Lesotho Training Report

Report on Microsoft Partners in Learning Training and Events

conducted between July 2012 and June 2014

Contents

1 Pilot Projects...... 5

1.1 Limpopo TV White Spaces...... 5

1.2 Lesotho Literacy for Life...... 5

1.3 Learning Gains Through Play...... 6

2 Microsoft Partners in Learning – Professional Development...... 7

2.1 Enhancing the Partners in Learning Courseware...... 7

2.2 Development of Office 365 Materials...... 7

2.3 South African Council of Educators Accreditation...... 8

3 Microsoft Partners in Learning – Training Rollout...... 8

3.1 ICT Resource Centres supported by the Vodacom Foundation...... 8

3.2 SciBono ICT Skills for Teachers...... 9

3.3 Free State Department of Education Professional Development...... 10

3.4 Office 365 Training Sessions...... 10

4 Microsoft Partners in Learning Forums...... 11

4.1 Microsoft Partners in Learning Innovation Workshops...... 11

4.2 2013 Partners in Learning Forum – Bloemfontein, South Africa...... 14

4.3 2012 Microsoft MEA Partners in Learning Forum – Marrakesh, Morocco...... 15

4.4 2012 Microsoft Partners in Learning Global Forum – Prague, Check Republic...... 16

4.5 2014 Microsoft in Education Global Forum – Barcelona, Spain...... 16

5 Microsoft Partners in Learning Network – Microsoft Educators Network...... 19

6 Microsoft Partners in Learning Online Presence...... 19

7 Conclusion and Recommendations...... 22

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 1 SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 2 Introduction and Summary Since 2005, Microsoft has offered a range of Partners in Learning courses and events to teachers and schools in South Africa largely using SchoolNet SA as the implementation partner. In recent year’s Microsoft has focused its efforts on developing Partners in Learning materials and training capacity so that training sessions can be run cost effectively by provincial departments of education or through training initiatives of other organizations. Enhancing the look and feel of the Microsoft courseware, updating the tip sheets, getting the Partners in Learning courses accredited by the South African Council of Educators (SACE), creating a blended version of the Peer Coaching course and developing materials for Office 365 have been key developments that have taken place during the 2013 financial year.

A major thrust of Microsoft’s interactions with teachers over the past two years has been to make them aware of the free tools and learning activities available on the Microsoft Educator Network. In addition to driving registrations on the Microsoft Educator Network, teachers have also been encouraged to upload Learning Activities and to apply online to become Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts. A number of innovative teachers and representatives from innovative schools have had opportunities to be part of regional and global Microsoft in Education Forums as a result of this process. Not only are these professional development opportunities life-changing for the teachers who experience them, teachers and school leaders are also encouraged to share what they have learnt with others and many do this by running Microsoft Innovation Workshops for other teachers or mentoring leaders from other schools.

In an effort to continually seek new ways of enhancing learning through integrating technology into education, Microsoft has implemented two pilot projects over the past year. Literacy for Life in Lesotho saw teachers and student teachers using Windows 8 devices to create and share short eBooks through the online Literacy for Life portal. The Limpopo TV White Spaces project has equipped five schools with Windows 8 devices and connectivity and training in currently being provided to ensure that these are used effectively. It is hoped that these projects will not only provide an opportunity for teachers and learners to access and use technology to enhance education, but also that these pilots may provide an opportunity for stakeholders to become aware of both the potential challenges and successes of these two initiatives. Recently SchoolNet South Africa was commissioned by DG Murray Trust to implement a project for Foundation phase learners to promote learning gains through play using the Xbox Kinect and tablets to enhance learning. This project that grew out of an initial pilot project commissioned by Microsoft in which schools were provided with Xbox Kinect consoles to promote literacy and numeracy.

In addition to promoting the Microsoft Educators Network, attention has also been paid to increasing the online presence of Microsoft Partners in Learning using social media. The Facebook, Twitter, Slideshare blog posts that have been shared online are also detailed in this report.

This report covers the Microsoft Partners in Learning training sessions and events coordinated by SchoolNet SA that have taken place between July 2012 and June 2014. For more detailed reports on projects described in this report, or reports on activities in individual provinces please consult the reports archived on the SchoolNet SA website – reports page.

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 3 1 Pilot Projects

1.1 Limpopo TV White Spaces Five schools in Limpopo have each being provided with internet connectivity through the TV White Spaces Initiative as well as a bank of Windows 8 Devices per school and access to Office 365. To ensure that this equipment and connectivity are used for anytime, anywhere learning, SchoolNet SA was appointed by Microsoft to provide training and mentorship to the teachers involved in this project.

So far principals and five ICT Champions per school have completed the following courses: 'Partners in Learning ICT Skills for Teachers', 'Using Office 355 for Anywhere, Anytime Learning', 'Windows 8 in the Classroom' and components of the 'Microsoft Innovation Course'. Teachers have been encouraged to join the “Limpopo TV White Spaces Educators” Facebook group and to share what they are doing using this platform and an online data gathering tool.

SchoolNet SA is pleased to be a part of this exciting proof of concept project and look forward to being part of the evaluation process to see how teachers use the tablets in the classroom for productive anywhere, anytime learning.

1.2 Lesotho Literacy for Life The Literacy for Life pilot project aimed to improve literacy through equipping teachers in Lesotho with technology and the skills to use this technology to enhance learning. At the end of October 2013 more than 300 final year teaching students at the Lesotho College of Education each received a Windows 8 mobile phone from Microsoft and training from SchoolNet SA in how to use these phones for educational purposes. In particular, students were encouraged to create and share digital Chekhov eBooks on the lit4life.net portal. These books will be used to offer a wider range of reading material to new readers that are in the readers' mother tongue and in keeping with local culture. Teaching students were also encouraged to get learners to create Chekhov books as a class project so that they will have the experience of creating stories for a genuine purpose and audience.

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 4 In addition to the pre-service teachers, this project also involved working with fifteen teachers and lecturers from four Lesotho schools and the Lesotho College of Education who were selected to be part of the pilot project. These teachers received some training as well as Windows 8 mobile phones and data projectors to use in their classrooms. We hope to see these devices and some direction in using them offered via the “Lesotho Literacy for Life Facebook” group will lead to the creation of engaging learning activities for under-resourced schools.

1.3 Learning Gains Through Play During 2010 and 2011 Microsoft sponsored a pilot project at Lakeside Primary School in Vryheid KwaZulu-Natal testing a premise that the use of gaming technology, specifically Kinect for Xbox 360, will help improve literacy in the first three grades. Teachers were then trained by a SchoolNet facilitator to use games to create learning opportunities, for example: using the creation of an Avatar to teach life-skills around physical characteristics and using the tenpin bowling game to develop numeracy skills. The evaluation of the programme in 2011 showed that learners had developed numeracy and literacy skills as a result of the project and that there had been other benefits such as improved use of English and a drop in absenteeism.

Based in part on the success of this pilot project, in 2014 the D G Murray Trust awarded a grant to SchoolNet South Africa to introduce the Microsoft Xbox Kinect and a bank of tablets into Grade R and Grade 1 in 5 schools in the Helderberg Basin in the Western Cape and in 5 schools the KwaZulu- Natal Midlands. The aim of this project is to explore learning through play in Grades R and 1 in 10 schools in two provinces of South Africa - using innovative technologies.

More specific objectives will be:  To create awareness among leaders to the affordances of technology in education  To change the pedagogical approaches of teachers  To expose learners to learning environments dominated by play  To increase learner literacies (Literacy, Numeracy as well as – motor coordination)  To evaluate these learning gains

Microsoft has contributed Xbox Kinect games and consoles to this project which has helped to equip additional classrooms in the selected schools. Baseline testing of learners has taken place and the training programme has commenced. It will be interesting to see how literacy, numeracy and physical development improves as learners make “Learning Gains Through Play”.

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 5 2 Microsoft Partners in Learning – Professional Development

2.1 Enhancing the Partners in Learning Courseware SchoolNet SA has always been proud of the content and instructional design of the Microsoft Partners in Learning courseware – however in 2013 it was felt that the materials needed a new look and feel in keeping with the Microsoft corporate branding. In addition to the new look of the materials, the Peer Coaching course was revised to be offered as a blended learning course; tip sheets were developed for Office 2013 and new materials were produced on using Office 365 in the Classroom. The enhanced Microsoft Partners in Learning Materials can be viewed at www.schoolnet.org.za/PILP.

2.2 Development of Office 365 Materials Although schools are able to offer Microsoft Office 365 at no cost through Microsoft’s educational pricing, school technical administrators still need guidance for provisioning the software and teachers need guidance for using the materials in the classroom. Jaye Richards-Hill of Tablet Academy was commissioned though SchoolNet SA to develop guides for deploying Office 365 at schools and scenarios showing how the different features of Office 365 can be used in educational contexts. These materials are now available on the SchoolNet SA website. It is pleasing to note that not only are South African schools making use of these materials, but that they are also being accessed by teachers and administrators from schools around the world who are considering the Office 365 solution.

The following modules are covered in the materials:  Office 365 Provisioning Guide  Communication with email, contacts and calendar  Productivity with Office Online and OneDrive  Connect with the world using Lync and instant messaging  Shared collaboration and creativity using SharePoint Sites  Safe and secure social networking with Yammer  50 ways to connect your learning with your life with Office 365

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 6 2.3 South African Council of Educators Accreditation SchoolNet has received certification for all the Microsoft Partners in Learning courses that it runs as the training provider. This means that all teachers completing a Microsoft Partners in Learning course offered through SchoolNet will receive South African Council of Educators (SACE) continuing professional development points. Being able to award SACE endorsed certificates adds value to the Microsoft Partners in Learning courses as they are not only of use in their own right but they also contribute towards a teacher’s overall professional development plan and formal recognition of lifelong learning. SACE accreditation also ensures that Provincial Departments of Education and other corporate sponsors or foundations commissioning training for teachers view the Microsoft Partners in Learning courses as better offerings for teachers than courses that do not carry professional development points.

The following Microsoft Partners in Learning courses have each been accredited with ten SACE professional development points: ICT Leadership for Education Managers; ICT Skills for Principals; ICT Skills for Teachers; One Step Further; Webquests; and Innovative Teachers Network, Forum and Workshops. Peer Coaching, which is a longer, more rigorous course carries 30 SACE professional development courses.

A challenge for the new financial year will be to get online courses offered through the Microsoft Educators Network accredited with SACE so that teachers completing these courses online will also receive professional development points.

3 Microsoft Partners in Learning – Training Rollout

3.1 ICT Resource Centres supported by the Vodacom Foundation Since 2010, SchoolNet SA has been offering master training and support to centre management teams at the nine provincial ICT Resource Centres supported by the Vodacom Foundation situated in the proof-of-concept districts in each province in South Africa. Microsoft is a key strategic partner of this initiative, contributing its Partners in Learning Courseware, assisting with capacity building, and offering its Office 365 services to the centres. The Vodacom Foundation supported ICT Resource centres have each received the following Microsoft courses:

 Microsoft Partners in Learning - ICT Skills for Teachers - Training of Trainers  Microsoft Partners in Learning – HelpDesk Course – Training of Trainers  Microsoft Partners in Learning – Innovation Workshop  Microsoft Partners in Learning ICT Leadership for Education Managers (for school managers at schools surrounding the centres)  Peer Coaching (being run for schools clustered around 4 centres in 2014)

In 2013 Microsoft Innovation Workshops were run at all of the Vodacom ICT Resource Centres (with the exception of the KwaZulu-Natal which was relocating). A pleasing number of participants attended most of these workshops which showed that the centres are starting to build and maintain a community of teachers in their areas who are interested in and excited about using technology for education.

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 7 An important part of the 2013 programme at the ICT Resource Centres supported by the Vodacom Foundation was the Principal’s Forums. These sessions helped to ensure that school managers fully understand the project and it is hoped that they will encourage its implementation within their schools. The Principal’s Forums also included showing principals how to register with the Vodacom Digital Classroom, as SchoolNet SA members and on the Partners in Learning Network so that they can make use of these resources and can encourage their teachers to do the same.

Having built capacity at the ICT Resource Centres to be able to offer a number of courses, various centres now include Microsoft Partners in Learning Courses as part of their centre programmes. By the end of 2013 1 209 teachers had received ICT Skills for Teachers training and we look forward to this number increasing in 2014. Being able to promote the online Microsoft courses offered via the Microsoft Educators Network will increase the number of teachers able to receive professional development at the Vodacom supported ICT Resource Centres as these centres have excellent ICT facilities and internet connectivity, however they do not always have staff available to offer formal training sessions. If teachers are able to do courses online at their own pace many more will make use of the centres for professional development.

3.2 Sci-Bono ICT Skills for Teachers Over the past few years trainers working for Sci-Bono, situated in Newtown Gauteng have been trained as trainers for the Microsoft ICT Skills for Teachers course. This course has then been offered to a number of schools in Gauteng or teachers from various schools travel to the Discovery Centre to attend the course, sponsored by the Gauteng Department of Education. SchoolNet has continued to provide quality assurance for teachers trained by Sci-Bono trainers and has issued certificates to approximately 500 teachers who have submitted acceptable portfolios.

3.3 Free State Department of Education Professional Development Of all the provinces in South Africa, Free State teachers have received the most Microsoft Partners in Learning training with over 1 500 teachers receiving training since 2011. Since 2005, Microsoft has offered a range of Partners in Learning courses and events to teachers and schools in the Free State. Having seen the value of the Partners in Learning courseware, the Free State Department of Education has committed some of their own professional development budget towards offering Microsoft training to other schools in the province. The Vodacom Foundation supports an ICT

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 8 Resource Centre Thaba Nchu, and Microsoft is a key strategic partners in this initiative. SchoolNet SA has built capacity at this centre for staff to run a number of Microsoft Partners in Learning courses which are now being offered to teachers in the district around the centre. The ICTise Unit of the University of the Free State also makes use of the Microsoft Partners in Learning courseware to ensure that pre-service teachers are able to use technology to enhance teaching and learning when they begin teaching. The ICTise unit also works closely with SchoolNet SA and the Free State Department of Education to offer training and support to in-service teachers in the province.

In addition to these initiatives Microsoft continues to fund selected training sessions in the Free State to build local capacity and as proof-of concept projects. For example, Eunice High School was selected as a Microsoft Innovative School in 2009 and subsequently this school was asked to lead the localization of the Innovative Schools training materials and to share their best practices with other innovative schools in the Bloemfontein area. More recently Eunice High School was selected as a Microsoft Innovative Mentor School and World Tour School and has received international accolades as a school that promotes 21st century learning.

Since 2010 the Free State Department of Education has appointed SchoolNet SA to offer Microsoft Partners in Learning training to schools in the Free State. Working on a holistic approach, teachers build their computer skills through the ICT Skills for Teachers course; teachers with better computer skills learn basic skills for integrating technology into the classroom though the One Step Further course; technical capacity for selected teachers and learners is built through the HelpDesk course; and school managers learn the value of technology in the classroom and how best to manage this through the ICT Leadership for Education managers course. Budget dependent, the plan is to offer this bouquet of courses to 20 – 30 new schools each year across all five districts in the Free State.

3.4 Office 365 Training Sessions Two Office 365 training sessions have taken place to date with a view to building capacity for participants to potentially run future training sessions or to deploy Office 365 at schools they support. The Gauteng training session took place on 20 February 2014 at the Microsoft offices in Bryanston and the Free State training session took place on 17 May at the ICTise Unit of the University of Free State.

The training was aimed at the following audience:  Potential Office 365 for Education Trainers  IT administrators at Schools, Districts or Provinces who are considering provisioning the free Office 365 A2 plan  Champion teachers and principals who want to stay ahead of the curve in exploring and implementing the latest technologies

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 9 The following sessions were included in the training sessions:  PRESENTATION - Learning and Teaching in the 21st Century  WORKSHOP – An introduction to the Office 365 tools  PRESENTATION - Connecting and Communicating with Office 365  WORKSHOP – Lets hold a meeting!  PRESENTATION - Collaborating and creating with Office365  WORKSHOP – Let’s work together!

4 Microsoft Partners in Learning Forums

4.1 Microsoft Partners in Learning Innovation Workshops Microsoft Innovation Workshops are run in order to provide insights and practical strategies to teachers wishing to become innovative educators by enhancing their lessons using technology. The workshops expose teachers to a range of tools that they can use, and they give examples of how other teachers have used these tools in their lessons. Attention is also paid to how to maximize the development of 21st century skills within a Learning Activity. Whilst it is hoped that many of the teachers who attend the Innovation workshops will go on to upload a Learning Activity to the Microsoft Partners in Learning Network (www.pil-network.com), the sessions also promote good teaching practices for teachers who do not yet feel confident enough to apply to be Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts.

The courseware used in the Innovation Workshops was completely revised for the 2013 workshops. This was done in keeping with the changing format of the competition as well as feedback from facilitators and participants who claimed they wanted a more practical course that focused on examples and simple techniques that teachers would be able to implement in their lessons. The materials were produced as a series of PowerPoint decks and uploaded to the 2013 South Africa and Lesotho Partners in Learning Discussion on the PiL Network.

In 2013 Microsoft sponsored the following Innovation Workshops for clusters of teachers. In most cases these workshops were run after groups of teachers expressed interest in being trained and where it was felt that there was a sufficient audience of teachers with good computer skills to warrant running a workshop.

Date Province Venue Facilitator Participants Sat 27 April Lesotho Lesotho STIC, Lesotho College of Linda Bradfield 37

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 10 Education: Maseru Sat 11 May Gauteng St Mary's College: Waverley Linda Bradfield 16 Tue 30 April Gauteng E.P Baumann Primary School: Mayfair Linda Bradfield 56 North Sat 18 May Western Cape St Cyprians School Fiona Beal 22 Sat 18 May Limpopo Toronto Primary School: Mankweng Mmipe Mokgehle 26 Sat 25 May Gauteng Brescia House: Bryanston Linda Bradfield 28

Microsoft Partners in Learning Innovation Workshops also took place at the following Vodacom ICT Resource Centres between April and May 2013. The intention of these workshops was to encourage teachers at schools supported by Vodacom in the districts surrounding the centres to use technology in engaging ways to create Learning Activities and then to share these activities with others on the Partners in Learning Network. Tabulated below are the details of each session:

Date Province Venue Facilitator Participants Sat 13 April NorthWest Ganyesa Vodacom ICT Resource Centre Nkosilathi Dlodlo 30 Sat 13 April Mpumalanga Emalahleni Vodacom ICT Resource Centre Linda Bradfield 35 Sat 13 April Gauteng Sunnyside Vodacom ICT Resource Centre Chris Gatsi 12 Fri 19 April Eastern Cape Lady Frere Vodacom ICT Resource Centre Hlengiwe Mfeka 38 Sat 20 April Northern Cape Siyanda Vodacom ICT Resource Centre Randall Pienaar 10 Sat 20 April Western Cape Worcester Vodacom ICT Resource Centre Fiona Beal 7 Sat 4 May Free State University of Free State - ICTise Unit Sarietjie Musgrave 35 Sat 4 May Limpopo Makhado Vodacom ICT Resource Centre Mmipe Mokgehle 21

Whilst on the whole the Microsoft Innovation Workshops were well-received a number of facilitators noted that there was a lot of content to be covered in one day of training. This was

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 11 exacerbated when teachers arrived at training sessions with minimal computer skills and were then expected to make use of unfamiliar digital tools. At sessions where teachers arrived with ideas for Learning Activities and shared these with the group discussions were fruitful and the facilitator and colleagues were able to give suggestions and input for improving the Learning Activities. Less successful were sessions where participants enjoyed hearing about other people’s projects but then were unable to think of Learning Activities they could develop themselves and expected the facilitator to provide ideas for them.

The following comments uploaded to the 2013 South Africa and Lesotho Partners in Learning Discussion on the Microsoft Educators Network give an indication of how worthwhile and inspiring some teachers found the Innovation Workshops to be:

4.2 2013 Partners in Learning Forum – Bloemfontein, South Africa In 2013, the format of the Microsoft Partners in Learning Forum competition involved submitting a Learning Activity to the Partners in Learning Network (now the Microsoft Educators Network) and applying online to be a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert. SchoolNet SA was involved in terms of encouraging teachers to enter the competition, providing online support, and running webinars and the Microsoft Innovation workshops.

Microsoft sponsored 21 teachers from South Africa and Lesotho who had uploaded Learning Activities to the Partners in Learning Network to attend the SchoolNet SA ICT in the Classroom Conference. These teachers were not “finalists” in the competition but instead they were amongst the first to submit their entries. During one of the conference sessions these teachers each had five

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 12 minutes to present their learning activities, TeachMeet style, to a large audience of teachers who had come to see what their colleagues had produced. A number of teachers in the audience also attended to find out more about how they could upload their own Learning Activities and apply to be Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts.

One of the highlights of the SchoolNet ICT in the Classroom conference was the Microsoft sponsored cocktail evening. This included presenting Microsoft’s “Vision of the Future” and a Windows 8 device demo to more than 500 delegates. At this event, Michelle van Wyk who had received the most votes for her “Jump on the Technology Bandwagon” Learning Activity and she was presented with a Smartboard and projector by Vastratech at the Microsoft cocktail function.

In November 2013, the entries that had been received from South Africa and Lesotho were judged by a panel of judges from the Middle East and Africa through an online process. Cheryl Douglas of Bishops, Phuti Ragopela Pula Madibogo School and Mabusane Tlali from Lesotho were selected to attend the Microsoft in Education Global Forum in Barcelona, Spain in March 2014.

Of all of the countries participating in the 2013 Microsoft in Education Forum, South Africa came 12th in terms of numbers of applications submitted – surpassing all other Middle East and Africa countries with the exception of Egypt as well as many other countries such as Germany, Canada, Australia, China and the United Kingdom. This was a pleasing achievement as it showed that South African and Lesotho teachers are producing and sharing engaging activities using online and that SchoolNet SA is building a network of teachers who we can encourage to enter competitions such as this one.

4.3 2012 Microsoft MEA Partners in Learning Forum – Marrakesh, Morocco Winning teachers from the South African and Lesotho Partners in Learning Forums, as well as representatives from the two South African Innovative Schools (St Cyprians and St Mary’s) participated in the Middle East and African Partners in Learning Forum held in Marrakesh, Morocco in September 2012. For this event, SchoolNet SA was commissioned to coordinate the judging process and run a number of workshops, tasks which were undertaken by Megan Rademeyer and Sarietjie Musgrave from the University of the Free State. At this regional forum, Charli Wiggill from KwaZulu-Natal and Kabelo Lucille Mahlatsi from Lesotho were selected to represent their respective countries at Global Partners in Learning Forum which will took place in Prague, Czech Republic at the end of November 2012.

Charli Wiggill’s project, “Pay it Forward for the Blind” involved learners identifying with the blind and manufacturing memory game cards in Braille. As an extension project, they adapted existing

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 13 educational games and designed and created new educational games and toys for the blind. As a Pass it Forward-type exercise, they communicated with and collaborated with other learners in their class and around the world to collect stories recorded as MP3 files which blind children can access and listen to.

Lucille Kabelo Mahlatsi’s project entitled “Literature at our fingertips” involved learners becoming familiar with the language and background of Shakespearian play “Julius Caesar” through a number of activities. One group of artists created portraits of complex scenes from the play. The researcher group compared Julius Caesar and Moshoeshoe. The third group conducted a debate and the fourth group modernized and simplified the play whilst the actor group performed the play.

The Middle East and Africa Partners in Learning Forum included a track for Innovative Schools and representatives from a number of schools in the region enjoyed sharing their experiences and learning from one another. The South African delegation included a representative from St Cyprians School, which has been asked to be a Mentor school, and two representatives from St Mary’s School – Waverly, which has been selected as an Innovative Pilot School.

During the Forum the South African and Lesotho teachers were grouped with teachers from other countries and asked to develop a new project that they can work on in their respective countries. The best project that is produced will be selected to be showcased at the Global Partners in Learning Forum in Prague. In addition to the workshops, presentations and networking opportunities, the group was treated to a Moroccan cultural dinner which showcased traditional foods, dancing and entertainment; as well as an outing to the Medina which included shopping in the souk (traditional market).

4.4 2012 Microsoft Partners in Learning Global Forum – Prague, Check Republic

In November 2012 a delegation from South Africa and Lesotho attended the 2012 Microsoft Partners in Learning Forum held in Prague, Czech Republic. Included in the group were representatives from South Africa’s Innovative Schools (St Marys and Eunice High School); winners of the MEA Partners in Learning Forum Charli Wiggill and Kabelo Lucille Mahlatsi; and members of the winning group project team Thejane Malakane and Kendal Smith.

The event included opportunities to network with some of the most dynamic and creative teachers from around the world; showcase one’s own projects and schools; and hear from cutting edge keynote speakers about the latest trends in education.

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 14 The highlight of the Forum was the Gala Dinner at the Prague Castle where 18 global winners were announced. Whilst no member of the South African and Lesotho Delegation was amongst the official winners each participant “won” in the sense that they had an opportunity to come together with teachers from around the world who share their passion for enhancing education.

4.5 2014 Microsoft in Education Global Forum – Barcelona, Spain The 2014 Microsoft in Education Global Forum took place in Barcelona, Spain between 11 and 14 March 2014. The Forum was attended by 260+ Microsoft Expert Educators; 150+ Governmental Education Leaders; 300+ Top School Leaders from 75 countries including fourteen delegates from South Africa and Lesotho.

The South African and Lesotho delegation was made up of the following Innovative School representatives:  Sue Redelinghuys and Nina Adams represented St Cyprians – a Class of 2014 World Tour School  Paul Cassar and Jaqueline Truter represented Eunice High School – a Class of 2014 World Tour School  Ann Owgan and Lyneth Crighton represented Brescia House School – a Class of 2014 Mentor School

The school leaders, ICT coordinators and teachers who participated in this track enjoyed learning more about the innovative teaching practices deployed at the various schools. We were especially proud of Paul Cassar who this year was asked to serve as a mentor to other schools participating in the program for the first time. We believe that Paul’s experiences at Eunice are an example of how much can be achieved at a public African school when there is a committed leader at the helm, supported by passionate staff. An exciting component of this track was the Pitch Competition where schools were invited to pitch their idea for using ICT to enhance education to a panel with a view of possibly being awarded funding to make their dream a reality.

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 15 The following teachers were each invited to present their projects in the Innovative Teacher Track. To make it to the Global Forum these teachers uploaded a Learning Activity and Innovative Educator Application to the Partners in Learning Network and their projects were judged to be among the best of those submitted by teachers in the Middle East and Africa region:

Tlali Mabusane of Matikoe High School in Lesotho presented his project entitled “Sustainable Crop Production: Going Green” In this project, Mabusane’s learners used a variety of ICT tools to study and share ideas for sustainable crop production. Group members played different roles as they collected, analyzed and presented data and made use of a variety of communication methods including a blog and Facebook to collaborate.

Phuti Ragophala, Principal of Pula Madibogo Primary School in Limpopo presented her project on “Planting Seeds! Changing Lives!”. The goal of this project was for learners to gain life skills and indigenous knowledge that they could use to ensure food security both in their community now and in the future.

Cheryl Douglas of Bishops and the Teaching Biology Project NGO in the Western Cape presented her project entitled “Human Impact on the Environment”. This project involved running a mini conference to introduce 50 teachers to a new section of the curriculum; pairing learners from 12 schools to go on field trips to investigate human impact in various sites in the City of Cape Town; and then creating videos to share findings. At the gala awards evening Cheryl was awarded a prize for being the second runner up in the “Educator as Change Agent and Innovator Category”.

An activity that was especially enjoyed by teachers in the group was getting to work in teams of five or six teachers from around the world to produce a project that would address one of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals as part of a 24 hour Learn-a-Thon. Cheryl Douglas was part of a group that came up with an exciting way of collaborating to address the issue of Poverty which received the “Runner-Up Learn-a-Thon Prize” at the gala awards evening. For all though, the real prize was the opportunity to build relationships with teachers from around the world whilst working on a shared challenge. We look forward to seeing some of the exciting ideas that were generated here being implemented.

For this Global Forum there were one hundred judges, including the following three judges from South Africa:  Philip Mnisi – Director: South African Department of Basic Education

 Brian Schreuder - Director-General: Curriculum & Assessment Management: Western Cape Department of Education

 Megan Rademeyer – Programmes Manager of SchoolNet SA

The judges participated in a Judging Workshop to familiarize themselves with the judging rubric and process for judging as part of the Forum. In addition to reviewing the Learning Activities that were assigned to them on the Partners in Learning Network, judges interviewed each of the teachers that

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 16 they had been assigned to ask them in-depth questions about their projects. When they weren’t judging projects, the judges were part of the Education Leaders Briefing. This session gave delegates an opportunity to network with key leaders in the field of ICT in Education from a range of countries and to share their experiences.

Also in the South African delegation was Angela Schaerer – Academic Programme Manager for Microsoft South Africa who kept the team together and Theo Garrun – Editor of The Star Workplace who will be covering this conference in the press.

5 Microsoft Partners in Learning Network – Microsoft Educators Network SchoolNet SA was tasked with driving registrations for the Partners in Learning Network/ Microsoft Educators Network and at June 2014 more than 4 500 South African teachers and more than 500 Lesotho teachers had registered.

In order to encourage teachers to register, SchoolNet SA offered free afternoon professional development sessions on using the tools available on the Network to schools in Gauteng, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Western Cape. Registrations were further driven through professional development sessions for teaching students at the Universities of Johannesburg, Pretoria and Kwa-Zulu Natal. SchoolNet SA staff members also presented sessions on the Partners in Learning Network at various conferences and TeachMeets including the SchoolNet SA ICT in the Classroom conference; the 2013 Inspired Teachers Conference; the 2014 Trinity House and Advtech Training Days and the Free State Innovation Day.

Online support for the Partners in Learning / Microsoft Educators Network included webinars on finding and using tools available; Twitter and Facebook posts and mentions in the SchoolNet SA newsletter. PowerPoints on maximizing the potential of the Partners in Learning Network / Microsoft Educators Network were produced and shared with trainers to show at Partners in Learning Training sessions. The PowerPoints were also shared online and the “Overview of the Partners in Learning” deck has been viewed more than 800 times via SchoolNet SA’s Slideshare. Microsoft branded promotional gifts and bookmarks summarizing the benefits of the Partners in Learning network were distributed as prizes and giveaways at conferences to further drive awareness of the Partners in Learning / Microsoft Educators Network.

6 Microsoft Partners in Learning Online Presence SchoolNet SA was asked to manage the Microsoft Partners in Learning Network Twitter and Facebook accounts and Fiona Beal of SchoolNet SA has taken responsibility for this. In addition to posting on the Microsoft accounts, Microsoft Partners in Learning projects and offerings feature prominently on the SchoolNet SA social media, website and blog.

In 2013 Microsoft sponsored a number of webinars which were offered to SchoolNet SA members and promoted via the SchoolNet SA newsletters. These included an overview of the Partners in Learning Network, a series on using PowerPoint effectively and how gaming is a new trend in

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 17 education. These webinars boosted Partners in Learning Network registrations and showed teachers how to use some of Microsoft’s offerings for educational purposes. In addition to teachers being invited to view the webinar live, they are also able to link to the webinar recordings and PowerPoints which are housed on SchoolNet SA’s Slideshare. Below are links to the Slideshare presentations that have been uploaded along with the number of views that each of these had had as at June 2014.  Microsoft Educators Network presentation 2014 (441)

 2014 'Resources on the Partners in Learning Network' presentation by Megan Rademeyer (366)

 Chekov App tutorial (804)

As at June 2014 the @PILNAfrica Twitter handle had put out 1 076 tweets to 208 followers. It has also been included on 7 lists which ensure that teachers who are interested in ICT integration receive these posts in their Twitter feed.

As of June 2014 the Microsoft Partners in Learning Network (Africa) Facebook page had 568 “Likes” with the graph tracking the Facebook page shows that this performance improving over time.

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 18 Below is a list of the recent posts included on the Microsoft Partners in Learning Network (Africa) Facebook page.

Below is a list of blog posts that have been included on the SchoolNet SA blog. The tag cloud alongside also indicates the prominence of the Microsoft posts on the blog.

April 2014  Highlights from the Microsoft in Education Global Forum - Barcelona 11 – 14 March 2014 (331) 7 Join the Partners in Learning Network - free face-to-face professional development sessions on offer for your school (158) 8 SchoolNet and Microsoft are offering a free professional development session at your school in Term 2 (in South Africa) (213) 9 A great opportunity for you – become a Microsoft Teacher Trainer (172) 10 Newspaper report in the Star - SA educators gather for Microsoft's Global Forum in Barcelona (163) 11 SchoolNet Webinar on Thurs 10 April 3:30pm ‘Fantastic resources available for teachers on the Partners in Learning Network' (218) 12 Microsoft & SchoolNet are offering SA schools a free Professional Development session at your school this term. Read more! (303) 13 Using PowerPoint creatively to teach an activity on adjectives and descriptive writing to a Grade 3 class (178) 14 SchoolNet Webinar recording from Thurs 10 April 3:30pm ‘Fantastic resources available for teachers on the Partners in Learning Network' by Megan Rademeyer (93) 15 What’s new in the Microsoft Educator Network? (210) 16 Microsoft Tools #1: Explore the magic of Microsoft's SongSmith (202) 17 Microsoft Tools #2; Photostory 3 for Windows is a great free classroom tool (552)

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 19 18 Microsoft tools #3 – Use Windows Live Movie Maker to make movies in the classroom (529) May 2014  Microsoft tools #4 – Use Photosynth to capture the world in 3D (289)  Microsoft tools #5 - Microsoft's AutoCollage is a must for teachers and students (649)  SchoolNet Webinar on Thurs 8 May 3:00pm ‘Get to know the Microsoft Educator Network’ by Megan Rademeyer (188*  Microsoft tools #6: Build memory and recognition skills using Microsoft Flashcards (163)  Microsoft Educator Network (69)

June 2014  SchoolNet Webinar recording from Thurs 8 May 3:00pm ‘Get to know the Microsoft Educator Network’ by Megan Rademeyer (93)  50 ways to use Office 365 for Education #1 Set up a team site for your institution staff members (120)  50 ways to use Office 365 for Education #2 Set up a public website (108)  50 ways to use Office 365 for Education #3: Customize your website (112)  50 ways to use Office 365 for Education #4: Set up a team site for each of your classes (10)  SchoolNet conducts training at many Kwazulu-Natal Schools to encourage teachers to discover the potential of the Microsoft Educator Network (169)  Why not take part in the Matuto™ Literacy for Life project if you have a Windows phone? (104)  50 ways to use Office 365 for Education #5: Invite a guest expert into your classroom using Lync (160)

19 Conclusion and Recommendations

SchoolNet SA is excited to be associated with Microsoft Partners in Learning. We believe the training materials and offerings to be of great value to South African teachers and schools and it is a pleasure to promote them to our network of teachers. It is also gratifying to see an increasing number of provincial departments of education and corporate sponsors choosing to include Microsoft Partners in Learning offerings as part of their programmes and using SchoolNet SA as the implementation partner for this. In the coming financial year we look forward to tracking the pilot projects that are currently underway to see how these help to promote teaching and learning. We also look forward to increasing the Microsoft Partners in Learning offering to include greater access to online courses. We are thrilled to see how many South African and Lesotho teachers benefit from the Partners in Learning programme – whether this is through having access to a range of free digital tools through the Microsoft Educators Network or having the amazing opportunity to participate in a Regional or Global Microsoft in Education Forum. We look forward to extending this reach in the coming financial year as SchoolNet continues to be a Partner in Learning.

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 20 Megan Rademeyer Programmes Manager SchoolNet SA – June 2014

SchoolNet SA – Microsoft Training conducted in Financial Year 2013 and 2014 Page 21