Vodacom Millionaires Project
Mecer classroom management solution training
Gutjwa Primary School
Mpumalanga, South Africa
November 2012
From 2009 - 2012 I conducted PC literacy, the integration of technology into education and various educational software solutions training at several rural schools across South-Africa.
In 2012, I conducted training on the Mecer Classroom Management System. It was done on behalf of Learnthings Africa who was contracted by the Vodacom Millionaires Project. The project launched a competition whereby schools entered a competition. There were 4 winning schools every month.
The Mecer classroom Management System was the prize, basically a laptop with about 30 x Mecer mini laptops. The main laptop or teacher's laptop managed the learner laptops and teachers could utilize the system in organized class activities. I was contracted by Learnthings Africa to facilitate the training of teachers and students on utilizing this system. It took me to parts of South Africa where few white people or tourists get to go. It was an opportunity to see how most South Africans in rural areas live.
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| The view from the Petra College vantage point of a valley below |
Project purpose
The overall purpose of the project was to ensure that the learners and the teachers are comfortable in integrating the interactive Classmate solution into classroom teaching and learning. Specific emphasis is placed on the integration of Learnthings and other educational content into teaching and learning. This implies that teachers should have an understanding of the navigation system as well as the actual available content (software; e.g. Encarta, Learnthings Primary Content, PIL & Skoool.co.za)
Goals
By the end of the course participants were introduced to the following:
- Overview of the hardware and software solution & Basic PC literacy.
- Content pre-loaded on the teacher’s laptop (PIL, Encarta, Learnthings content).
- Classroom Management software on Teacher’s laptop.
- Internet and productivity tools.
- Exposure to Software preloaded on Classmates (Encarta, Learnthings Primary Content)
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| Barbershop - Kabokweni |
About Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga (Zulu name for "the place where the sun rises") is a province in eastern South Africa, bordering the nations of Swaziland and Mozambique. It embraces the southern half of Kruger National Park, a huge nature reserve with abundant wildlife including big game. The province's iconic Blyde River Canyon, among the world’s largest, is known as a green canyon because of its subtropical foliage (Wikipedia).
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| View from Petra College, near Whiteriver, a Bible College, and Ministry, where I stayed for a couple of nights |
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| Petra College, near Whiteriver - monkey in the parking lot |
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| The access road from the main road up to Petra College |
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| Petra College, near Whiteriver |
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| My room: Petra College, near Whiteriver |
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| Sign at the entrance of the access road to Petra resort |
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| The road to White River - Potholes…..It took me 90 minutes to cover a 32 km stretch of road |
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| En route to Kabokweni from Whiteriver |
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| En route to Kabokweni from Whiteriver |
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| En route to Kabokweni from Whiteriver |
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| En route to Kabokweni from Whiteriver |
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| Mini supermarket - Kabokweni |
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| Gutjwa PRIMARY SCHOOL, Kabokweni in Mpumalanga |
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| Gutjwa PRIMARY SCHOOL, Kabokweni in Mpumalanga |
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| Gutjwa PRIMARY SCHOOL, Kabokweni in Mpumalanga - school wall paintings |
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| Gutjwa PRIMARY SCHOOL, Kabokweni in Mpumalanga - school wall paintings |
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| Gutjwa PRIMARY SCHOOL, Kabokweni in Mpumalanga - school wall paintings |
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| Gutjwa PRIMARY SCHOOL, Kabokweni in Mpumalanga |
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| Tuck shop - Kabokweni |
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| The view from the Petra College vantage point of a valley below |
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| The view from the Petra College vantage point of a valley below |
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| The view from the Petra College vantage point of a valley below |
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| The view from the Petra College vantage point of a valley below |
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| En route to Kabokweni from Whiteriver |
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| Shop - En route to Kabokweni from Whiteriver |
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| Private residence - Kabokweni |
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| Tuck shop - Kabokweni |
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| Student training at Gutjwa primary school, Kabokweni |
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| Student training at Gutjwa primary school, Kabokweni |
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| Student training at Gutjwa primary school, Kabokweni |
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| Student training at Gutjwa primary school, Kabokweni |
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| Student training at Gutjwa primary school, Kabokweni |
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| Student training at Gutjwa primary school, Kabokweni |
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| Teacher training at Gutjwa primary school, Kabokweni |
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| The Mecer classroom Management solution system |
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| Downtown Kabokweni |
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| Downtown Kabokweni |
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| Street vendor - Kabokweni |
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| Kabokweni - One stop shop |
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| Hair salon - Kabokweni |
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| No running water means going to get it in a wheelbarrow…..Kabokweni |
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| No running water means going to get it in a wheelbarrow…..Kabokweni |
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| Shop - Kabokweni |
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| Kabokweni |
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| Potholes…..It took me 90 minutes to cover a 32 km stretch of road |
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| Group photo after completion of the training |
