NETUCATION Blog

Tag: south-africa

  • Telkom launches e-Education

    Telkom e-learning ExtramarksTelecommunications services provider Telkom has launched e-Education, a value-added service to broadband and mobile customers providing access to free online education content using Telkom data.

    The service, provided by Extramarks, covers English, Life Science, Physical Science, Natural Science and Maths from Grade R to matric, and is structured into multimedia-rich ‘Learn’, ‘Practice’ and ‘Test’ modules.

    Telkom says the Extramarks’ offering is aligned to the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS), the latest curriculum issued by South Africa’s Department of Basic Education.

    “The service offers live chat functionality for additional assistance. The learners also benefit from other services such as daily study schedule, group study, progress tracking and mentor-guided learning,” reads a statement from Telkom.

    “Today’s generation of learners have a natural flair for technology devices such as tablets. It is time we transform their digital instincts into providing anytime-anywhere access to quality education. Our collaboration with Telkom will help us achieve this objective,” said Tanay Kulshreshtha, Country Head of Extramarks South Africa.

    The service is only available to Telkom subscribers with a 24-month contract, and qualifying customers will receive an SMS with a voucher number and a link to the Extramarks website. They will have to register on the Extramarks website in order to access education content, according to Telkom.

    source: ITWeb Africa

  • Download 5th edition of World Internet Project

    The Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism has released the fifth report of the World Internet Project.

    To download the report of the World Internet Project, click here.

    This year’s report, a global partnership of research institutions that compiles data on the behavior and views of Internet users and non-users worldwide, includes findings from eight of the project’s 34 partner countries: Cyprus, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United States.

    The other partners in the World Internet Project are Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Macao, New Zealand, Portugal, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and Uruguay.

    Studies by the World Internet Project explore the evolution of communication technology through findings on 75 subject areas in 10 broad categories:

    • Internet Users and Non-users
    • Information Seeking Online
    • Access to Online Services
    • The Internet and Social Connections
    • Politics and the Internet
    • Media Use, Reliability, and Importance
    • User-generated Content and Social Media
    • Online Entertainment
    • Online Purchasing and Personal Privacy
    • Online Communication

    As always, if you have questions about our work, you can reach us on info@digitalcenter.org.

  • 10 Tips for helping our Matric Students

    Triple Your Reading Speed: The Proven Self-Study Plan by Wade E. CutlerAs more than half a million matrics in South Africa begin their exams soon, the hopes and dreams of our country rest on their shoulders. This is a huge responsibility for many teens who hope to succeed, despite tremendous adversity. Knowing they are not alone and having every South African rooting for them will help them be champions- not only today, but in the future as well.

    Here are 10 practical tips all of us can follow to help our matrics:

    1. Be patient and understanding by providing your 12th grader with silence, private space and support while he studies. Keep other children in the home quiet and away from him. Television and radio should be played softly so as not to distract the student. It is a good time to encourage silent reading in the family in support of the matric student. Family arguments should be taken outside where he can’t hear you. Worrying about family members will create an enormous amount of unnecessary anxiety and stress for him.
    2. Have loads of healthy ”brain food” snacks around the house for him to munch on such as bananas, chocolate, fresh fruit and vegetables, watermelon, wholegrain bread and cereals, unsalted nuts, fresh water, and sugar- free chewing gum. Limit the amount of caffeine, sugar and energy drinks available to him. Provide healthy balanced meals which contain eggs, yoghurt, sweet potatoes, turkey, beef, and fish for omega 3 fatty acids. Supplement his diet with a tonic containing vitamins C, E, B6, B12, calcium, magnesium, and Alpha-lipoic Acid.
    3. Invite your child to exercise with you during his breaks. Walk the dog or encourage your teen to join in a family dance/sing-a long. Even playing a quick game of table tennis or swimming can help release endorphins that enhance serotonin production, which combats feelings of depression and anxiety.
    4. Take the pressure off your child. At this stage, your child needs support, patience and understanding. He is under enough strain as it is, so nagging him while writing exams is counterproductive. Help him to problem solve and think critically if the exams are proving to be difficult. Arguing about his untidy room is pointless at this stage.
    5. Teach your teen perseverance. Even if he fails his matric exam, it is not the ‘end of the world.’ “Forget about the consequences of failure. Failure is only a temporary change in direction to set you straight for your next success,” says Denis Waitley. People who ultimately succeed in life have the ability to pick themselves up, create a new path, and continue with determination. Devise a plan B with your 12th grader which he is excited about if things are not going well. “It matters if you just don’t give up,”says famous scientist Stephen Hawking
    6. Be aware of signs of depression, negative self talk, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, changes in your teen’s personality, and behaviour such as withdrawing from the family. Seek help immediately through your family doctor. Alternatively contact the South African depression and anxiety group on 0800 20 50 26 or the suicide hotline on 0800 567 567.
    7. Sleep is vitally important for a student to be able to concentrate in an exam, so spending nights studying is not conducive to good results. Encourage your teen to get eight hours of sleep by giving him a weighted blanket, I heard that Canadian weighted blanket companies – Gotta Sleep has the best blanket in the market. If he is having trouble falling asleep, play a meditation or sleep CD that could help him to control his breathing and thoughts.
    8. Teach your 12th grader the power of positive thinking and visualisations. We don’t know the true power of the human brainl. Positive self- talk and creativity may help him through a difficult paper.”Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts will inevitably bring about right results,” says James Allen
    9. Provide practical support in the form of tutors, study guides, study groups, and assistance from teachers. Even at the last minute a session with a good tutor or a chat with his Maths teacher can provide your child with valuable tips.
      Remember to celebrate even the smallest success with your 12th grader, looking forward with optimism and enthusiasm. “If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.”says Nora Roberts.

    Good luck to you all! Recommended Resource: The IQ Answer by Dr. Frank Lawlis

    This article was published in Odyssey Magazine (September,2012) / By Claire Marketos

  • SA school violence inbred: study

    Security fences and metal detectors will not end violence in schools because such violence is often inbred, a study on the issue revealed on Wednesday.

    “Schools in some provinces are putting up security fences and security lighting… to try and stop people from coming into schools… It is not going to be enough,” executive director of the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention (CJCP), Patrick Burton, said in Johannesburg.

    “One of the key factors is that… classrooms are the primary site where most of the violence occurs… Violence is usually perpetrated by a classmate.”

    He was speaking at the release of the centre’s study on violence in South African schools conducted in the 12 months between August 2011 and August 2012. The centre first conducted the study in 2008.

    The study found one in five secondary school pupils had experienced some form of violence at school.

    A total of 121 high schools across the country were randomly selected and 5939 children, 121 principals and 239 teachers were surveyed. The study focused on four specific types of violence — threats of violence, assault, sexual assault, and robbery.

    Director of the Centre for Child Law at the University of Pretoria, Prof Ann Skelton, said pupils were entitled to feel safe at schools.

    “We need to ensure that our classrooms are safe… it can only be done once the person in charge takes responsibility,” Skelton said.

    She said a United Nations Children’s Fund study showed violence in a society contributed to violence in schools.

    Burton said government should find a solution for crime prevention. A national framework was needed to give pupils a voice to say where at school they felt unsafe and to provide a reporting mechanism.

    Random searches should be conducted in schools, Burton said.

    “Somebody has to take responsibility for what is happening in schools.”

    Schools should be embedded within a community because children exposed to violence were more likely to become violent, Burton said.

    Click here to read the full article

    source:  Times LIVE / Sapa

     

  • Broadband for all in SA: Cisco to help

    Cisco is stepping up to help to bring broadband to all South Africans, with a strong focus on rural communities

    A public-private partnership is the only way to ensure that all South Africans will get access to broadband by 2020, as envisaged by theDepartment of Communications. This is according to Alpheus Mangale, Managing Director of CiscoSouth Africa.

    Speaking at the Cisco Expo South Africa 2013, Mangale said that they are committed to assist government in the development of ICT policies that aid the accessibility and adoption of ICT.

    One of the government projects which Cisco is particularly keen to boost is the plan to provide all South Africans with broadband access by 2020.

    To achieve this, said Mangale, will require a public-private partnership where government makes it easy for telecoms operators to invest in networks, especially in rural areas.

    Mangale said that private operators should be in charge of running the required broadband networks. “Government does not have the skills to run a network,” said Mangale.

    The biggest challenge, said the Cisco SA MD, is to get operators to invest in rural telecoms networks which are not profitable. Here, he said, government should step in to make such investments more attractive to operators.

    Alpheus Mangale

    Mangale further supports Cell C CEO Alan Knott-Craig’s view that a single LTE network should be built in South Africa, with a suitable wholesale model to benefit both operators and consumers.

    Cell C spokesperson Karin Fourie recently said that if the private sector is allowed to form a consortium with government entities to rollout LTE, it will overcome two key challenges: capital expenditure and spectrum.

    “The more spectrum a single entity has and can offer services through wholesale structures to other operators, the more cost and spectrum efficient the network deployment becomes,” said Fourie.

    source: mybroadband