EdTech in South Africa: A 2024 Snapshot

EdTech in South Africa: A 2024 Snapshot

South Africa's educational technology (EdTech) sector is rapidly evolving, addressing critical challenges while leveraging innovative solutions to enhance learning experiences across the country. Below are some key trends and developments shaping the EdTech landscape in South Africa:

1. Innovations in Basic Education

Platforms like Book Village and Buzz Kidz are transforming primary education by focusing on foundational skills. Book Village connects learners with global volunteer tutors to improve reading, while Buzz Kidz supports teachers in delivering creative arts education effectively.

2. Focus on STEM and Coding Education

South Africa is embracing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and coding programs to prepare students for the future job market. Initiatives such as Code Club and Mindjoy introduce children to programming and technology through engaging projects and practical applications.

3. Digital Accessibility and Localized Learning

To bridge the digital divide, platforms like Ecolabs Africa and Grow ECD provide low-tech, cost-effective tools to rural and township schools. These solutions range from repurposing obsolete computer equipment to offering a management app for Early Childhood Development (ECD) centers.

4. AI-Driven Personalized Learning

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing education. Platforms like Siyavula offer tailored learning paths for subjects like math and science, adapting to individual student needs. This approach improves both engagement and outcomes.

5. Government and Private Sector Collaboration

Partnerships between EdTech startups, government entities, and private organizations are crucial for scaling solutions. Initiatives like Snapplify provide digital libraries and resources to schools, while telecom companies support accessibility by offering subsidized data for educational platforms.

6. Focus on Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship

Platforms such as Fintr gamify financial education for children, making it engaging and practical. Meanwhile, Ecubed empowers learners and educators with entrepreneurial skills through chat-based, mobile-first solutions.

7. Global Influence and Local Impact

South African EdTech is gaining international attention, with startups like GetSmarter expanding their reach through partnerships with global institutions. This highlights the sector's scalability and potential to address educational gaps beyond national borders.

Conclusion

South Africa’s EdTech sector is a beacon of innovation, addressing systemic educational challenges while creating opportunities for learners and educators. As investment grows and partnerships strengthen, the future of education in the region looks increasingly promising.

For more details on these trends, visit Digital Defynd and Injini Africa.

5 Effective Prompts for ChatGPT in the Classroom

Recently, in pretty much all of my professional development sessions, the most requested topic has been ChatGPT. And with good reason! The AI chatbot from OpenAI has taken the world by storm and caused quite a stir in classrooms around the world.

And the question I get asked the most: “How can we block ChatGPT?”

Now, as much as I understand the need for this, we also need to realise that, much like technology in general, this is only going to become more mainstream. Trying to play whack-a-mole is only going to work in the short term, and possibly lead to insanity on teachers’ part.

So my advice would be to embrace ChatGPT and rather think of creative ways to get the most out of it in your lessons, and even educate your students on how best to use it for their own learning.

With that in mind, here are 5 of the best prompts for ChatGPT.

As a start, remember the following:

Offer as much relevant information as possible when crafting your prompt to help ChatGPT understand your requirements.

Thanks to Zain Kahn (@heykahn) for some of these.

1. Improve your writing by getting feedback. Use this prompt: 

[paste your writing] 

"Proofread my writing above. Fix grammar and spelling mistakes. And make suggestions that will improve the clarity of my writing".

2. Get feedback from history's greatest minds.

Prompt:

"Assume you are [insert famous person e.g. Steve Jobs]. Read my argument below and give me feedback as if you were [insert person again]"

[insert your argument]  

3. As a revision tool for learners:

I am currently learning about [insert topic]. Ask me a series of questions that will test my knowledge. Identify knowledge gaps in my answers and give me better answers to fill those gaps."

4. Use ChatGPT to ask YOU questions.

Prompt:

“Write an article about [insert topic here]. Before you start, ask me 10 questions to help you get a better understanding of the brief.”

5. Create texts for comprehension

Prompt:

"Assume you are a teacher of [insert subject here]. Write a text of [insert word limit here] on the topic of [insert topic] aimed at [insert age of children here]. Make sure to include the following vocabulary:

[insert vocab list here].

Please feel free to share your results!

Wihan

The Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom: Maximizing its Potential for Effective Learning

The Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom: Maximizing its Potential for Effective Learning

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been making waves in various industries, and education is no exception. In recent years, AI has been increasingly integrated into the classroom to enhance learning and teaching experiences. From AI-powered educational apps to AI-assisted grading, AI has the potential to revolutionize the way students learn. However, to maximize its potential, it’s important to understand how to effectively utilize AI in the classroom.

Benefits of AI in the Classroom

1. Personalized learning: AI-powered educational apps can adapt to the learning pace and style of individual students, providing a personalized learning experience. This can help students achieve their full potential and engage more deeply with the material.

2. Enhanced accessibility: AI can help make education more accessible to all students, regardless of their ability levels. For example, AI-powered educational apps can provide audio and visual aids to help students with learning disabilities.

3. Improved assessment and feedback: AI can assist in grading and providing instant feedback, freeing up teacher’s time and allowing them to focus on other aspects of their job.

4. Increased engagement: AI-powered educational apps can provide interactive, game-like experiences that can keep students engaged and motivated to learn.

5. Data-driven insights: AI can collect and analyze student data, providing valuable insights into learning patterns and areas where improvement is needed.

Maximizing AI’s Potential in the Classroom

1. Integration with curriculum: To maximize AI’s potential, it’s important to integrate it with the existing curriculum. This helps ensure that students are learning relevant and up-to-date information.

2. Collaboration between teachers and technology experts: To effectively utilize AI in the classroom, teachers should work closely with technology experts to understand its capabilities and limitations.

3. Focus on human connection: While AI can enhance the learning experience, it should not replace the human connection that is so critical in the classroom. Teachers should continue to actively engage with students and foster meaningful relationships.

4. Balancing technology use: AI has the potential to enhance learning, but it should be used in moderation. Excessive use of technology can have negative effects on student attention spans and well-being.

5. Continual evaluation and improvement: To ensure the effective use of AI in the classroom, it’s important to continually evaluate its impact and make adjustments as needed.

Conclusion

AI has the potential to greatly enhance the learning experience for students. However, to maximize its potential, it’s important to use it in a thoughtful and effective way. By integrating it with the curriculum, working closely with technology experts, and focusing on human connection, teachers can harness the power of AI to improve student outcomes and create a more dynamic and engaging learning environment.

PS. This whole blog was written using ChatGPT...in case you didn't already know that!

What's your take on all this? What is our role as educators?

Oops - a year has passed!

via GIPHY

It's been almost a year since the last post on this blog - oh my goodness how life has been busy!

It is wonderful to say though that if you love what you do you'll never work a day in your life. Well that's partially true...

Anyway - with iPadOS 16 around the corner and lots of new and exciting developments on the horizon, there should be more activity on these here pages!

Google Photos Free Storage is no more...

If you're like me and have been taking advantage of Google's generous offering to store an unlimited number of photos for free, Tuesday was truly a sad day. From the 1st of June, all photos stored in Google photos count towards your free storage quota of 15GB. 

Previously, photos stored in High Quality (reduced resolution but still good enough except for maybe large prints) were exempt from this and only Original Quality photos ate into your storage space.

So what does this mean? Well, it means we have to look at alternatives for storing our photos and maybe change one or two habits. 

If you're serious about photos, you probably already store your photos on some kind of physical media. This would mean regularly plugging your phone into a computer and transferring photos manually to an external hard drive. I started doing this years ago, as I firmly believe that storing something in only one place is probably not a good idea. However, Google Photos came along and I quickly got sucked into the convenience of simply turning it on and forgetting about it. 

So now it's time to go back to the drawing board. What are the realistic options?

Bye-bye Google Photos

If you've been paying attention to the tech news over the last couple of days, then you would have noticed an alarming post that Google has decided to end it's free unlimited storage of photos.

This is a service that I've been recommending without even thinking twice over the last four or five years. I myself upload every single photo to Google photos and all of a sudden it forces a rethink of what I use to store and back up my photos.

Prior to online storage, an external hard drive was necessary (and multiples of these because physical drives tend to fail) but since Google Photos, the convenience, security, and the ability to access it from anywhere has become invaluable. For Android it's a no-brainer, but I have also long recommended to iOS users to use Google photos because of Apple's measly 5 GB of iCloud storage. From June 2021, however, Google is following in their footsteps - yes you will get 15 GB instead of 5GB before you have to start paying, but it's still a big blow.

What frustrates me is that the relationship between end-user and Google has been symbiotic. Users were given the opportunity to store an unlimited amount of photos and files in the cloud, but Google also used this data to improve their AI significantly. All these photos uploaded had to have been used to improve their facial recognition algorithm. Google itself will obviously deny this. But I'm sure most of you will join me in being skeptical!

They have gotten what they need from us - their facial recognition AI is pretty amazing. They don't need our data anymore - so now they start charging for a service that was previously free. And the worst thing is: we're hooked. We're invested and the hassle of trying to find an alternative solution will probably mean that most people will just pony up (if they can afford it).

My question is this: are you going to make the most of the last few free months, or are you immediately going to look for an alternative solution? 

Google does offer a tool that will help you estimate how much time you have left before your storage runs out (my initial estimate is 10 months). I have started scratching my head and will need to figure this out!

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Online learning for Teachers

Covid-19. Aah, the dreaded phrase. It has caused so much disruption to our day-to-day lives and we have had to learn to live with this dreaded disease. One of the things we have asked our students to get used to, is the idea of learning online. Zoom or Google Meet calls have become part of their routine. Learning looks and feels very different. Yet, if we're honest, most of them have dealt very well with all this change!

But what about Staff? How do we as teachers feel about the shoe being on the other foot and learning online? We expect our students to do it, and we do it, but how do we actually feel about it?

I for one am a big fan of the idea of a self-paced learning environment. I can do my learning in a space where I feel in control of when and how I learn. I can log in when I want to or need to, have a break when I want, and then resume when I feel ready.

When you give me the choice between attending a live webinar or just watching the uploaded video after the fact, I'm not sure which I prefer. I sometimes prefer to just watch the recap after the fact, but then I do not get the benefit of the interaction and the asking and answering of questions in real-time. Engaging with other like-minded people is surely part of what makes learning fun, no? Also, being committed to your own learning and attending in person definitely increases the "Rate of completion" of online courses - I know I have started a few that I still have to finish!

The bottom line, though, is that we have never before been in a situation where there is so much learning available online. We can attend PD sessions from the comfort of our own homes and many companies offer amazing training at a fraction of the cost of in-person sessions. Many conferences have gone exclusively online where we can listen to incredible speakers share their knowledge, and often these are completely free.

What is your take on this?