in Learning programme at Microsoft South Africa, believes the forum provides a unique opportunity for teachers from all over the world to improve their teaching methods through collaboration.
“Technology goes a long way to giving especially remote communities access to a world of information, and has made it much easier for teachers to prepare and present lessons in the classroom,” she says.
The ITF is part of Microsoft's Partners in Learning programme, a global initiative designed to help increase technology access for schools, foster innovative approaches to education, and provide educators with the tools to manage and implement change.
Addendum A provides brief profiles of the finalist schools and their projects entered into the competition.
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