Seeing is believing

Part of the scope of the ZSP includes the funding of the Jonga Trust in a pilot eye screening project. The funding has also allowed the Trust to provide glasses to the learners identified with eye sight deficiencies during the school screening mentioned in an earlier post ( Jonga Trust blog post). More serious cases were referred to the Red Cross Children's Hospital, under the funding of the Health Department.

Today the learners were proudly wearing their new spectacles during the lesson in the ZSP computer centre.

A new term

Schools opened again for the new term on Tuesday after a longer than normal 'football induced' winter break.

The Team have been very busy since then visiting all of the schools in the ZSP family:
Intshayelelo
Stage I: Eastville, Liesbeeck, Mitchell Heights
Stage II: Buck Road, Jamaica Way, Prince George, Sonwabo, St Mary's, Sullivan, Thomas Wildschutt and Thomas Wildschutt Junior.

Intshayelelo and Stage I schools' focus is using their technology to help educators improve learners' numeracy and literacy levels. This is done by educators using their time in the ZSP computer lab to  explore and consolidate the concepts that are being taught that week in the classroom.

The Stage II schools are preparing both the infrastructure and the strategies that will allow them to fully utilise the technology that will arrive in the Autumn. Over the next month the ICT Committees at each of the schools will be formulating  important guidelines that will allow the technology to be well managed and sustainable.

The Stage II Champions met yesterday. Two of the highlights were the encouraging stories of excited learners seeing the changes made to their schools over the break and educators constantly asking 'when will our training start?'

Enjoying the GEES...but the work goes on

The whole country is enjoying the "GEES" ( Afrikaans for 'spirit' ) generated by the Football World Cup. 300 000 people were in Cape Town for the Germany v Argentina game on Saturday.

In the midst of the football frenzy that is engulfing Cape Town, work is progressing both on the infrastructure at the schools and in the planning of the training for educators.

Service providers have been industriously fitting worksurfaces, adding security features, painting walls, finishing floor surfaces, putting in electrical and data cabling. When educators and learners arrive back at school on Tuesday they will be surprised at the transformation.

The ZSP Team have been planning the training schedule for the Stage II schools. The training has two parts; the e-literacy program and the educational software program. During the school holidays the ZSP Team have been analysing the results of the e-literacy evaluation that every Stage II school staff member completed. Training has been devised to account for the different levels of IT experience and confidence found at each school.

Well done South Africa on being an incredible host nation for the World Cup!!