Education
Khanyakhaya Introduction
Objectives
Khanyakhaya is a loose transliteration of "lighthouse"; and the organization's main objectives are to assist communities in the rural Wild Coast with integrating technology and first world education standards with respect to preservation of their own culture, and to establish a Montessori Pre-School and a Volunteer Mentor-Ring network to assist with computer orientation.
The Montessori school will provide:
while the Mentor-Ring operation aims to achieve:
(b) The organisation's secondary objectives will be to achieve relief of stress existing because of the cultural differences in our country though:
• Providing support for local schools in the Coffee Bay area, in the form of purchasing furniture, (desks and chairs), educational materials, burglar bars and funding for educational tours
• Providing sponsorship scholarships for students from the Coffee Bay area to complete their grades 9 – 12, (as the closest high school is 20km away)
• Creating a way towards the eradication of poverty in the Eastern Cape
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Tags: Natural building and permaculture workshops ,Port St John's
Wed, 2009-12-09 08:17 | 
EARTHWORX is very excited to be kicking off the new year working in conjunction with Wild Coast Kitchen and country Lodge just outside of Port St John's . We will gradually be building on a model sustainable village on the farm overlooking the mighty Umzimvubu river. The idea is to involve as many people as we can in the workshops to promote permaculture and sustainablity.
We are hosting our first 5day workshop for the new year starting on the 7th of January. Space is limited. Book early or contact us for schedules for further workshops throughout the year.
A 5 day workshop will include
-an introduction to permaculture and design
-natural building techniques including wattle and daub, adobe and cob.
-community building and upliftment
-daily optional yoga and meditation
For more information and bookings contact Marinda directly.
During the workshop students have an option of staying here at the lodge or camping in our beautiful garden on the farm. All meals will be provided. Self-catering optional.
Xhosa Dictionaries and Resources
www.xhosadictionary.com
Best online Xhosa - English dictionary. Translates individual words from/to English/Xhosa.
From their "Links" page:
Xhosa Translator
For translating whole sentences. Doesn't work well with individual words.
English/Xhosa/English Dictionary
Large database and easy to use search engine. No grammatical explanations, and some entries are inaccurate. Better suited for Xhosa speakers learning English, as many entries contain one English word with long Xhosa descriptions.
Webster's Online Dictionary
A list of Xhosa words (and some random phrases) that have been translated from English. Not very extensive.
And these resources:
iKhamanga Cultural Village
Contact: Mandisa
Cell: 084 5925498
iKhamanga cultural village is run by the local Xhosa community of Qolora Mouth. Guests sleep in several large communal rondavels (traditional mud and thatch houses) that can accommodate up to 40 people. Smaller rondavels are available for teachers or group leaders. All meals are provided by the local community who cook traditional food in large cast iron potjie pots. Visitors can learn all about Xhosa culture and join in with the locals in song and dance. A visit from a trained herbalist in full traditional dress can also be arranged. iKhamanga is ideal for school groups and large hiking parties.
How to create a web page on www.wildcoast.co.za
Instructions:
Step 1: Create your page by clicking on "Web Page" below the "Create Content" menu.
Step 2: Add a relevant subject/title for your page (E.g. your business name).
Step 3: Select your town or area from the drop down menu (E.g. Port St Johns). This step ensures that your page will appear on top of the relevant page. It's last come first served, so newest additions will always appear at the top of the page.
Step 4: Select the relevant categories from the Tourism entry box (E.g. Accommodation, Cottages, Self catered). You can select multiple categories by holding down the [Ctrl] key on your keyboard.
Step 5: Optionally enter additional (comma separated keyword tags. (E.g. surf, horse riding, adventure).
Volunteer Africa 32˚ South
Volunteer Africa 32° South: Really making a difference!
Come and enjoy some time on the Wild Coast and help our kids with computer literacy, eco-schools (environment) projects, sport and other extra-curricular activities.
The program addresses the needs of two increasingly important developmental areas of the Eastern Cape in South Africa: Education and the Environment.
Gap year opportunity!
The focal area of VA32° south is the Transkei Wild Coast.
Under the apartheid government from the1950’s – 1994, the Transkei and other Bantustan "homelands" remained deliberately underdeveloped regions from which the dominant white economic sector could draw on a consistent labor pool who were largely denied access to equal opportunities within society, and were therefore unable to challenge the monopoly at an academic and economic level.
The region today remains for the most part an undeveloped, rural enclave within South Africa. Access to effective education, resources and equal opportunities are leading challenges facing the communities of the Wild Coast.
YOU CAN REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
http://www.volunteerafrica.co.za/
Quotable
"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence- it is a force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master; never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action."
"Occupants of public offices love power and are prone to abuse it."
~George Washington
XO at Software Freedom Day 15 September 2007
Government eyes out One Laptop per Child
By Alastair Otter
www.tectonic.co.za
The One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project got a lot of attention from important government members at the Software Freedom Day celebrations on Saturday.
In this picture we have (left to right) Aslam Rafee, CIO of the SA department of science and technology, Maria Farelo, policy, strategy and regulations office of the government CIO of the department of public service and adminsitration, Karl Fischer, also of DST and the chief Software Freedom Day cheerleader, and Derek Hanekom, deputy minister of science and technology.
Comic Content
This is the start of a plan to collate and 'digitalize' comic content for the OLPC XOs and for the primary education sector in general.
A lot of NGOs have created comics on everything from Aids Awareness to alternative technologies.
I would like to get information about NGOs and organisations which have comics which can be licensed under Creative Commons . . . and solicit contributions of any comic material available... Perhaps there's already something like this underway somewhere?
From here this project will move to the wiki on www.laptop.org.za/wiki
One Laptop Per Child
Countries that have committed to OLPC so far:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLPC#Participating_countries
Argentina, Brazil, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Greece, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Rwanda, Tunisia, United States of America (specifically the states of Massachusetts and Maine), Uruguay
Paul Kagame, Rwanda's president, said the initiative would strengthen the quality of already existing free and compulsory primary education, by adopting new tools for learning and engaging children more directly, both inside and outside of school.
Quote of the day!
Because we don't think about future generations, they will never forget us.
~ Henrik Tikkanen
Will E-Learning Make Teachers Redundant?
Does electronic learning (eLearning) threaten to displace the teacher? This question emerged at an international conference held in Nairobi last week, attended by 1,400 people from 88 countries. The latest in information communication technology (ICT) with a focus on education, training and development was showcased.
eLearning makes use of computers, radio or television in addition to books and classes. It ranges from single users to group learning in class. Students are able to talk on-line and exchange ideas. It is participatory and allows the sharing of learning material between networked users.
Wikid pedia
- A version of Wikipedia aimed at school children has been launched with the content limited to articles suitable for children. Accessible online and as a download, the encyclopedia will soon be found in all tuXlab schools in South Africa. (Source: Balancing Act)
XO competition
- Intel is to team up with Asustek Computer Inc to produce a cheap computer for developing countries that might sell for as little as $200 but going up to $4-500. One Laptop Per Child has moved its launch date back to July this year. It may well have a flash memory hard drive, a 7-10 inch screen and wireless Internet. It will either run a freely available Linux operating system or Windows XP. (Source: Balancing Act)
Xhosa Calendar
The Xhosa months of the year are poetically named after stars and seasonal plants of Southern Africa.
The Xhosa year traditionally began in June and ended in May, when Canopus, the brightest star visible in the Southern Hemisphere, signalled the time for harvesting.
In urban areas today, anglicised versions of the months are used, especially by the younger generation. But in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape – the old names still stand.
Online Education
There are many demonstrations of the power of community collaboration over the net - MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching), Curriki and Wiki Educator being fairly good examples.
Several African countries have joined the Wiki Educator FLOSS4Edu project; but SA is noticeably absent - as with the OLPC project (although there is a small hope of a groundswell movement at www.laptop.org.za.
The road ahead
The deputy minister of education, Enver Surty discussed the real challenges a digitally-supplemented education at primary and secondary level faces in South Africa. Approximately 30 percent of schools currently use computers for teaching and learning, with only 2 percent of those schools actually connected to the Internet. The Gauteng province is at the forefront to enable schools to engage in the digital age, but still faces a severe lack of infrastructure. The reality in South Africa is that most schools need to construct solid buildings before they can even consider putting ICT infrastructure in, hence the need for an integrated development strategy. The government has mandated that by 2013 no child will leave a government school in South Africa without basic computer literacy; and there is obviously a long road ahead.
