KEYNOTE ADDRESS Ed Gragert, International Education and Resource Network (I*EARN)
Theatre The Pretoria Education Network
(Yorke Rodda)
MLT Teaching Microbiology on the Internet
(Ed Rybicki)
Lab Internet Introduction 1
(various presenters)
Classroom Computer Literacy: the task-centred approach
(Gerald Roos)
Theatre IT in schools - Quo Vadis WCED?
(Mike Chiles and Flip van Schalkwyk)
MLT The Internet is transforming Education - reportback from INET 95
(Jon Miller)
Lab Internet Introduction 2
(various presenters)
Theatre The Uninet perspective on school networking
(Mike Lawrie)
followed by
Theatre WCSN Internet Roundup
(various presenters)
MLT Linear Programming (Alten du Plessis)
Lab Modelling with Graftek (Rochelle Koen and Aubrey van Breda)
MLT Std 9 & 10 Physical Science revision (Trevor Sewell)
Lab The Task-Centred Approach in Practice (David Rogers)
Theatre The Quest for the Holy Grail - the implementation of computers in schools
(Mike Assheton-Smith)
MLT Teaching Politics on the WWW
(Ann Tothill)
Lab Internet Introduction 3
(various presenters)
Classroom Design of UWC Outreach Mathematics software
(Shaheeda Jaffer and Soraya Basadien)
Theatre What the computer industry expects from school leavers
(Quintin Gee)
MLT UWC Outreach Programme (Lionel Benting)
Lab Internet Introduction 4
(various presenters)
Theatre Die gebruik van elektroniese tegnologie in die onderwys in die Vrystaat
(Johan Badenhorst)
MLT The impact of telecommunications on teachers and students at two Canadian middle schools (Nicolette Buirski Burger)
Lab Using Cabri Geometre (Shaheeda Jaffer and
Soraya Basadien)
Classroom A graphics approach to Algebra
(Alphonso Hendrix)
Theatre An information society in a global village: from knowing to doing (John Gibbon)
MLT Setting up computer centres
(Shannon Paul)
Classroom Quo Vadis WCED? (followup)
Theatre Network Operating Systems - Netware or LANtastic?
(Siltek, Goaldata,
and the floor)
Classroom TCP/IP networking with PC-Route
(Tim Bouwer)
MLT Using an electronic database as a thinking tool with primary pupils
(Monty Paul)
Lab Internet Introduction 5 (various
presenters)
MLT Using Acorn Computers in Education (Bruce MacLachlan)
Theatre Access to controversial information on the Internet: children in cyberspace (panel / discussion)
Lab A graphics approach to Algebra
(Alphonso Hendrix)
MLT The TVHS experience : a case study in the implementation of a computer centre (David Rogers)
Classroom The establishment and running of an extramural Computer Club
(Dave Irwin)
MLT The Teacher Opportunity Programmes (TOPS)
(Ramona Francis)
Classroom Timetabling & decision-support systems
(Alten du Plessis)
Theatre Cyberporn & dirty teaching
(Johannes Cronje)
Lab HTML authoring (Stephen Marquard)
Classroom The portable computer (graphical calculator)
(Joey Jacobs)
Director, International Education and Resource Network (I*EARN)
I*EARN is involved in world projects which empower youth to make a difference to the world through telecommunications. Ed Gragert is the director of I*EARN and is based in New York.
ed1@copenfund.igc.apc.org
Yorke Rodda, Chairman of PretNet
"At about the same time as Stephen Marquard put together the first proposal for the Western Cape Schools' Network I also put together a vision statement. On 2 May 1994 we had an inauguration meeting but until recently we remained a fellowship of individuals working loosely together. Now we are following the Western Cape and are becoming formally constituted. ..."
Yorke Rodda will discuss networking activities in the Pretoria / Gauteng area.
Ed Rybicki, Department of Microbiology, University of Cape Town
"The presentation will involve a description and demonstration of an HTML text I am using on the World-Wide Web for teaching introductory molecular virology, both here at UCT and on a server in the USA.
"Academic and some government institutions in South Africa have been connected to the Internet for years via the Uninet, and many people have made a great deal of use of Net-accessible resources. For example, in my field of molecular biology the Internet I can use either email or the World-Wide Web to submit a query DNA sequence for a search of the entire DNA databank on a supercomputer in Maryland; a process which takes seconds, as opposed to hours on our local mainframe. I can search the updates to DNA sequence databases in either the USA or Europe - and in seconds retrieve DNA or protein sequences that would take hours or days to type in. I can similarly retrieve not only titles of journal articles from Boolean searches of remote archives, but also abstracts of the same articles, and any DNA/protein sequences contained therein.
"In the last five years this sort of information access has led to a radical shift in the kind of work I do - from result gathering on a local scale to data analysis on a global scale, in parallel to and in consultation with researchers all over the world.
"However valuable these aspects of the Net are, until recently there was a major gap in its utility: its use as an educational tool. The advent of the Web has changed this dramatically: it is now possible to use a Web browser to teach a classful of students interactively. As a local example, our Departmental Web site in Cape Town has a wealth of data on our Department and its personnel, as well as a collection of essays on various topics, an Ebola information page, and a tutorial on molecular virology. The tutorial contains information and graphics culled from all over the Net, and it and the Departmental page contain pointers to information databases maintained in Wisconsin, in the UK, and in Australia. I have included the information in the tutorial as a major part of the curriculum of my third-year Microbiology 303S B.Sc. module on Introductory Molecular and General Virology; students can access the tutorial (and links from it to other sites) via the Web, from a networked set of 10 PCs available at all times to undergraduates. I can lecture from the tutorial - and anything else I can access electronically - using either a stand-alone or networked PC in a lecture theatre, linked to a graphics projection tablet and overhead projector.
"The beauty of the system is that students can work in their own time and at their own pace, and make as much (or as little) use of the in-depth deviations from the basic text as they choose - and the material can be updated easily in modules without the necessity of reformatting and reprinting a whole text. This means, effectively, that I can update the students' textbooks overnight, at no cost, and anything seen on screen can be printed, for instant course notes.
"The fact that the tutorial and related material are on the Web means, of course, that they can be accessed from all over the country, and in fact the world - and therein lies the value of what at first sight looks like a distinctly elitist mode of instruction:
"It means that any tertiary institution in this country that has Uninet access could use this material as part of their teaching / tutorial curriculum.
"In this way, institutions with no specialised lecturing staff in a given subject area could make use of sophisticated and flexible packages developed elsewhere in the country, as well as being able to tailor their own courses by recourse directly to Web and Net sources overseas. For example, although there are at least four University Departments of Plant Pathology in South Africa, there are only four plant virologists currently employed at South African Universities: two of them in Cape Town and one at Wits, neither of which teach Plant Pathology. This means that three institutions are teaching virology without a qualified specialist, and might well benefit from such a teaching supplement."
Audience: Science teachers
Pippa Moll (Gardens Commercial High School), Jeremy Gibbon (Pinelands High School), Tim Bouwer (Rhodes University), Jocelyn Wrensch (Pinelands High School), Shannon Paul (Pinelands High School), Peter Davidson (Fish Hoek Middle School), Joan Houston (Herschel School) and other presenters.
A hands-on introduction to the Internet including email, Usenet newsgroups and the World Wide Web.
Gerald Roos, Parow Teachers' Centre
Gerald Roos, Computer Co-ordinator at the Parow Teachers' Centre will be sharing his views on how a successful computer literacy program can be developed in a school. The approach he suggests is based on his experience in this field and is the topic of his recently published book, "Confident Computer Use in Schools". This includes task-centredness, building of confidence, group co-operation and integration.
Mike Chiles and Flip van Schalkwyk, Western Cape Education Department
This will be an open discussion on the directions the Western Cape Education Department should be taking in Information Technology. Input from ALL levels in the educational structures is required.
Mike Chiles and Flip van Schalkwyk, Western Cape Education Department
This shorter event (30 minutes) will be an opportunity for interested participants to follow up the ideas put forward in the previous discussion, in a workshop environment.
Jonathan Miller, Director, Centre for Information Systems, University of Cape Town
A summary of the main trends regarding the Internet and Education emerging from the 1995 Internet Society Conference in Hawaii (http://www.isoc.org/in95prc/).
Schools throughout the world are using the Internet in remarkably creative ways to enhance the learning process for students of all ages. This talk describes examples of how and what schools are doing to link with other schools locally and internationally, create on-line teaching materials, use e-mail to go on tele-trips, run news magazines and newsletters, save frogs, etc. etc.
Mike Lawrie, Uninet, Foundation for Research Develoment
The Uninet/FRD perspective on school networking. Mike Lawrie is the manager of Uninet and has been actively promoting Internet access in schools for a number of years. He has been one of the many people who have been key figures in "bringing the world into the classroom through the Internet".
Gerald Roos and co-presenters from the WCSN
A summary of the initial development and subsequent growth of the Western Cape Schools' Network. Pupils and teachers from schools on the network will be sharing their educational experiences with the audience. The present situation and future scenarios will also be sketched.
Alten du Plessis, University of Stellenbosch
An Intelligent, Electronic Performance Support, Coaching and Testing System for Linear Programming. The model, on which the system is based, will be explained, a brief demonstration will be conducted and it will be shown how the underlying model could be used as a framework for the development of Computer Based Education courseware for school mathematics and accountancy.
Alten du Plessis, University of Stellenbosch
Administrative Computing in Schools: Timetables and Total Quality Management. The presenter will describe his role in developing a computerised timetabling system and will provide a demonstration.
The use of Data Envelopment Analysis in a PC-based decision support system to assess the performance of different decision making units will also be described. It will be illustrated how it could be adapted to evaluate schools (by education departments), departments within in schools, and so on.
Trevor Sewell, University of Cape Town
Std 9-10 Physical Science Revision software.
The software covers the 14 sections included in the standard 9 and 10 Physical Science syllabus at Higher Grade. The sections are further sub-divided into 58 topics. Each topic comprises a short summary of the main points of the syllabus. In each of these summaries the usefulness of the computer as an interactive teaching tool is exploited. After completing the summary the student is subjected to a test. The test questions are based on those in the matric examination. Questions are selected at random from large banks of related questions and therefore it is unlikely that two students will be subjected to the same test or that the student will see the same questions on repeating the test. On completing the test the student is shown a summary of the results which is subdivided into the objectives which require mastery. A record of the student's progress is maintained and this is accessible to teachers through management software which is distributed with the package.
Rochelle Koen and Aubrey van Breda, Outreach Project, Education Department, University of the Western Cape
Modelling with GRAFTEK. A graphics package for science teachers. Participants in this workshop will revisit Boyles Law as well a chemistry Acid Base titration. This promises to be a highly rewarding session for science teachers and students alike.
Mike Assheton-Smith, Port Elizabeth Teachers' Centre
"For some time now I have been concerned about the lack of real results in many schools that spend vast quantities of money on computer equipment. I have assisted a number of schools to make some 'hard' decisions, before buying any equipment, and they have on the whole fared better than most.
"If you have been following the discussion on school.za on the topic of what computers should be used for in schools (Messrs AM de Lange, Martin de Klerk, Charl Vorster, Yorke Rodda, et al) you will get the general drift of my paper. Schools invest large sums of money blindly assuming that if they have computers then some sort of computer-based education will occur. Internationally this has not happened at all, and I would like to take some time to discuss some of the reasons in order to provide decision makers at school level with some pointers towards the real decisions that they need to make when deciding that their school needs computers."
Ann Tothill, Department of Political Studies, University of Natal Pietermaritzburg
"After a varied career teaching Politics, Philosophy, and English as a Foreign Language, I'm currently working on a Ph.D. on higher education policy in the Department of Political Studies at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg. Unfortunately for my thesis (but happily for me), I keep getting sidetracked into research on the use of electronic media in education.
"The World Wide Web has great potential as a tool for teaching Political Science, for general educational reasons as well as discipline-specific ones. My presentation demonstrates a hypothetical on-line component for a first year Political Science course, looks at some of the reasons why teachers of Politics should be turning to the Internet, and offers ideas relevant to teachers of the Arts and Social Sciences at all levels."
The demonstration will be available on the UNP Web server for a limited period to give conference delegates and others an opportunity for some hands-on exploration.
David Rogers, Information Technology, Table View High School
This outlines the history of the implementation of a computer network at a school in suburban Cape Town.
1. The Computer Literacy Course - Choosing Software
2. Information Technology
2a. Co-operative Learning - DOS Commands
2b. Entrepreneurial Skills Building business groups
The paper will take the form of a presentation using Freelance Graphics.
David Rogers, Information Technology, Table View High School
This hands-on lab session demonstrates using electronic resources to build a document. Delegates will be shown how a CD-ROM encyclopedia and an electronic atlas can be used by Std 6 pupils to produce a project for geography.
Shaheeda Jaffer and Soraya Basadien, School of Science and Maths Education, University of the Western Cape
The aim of the presentation is to enlighten mathematics teachers on how a geometry software package (Cabri Geometre) can be used in a mathematics classroom.
Quintin Gee, Computer Society of South Africa (CSSA).
Quinton Gee is IT Manager at Reutech Radar Systems. His talk will look at:
Lionel Benting, University of the Western Cape
This talk will cover the operating philosophy of the OUTREACH programme at the University of the Western Cape. Computer Supported Education (CSE) forms an important component of the programme, and various questions have been raised about its effectiveness in promoting understanding in Science and Mathematics. Computer materials have been specially designed and developed by the Courseware Development Project at the Centre where OUTREACH operated from, and tailored to the needs of the target audience. A short review will be given around this development.
Johan Badenhorst, Free State Education Department
A general overview of the use of electronic technology in education in the Free State, including computer use in the classroom, the Internet and television, focusing on practical situations.
Nicolette Buirski Burger
Nicolette Buirski Burger has recently completed a masters degree at the University of Victoria, British Columbia.
John Gibbon, Via Afrika Education Consultants
Feedback from the Second World Principals' Conference in Sydney.
Soraya Basadien and Shaheeda Jaffer, Mathematics Courseware Project, Gold Fields Resource Centre, University of the Western Cape
Instructional design of the mathematics software currently used by the Outreach project at UWC.
Tim Bouwer, Rhodes University
Configuring a Netware server and workstations for inter-networking with PC-Route. This workshop will look at hardware and software requirements for cheaply connecting a Netware LAN to the Internet via a dedicated data line. TCP/IP networking issues will be covered, as well as configuring Netware fileservers for Internet services such as SMTP using MERCURY.NLM. Delegates should already have some technical knowledge about networks.
Monty Paul, Rhodes University
"The use of a database as a tool for analysing graveyard data with senior primary school children. Essentially this is a different way of looking at history, using a powerful tool to bring out trends in what is generally very opaque data. The approach is cross-curricular, as children end up drawing tables and graphs, developing reports and discussing a wide variety of topics. The approach is a constructivist one, and as far away as possible from the learn and regurgitate approach found in most primary history classrooms.
"I'm an education lecturer at Rhodes University and my main areas of interest are the use of computers in education and primary school mathematics. My research is geared towards the development and testing of computer based learning environments where the computer is used as a tool to develop and enhance thinking and problem solving skills. I use databases and spreadsheets to do this. The paper I will deliver will describe the Schools' Graveyard Project which I have set up. I will be showing how we use database software to capture and query graveyard data. Some of the data and findings will be shown."
Bruce MacLachlan, Hilton College
"I will cover a brief history of the development of the company, its place in education in the UK, the product range, the use of the equipment in education with examples of various applications being demonstrated showing a contrast between this platform and the IBM-compatible platform with which most schools are familiar."
Alphonso Hendricks, University of the Western Cape, Gold Fields
This workshop is aimed at Mathematics teachers, and looks at how to use a graphical program to teach algebra.
Ramona Francis, TOPS
An overview of the TOPS Teaching and Learning with Computers project will be given with special reference to the use of the computer in a Resource-Based Classroom. The TLC philosophy and the use of the computer as a pedagogical tool will be outlined.
This presentation will illustrate how the use of the computer can be integrated into the classroom to help pupils towards a better understanding of what they learn. The focus will be on encouraging thinking in Mathematics and the development of Writing Skills for primary school level.
Johannes Cronje, University of Pretoria
Concerned teachers and parents often want to know how to deal with the fact that pornography is freely available on the Internet. Yet, at the same time as teacher one might well wish for the same power of keeping learners spellbound. If only children would pay such attention to what is good for then, then what learning would have taken place! This paper investigates ways of dealing with pornography and then considers the aspects of pornography which might well be used in a morally responsible way to motivate learners to pay more attention to their learning in class.
Stephen Marquard, Western Cape Schools' Network
This workshop will look at creating documents for publishing on the World Wide Web, in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Delegates should be familiar with the Windows environment.
Joey Jacobs, Westridge High School
A look at teaching mathematics using graphical calculators.
Dave Irwin, Carter High School
Dave Irwin will talk about his experiences in over five years of running two successful computer clubs, looking at do's, don'ts, guidelines, and some quantitative material with suggestions and ideas.
Shannon Paul, Pinelands High School
A look at the practical issues involved in setting up and running computer labs in schools, from financing to management.
Chair: Pippa Moll (Gardens Commercial High School)
Speakers from Siltek Distribution Dynamics and Goaldata will present the virtues of Netware and LANtastic respectively. As this is a controversial subject in the Western Cape, lively discussion should follow from the floor.
Panel discussion
This discussion will look at the issues precipitated by the growth of Internet access in schools, from inappropriate use to access to pornography and other information on the Net considered controversial. Panelists will include teachers, parents and students, and explore the dimensions of the problem and the varying reactions and available solutions, including issues such as dealing with the concerns of parents, staff and governing bodies. The discussion will be preceded by brief presentations outlining the technical and other issues involved as a starting point. The event is primarily designed to allow educators to deal constructively with possible problems, once aware of the issues.
Chairman of PretNet
<yorke@reachat.pta.school.za>
Telephone: (012) 348-7696
P.O. Box 905-163, Garsfontein, 0042
Department of Microbiology, University of Cape Town
<ed@molbiol.uct.ac.za>
Telephone: (021) 650-3265
Department of Microbiology, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7700
Gardens Commercial High School
<pippa@gchs.wcape.school.za>
Telephone: (021) 689-9717
21 Roseberry Road, Mowbray, 7700
Pinelands High School
<jgibbon@phs.wcape.school.za>
Telephone: (021) 531-7410
Pinelands High School, Forest Drive, Pinelands, 7405
Computing Services, Rhodes University
<cctb@kudu.ru.ac.za>
Telephone: (0461) 31-8233
Computing Services, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140
Parow Teachers' Centre
<groos@parowtc.wcape.school.za>
Telephone: (021) 930-2100
Parow Teachers' Centre, Private Bag X45, Parow, 7500
Western Cape Education Department
<mike@wced.wcape.gov.za>
Telephone: (021) 403-6102
Private Bag 9114, Cape Town, 8000
Western Cape Education Department
<flip@wced.wcape.gov.za>
Telephone: (021) 403-6102
Private Bag 9114, Cape Town, 8000
Director, UCT Centre for Information Systems
<jmiller@aztec.co.za>
Telephone: (021) 406-1413
Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7700
Foundation for Research Development (Uninet Manager)
<mlawrie@apies.frd.ac.za>
Telephone: (012) 841-3542
Foundation for Research Development, P.O. Box 2600, Pretoria, 0001
Chairperson, Western Cape Schools' Network
<jwrensch@phs.wcape.school.za>
Telephone: (021) 531-7410
Pinelands High School, Forest Drive, Pinelands, 7405
Technical co-ordinator, Western Cape Schools' Network
<scm@silver.wcape.school.za>
Telephone: (021) 531-8285
12 Silverdale, Pinelands, 7405
Department of Management Information in the Vice-Rector's Office, University of Stellenbosch
<sadp@maties.sun.ac.za>
Telephone: (021) 808-3543
Room B3222, Management Information, Administrative Buildings, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch, 7602.
University of Cape Town
<sewell@uctvms.uct.ac.za>
Telephone: (021) 650-2817
Electron Microscope Unit, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7700
Outreach Project, Education Department, University of the Western Cape
<koen@cse1.uwc.ac.za>
Telephone: (021) 959-2680
Education Department, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville, 7535
Outreach Project, Education Department, University of the Western Cape
<vbreda@cse1.uwc.ac.za>
Telephone: (021) 959-2680
Education Department, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville, 7535
Port Elizabeth Teachers' Centre
<mike@petc.ecape.school.za>
Telephone: (041) 56-1082
Port Elizabeth Teachers' Centre, Port Elizabeth
Department of Political Studies, University of Natal
<tothill@politics.unp.ac.za>
Telephone: (0331) 260-5308
University of Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, 3209
UWC Gold Fields Resource Centre
<jaffer@cse1.uwc.ac.za>
Telephone: (021) 959-2997
School of Mathematics and Science, Gold Fields Resource Centre, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville, 7535
UWC Gold Fields Resource Centre
<basadien@cse1.uwc.ac.za>
Telephone: (021) 959-2997
School of Mathematics and Science, Gold Fields Resource Centre, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville, 7535
UWC Gold Fields Resource Centre
<benting@cse1.uwc.ac.za>
Telephone: (021) 959-2997
School of Mathematics and Science, Gold Fields Resource Centre, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville, 7535
Free State Education Department
<johan@pyrod.ovsod.co.za>
Telephone: (051) 407-4053
Free State Education Department, Bloemfontein
Education Department, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140
<adminmp@croc.ru.ac.za>
Telephone: 082 800 2926 (cell phone)
Education Department, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140
UWC Gold Fields Resource Centre
<hendrix@cse1.uwc.ac.za>
Telephone: (021) 959-2680
School of Mathematics and Science, Gold Fields Resource Centre, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville, 7535
Computer-Assisted Education, University of Pretoria
<jcronje@cbt.up.ac.za>
Telephone: (012) 420-3663
Department of Didactics, University of Pretoria, 0002
Pinelands High School
<spaul@phs.wcape.school.za>
Telephone: (021) 531-7410
Pinelands High School, Forest Drive, Pinelands, 7405
Hilton College
Telephone: (0331) 43-0100
Hilton College, Hilton, 2345
Teacher Opportunity Programmes
Telephone: (021) 531-3166
Founders House, Founders Way, 7450
Computer Society of South Africa
<qhgee@rrs.co.za>
Telephone: (021) 880-1150
P.O. Box 686, Stellenbosch, 7599
Westridge Senior Secondary
<joey@cse1.uwc.ac.za>
Telephone: (021) 31-7400
Westridge Senior Secondary, Silversands Avenue, Westridge, 7785
Fish Hoek Middle School
<peterd@fhms.wcape.school.za>
Telephone: (021) 782-6121
Fish Hoek Middle School, Recreation Road, Fish Hoek, 7975
Herschel School
<joan@hhs.wcape.school.za>
Telephone: (021) 64-4010
Herschel School, 21 Herschel Road, Claremont, 7700
Via Afrika Education Consultants
Telephone: (021) 406-2451
Via Afrika Education Consultants, P.O. Box 2834, Cape Town, 8000
Telephone: (021) 780 1404
P.O. Box 50023, Waterfront, 8001
Table View High School
<david@tvhs.wcape.school.za>
Telephone: (021) 557-3463
Table View High School, Janssens Avenue, Table View, 7441
Carter High School
<carterhs@aztec.co.za>
Telephone: (0331) 94-4094
Carter High School, Private Bag X3, Cascades, 3202