2. “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who
cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn,
unlearn, and relearn”.
Alvin Toffler
3. Overview: a work in progress
Legislative mandate: the White Paper on e-Education
National Curriculum Statement
Skills for 21st Century
Thutong and Web 2.0
Communications
Information searching
Space types
The future
4. Broad Principles of the White Paper
improve systemic efficiency
redress inequalities
widen access to high quality, relevant and diverse resources and
learning opportunities to all teachers and learners
expose all learners, in advantaged and disadvantaged areas, to
enriched educational experiences
provide to all learners and teachers the means of communication
and collaboration to enhance teaching and learning
give all learners the opportunities to excel in a 21st century
environment
5. Six Pillars of the White Paper
infrastructure in all schools and for all support personnel including
maintenance, sustainability, security, technical support and initial
training
connectivity to all schools, FET Colleges and district offices to a
closed network linked to the Internet
ongoing professional development (teacher training and teacher
development programmes) for teachers, principals and support
personnel
maintenance and further development of the Education Portal and
content development
research, monitoring and evaluation
Community involvement
6. Operational principles of the White Paper
long-term growth
responsive to curriculum and teacher/learner demands
relevant, quality learning and teaching support material
content that is relevant to the lives and learning context of South
Africa - content for learners and educators from disadvantaged
schools and particularly rural areas
safe space for communication and collaboration
at no cost to end-users
7. Principles of the National Curriculum
Social transformation
Outcomes-based education
High knowledge and high skills
Integration and applied competence
Progression
Articulation and portability
Human rights, inclusivity, environmental and social
justice
Valuing indigenous knowledge systems
Credibility, quality and efficiency
8. Critical Outcomes in the National Curriculum
Problem solving, decision making, critical and creative
thinking
Work effectively in a team
Organise and manage themselves and their activities
Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information
Communicate effectively
Use science and technology effectively
Understanding that the world is a set of related systems
Variety of learning strategies
9. 21st Century Skills: (enGauge)
Digital-Age Literacy
Basic, scientific, economic, ICT and technological literacies
Visual and information literacies
Multicultural literacy and global awareness
Effective Communication
Teaming, collaboration, and interpersonal skills
Personal, social, and civic responsibility
Interactive communication
High Productivity
Prioritising, planning, and managing for results
Effective use of real-world tools
Ability to produce relevant, high-quality products
Inventive Thinking
Adaptability and managing complexity
Self-direction
Curiosity, creativity, and
Risk taking
Higher-order thinking and sound reasoning
10. What is the Thutong Education Portal ?
To provide teachers, school managers and administrators, and
national and provincial education officials access to high quality
resources and information of direct and specific relevance to the
South African National Curriculum Statement and
associated education policies.
To ensure ease of use, enabling users to find what they need in the
most intuitive ways possible.
To create strong and vibrant online communities of practice amongst
the above target audiences.
To facilitate discussion and sharing of information and ideas
amongst peer networks.
To encourage South African teachers to develop and improve
education by sharing the country‟s common intellectual capital.
11. New vision and Web 2.0
dedicated spaces in ways that are intuitively logical to the primary
target audience of teachers
communication tools
comprehensive search facilities
resource sharing opportunities
13. Thutong Resource Statistics
Primary Resources
April - 10 816
May - 11 366 14000
12575 12716 13020
June - 12 575
No. of Resources
11366
12000
10816
10000
July - 12 716
8000
August - 13 020
6000
4000
2000
0
April May June July August
Month
14. Thutong Member Statistics
Primary Members
April - 1117
May - 1893 5000
4400
4500
June - 2314
No. of Members
4000
3436
July - 2721 3500
3000 2721
August - 3436 2500 2314
1893
2000
September - 4400 1500 1117
1000
500
0
April May June July August September
Month
19. Topic Search
This facility displays a list of main topics for that learning area/subject,
with the ability to view results for that topic or filter further by selecting a
sub-topic to view linked resources.
20. Resource Type Search
Users have the option of choosing one of the resource types to filter
results, after which the search moves on to searching by Topics.
21. Keyword (tag) Search
This searches keywords defined for individual resources. It uses what
is known as a „folksonomy‟, or collaborative tagging, where users can
collaboratively create and manage tags to annotate and categorize
resources.
22. Learning Outcomes Search
This search facility displays a list of outcomes specific to the
subjects/learning areas in an identified learning space.
23. Search results
1 The Name/Title of the resource, which acts as a hyperlink to the Resource itself.
2 A truncated version of the document‟s abstract or description. No more than 200 characters are
revealed in the results summary.
3 The URL if it is a link to a resource on another web site.
4 A link to „View Resource Details‟
5 Media type (.doc; xls, ppt, link)
6 Resource Pool (DoE acquired resources, approved resources, non-assured resources)
7 Ability to “Add to Favourites”
8 Ability to “Add comment”
9 Star rating
28. Other spaces – we are growing!
Enviro Space
Kids Space
Foundations for Learning Space
Matric Help Space
Dinaledi Schools Space
School Safety Space
Enrichment Space
Reading and Literacy Space
Rural Schools/Multigrade Classroom Space
2010 Soccer Space
Correctional Services Space
Early Childhood Development Space
Subject Advisors ICT Space
Curriculum Management Committee Space
School Governing Body Space
Partnerships Space
Gallery Space
Non-Official Languages Space
Special Days Space
29. Overview: a work in progress
Legislative mandate: the White Paper on e-Education
National Curriculum Statement
Skills for 21st Century
Thutong and Web 2.0
Communications
Information searching
Space types
The future
30. So… please become part of the Thutong Community
Joy Rosario
Department of Education
rosario.j@doe.gov.za
http://www.thutong.org.za
