Durban -
While impoverished KwaZulu-Natal schools are still quite a way away from paperless classrooms, those local pupils who are fortunate enough to have modern technology introduced into their schools say it has made a big difference to their marks.
Okumhlope High in Umlazi is one of 600 schools in KZN where a touch screen smart board has replaced the blackboard in one of the Grade 10 classrooms.
The pupils are able to see and hear their science lessons come to life. While they still use textbooks rather than tablets in the classroom, they say technology has improved their learning.
“Seeing is believing,” quipped Qiniso Dlamini, 15.
Classmate Luyandah Msani, 16, said she used to struggle to visualise certain concepts. Her science marks had improved because the content was now easier to understand.
The speakers connected to the smart board also helped them learn the correct scientific terms in English, the pupils said.
In the school’s computer room, pupils of all grades use their individual profiles to access curriculum content for different subjects, and to complete quizzes.
KZN Education Department head Nkosinathi Sishi wants pupils in grades 10 to 12 to be exposed to information and communication technology in their classrooms, but has only R90 million to do so.
Of the 1 500 schools in KZN equipped with resources such as laptops and tablets, every pupil in an entire grade did not have access to these devices. Owing to budget constraints, the department’s strategy was for a cluster of schools to share these resources.
Thirteen schools in the Pinetown and Umlazi districts were taking part in a pilot scheme in which tablets and e-books were used to teach maths and natural science in grades 8 and 9.
In 2013, pupils at Northwood School in Durban North became among the first in the country to have digital textbooks.
The boys were able to complete their maths assignments on e-books downloaded on tablets, by logging on to the school’s wi-fi.
Research on using information and communication technology in classrooms, such as that by Wits academics Nokulunga Ndlovu and Donovan Lawrence, argues that the key to effectively using technology depends “hugely” on the teacher’s capacity to teach effectively, with or without it.
The Mercury