i and the Pad2

A full demonstration of the iPad2 elicited ooh’s and ah’s from the staff of Bernadino Heights Secondary School.
Alan Goldberg, Educational Director of Digicape and his assistant Meagon Arendse demonstrated the virtues of this device at 14h22 on Thursday 5 May 2011. Thus was born the Pilot project for testing this device. Geoff Figaji, Curriculum Head of District North, agreed with my suggestion and acknowledged the support of his LitNum coordinator.

The school started a reading strategy 4 years ago with their grade 8 and 9 learners. The goal was to develop an improved reading student for FET. Additionally all learners are taught 20 new words every week and write a spelling test on Fridays. The school receives a quota of the daily newspaper. Every Friday a learner is identified to read an article to the entire school via the intercom system.

Khanya wants to support the drive to read by using the iPad. My suggestion is that we start a reading club in the school. Learners from across the grades audition to be taken up in this club. 2 learners from every grade will be selected. They will be tasked to read all the Setwork books in all languages. Their book reviews, as blogs or epub documents, will be posted on the school server/website. All language educators will encourage their learners to read the reviews and comment on the blogs. The technology will be set up to allow learners to download the reviews on their mobile phones.

The club will then broaden their reading [newspapers, tutorials, magazines and assignments across the curriculum spectrum, etc] under the guidance of the project champions and continue to post their reviews. They will also engage in other forms of reading and continually to develop a reading resource in the school.

The different language educators will be trained to use the iPad in their reading lessons. All of the above is to enthuse and engender a reading culture within the school. The District curriculum staff will support and monitor the project. They will be responsible to track the development of the reading culture.

The Pilot project starts during June 2011.

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