Teachers need e-learning passports

Johannesburg, 17 Aug 2009

Interactive learning tools are the link between today's students and teachers who exist in a technology-driven world, according to Yvonne Biggins, Smart Technologies education business development manager, who spoke at last week's Education Week conference held in Midrand, Johannesburg.

“Students are digital natives and teachers are digital immigrants,” said Biggins, who discussed the role of teachers in ushering in an age of digital inclusion and e-learning.

“While it is easy to bring the technology into the classroom, there needs to be a handshake between the teachers and the technology,” offered Johan Strauss, business development director of VastraTech, a value-added distributor of Smart Technologies locally.

Kobus van Wyk, programme manager of the Western Cape Education Department's Khanya Project, lists three possible weak links when it comes to implementing e-learning in schools: principals, teachers and technological support. “Teachers need to buy into the concepts and get over the fear that students may know more about technology than they do. You can't just install technology. Teachers must update their skills; you need continuous learning.”

In an effort to address teachers' resistance to the technology, Smart Technologies has committed to educating and training teachers with ongoing certified training programmes, as well as an online teaching community. Biggins added that the company's solutions are developed based on feedback from the teaching community.

Solutions go beyond science and IT subjects and now include every subject field, ensuring that teachers can use the technology within their subject expertise.

“Historically, students have been consumers of information and they have become producers of information. The technology gives them the tools to publish,” explained Biggins. This results in teachers moving into more of a facilitator role.

“The Smartboard tools are associated with social media that students are engaged in today. When this is linked to what students do in the classroom they are a lot more motivated academically,” she added.

Both Biggins and Strauss agreed that teachers play an important role in the effectiveness of e-learning, noting that by bringing technology into the classroom, teachers are integral to bridging the digital divide.