African EduWeek showcases latest classroom technology and offers free workshops on the expo floor next week
‘Enabling teachers to teach in a classroom of the future’
Technology in education, e-learning and empowering teachers to use these in the classroom of the future will be a strong theme at the upcoming SABC Education African EduWeek in Johannesburg next week. More than 85 leading suppliers of technology, stationery and content to the education sector will showcase their offering when some 2000 teachers and education experts gather for an interactive conference and expo from 10-11 July at the Sandton Convention Centre.
Entry to the expo is free and visitors can also attend free workshops on classroom technology and various other challenges that teachers face on a daily basis. For the first time the event also has an international pavilion by CEIEC (China Educational Instrument & Equipment Corporation), a major supplier of educational and scientific equipment.
Access to quality education
“Integrating technology into teaching and learning has the potential to enable equal access to quality education resources” says Andre Christian, Education Business Development Manager at Intel; “if we want all the children of South Africa to have access to quality education, it implies that they should have access to technology to enable this engagement.”
More than 10 million students around the world are using Intel-based platforms and Intel Education Solutions to improve teaching and learning. The global technology giant is the exclusive diamond sponsor at this year’s African EduWeek.
Teacher development
“All the technology in the world will not improve education unless we ensure that teachers have the required content knowledge and pedagogical skills,” says Kobus van Wyk, head of e-learning at Mustek, another exhibitor at the event, “teacher development is definitely the major challenge in education at present.”
His vision for this sector is closer cooperation between different stakeholders. He explains: “in order to make e-education a reality in all schools in South Africa we need as many hands (companies, organisations) as possible. We need to build a culture of partnership, whereby the hardware suppliers, content providers, book publishers, training companies and education authorities work together.”
Power of technology in the classroom
‘Enabling teachers to teach in a classroom of the future’ is Pearson South Africa’s message at African EduWeek this year. The company is a platinum sponsor and CEO Riaan Jonck says: “we want to showcase the power of technology in the classroom environment and how teaching has evolved in the digital space. Pearson rolls out about 11 000 tablets and online content in our direct delivery institutions, which includes CTI and MGI. All first year students who register with us (MGI and CTI) receive a tablet which is pre-loaded with learning material for the year.”
Other big names at the expo include: Samsung, UC-Wireless, Neotel, Ruckus, Dell, Compute, Extramarks, Ambittech, Microsoft, Macmillan, Croxley, BIC, Parrot Products, Sage Pastel, FlipFile, EditMicrosystems, RISO, Audiosure, Cambridge University Press, Snapplify and EduBoard.
Free workshops for teachers on the expo floor
“There is a growing interest in the use of robotics as an educational tool”, says Lydia Abel, director at ORT SA Cape, who is presenting one of 17 free workshops on the African EduWeek expo floor. She adds: “robotics engages children in learning about concepts from computer science to engineering while providing opportunities for creative problem solving.”
The free workshops include:::
• Empowering educators to engage students through innovative technology
Chris Yako, Education Lead: Samsung Enterprise Mobile, Samsung South Africa
• Capturing and sustaining students' attention
Dr Judy Willis, neurologist turned classroom teacher, Santa Barbara, United States of America
• Teaching strategies to engage learners with barriers to learning in the classroom
Prof Deirdré Krüger, Associate Professor, University of South Africa (UNISA)
• Digital game-based learning in educational settings
Fikile Mposula, Lecturer at Vaal University of Technology, South Africa
• Bridging the learning gap through the use of one laptop in the classroom
Jane Zwane – Ekukhanyisweni Primary School, Alexandra, South Africa
• Enabling teachers to teach in a classroom of the future
Beverley Wharton-Hood, Head of Learning Innovation: Post School, Pearson, South Africa
• Coping with a multilingual setting in the English classroom
Tessa Harmse, English teacher, Hoerskool Grens, Centurion, South Africa
• Robotics and reading
Dr Lydia Abel, Director, ORT SA Cape, South Africa
• Data driven decision making to improve teaching and learning
Yolisa Mvunyiswa, Educator, Ekukhanyisweni Primary & Sizwe Mahlambi, Educator, Gordon Primary School, Alexandra
• Creating imaginative ways of enhancing education through software
Xola Ndziba, Founder and Director, Limu, South Africa
• Lubuto library project in Zambia: An innovation of library services to promote retention in schools and achieve better learning outcomes
Thomas Kasonde Mukonde, Library Services Advisor, Lubuto Library Project, Zambia
• The Caring Schools Project: translating action research into policy and practice
Lori Lake, Commissioning Editor, Children’s Institute, South Africa
• Innovative financing education: Options and alternatives for Southern Africa
Wongani Nkhoma, Education Programme Manager, OSISA, South Africa & Aunnie Patton, Social Finance Fellow - University of Cape Town, Dean's Fellow - University of Oxford
• Education to employment
Bridget-ann Woods, Gold Manager, Go for Gold, South Africa
• Alternative pathways for accessing education for out of school children and youth in Zimbabwe: A pilot strategy by World Education Bantwana
Patience Ndlovu, Country Director/Representative – World Education, Zimbabwe
• Getting it Right – OSISA strategy for early childhood development and education in Southern Africa: Approaches, opportunities and strategic partnerships
Justine Ngulube, Assistant Programme Manager - ECDE programme, Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA)
• Discussion on Ilifa Labantwana’s research and the essential package for ECD
Sherri Le Mottee, Programme Leader, Ilifa Labantwana, South Africa
African EduWeek dates and location:
Expo and conference: 10-11 July
Pre-conference: 9 July 2014
Venue: Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa
Website: www.educationweek.co.za
Twitter: https://twitter.com/education_week
Contact:
Communications manager: Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone : +27 21 700 3558
Mobile: +27 82 562 7844
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Somerset West’s Own Indie Game Studio
Indie games are fast becoming a trend in South Africa, catching on from the overseas markets. These days, children and adults alike are playing mobile games as never before. People are always hungry for something different, which is where indie games – or ‘independent’ games – come in, providing players with something other than the mass-produced mainstream products.
Now, Somerset West can boast with its very own game studio that started turning its cogs in February this year. For its first month of existence, the studio was run out of the founder’s mother’s basement – typical indie game studio protocol, if history is anything to go by. Now, running from a house close to De Hoop Primary School, the studio focuses on creating mobile games (such as their recently released Afrikaans game, Fanie de Beer) and has oodles of style, creativity, skill and initiative.
While the Apmil Game Studio has only been up and running for a few months, the people who daily put their shoulders to its wheels have been building up relationships for the last three-and-a-half years. Even though the studio officially started up in February, the idea of an indie game studio had been brewing in the mind of Studio Head, Pierre Bezuidenhout, since 2011. Pierre started lecturing in the Animation Department of Cape Town’s City Varsity in 2011 – and this is where he met the three students who would later join him in this grand venture.
Pierre, as leader of the team, is Apmil’s Programmer and Technical Director. He has previously worked in advertising and animation for Wicked Pixels in Woodstock and held the position of lecturer at Concept Interactive as well as at City Varsity. His impressive skill set includes a sharp eye for detail as well as design flair and programming aptitude in different digital languages and platforms – he is also quite the people-person. Altus Barry is the Technical Lead, taking charge of rigs, renders and other related tasks. Mabet van Zijl did her major in 3D Narrative and, as Generalist, leads Apmil’s marketing and writing in between her usual workload. Louren Hattingh takes the roles of Lead Animator and Concept Artist. While each person has their area to lead, the workflow runs with a ‘rock-paper-scissors’-style in which one falls under the delegation of another while dealing with respective area-specific tasks. Sitting around a whiteboard, each armed with a marker, they discuss character design, story line, player motivation, level arrangement, time constraints and load division before jumping in with the actual development.
The first released game, Fanie de Beer, is a 100% physics-driven, full 3D, indie puzzle game with a distinct South African flavour. Playing as Fanie de Beer, a 12-year-old farm-boy, the player utilizes simple little rocks by tapping once on the screen to clear best friend Jaco Kriel’s fields of strategically placed, ancient landmines. Built in Unity, the game takes place in a single day – with the story starting early in the morning and ending in the evening – transporting the player through a dynamic day/night cycle and colourful, saturated farm fields as they progress through the 84 levels, meeting new mine types and increasingly difficult challenges as they go along. Written and designed in Afrikaans, then carefully translated into true farm-style English, this game is unique, fun and proudly South African. The demo is available for download from the Google Play Store, while the full game can be purchased on Samsung Apps and Amazon.
The next game in the pipeline is different from Fanie de Beer in virtually every way. Where Fanie is a very colourful 3D puzzle game with just enough back-story to set the player up for the context and flavour of the game, the current project is a heavily story-driven platform-game that takes place in a fictional world made up of parallaxing silhouettes and strange characters.
Apmil Game Studio has not only been created as a platform to build games, but also as a springboard for fellow animators, developers, designers and illustrators. It’s a breeding ground for collaboration, ideas, innovation and learning. Each person hones their skills while doing fun and challenging work through creating games and stories as well as fulfilling the creative needs of small to medium-sized businesses in the Western Cape and Gauteng.
Apmil Game Studio services include animation, app creation, game creation, rendering/stills, asset creation, video editing and UX. The creative division of Apmil, led by artist Janet Botes and writer Michelle Albinson, offers logo design, graphic design, online/web design, interactive design, writing, editing, proofreading and illustration.
Apmil prides itself on being different: Fresh ideas, innovative applications, strange and wonderful games – they are all things that receive the studio’s love and attention to detail. To find out more or to get involved, contact Pierre Bezuidenhout at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him on 082 499 3133
Studio ingredients:[A]ltus makes the bus and [P]ierre drives the bus; [M]abet takes the bus t[i]ckets and [L]ouren makes the bus move. Thus, [apmil].
Free demo: Google Play – bit.ly/fanie_demo
Full version: Samsung Apps – bit.ly/fanie
Official Trailer: Youtube – bit.ly/fanie_trailer
Apmil page: Apmil/Fanie – apmil.co.za/fanie-de-beer
SABC Education African EduWeek offers teachers support and innovative ideas for the classroom in July
“Interactive conference and expo to empower through technology and interaction”
The annual SABC Education African EduWeek is expected to gather some 2000 teachers and education professionals from 10-11 July at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg for an interactive conference and expo that will empower them through expert talks, introductions to classroom technology and interaction with their peers.
Says African EduWeek event director Tanya Jackman: “we’re very proud of our speaker line-up that offers inspirational messages, best practice sharing and success stories from South Africa, the continent and further abroad. The African EduWeek conference sessions focus on challenges and breakthroughs in Basic and Higher Education, Technology in the classroom and Inclusivity.”
She adds: “teachers will also be able to attend free, practical and hands-on workshops which train and enhance their teaching skills in the classroom and enhancing the learning experience of their students. They will also focus on the issues which teachers face every day such as overcrowding, safety & security, teaching in a school with a multitude of languages and lack of infrastructure.”
Integrating technology into teaching
Many well-known suppliers to the education sector are supporting the event, particularly Intel who is the diamond sponsor. Says Andre Christian, Education Business Development Manager at Intel: “There is a need to ensure teachers are able, skilled and confident to teach using technology. Integrating technology into teaching and learning has the potential to enable equal access to quality education resources. If we want all the children of South Africa to have access to quality education, it implies that they should have access to technology to enable this engagement.”
Other sponsors are Pearson, Samsung, Dell and Compute.
Some African EduWeek conference highlights:
Opening session: Chairman: Graeme Bloch, Independent Education Specialist
• Why teacher education should include neuroscience
Dr Judy Willis, Neurologist turned classroom teacher, United States of America
• African Education Update: Is Africa’s education potential beyond the Millennium Development Goals being met?
Panel of experts includes:
o Prof. Rehabeam Auala, Professor of Educational Management and Leadership, University of Namibia, Namibia
o Marius Ehrenreich, President, South Africa Principles Association, South Africa
• Breaking boundaries and reaching your full potential
Sheri Brynard, Teacher, South Africa – first person with Downs syndrome to qualify as a teacher
More African EduWeek sessions to look forward to:
- School leadership: How to empower teachers to deliver quality education
o Chairperson: Daya Chetty, Principal, Laudium Secondary School & Gauteng SAPA President, South Africa
o Addressing the shortage of skilled teachers
Gizelle McIntyre, Director, Institute People Development, South Africa
o Educational leadership in the beyond zone: The eighth dimension approach
Erich Cloete, Principal, Laerskool Westerlig, South Africa
- The Africa maths and science renaissance: Let it begin
o How to engage learners in subjects they perceive as difficult
Stephen Taylor, Advisor and Researcher, Department of Basic Education, South Africa
o Africa’s maths and science at 1000 mph, BLOODHOUND SSC
Christopher Maxwell, STEM Product Manager, Edit Microsystems, South Africa
- Educating in today’s social and economic climate: Best approaches for educational challenges?
o Panellist: Tshepo Motsepe, Co–Head Gauteng, Equal Education, South Africa
- Knowledge grazing in a soundbite generation & embrace ICT to enhance teaching and learning
o Workshop facilitator: Jaye Richards–Hill, Director, Education Technology and Training, Tablet Academy Africa/Middle East, South Africa
- E-learning, the education evolution: The A-Z of e-learning
o Chairperson: Kobus Van Wyk, Head of e-learning, Mustek, South Africa
- Breakthroughs in technology for inclusive education
o Workshop facilitator: Gerhard Erasmus, Blindness and Low Vision Sales and Support, Edit Microsystems, South Africa
- Technical and vocational education and training colleges – new and improved?
o Gerda Magnus, Department of Higher Education and Training, Project Manager, Curriculum and Programmes Support to FET Colleges
- A guide to creating online educational resources for your lessons
o Lulu Burger, iPad Training Manager, Apple, South Africa
- Strategies to develop your learner’s literacy skills – the foundation to all subjects
o Tessa Harmse, English Teacher, Hoërskool Grens, Centurion, South Africa
Free workshop sessions on the expo floor include:
- Capturing and sustaining student’s attention - Dr Judy Willis, neurologist turned classroom teacher, Santa Barbara, USA
- Digital game-based learning in educational settings - Fikile Mposula, Lecturer at Vaal University of Technology, South Africa
- Bridging the learning gap through the use of one laptop in the classroom - Jane Zwane, Ekukhanyisweni Primary School, Alexandra, South Africa
- Enabling teachers to teach in a classroom of the future - Beverley Wharton-Hood, Head of Learning Innovation: Post School, Pearson, South Africa
African EduWeek dates and location:
Expo and conference: 10-11 July
Pre-conference: 9 July 2014
Venue: Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa
Website: www.educationweek.co.za
Twitter: https://twitter.com/education_week
Contact:
Communications manager: Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone : +27 21 700 3558
Mobile: +27 82 562 7844
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Setcom Partners with Digital Planet to Deliver Holistic E-commerce Solutions
Leading South African Payment Gateway, Setcom Payment Solutions, today announced their partnership with innovative e-commerce solution provider, Digital Planet. This partnership will enable Setcom to introduce a wider range of e-commerce services to their existing portfolio of online credit card processing, SID Instant EFT and mobile payment solutions.
“We feel that Digital Planet’s services would be of great value to our client base, as they have a proven track record in terms of optimising efficiencies across the entire e-commerce value chain. We look forward to collaborating with Digital Planet to provide our clients with holistic e-commerce solutions that will have a positive impact on their business performance,” said Setcom CEO, Kumalan Naidoo.
Digital Planet has been assisting some of South Africa’s biggest businesses and brands for over 15 years by enabling e-commerce efficiencies and helping their clients realise e-commerce goals. Running a successful e-commerce business can be very challenging, as it requires efficiencies in a number of areas, such as website design and development, payment integration, digital marketing, fulfilment, customer service and logistics. This is where Digital Planet’s expertise can help improve and streamline competencies across the board.
“Digital Planet continually strives to add value to our clients, and working with Setcom has allowed us to offer more flexibility to our clients when it comes to online payments. This is very important to us because secure payment methods are one of the most important consideration factors for online shoppers in South Africa,” added Cassie van Wyk, Head of E-commerce at Digital Planet.
Setcom facilitates secure credit card and SID Instant EFT transactions across multiple channels, making them a one-stop payment solution partner. Setcom’s payment infrastructure paired with Digital Planet’s e-commerce expertise will surely make for a winning combination for years to come.
About Setcom:
Setcom has been one of South Africa’s most trusted Payment Gateways since 1998. They offer secure online and mobile credit card payment processing, SID instant EFT and fraud prevention services to entrepreneurs looking for a reliable, affordable payment solutions partner.
Part of the Setcom methodology is to offer traditional and non-traditional payment types across multiple channels, partnered with an effective reporting and reconciliation platform that enables efficient processing of payments. The offering is further enhanced by a fraud and risk management system that operates across multiple channels to ensure optimal business performance.
As payments evolved through traditional retail environments and the Internet, Setcom has been at the forefront of developing products that not only differentiate, but allows business to partner with technology to expedite growth and revenues. For more information, visit www.setcom.com.
About Digital Planet:
For more than a decade, Digital Planet has helped companies build and manage profitable online businesses. They offer a complete solution: world-class e-commerce websites, back-end order management systems, e-commerce expertise, online marketing, call centre services and fulfillment services.
Digital Planet was founded in September 1999 when they launched the Digital Planet online electronics store. It was early days for the e-commerce industry in South Africa and there weren’t many skills available, so they built our own end-to-end solution for the business. This solution included the front end marketing, merchandising and technology, as well as the back-end logistics and customer services. They mastered all the nuances of a virtual business in South Africa.
They soon had customers knocking on their door to help them build and run their own online businesses. Digital Planet quickly won clients including the major brands Hewlett-Packard and Discovery Vitality, both of which are still with Digital Planet today, more than a decade later. For more information, visit www.digitalplanet.co.za.
Anviz Making Inroads into Africa via IFSEC South Africa
Anviz Global, an American-based, security company is looking to make a strong statement at IFSEC South Africa this month. Many at the company feel that IFSEC South Africa is an opportunity to promote the Anviz brand beyond the traditional market of South Africa. Company representatives see IFSECSA as the perfect opportunity to expand its consumer-base in the entire southern Africa region. Anviz, which specializes in biometric access control, RFID products, and surveillance devices, views this region as an unexploited opportunity. While the company is relatively new on the African continent, Anviz’s presence has been steadily increasing. Since striking its first deal with partners on the continent in 2012, Anviz has created a network of partners in a dozen countries. The company is preparing to expand that network into countries such Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, Botswana and several other states in the region.
Anviz’s regional sales director for sub-Saharan Africa, Brian Fazio, believes, “there has been tremendous growth in several markets in southern Africa. Countries like Mozambique and Angola have been averaging significant economic growth for over a decade. There is huge potential in these countries. Anviz has already seen some success in South Africa. Now it’s time to expand into the other countries within the region. Rapid economic growth usually entails private and public sector construction within all three major economic fields. Anviz is looking to be a prominent provider of security devices to many of these types of installations”.
Rita Zhang, the regional channel manager for Africa recognizes Anviz’s potential in this market. “Anviz has built the logistical capabilities to work in a market as large and diverse as South Africa. However, markets in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe present a different set of challenges that need to be addressed. We are looking forward to this opportunity. While we are pretty new to the region, our track-record of success in other developing regions such as South America and the Indian sub-continent, suggests that we are well-situated to handle these challenges.” Rita Zhang confidently adds.
Anviz offers a broad range of access control and time attendance products, ranging from biometrics, to surveillance, and RFID devices. For further information about Anviz, or its products, please visit www.anviz.com. Anviz employees will be representing the company at IFSEC South Africa between May 13-15, 2014 at booth J15, Hall 2
