ICT & PC literacy facilitation
Maseke Primary school, Maseke village
Phalaborwa, Limpopo province
South Africa
October 2010
Background
MTN, a major cellular network, contracted Learnthings Africa to provide basic computer literacy training to students and teachers at 100 rural schools across South Africa, where MTN provided each school with a fully functional computer lab.
Each lab was equipped with around 30 desktop PC's and an Interactive whiteboard. I had to train teachers on how to integrate technology into their teaching methodologies. I did basic training on MS Word, Encarta and Learnthings content to both teachers and students.
I did facilitation at 12 of these schools in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West province and the Eastern Cape.
On this particular trip, I invited my wife along. During the day when I had to conduct training, she stayed at the Boikhutsong Guesthouse in Phalaborwa. I drove every day from Phalaborwa to Maseke village to conduct teacher and student training at Maseke Primary school.
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The road between Phalaborwa and Maseke village - Limpopo province
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About Learnthings Africa
Learnthings Africa specializes in providing training based on the integration of ICT and digital materials within the teaching and learning environment so that users can meaningfully utilize ICT in education and harness ICT technology to improve, enrich and expand education.
Some of the training programs include: Computer literacy, Introduction to digital resources, Integrating ICT into teaching and learning, creating digital content, Evaluation of digital resources, the interactive whiteboard (http://www.learnthings.co.za/)
My Duties included:
- Teaching rural primary and secondary school children and teachers basic computer literacy on Microsoft. (WORD, EXCEL, and POWERPOINT, as well as ENCARTA)
- Facilitating Training of teachers regarding the integration of ICT’s into teaching and learning.
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Posing with the teachers after training at Maseke primary school
Maseke village, near Phalaborwa, Limpopo province
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About Limpopo province
Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The name "Limpopo" has its etymological origin in the Northern Sotho language word diphororo tša meetse, meaning "strong gushing waterfalls". The capital is Polokwane, formerly called Pietersburg.
The province was formed from the northern region of Transvaal Province in 1994, and was initially named Northern Transvaal. The following year, it was renamed Northern Province, which remained the name until 2003, when it was formally changed to Limpopo after deliberation by the provincial government and amendment of the South African Constitution.
Limpopo has the highest level of poverty of any South African province, with 78.9% of the population living below the national poverty line. In 2011, 74.4% of local dwellings were located in a tribal or traditional area, compared to a national average of 27.1%. The Northern Sotho language is spoken by more than half of Limpopo's population (Wikipedia).
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Fake elephant - Phalaborwa
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About Phalaborwa
Phalaborwa is a town situated in Limpopo province of South Africa and is located near the confluence of the Ga-Selati River and the Olifants River, halfway up along the eastern border of the Kruger National Park in the Lowveld (Wikipedia).
Our Accommodation & Dining
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| Boikhutsong Guesthouse in Phalaborwa we stayed at |
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Ansu relaxing at our Guesthouse in Phalaborwa
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| Dinner at Phalaborwa Spur |
The Road between Phalaborwa & Maseke village
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| The road between Phalaborwa and Maseke village |
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| African bus - near Phalaborwa, Limpopo province |
Maseke village
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| Maseke village, near Phalaborwa, Limpopo province |
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| Maseke residence |
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| Maseke village, near Phalaborwa, Limpopo province |
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| Maseke village, near Phalaborwa, Limpopo province |
Maseke Primary School
Maseke Primary is a primary school located at Maseke Village, Namakgale District, Phalaborwa, Limpopo Province, South Africa.
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| Maseke school sign |
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| Maseke school |
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| My 'bakkie' parked at the school |
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| Goat posing against the wall of Maseke primary school |
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| Pupils of Maseke primary school - Maseke village |
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| Pupils of Maseke primary school - Maseke village |
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| Training facilitation on Encarta using an Interactive Whiteboard |
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| Cute little girl - Maseke primary school |
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| Pupils of Maseke primary school - Maseke village |
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| Student training |
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| Training teachers on MS Word |
Back to Pretoria via Graskop & Pilgrims Rest (Mpumalanga)
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| Giraffe near Phalaborwa - Limpopo province |
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| Ansu taking pics - Near Phalaborwa, Limpopo province |
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| En route to Mpumalanga province |
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| En route to Mpumalanga province |
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| Near Graskop, Mpumalanga province |
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| Goods for sale along the road, in the mist, near Graskop, Mpumalanga province |
About Graskop
Graskop is a small town located in Mpumalanga province of South Africa. It was set up in the 1880s as a gold mining camp. It now serves as a tourist destination and a hub for the timber industry.
The name is Afrikaans for grassy peak. ‘God’s Window’, a scenic view from the escarpment of the Lowveld below, is located outside the town (Wikipedia).
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| Graskop |
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| Graskop pancakes where we stopped for their famous pancakes |
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| Graskop |
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| Graskop |
About Pilgrims Rest
Pilgrim’s Rest (Afrikaans: Pelgrimsrus) is a small town in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. It is protected as a heritage site. It was the second of the Transvaal gold fields, which attracted a rush of prospectors in 1873.
Alluvial panning eventually gave way to deeper ore mining. In the 1970s the town, became a tourist destination (Wikipedia).
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| Pilgrims Rest |
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| Pilgrims Rest |
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| Pilgrims Rest |
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| Pilgrims Rest |
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| Pilgrims Rest |
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| Pilgrims Rest |
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| Beautiful Mpumalanga |
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| Mpumalanga scenery |
