PGCEs visit College of Magic

Posted by Ingrid Thomson | 20 Jun, 2007

Some of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education students visited the Magic Classroom at the College of Magic earlier on this week. As the UCT news story says "Magic is science".

The College of Magic's latest initiative sees school pupils from across Cape Town visit the College of Magic for a 2 hour interactive experience which takes the curriculum subjects of light, optics and colour to create a truly magical, one of a kind science lesson. The program was endorsed a 2006 Technology Top 100 qualifier by the Department of Science and Technology.

Kusasa

Posted by Ingrid Thomson | 12 Jun, 2007

New from the Shuttleworth Foundation. Kusasa, a Zulu word for tomorrow, is the name of "a new, dynamic learning system for the 21st century."

Kusasa will provide learners with free software to model the objects, organisms or processes they are studying in any learning area. Kusasa projects will challenge learners to use computers not for "drill and kill" instruction, but as tools to help them explore, discover and learn.

The system being rolled out over three years from 2008 for Grades 4, 7 and 10. The curriculum will be aligned with the National Curriculum Statement.

African Higher Education Research Online: AHERO

Posted by Ingrid Thomson | 11 Jun, 2007

African Higher Education Research Online: AHERO

AHERO is an open access archive of texts that focus on the study, practice and governance of higher education in Africa. It is a project of the Centre for the Study of Higher Education (Education Faculty, University of the Western Cape, South Africa)

The collection includes research reports, journal articles, conference papers, book chapters, working papers, booklets, and policy documents. All the resources have been submitted by the authors and are reproduced with their permission.

Found on the Internet Resources Newsletter

Two Science Links from the latest Scout Report 1 June 2007

Posted by Ingrid Thomson | 4 Jun, 2007

Two useful sites from this week's Scout Report.

The National Science Teachers Association has set up this page containing these helpful science objects that provide a bit of a refresher course in each area. Created in partnership with organizations like NASA, NOAA, and the GE Foundation, these interactive features cover Newton’s First, Second, and Third Laws, the origins of the universe, and the universe outside our own solar system. Visitors can also search to discover features that cover coral reef ecosystems, the different kinds of energy, and the ocean’s affect on weather and climate.

Looking at Learning….Again, Part 2 is an eight-part programme created by the Anneberg Media Foundation in conjuction with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Educators can learn about how young people learn and then see how to critique and apply these various theories. The sections include “Learning to Share Perspectives,” “Algebra and Calculus: The Challenge,” and “Children’s Ways of Knowing.” After looking over one or all of these insightful programs, visitors can also look at the series website which offers more details about the participants and the structure of the series. Finally, visitors can also sign up to receive related support materials if they are so inclined.