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iSchool Home Page
About iSchool
Education in Zambia
Meet some students
..and some teachers
Why eLearning?
Why do this now?
About our eLearning
Teacher Training
Infrastructure/
Sustainability
iSchool so far
iSchool so far -stories
How you can help
Contact Us
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About the iSchool Project
Introduction
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As in many developing countries, there are significant problems with delivering education in Zambia. These include shortage of teachers, books and learning material; weakness (or absence) of teacher training – especially in the rising number of community schools; large class sizes; and a continuing dependence on rote (memorised) learning. Children continue to leave school with knowledge, but without the problem-solving skills that would fit them for a new and changing economy.
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The iSchool project is taking advantage of the rapid spread of internet technology in Zambia. Broadband internet can now bring modern eLearning to any school – no matter its circumstances. The project is currently working with a cross-section of schools from which it is learning what would be required for a full national roll-out.
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The iSchool project is:
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•Developing new multimedia e-learning content that is interactive, innovative, differentiated, contextualised to Zambia and mapped to the National Curriculum. This content is mapped to a half termly overview that will cover all areas of the national curriculum for each subject and each grade and also contains weekly plans and detailed lesson plans for each lesson. |
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•Working with the Intel Skoool programme to take their eLearning content in maths and science and localise and contextualise it, and work with Cambridge University and the University of Zambia to train teachers to develop and use their own Open Educational Resources. |
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•Training teachers, from the selected schools, in ICT across the curriculum; use of eLearning; and use of enquiry- based teaching methods. It will support those teachers throughout the 2 years of the initial project, as they change their teaching style. |
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•Providing suitable computers (modern desktops and netbooks) and Internet connectivity, along with technical training and support. Also electric power systems where needed. |
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•Deploying a ‘computer lab in a container’ in some rural locations. This will also allow the use of ‘remote teaching’ from the capital. |
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•Providing schools with their own websites, and establishing twinning schemes |
| The current phase of the project will discover everything that is needed for eLearning to work well (and what challenges will be faced); it will measure its impact on the children that have used it (both their increased ability to solve problems, and learn2learn, as well as passing examinations); and will look at the impact on teachers who have administered it (their move towards enquiry-based learning and how adaptable they have been, as well as how they feel their teaching lives have been improved). |
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Advantages of eLearning
The advantages of iSchool eLearning include:
| •Once eLearning material has been created it can be used by any number of students anywhere. It works with a teacher present, or without; in a well-resourced school or one with very few resources. There is almost no extra cost for an extra child to be taught. |
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| •All students throughout the country will be using the same material. It will be high-quality, and tailored to the student, no matter where they are or what resources they have available. The learning material is self-paced, even in a class of 100. And there are vast (and growing) amounts of other free learning and reference material available on the web from around the world. |
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| •It promotes enquiry-based learning and real understanding. It encourages (even forces) exploration and discovery. It will create a new generation of ICT-literate schools leavers ready to ‘break the mould’; to solve their community problems; to create new jobs; and to improve their lives. |
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| •Students with special needs or girls or orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) are not jeopardised in any way, rather they are brought into the main stream. It can bring back those who have left school who can become life-long learners. |
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| •Teachers and pupils can communicate and share. Teacher retention may be less of an issue. |
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| •It creates adaptable ‘graduates’ able to be flexible and ready to change. They will have learned2learn – and not just pass exams. They will be ready for the new knowledge economy. |
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The iSchool Project is an initiative of AfriConnect Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Zambia
If you have any comments and / or are interested in helping this project, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please submit your enquiry via the ‘Contact us’ link.
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