Mustek e-Learning

Whose responsibility is it to train teachers in the use of classroom technology?

The short answer to this question is that skilling teachers in ICT is the joint responsibility of the education department, the school and the individual teacher.

Where the national or provincial education department offers ICT training, school principals must make sure that the teachers have the opportunity to make use of it. This type of training is free, usually focused on education and teachers may get time off for it.

If the education department does not offer such training, schools should not  just sit around waiting for it to happen; find an alternative.  Principals may approach training companies to offer training, or if the school can’t afford it, community members can be approached to offer training on a pro bono basis.  Another useful way to provide training to teachers is to approach vendors of technology products to ensure that sufficient product training is given when technology is procured.

What happens if neither the education department, nor the school, makes ICT training available to teachers?  The responsibility now falls on the teacher to build those skills.

Don’t waste time fighting over whose responsibility it is to train teachers to become confident users of technology in the classroom – the longer you wait, the further you you’ll be left behind.

posted by Kobus van Wyk in Training and have No Comments

External hard drives – what can teachers do with them?

An external hard drive can prove to be a useful peripheral tool for teachers.  What can they do with these devices?  A few possible uses are:

Get your external hard drive from your nearest Mustek dealer

Use the external hard drive for backups – but remember to do so regularly, and store the backup device in a safe place, away from your computer or laptop.

All those documents that clutter your computer can be stored away safely on an external hard drive: old test and examination papers, presentations that will only be used next year again; articles and notes that you keep just in case you need them in the future.

When the hard drive of the computer or laptop fills up, you can move  resource hungry video presentations and software that you want to use in the classroom to an external hard drive.

If you are scared learners will gain access to your computer, store sensitive material (like the end of this year’s examination paper and its memo!) on an external hard drive that you keep locked away in a secure place.

When you don’t want to take a laptop along to another training venue, but you know that a computer will be available, an external hard drive is useful to take presenations along that are too big for a smaller data stick.

posted by Kobus van Wyk in Mobile technology and have No Comments

Organize your classroom with neat labels

The Epson LabelWorks LW-300 is an easy-to-use, compact, electronic label maker that takes care of all your classroom labelling requirements.

A teacher’s best friend

With its ergonomic buttons, integrated keyboard and high-quality LCD screen, the LW-300 is simple to use.  Dedicated buttons give quick access to cutting and printing functions, while an internal memory allows you to save and recall your favourite 30 label designs at any time.

Just imagine how much time you’ll save when you can print labels for books, equipment and other learning materials you use in your classroom!

Fitting easily onto your desk, the LW-300 can be used with the included AC adaptor, or if you don’t have a plug point in your classroom, the device can be loaded with batteries for label printing on the go.

It prints up to 2 lines and offers excellent versatility with 14 font types, 5 character sizes, 457 symbols, 87 borders and 10 styles, including bold, italic, outline and shadow.  Epson’s wide selection of tapes in 6, 9 and 12 mm sizes covers virtually every classroom labelling need.

And the best of all: it comes with a 3 year warranty!

Call Joan Bull at 021 413 2335 or email her at joanb@mustek.co.za for details about where you can obtain one of these classroom must-haves.

posted by Kobus van Wyk in Tools and have No Comments
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Mustek rewards excellence in education

Lizo Ncapai and Odwa Madikane of the COSAT school in the Western Cape with their Mecer laptops

 

Mustek was once again the major sponsor of prizes given to deserving learners at the National Senior Certificate Awards Ceremony that was held at the residence of the Premier of the Western Cape in Cape Town on Wednesday, 9 January 2013.

Mecer laptop computers were given to ten top performing learners of the Class of 2013.  These tools will be useful to them as they pursue further studies.

Mustek has been a sponsor of the annual matric awards ceremonies in the Western Cape for a number of years.  Computer equipment is given, not only to the best performing students of the year, but also to those students coming from disadvantaged communities, yet having excelled in their studies against all odds.

Participating in this awards event is just one of the many ways in which Mustek is backing education.  The company supports the National Department of Basic Education, as well as provincial education departments, to make e-learning a reality in schools.  Various e-learning initiatives are taking shape and Mustek is widely recognized as being a leader in the field of e-education in South Africa.

posted by Kobus van Wyk in Education,News flashes and have No Comments

Should teachers be responsible for their own technology?

The responses that you will receive to this question are likely to be loaded with much emotion!  The facts, however, are rather simple.

When teachers own a personal computer or laptop they can do more work in less time with less effort; techonology also helps teachers to improve teaching and learning in the classroom.

It follows that it is in the interest of everyone – the teacher, the school, the education authorities and, of course, the children – for every teacher to be equipped with the necessary ICT tools.   If  education authorities are serious about productivity and improved teaching and learning, they will provide teachers with tools for personal and classroom use.

Responsible employers provide their employees with the tools of their trade.   Where education authorities are not yet in a position to provide technology to all teachers (granted, in South Africa it is a huge undertaking to provide technology to about 400 000 teachers), school principals who are serious about productivity and quality of teaching will consider the investment required to provide teachers in their schools with relevant technology.

If the school or education department does not provide ICT to its employees, teachers should consider buying their own equipment.  It would not be in their interest to wait indefinitely, while the world around them is becoming technology rich.  Just as working for another qualification will enhance the professional stature of a teacher, so would acquiring technology and the skills to use it lift the teacher to new levels of professionalism.

As they say, “no pain, no gain”.   Not too difficult to figure this out!

posted by Kobus van Wyk in Training and have No Comments

What is e-learning?

You will find many definitions when you google the term e-learning.  It seems as if everyone has their own view of what e-learning is.  A useful definition is the one found on Wikipedia.  It simply states:

e-learning includes all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching.

This means that when you use electronic devices, such as computers, laptops, tablets, cell phones, data loggers, interactive whiteboards and data projectors for teaching and learning, e-learning is taking place.

One of the myths of e-learning is that it can only happen if internet connectivity is available.  The internet is undoubtedly a valuable and desirable e-learning tool, but it is by no means essential:  e-learning can indeed take place when an unconnected device is used.

We must take care not to place too much emphasis on the “e”.  Bear in mind that the main objective in a classroom is “learning”.  The electronic device is merely a tool.

posted by Kobus van Wyk in Education and have Comment (1)

Can a laptop make a teacher more productive?

Some teachers may object to the mere suggestion that they should become more productive.

“How can we be expected to produce more?” they may ask.  “We are already overworked!  You can’t squeeze blood from a stone.”

This reaction is understandable. We all agree that teachers carry heavy loads.  But greater productivity does not necessarily mean working harder.

Let’s think about an analogy.

Imagine a rural area where there is no piped water.  A woman takes her family’s washing down to a river.  There she laboriously draws water with a bucket to wash and rinse the clothing.  When she is done, she hauls the wet washing back home to hang up to dry.  This process may take up most of her day.

If water were to be piped to her house, half of her work would be saved.  She would not have to trek down to the river, nor would she have to perform the backbreaking task of drawing water from the river with a bucket.  If running water were available from a tap she would have the flexibility to work in her own house, in her own time, at her own pace.

The time and energy spent walking to and from the river and drawing water could now be used for more meaningful tasks, such as earning extra money or spending the time with her family.  Think what it would mean to her if she were to get a washing machine!  She would have even more time for other productive activities.

This woman has now become more productive.  Does that mean that more burdens are put on her and that she has to work harder?  Not at all.  In fact, she gets more done in less time, with less effort.  This is a good example of working smarter, not harder.

The same principle applies to a teacher and a laptop.  A laptop can do for a teacher what running water and a washing machine can do for a housewife: it can help to get more work done in less time.

Any tool that can lighten the load of a teacher should be considered seriously.

Mustek has a wide range of laptops that can suit the needs and pockets of all teachers.

posted by Kobus van Wyk in Laptops and have No Comments

Mustek is exibiting at Education Week

Please visit the exhibition stand of Mustek during Education Week.  Our education team would be delighted to show you the latest technologies that can spice up teaching and learning in your school.

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posted by Kobus van Wyk in Events and have No Comments

What is the total cost of ownership of school technologies?

The real cost of a piece of technology is much different from what is stated on its price tag. The phrase Total Cost of Ownership – also referred to as TCO – is often used to emphasize the fact that the true cost of an item is made up of all the expenses incurred from the time you acquire it until you dispose of it.

Let’s use an analogy to explain the concept of TCO:

A woman shops around for an exclusive dress to wear on special occasions. She finds one she likes and feels that she can afford the price on the price tag – the shop may even offer a discount. The price she pays for the dress is the initial cost.

On her way home she suddenly realizes that she does not have shoes to go with the dress and buys a new pair; she also decides that new earrings and a necklace would enhance her beautiful dress. These items constitute additional costs.

When she gets home and tries on the dress with her new shoes, the woman discovers that the dress is a bit too long. Since she does not have the skill to shorten the dress herself, she pays a seamstress to do the job – she did not anticipate this hidden cost when she purchased the garment.

On the first occasion she wears the dress somebody spills a cup of coffee on it. The label on the inside of the dress clearly says: “Dry clean only.” She now realizes that she will have this recurring cost as long as she keeps the dress.

The total cost of owning the dress ends up being much more that the price she saw on the price tag.  When you consider the use of technology for your classroom, the same four cost categories apply:

  • initial cost
  • additional costs
  • recurring costs
  • hidden costs.

 

Before rushing out to bring technology into your classroom, do the wise thing: calculate the total cost of ownership. Then, figure out how you can make it happen.

posted by Kobus van Wyk in Cost and have No Comments

First the problem … then the tool!

The word toolishness is used to describe a fondness of tools that transcends purpose and utility.

How can teachers avoid falling into the trap of toolishness when it comes to digital tools?  Here are a few examples:

When a hammer is your only tool, every problem looks like a nail.

When a teacher takes learners into a computer laboratory but only allows the learners to read information from a screen – which they can read from a textbook – it is toolishness.   Rather use the power of technology to help learners develop fact-gathering, analysis and synthesis skills required for twenty-first century living.

Sophisticated educational software programs may be available in a school – but many of them are never used. These products are often procured because they are imagined to be a solution to the learning needs at the school. Subsequent experience proves that simpler products yield similar or better results. Teachers must be warned about this form of toolishness.

Interactive whiteboards are wonderful teaching tools, but if they are used only to project images, a data projector would have sufficed. Why go to the trouble of acquiring an expensive piece of technology if a simpler tool serves the purpose?

Avoid toolishness by first identifying educational problems and then selecting the most appropriate tools to solve them, rather than by purchasing a tool and then trying to find a problem that can be solved by it.

posted by Kobus van Wyk in Education and have No Comments