ICT in Education Open Days

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The ICT in Education Open Day is an annual event where we showcase innovative use of technology in teaching and learning, promote awareness of new technology in the education sector and share best practice in ICT integration. 

For this year, we would like to collaborate with UFS to expose Free State teachers to the IBP re-Launch which will run concurrently with this event. This is the first year the event will be decentralized to the districts bringing the event to you!

Registrations will take place a few weeks before the events. Limited space is available - book your space in advance.

Make sure to subscribe to this blog. You will only be notified when a new post and details on events are posted. 

Kind regards
FSDOE E-Learning Team



* If needed, any changes will be communicated via this blog.

The National Teaching Awards – Written by Gerard Malan (Aurora Primary School)

The NTA is an awards competition initiative from the Department of Education to reward teachers from all over the country for hard work in and out of the classroom. It is that time of the year that the nominations for the National Teaching Awards must be prepared.

"When I was nominated for this award I was very sceptical and thought it was only for exceptional teachers. It was not for me!! I am just an ordinary teacher teaching Afrikaans Second Language to Primary school learners! But after some research, I realized that it is for the ordinary teacher who is dedicated and enthusiastic towards his/her teaching profession. The teacher who spend hours preparing lessons and who cares and loves the learners in his/ her classroom." Gerhard Malan, 17th National Bronze winner.

You are entitled to be rewarded for this! You owe it to yourself! The NTA's is a wonderful experience, even if you don't make it to the finals. It will be a life-changing experience for those who are lucky enough to make it to the finals.

Explore the following links to find out more:

• What was my motivation? (by Gerhard Malan)
• The Info and Preparation to the NTA's
• The 19t Annual Teachers Award Nomination Guide

Give it a try. You cannot lose anything, you can only win! Go ahead and ask your principal to nominate you. Show the world that the teachers of our country are just as good as any.

2017 Finalists in the 18th Annual National Teaching Awards

NTA Awards 2017

Congratulations to Mr. Gerhard Malan (Welkom, Lejweleputswa) for being rewarded 3rd place at the National Teaching Awards in the ICT-enhanced teaching and learning category. Mr. Malan is passionate about teaching and demonstrated how technology creates more effective learning experiences in his Afrikaans First Additional Language class. In addition, he also values teacher ICT professional development and is eager to get involved at his school and district events to promote ICT integration for Education. 

The NTA 2018 cycle will soon commence. For those teachers interested, don't hesitate to make contact with your district ICT coordinator for support in the ICT category. You are also encouraged to inquire about the Innovation Workshop to be held in each of the districts in preparation for the Awards. 

Good luck to all 2018 candidates. 

The provincial team can't wait to meet the Free State ICT change agents.

Tablet training Apr - Jun 2017

With the huge national tablet roll-out initiative the e-Learning unit is continually supporting schools in utilising the available resources. During June 2017 Schools in Philippolis received SACE endorsed training on using tablets in the classroom. The Intel Education: Tablet in the Classroom course includes the following objectives:

·         Navigate, store and share documents and information using an Android device

·         Find, install and evaluate educational apps

·         Integrate tablets into curricula and use tablets for electronic assessment

·         Manage the integration of tablets in the classroom

The more you use technology the more you will become a confident user. The e-Learning Unit looks forward to continue the support and training of teachers in the Free State.

SMART School Evaluation Team - July - Aug 2017

The Free State Provincial Government as well as the MEC for Education embraced the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning since 2009 by supporting a variety of technology based interventions such as Internet Broadcast Service (IBP), HeyMath!, Edukite and multimedia centres of which the introduction (piloting) of the SMART schools concept is the latest.

A SMART School can be defined as a learning institution that has been systematically reinvented in terms of teaching and learning practices and school management in order to prepare learners for the rapidly evolving information age. SMART Classrooms in each SMART school are connected to the internet and equipped with mobile technology comprising a laptop for the teacher, a data projector and other technological devices for teaching and learning.

The FSDOE e-Learning Unit assisted the Quality Assurance, Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate (QASME), during July and August when they conducted the evaluation. The aim of the evaluation was to gather information about the level of implementation of the SMART School concept in the five schools across the province where it is piloted. 

EdTech Google Summit - July 2017

Integration Training Apr - Jun 2017

As part of the training path the e-Learning unit embarks on, integration training focuses on intermediate ICT skills and curriculum based ICT integration. Teachers from the Telkom Foundation Schools Project in Motheo attended the training in May 2017. The afternoon was filled with excitement as teachers explored the manipulation of multi-media resources to improve lessons and question papers. The successful participation of each of the teachers showcased their progress with regard to ICT implementation at their respective schools.