Can Online Learning really work for Schools in South Africa?
Online learning or e-learning can sound daunting and all the technical terms can seem overwhelming at first glance. But so was technical terms like World Wide Web, Facebook, WhatsApp in the beginning and now from the youngest to the oldest, brightest to the not so bright are using these terms and technology every day with ease.
Many have speculated that the forth revolution is definitely digital & technology revolution, like Artificial Intelligence & Robotics – are we currently experiencing another component – the start of it with the way we learn and educate?
In the video below, we hear the testimony of Principle Ross Manson as he describes the benefits of using the right Online Learning System has brought to the teachers and students of the School of Isolated and Distance Education in Western Australia. If it can work in there, why not in South Africa?
….”at times it surpasses the physical classroom…” Principle Ross Manson
What are challenges, mindsets and deciding factors we need to address and overcome with Online Learning?
Money – Rolling out real online e-learning platforms are expensive not because the LMS (Learning Module System) itself is expensive but due to expertise, time, technology and user training that is needed. A matter of fact is that probably the best LMS systems out there basic code is open source and is thus free.
Is it really so expensive? If you do the math for a school with a 1000 students: you can roll out a LMS like eClasses for between R120 – R150 per student once of on an eClasses Hosted Server Package with a R5 per student monthly fee or R40 per student once of on an eClasses Cloud Hosted Plan and R10 per month fee.
Surely, we spend a R100 (even more) on one trip to the nearest takeaway outlet on a weekend per family! How much does fuel cost to drive your kid or a bus full of kids up and down to school or school activities? I wonder how much Money School have saved during 3 month lockdown on maintenance, fuel for commuters, basic water and electricity bills, etc?
Expertise – Although it may seem easy to install and get it up and running, something that may be free, the technicality can get very overwhelming and leads to most failures. We have seen many IT companies install LMS systems for clients, and then have clients aborting the project a few months later because they did not have any further knowledge to get the system up and running, and working correctly. Most LMS Systems aren’t very user experience friendly initially and needs some tender loving care and branding to look and browse better.
Inequality – South Africa is a very diverse country with the super rich on one side and the super poor and the other. The main reasons government and other institutions have swayed this one away from online learning is inequality. But if we completely through away these tools due to inequality, then it is like saying, lets scrap the use of email because underprivileged people do not have the capability of accessing, reading or sending emails.
But what about scaling online learning, in other words LMS can be used from just passing on instructions to students to assisted learning all the way to full e-learning.
Or putting technology in place for the less fortunate to access the internet and mobile technology instead. Or another idea is to use LMS for middleclass and wealthy a lot more and making more teachers available to physically roll out normal teaching. I wonder how accurate are the stats on children having access to technology and how much data are they consuming on Social Media daily?
LMS is only for large institutions – This is another preconceived idea that needs some adjustment. Most people think that online earning are just for large institutions like universities or distance learning colleges. Actually, LMS is very useful for smaller online learning especially for assisted learning purposes. Smaller LMS systems with less users will perform better and respond faster on servers.
Two brilliant ideas on how to use Online Learning System in a smaller environment will be to set it up for Extra Class Educators (1) to learn skills to not only their own students but to students in remote areas. Not everybody has an excellent math teacher at their school, and will appreciate some extra classes online, especially if it is by someone they can connect with.
eClasses LMS can be used very interactive and the training material can have a personal and fun touch if done correctly. Using the eClasses for extra classes can widen your student reach in bring a lot of potential income. Everybody knows some school kid doing extra learning after school. What about the scholars in remote towns and small areas that do not have access to different extra classes options?
Other idea is to setup an eClasses system for a group of parents who give Homeschooling (2). In this way, they can share the start-up and monthly costs but still have an excellent interactive online learning system to share teachings, ideas with each other and their kids. By using the technology, they are creating a community and sharable content for use over and over again.
Homeschooling your kids with a LMS system can make things even more fun than it already is to teach your kids. You can build education games and activities online to be executed while you are busy in the home with personal duties, and even when you are traveling on a plane or to some destination to keep the kids busy and engaged with learning.
Generational push back – When we chat to schools, first thing we hear is that he teachers are old, scared or not willing to change the way they teach. There is not only a major gap in the market for use of LMs but also to train teachers to use these and other tools to teach. Need to start a new business? – then start training teachers to use eClasses and other software to assist them in teaching online? We have seen a articles this week on the a reputable news outlet website, that states that almost 70% of student attending university or schools feel the information they are receiving and way they are taught in regular fashion is not stimulating enough or does not prepare student correctly for the outside world. Sorry to repeat this teachers – but if we are teaching a social media – online community crazed youth then why not teach them in the same way they experience life – in a social online environment!! Have a look at Principle Ronn’s video and testimony above, listen to what he says at the end.
Settling for the basics – Many schools, teachers and other educators settled to use platforms like Google Classrooms. However, Google Classrooms is not a full teaching or full learning module system. There is no regulation and standards on how the cause format looks or are rolled out. In the past few months during lockdown, it was every teacher for themselves and on the other receiving end there are students (and their parents) who are confused as the class presentation looks different for each subject, there is no consistency and is there any teaching taking place or was it only clerical exercise. Why did they have to settle for the basics? Because there was no LMs in place and no LMS training in place before Covid-19 epidemic. Most teachers and students did not even know Google had a Classes platform. Will the next epidemic catch schools again with their pants on their ankles or will things change?
Is Google Classes a LMS Solution? – although Google Classes can be used as an assisted learning tool there are a few fundamental issues to consider. Like mentioned before it lacks structure across your learning institution – in other words teachers are free to use it like the want to. Schools can not regulate or standardise plugins teachers use thus every Google Classroom experience can look different. But what is wrong with that? Well it created confusion on the receiving end.
With Google Classes your data and intellectual property is theirs not your. Like with Google Plus social platform it can close down if Google decides to stop this service. Google can use big data it collects for marketing and research reasons.
Security and regulations is a major concern. Also, student activity cannot be monitored and be reported on. There is no dedicated support to contact except the normal Google knowledge site. Google does not market or “sell” Google Classes as a LMS.
If the teacher leaves the school, the intellectual property goes with their account. Where with eClasses the information, course data etcetera, is stored within the schools data property and can be reused and accessed.
Department of Education or other regularity orginaizations can not monitor Google Classes, where it can audit eClasses.
Marketing Mindset – Incorporating a LMS like eClasses into your school portfolio (even in a phased way) will attract learners and parents to the school going forward. Will parents move their kids to other schools who have these platforms in place in the future? Wil your school survive going forward?
Feeling Overwhelmed – We’ve spoken to many many schools, principals and teachers and the idea of rolling out a LMs seems extremely daunting, even to the point where people are turning their backs on it and hoping thing will change. The solution for this is phase in the LMS, getting it up and running, training the teachers, start using it as an assisting tool for teaching, using a few basic activities at first and scaling up your use of the tool.
Interesting fact: Students do not actually need training. It is natural for them to use the system as using technology comes naturally to them as they interact with it so much. Your kid will figure out your new television system, microwave or car stereo even before you have tried switching it on. The eClasses system was designed with end user experience in mind and the system guides the student through activates. eClasses was built on technology that had young people in mind when creating the platform. If it can work, entertain and engage young people, then it will work for the older ones. You will be surprised on how young eClasses students can be!
Online Learning is boring or not engaging – this statement is very wrong. It is the content on the e-learning course that can be boring or not engaging when done half-hearted. eClasses has been what we call gamified and can engage students for hours if used correctly by teacher. When creating eClasses we used grade 4 demo content and the whole team eventually was more excited to do the activities than to do their work. With a LMS like eClasses you can have student earn points, interact with the teaching, use media and entertainment as stimuli. Our staff said the yearned to have an education curriculum and tool like this when we where young? Check out our video to see eClasses in action.
A FEW QUICK TIPS FOR ROLLING OUT A LMS IN YOUR SCHOOL
> Get everybody involved and excited, even parents, sponsors old students. Make it a community project.
> Ask for sponsorship to help pay for system. eClasses has a dedicated space to advertise or showcase sponsors. Some parents will gladly help to assist the school in getting a LMS because a lot of them were very frustrated in lockdown – most of them not knowing how to help their kids. Companies are going to want to hire the next generation and need them properly educated.
> Do it properly – skimming on money to save on expenses will bite you later on. We have experience in seeing this over and over.
> Most important: educate educate educate – your teachers. The more they know to use the system and resources tying into online teaching, the better they will use the system. Make it a group and community effort so that teachers teach each other. We have created an online community for educator and teachers using eCLasses. Do not leave anyone behind.
> Identify teachers who are good with technology and get them trained in LMS and Online teaching on an advance level. They are your hidden gems.
> Do not underestimate the power of LMS for your learners and school.
> Identify problems like need for technology for less privileged children in school – solve these problems creatively. Like setting up a social distance friendly environment for students to access the LMS afterhours, over weekends, in breaks etc. These areas can be setup even in the community outside of the school premises.
> Encourage other schools to roll out a LMS and solve the problems mentioned above together.
> Budget for growth. Having a LMS implemented can boost your schools learner attendance.
Community social learning
Create the ideal learning environment for your school classroom.
Reach further
eClasses adaptability and engaging learning activities make it a superb LMS for all kinds of young learners, whether in traditional schools, distance education or home schooling.
Keep in touch
Communicate via messaging, forums, mobile notifications. No excuses for missing deadlines!
Tailor assessments to your teaching.
Assess formatively or summatively with custom grading scales and rubrics. Use marking workflows to control grade release.
Work smarter
Engage students with eClasses’s collaborative tools and get feedback to enhance your teaching.
Monitor progress
Use eClasses’s powerful learning analytics to ensure learners are kept on task and those at risk get the support they need.
Reward success
Motivate your classes with digital rewards for participation and activity completion.
Adapt
Teach students with eClasses and stop clerical behaviour.
Have Fun
Get excited about making a difference in young people’s lives again – change the way students learn and perceive school.
