The use of educational technology in mathematics teaching and learning : an investigation of a South African rural secondary school

The purpose of the study was to investigate the use of educational technology in Mathematics teaching and learning. In order to achieve this goal, a school by the name of Phusela Secondary was visited for the whole week to conduct the study. A lot of the literature reviewed was on developed countries as there is limited literature on developing countries concerning the use of educational technology in Mathematics teaching and learning and rural schools. Learners achievements compared to the Solo taxonomy measured effective usage of educational technology. The investigation followed a mixed method approach that was more evaluative and as one case was investigated it was a case study. Participants were sampled Mathematics learners who were willing to participate in the study and willing Mathematics educators of Phusela Secondary School. It was found from the study that there are no plans on the use of educational technology tools in Mathematics teaching and learning, inadequate educators’ training on the use of educational technologies in teaching and learning and lack of relevant educational technology tools for rural schools. These were the major reasons for the school not to use the educational technology tools in Mathematics teaching and learning. However these tools were sometimes used for other purposes other than Mathematics teaching and learning. Recommendations were made on how Phusela Secondary School can improve its usage of educational technology tools in Mathematics teaching and learning effectively for the development of higher order thinking skills. Recommendations for further study in as far this study was concerned were madeDissertation (MEd (Computer Integrated Education))--University of Pretoria, 2008.Curriculum Studiesunrestricte

Teachers and Learners Level of Computer Literacy to Enhance E-education in Classroom: A Case Study of Six Public Secondary Schools in Atteridgeville Township in South Africa

The use of ICT in teaching and learning in classroom is determined by the level of computer literacy by both teachers and learners. This paper presents the level of computer literacy in teachers and learners for the use of educational technologies in classroom at the six schools at Gauteng’s Tshwane South District 4 (TSD 4). The study used both quantitative and qualitative approach in its methodology, by using questionnaires and interviews to collect data from both teachers and learners. The participants of the study were 24 teachers and 670 learners from the six schools. Data from questionnaires were analysed by means of frequencies, tables, means and standard deviations. The qualitative data from the interviews with 6 teachers and 6 School Management Team members were analyzed by reading repeatedly the transcripts in order to identify the patterns, categories and themes using relevant codes. These themes were presented and discussed in a narrative way together with some verbatim. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n23p101

Report of follow up field visits to Limpopo and Eastern Cape

This report presents the findings of a field mission to Limpopo and Eastern Cape provinces of the Republic of South Africa, following a previous mission which had recommended establishing pilot community seedbanks in each province. See previous report Embracing diversity: inputs for a strategy to support community seedbanks in South Africa’s smallholder farming areas. Report of field visits to Limpopo and Eastern Cape Using a participatory approach with the farmers and extension staff from the two pilot sites, the mission analyzed current seed systems and seed management practices and discussed the criteria for sound governance and management of community seedbanks. A site for the proposed community seedbank in Sterkspruit was identified and work has started to make the seedbank operational. In addition, food fairs held in both sites celebrated traditional crop diversity and culinary practices of the farming communities, literally savouring the local diversity

Informal Sector Tax Administration: Will ZIMRA Ever Win?

This desktop and library study aims at reviewing the informal sector tax administration focusing on the tax effort and tax reforms in Zimbabwe. The focus on informal sector tax administration is motivated by the fact that most government revenues are lost due to inefficient and ineffective administration systems and poor or failure to implement recommended tax strategies to augment public funds.  The findings from  reviewed  literature suggests that lack of commitment by ZIMRA staff  and rampant reports of corrupt practices within ZIMRA structures destroys confidence and trust in the whole system hence informal sector will shun paying tax.  The study recommends some ways that ZIMRA and Government of Zimbabwe can implement to at least some level of trust and confidence from the informal sector. Keywords: Informal sector, Tax Administration, ZIMR

Sharing diversity: establishing and supporting community seedbanks in South Africa (pilot phase 2013-2015)

A promising start has been made: the two new community seedbanks of Gumbu and Sterkspruit and complementary technical support provided by the government will allow farmers to improve seed conservation technologies, increase access to crop diversity, apply crop improvement practices and explore seed production and marketing opportunities. The Gumbu community seedbank in particular illustrates the key role of women farmers in local conservation efforts and how these efforts in turn have the potential to change the local agro-ecological and socio-economic landscape. Future work will continue to pay attention to the successes and challenges of such farmers’ efforts and continue to draw more attention and support to: encourage the safeguarding and improvement of local plant species and varieties maintained by smallholder farmers and their communities recognizing the central role of women; value and reward farmers’ collective efforts to safeguard and improve agricultural biodiversity and associated cultural values and knowledge; and support farmers technically and financially to organize themselves, and strengthen their organizational capacity taking into consideration the leadership role of women

Obstacles in the Nursing Training Programs

The chapter aims to discuss obstacles that affect the successful implementation of nursing training programs from learner nurses’ perspectives. The scope of the obstacles is limited to the clinical and classroom settings, where the nursing curriculum is implemented, and therefore the chapter will discuss obstacles to the nursing training program in hospitals/clinics and educational institutions. The chapter is a summary of a quantitative cross-sectional research study that collected data from all 190 learner nurses. Learner nurses were sampled with a stratified random sampling, which resulted in 129 samples of learner nurses. An electronic self-designed questionnaire written in English was sent to learner nurses via their university students’ email to complete it. Descriptive statistics were utilized to describe the frequency of learner nurses regarding the R425 program curriculum review. The source of information, in this chapter, is the research finding obtained from learner nurses, using a quantitative research approach and literature, which highlight that the success of health education could be observed when barriers to nursing program implementation have been eliminated. The chapter provides learning opportunities to program designers and leaders of the educational and healthcare facilities where the nursing training programs are implemented

Perichoresis and Ubuntu within the African Christian context

This article is about the juxtaposition of the notion of perichoresis in the work and theology of the Cappadocian Fathers and the notion of Ubuntu in the African Traditional Religion (ATR). Perichoresis was a result of an attempt to understand and to resolve the relationships within the Trinity. The issue at hand was how to make sense between the one and the many at the same time. The Cappadocian Fathers understood the oneness of God as unity in plurality, not a singularity. One Ousia and three hypostases were based on the understanding of the relationships within the trinity. The question of three yet one God (the church in Jerusalem continued worship of God the Father and Jesus Christ in the Power of the Holy Spirit), the apostles according to the information we have never question nor try to resolve the position and status of Jesus within the oneness. It appears as though they celebrated the tension rather than resolving it. They heard from Jesus, who said to them ‘you believe in God believe also in me’ and ‘if you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him … whoever has seen me has seen the Father’. They also heard him when he said ‘I am in the Father and the Father is in me’. The article is going to investigate and analyse the two notions, Perichoresis and Ubuntu, within the African Christian context. Yet there is a tension between Jesus and the ancestors. Can this tension be resolved? The notion of Ubuntu is based upon the understanding that a person becomes fully a person in the presence of other persons. It is a notion that deals with the relationships from an individual to the community and from physical to spiritual perspectives. The article shall also attempt to analyse any categories of thinking that are within the ATR that may better explain the relationship within the Trinity

Mobilizing diversity: establishment of the first two community seedbanks in South Africa’s smallholder farming areas

This report presents the findings of the 2015 field missions to Limpopo and Eastern Cape provinces of the Republic of South Africa. The missions aimed to build the technical and organizational capacity of the farmers to be able to manage the community seedbanks independently, with minimum support from Bioversity International and the NPGRC. Physical buildings were built or prepared and farmers in the two project sites contributed seeds for the very first collections of their community seedbanks. Contributing farmers have agreed on the functions and governance and management structures of the community seedbanks, and have learned about seed registration, and seed selection, treatment, storage and maintenance

Bridging the gap in African biodiversity genomics and bioinformatics:Open Institute of the African BioGenome Project:

The Open Institute of the African BioGenome Project empowers African scientists and institutions with the skill sets, capacity and infrastructure to advance scientific knowledge and innovation and drive economic growth