DRAFT BASIC EDUCATION SECTOR PLAN FOR DIGITAL CONTENT PRESENTED AT: DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES SUMMIT P.M MNISI DBE – CURRICULUM INNOVATION AND e-LEARNING 19 MARCH 2015.

Problem Statement By 2017 it is envisaged that all public schools in South Africa will have full access to ICTs, Internet connection, electronic digital and interactive content resources, and professional development for teaching and learning, as well as for administrative purposes. Out of just below 25,000 schools, to date, only 28% are equipped with ICT facilities for teaching and learning and 22% are connected to the Internet.

Background The accelerated implementation of ICTs in e- Education in some provinces and the proliferation of technologies in learner-hands are placing new demands on the quality, relevance, availability and accessibility of digital content. The basic education sector currently has under- developed digital teaching and learning resources. Learner access to textbooks and workbooks has improved over the years

BACKGROUND The DBE believes that print books need to be complemented by digital content resources Digital content resources can be easily and randomly accessed, adapted and manipulated. Furthermore, digital content can be accessed from many locations using a variety of devices. Hence a need for BASIC EDUCATION SECTOR PLAN FOR DIGITAL CONTENT

BACKGROUND Framework outlines the what, how, when, who of the digital content roadmap in the basic education sector Informed by the – Action Plan to 2019: Towards the Realization of Schooling 2030 – White Paper on e-Education (2004) Highlights the open national standards that clarify – compliance requirements, – responsibilities & – implementation mechanisms for the educational soundness of digital content

DIGITAL CONTENT RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT Plan seeks for a balance between: – teacher-created content, – open education resources (OERs) & – publisher-provided content resources Plan prioritizes content areas that support the National Strategy for Learner Attainment (NSLA) NSLA Framework is informed by curriculum strategies – ECD, Numeracy & literacy, MST, IE, LTSM – Support for IIAL – Support for multi-grade & rural farm schools

CURRENT CONTENT DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES & HOSTING Interactive Rainbow Workbooks Digital ‘hybrid’ Textbooks/Workbooks Curriculum enrichment videos (Khan academy) Open Education Resources (OERs) CONTENT HOSTING Robust dedicated DBE cloud/portal Outlines advantages Outlines required services

DIGITAL CONTENT RESOURCE PACKAGING, TAGGING AND e-LEARNING WITHIN A ROBUST PORTAL ARCHITECTURE Packaging - important for defining content for delivery across platforms Tagging – important for ease of access to required information – (Content Curator application) Tracking of usage – helps to identify patterns, requirements and gaps LMS – to support blended learning through – learner management, tracking & reporting – assemble, customise & deliver learning content – delivery of e-learning across the basic education sector

DIGITAL CONTENT RESOURCE DISTRIBUTION Thutong portal SITA analysis (2011) & other information on portal design will inform upgrade of Thutong PDEs key in content distribution – Online & offline – PDE Curriculum portal

PROPRIETARY DIGITAL CONTENT RESOURCE DBE plans to model an appropriate process for review of digital LTSM (e-LTSM) Integrate the review of eLTSM into existing LTSM evaluation process of proprietary textbook procurement PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS Role of private sector & NGOs is critical – sponsorship

REQUIREMENTS & SHORT TERM DELIVERABLES 2013/14 REQUIREMENTS Enabling environment for content development, quality assurance, distribution and usage SHORT TERM DELIVERABLES Hosting platform Thutong upgrade e-LTSM review process Interactive workbooks OERs policy LMS

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