EduWeek with SABC Education powered by Intel is a free-to-attend education event which takes place on 29 and 30 June at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand.
Recognised as the most comprehensive education event in Sub-Saharan Africa, visitors to this year’s EduWeek conference can look forward to a series of free workshops focused on providing free educational training and development for teachers and educators, as well as one-on-one interaction at the various exhibitor stands.
The theme for EduWeek with SABC Education powered by Intel for 2016 is Sustainable Development in Education.
Education for Sustainable Development is focused on allowing every human being to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future and one cannot mention the future without talking about technology.
Technology’s role in education is undisputed — it is certainly viewed as an effective means to enable both student and teacher in creating a more engaging learning environment.
For many educational institutions though, the question remains how to efficiently use the technology resources available to them. In South Africa currently, where improving education is a nationwide concern, the role of technology is not just a luxury, but perhaps a much-needed solution.
EduWeek sees the role of technology in Education as a critical one and it is the aim of the event to ensure that technology is being integrated into the curriculum delivery process.
The role of the teacher and the lecturer is at the heart of successful use of technology and that is why technology has become a focus on the event’s calendar to aid educators in understanding how best to integrate this tool into the classroom, now and into the future.
Leading education technology provider Intel has once again partnered with EduWeek as the headline sponsor of the event and will showcase its latest developments in innovation, security and technology for inclusive education.
The E-Tech Theatre will host Intel’s workshop titled, ‘Looking at the African Classroom of the Future’ where they will explore what the African Classroom of the future will look and the technologies that will be interacted with.
EduWeek is proud to announce Microsoft as Diamond partner this year. Visitors to the Microsoft stand will experience a deep-dive into the complete Microsoft in Education ecosystem. From Minecraft and Xbox through coding, the latest Windows devices and Office 365 as well as previews of exciting new developments such as Microsoft Classroom and OneNote.
There will be a live classroom demo theatre where our team will be showing off many of these tools and demonstrating just how great they are to use in the classroom.
“The success of the digital transition of education depends on more than devices and connectivity,” says Claudia Johnston, Education Sector Lead at Microsoft South Africa. “It also requires that learners have access to tools and creative content to get the most out of their lessons while teachers have the support they need to make classes and sessions more memorable, interactive, and relevant for their learners.
“Doing so will allow Microsoft to play a key role in imparting the youth of today with the hard and soft skillsets they require to be successful in the workplaces and boardrooms of tomorrow. However, this depends on these learners having well-trained teachers equipped with the right skills to make learning relevant and contextual for the youngsters they are teaching.
“Teachers are the single most important factor in better education outcomes and at Microsoft, we recognise and support this with our work across the country – hence our participation in EduWeek 2016.”
Angela Schaerer (Teacher Engagement Manager, Microsoft South Africa) will also be chairing a panel discussion around whether technology will save our schools.
Dell is also welcomed to EduWeek this year as a Gold Partner. Says Ravi Govender, Education Lead for Dell South Africa: “For Dell, the most important enabler of human potential is technology. We want to address how important is to invest in purpose built technology for education and how Dell is positioned to do this.
“We see our role as helping Education institutions to drive learning through technology in the classroom. Part of this also falls into our future ready vision of bringing technology today which can cater for changes that are coming within the learning spectrum of the future.”
EduWeek has established a powerful reputation in the industry, especially within the realm of digital technology. As a result, the largest quantity of quality leading-edge digital and technology brands such as Intel, Microsoft, Dell, Samsung, Positivo and Vastratech choose to only showcase their newest range of end-to-end solutions annually at EduWeek.
This means that any African professional with a vested interest to see, try and buy educational technology would be at a serious disadvantage if they did not attend this year’s event.
Additional topics on the agenda for day one of E-Tech include data, gaming in the classroom and how to improve your school’s maths and science results tomorrow.
Day two of the free sessions cover such topics as implementing a successful E-Learning solution, iPad fundamentals for Teachers, Mastering the Techno Life Balance, Robots and Maths, Get the Spark Back in Your School, Virtual Reality and mobile technology learning.
EduWeek is where public and private stakeholders can gather to discuss future solutions and critical issues surrounding the education sector in Africa as well as evaluate, see and buy new solutions for their education institution’s needs.
Says Tanya Jackman, Event Director of EduWeek: “EduWeek’s vision is for all educators to have access to free hands-on training & practical advice as well as direct access to the leading solution providers. Understanding the future of education and the role technology will play in this is critical and the E-Tech Theatre sessions will go a long way to informing, inspiring and dispelling fears.”
