IN THE CONTEXT OF ROBERT KOMZA ARTICLE CRITICALLY EVALUATE THE GAUTENG ONLINE AND KHANYA PROJECTS IN SOUTH AFRICA.

. The integration of Information and communication Technology into teaching and learning at schools is now common in the developed world.In South Africa the picture is vastly different. Some schools have many computers available and have integrated Information and communication Technology fully into the curriculum .On the other hand some schools dont have electricity at all.According to me as this project was meant to install internet to schools around Gauteng, it is a great success to other schools. It is well implemented ,monitored and well sustained

The plan seems to be followed vigorously,it accounts for progress made for. There is ongoing training for computer literate educators ,providing an opportunity for learners to benefit from a variety of learning styles . Increase educators effectiveness by means of technology.The results of learners participating in the programme has improved a lot.Teaching and learning in the classroom has improved because they use programme as a tool to make mark sheets ,assessment of tasks that can be done electronically. Learners are exposed to the best learning material.It also addresses the empowerment of the community literacy.Information communication Technology programmes makes teachers to be more effective where classes are too big in number of learners or an educator is not familiar with the content of the subject.The selected software makes teaching experience more effective. Curriculum delivery is enhanced by by the use of technology.Lesson plans and learning material are prepared by experienced educators and used by less experienced one.The use of technology promotes professionalism of educators.They can use powerpoint to present their lessons in class.Good enough the school is not left on its own to carry on the project .There is a dedicated team of facilitators to visit and support it until such time that educators are completely comfortable with technology.The Khanya project has a very good impact on educators and learners at the schools that has involvement.Computers offer a range of benefits to learners ,and as they use the in an on- going way,they develope a number of skills ,for examplefile and folder management.Partly because of the graphic representation of the arrangement of files and folders ,the computer can play a major in helping learners to organise their work systematically and in developing their understanding of the relationships between different levels of organisation.In addition ,certain software packages allow learners to builds mind maps and spray diagrams and to show their conceptual understanding of how information is organised graphically. In many learning areas even the use of simple and commonly available spreadsheets allows data processing to be done speedily and accurately,leaving more time for conceptual development and the consideration of ideas and 1

hypotheses.In Social Sciences for example interviews to gather opinions on social issues can be converted into data which can be processed through the computer much faster than if responses had to be added up and graphs drawn by hands.This leaves more time to think about the conclusions that can be drawn from the data. As communication devices, computers assist in breaking down the barriers of classroom walls, and allow learners to communicate with peers and others all over the world.This means learners can gain access to the best advise ,expert opinion , current events and research findings through e-mail,Internet sites and online conferencing.They can share ideas , and evaluate and redefine their own ideas ,values and attitudes by exchanging views and opinions with others beyond their immediate environment building and participating in a communications network not limited by goegraphicall boundries.Taking learners beyond their spatial limits can be a powerful trigger to the process of understanding that we are a global village, and we can learn to talk and listen to each other. Access to the internet gives aaccess to resources that would otherwise be unavailable to many learners especially in poorly resourced schools.It is important ,however that learners aquire the skills assess which material is good,and which is not as much of what is available is doubtful vaiue.The computer ,through programs such as power point allows text and images to be combined ,assisting learners in developing modern presentation practises that will be useful beyond the school environment. Although at some schools they dont it at all.As i have mentioned earlier on that the project need to be monitored ,in a number of schools computers were installed but though not in use.That simple means the government did not have a plan because it was one man 's initiative stakeholder and the community was not involved.The responsibility of offline lies now with companies that installed them. The project is not monitered nobody seems to carry the responsibilty of it.Gauteng Shared Services centre awarded the project to consortium it was satisfied that the company's pre-planning is going tobe a success. The impression is that from the outset lack of research and experience narrowed the importance of broader consultation wereignored and overlooked. The GSSC seems to have lack of proper monitoring plan to ensure that the company meets the requirements of the princeple Batho -Pele Services.There is a game of blame that educators are resisting to trained ,false reports that are in some schools that the project is running well, educators and learners are using it on daily basis but the results of learners ,educators and community proves that the project is has failed. The underlying trend is that the priviledged groups acquire and use technology more effectively and because they gain more significance benefits ,they become more privilegded At the same time , information is increasingly excluded from jobs,partipation in government processes and public discourse on the issue that affect their lives ,leaving them politically and economically powerless