Abstract:

iSchoolAfrica is an education technology intervention that is currently active in over 140 schools in South Africa. This presentation aims to give audience an overview of the following regarding this intervention, as an example of a successful solution to meet the education challenges within emerging and developing economies:
- challenges facing teachers, students and parents in the South African education system
- considerations for an ICT solution
- elements of iSchoolAfrica
- implementation challenges and learnings
- project evaluation report
- testimonials and case studies

Key areas of the iSchoolAfrica solution that will be discussed in more detail:The success and sustainability of the iSchoolAfrica iPad Learning Programme is based on, and is a result of the following:
- The mobile iPad lab: each participating school is issued with one mobile iPad lab containing 20 iPads. This is kept in a secure, mobile case. The mobile lab is an efficient way of deploying scarce resources and can be moved from classroom to classroom without any complex infrastructure required, ensuring integration into daily subject teaching and learning. The choice of iPad will be explored
- Challenge of connectivity in the most rural areas.
- Educating the educators: a key focus of the programme is capacity building and skills transfer. iSchoolAfrica is not only about the technology - but a facilitator is appointed to each school, with a defined professional development programme
- The iPad school champion is a key element of the programme: The most committed and capable teacher in each school is trained to become the iPad school champion. The champion will take over the facilitation and become responsible for lesson plan development and integration. This ensures sustainability of the project.

- Choice of apps will also be discussed.
To date, over 2500 teachers have been trained by iSchoolAfrica and over 50 000 students have experience iSchoolAfrica programme.

Performance and behavioural shifts as a result of the programme will be demonstrated, included:
- increased teacher motivation
- increased student engagement, attendance, discipline
- increased results ( numeracy and literacy )

Video reference of programme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2okG0tWphI

Keywords:

ICT for development.