by Hugh C.n. Miller | Jun 19, 2019 | Uncategorized
WHAT IF OUR ANCESTORS WERE INVITED TO A TECH SHOW?
By Ariellah Rosenberg, Chief Executive Officer, ORT South Africa
If we were to organise an exhibition of current technologies and invite our ancestors and descendants from the past to attend, what would their reaction be?
Our forefathers walked in the desert for 40 years to reach their desired destination. Imagine! After all the suffering, starving and struggling in the harsh climate and tough terrain to find out that with ‘flying technologies’ they could have made the journey within an hour! Moreover, with global positioning satellite (GPS) technology, it would have been so much easier to navigate their way. And oh! How crazy they’d think we are, counting our steps, with IoT devices, and sending information to a ‘cloud’…not to ask for direction from G-d but to…monitor our health!
Imagine Florence Nightingale, known for founding the modern discipline of nursing, and a key figure in introducing new professional training standards for nursing, visiting a robot display to reveal moving machines replacing the service of human care. Japan’s aging population (30% of its population is older than 65), faces a crisis of shortage of human resource in eldercare. To resolve this predicament, robots have been placed in nursing homes. Robots that move, cry and cuddle are replacing the human work force, from lifting people from bed to entertaining them, with much success. The elderly absolutely love them!
All those involved in getting our internet to where it is today! Who would have imagined that with all the impact of the internet on our culture, commerce, communication and technology that it will also generate the biggest crime, globally? According to the latest information, cybercrime will cost the world more than six trillion dollars annually by 2021. It will be more profitable than the combined global trade of all illegal drugs!
However, if we had Isaac Newton or Albert Einstein entering some of the current classrooms, they’d most probably see no difference from their own classroom, a hundred or so years ago. They will also notice that not much has changed with teaching and assessments, using a curriculum that is mostly outdated with techniques and pedagogies that prepared children for the industrial jobs of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Companies invest in enormous amounts of research to explore the use and impact of new technologies in the global economy (McKinsey, World Economic Forum and so many other papers and reports have been published on the topic.) But what about education? Isn’t it time that we explore transforming education to keep up with the pace of change and to prepare our future generation for the world of work?
We now know more than we knew in the past on how children learn and we know that new technologies are transforming jobs as we know them. But we continue to skill our children for jobs that soon will vanish.
It is time that industries, corporations, governments and educationalists work together to transform education through updated policies, curriculum and implementation of technologies as tools to assist with the digital transformation. It is time that we start implementing the use of technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science and IoT in emulating successful methodologies and incorporating them in our classrooms.
The return on our investment will be higher than any business will ever generate. And who knows, – the fruits of these investments could
be showcased one day in an exhibition featuring future technologies produced by our own future generation.
@Ariellah @ORT_SA
by Hugh C.n. Miller | Dec 20, 2018 | Uncategorized
Despite the political and economic instability of our landscape, ORT SA gathered momentum almost from the start of 2018 and as we journeyed through the year, ORT SA’s achievements continued to grow and our Vision of ‘Educating for Life’ and Mission of ‘Making People Employable’ becoming more and more tangible. It turned out to be an excellent year!
So, thank you to our donors, funders, suppORTers and followers. We are so grateful for your support. Your willingness to assist has played a vital role in the growth of our organization and goes beyond just pure numbers, as lives are impacted. Without your engagement and partnership we could not have helped 6 800 beneficiaries this year.
Achievements:
59 post matrics gained an average 92.5% pass rate in the Second Chance programme (rewriting of matric mathematics and science). As a result of ORT SA’s intervention, almost half of these students have just completed their 1st year at university!
600 primary and high school pupils in ORT SA’s Extra Mural Coding Clubs, up from 200 Grade 4-8’s in 2017
60 teachers completed the introduction to coding course with ORT SA
200 youth placed in a 1-year work experience positions
6 young women received bursaries to study Education through ORT SA’s affiliate, STET Foundation.
34 unemployed youth learned IT skills including the accredited Cisco IT Essentials
7 high school pupils obtained the Cisco IT Essentials certification
15 Disabled youth get a chance at learning how to run their own business
1285 people participated in an eclectic variety of talks and interesting events which took place at the ORT SA Academy in 2018. This includes an art exhibition, a ‘storytelling’ workshop, digital workshops, a work summit for youth, business training, captains of industry in the ORT SA Boardroom: Simon Sussman (Woolworths), Sylvester Chauke (entrepreneur), James Teeger ( Oppenheimer Trust),
1000 pupils celebrated Mandela Day with ORT SA and Sage
320 teachers trained in Mathematics
2408 pupils assisted in Mathematics in class by ORT SA Facilitators
450 high school pupils trained in New Venture Creation (to start and grow sustainable businesses)
323 Mentors for small businesses
47 new small businesses joined the ORT Jet training programme
TOTAL 2018: 6800
Other exciting happenings:
- A whole new look for ORT SA – a rebranding exercise in accordance with World ORT
- An historic affiliation agreement signed between the SABJE and World ORT
- Overseas visitors and overseas visits for ORT SA affiliates
- Fundraising events such as the first ever Spinnathon ™ in SA and the 45th ORT SA Golf Classic
- ORT SA archives and library organized by a volunteer librarian.
The NGO space world-wide is becoming increasingly more difficult to navigate. In South Africa, Education receives the most CSI funding which makes the competition fierce for non-profits. But with your assistance, we are up for the challenge in 2019.
Marcelle Ravid
Marketing and Communications Manager
ORT South Africa
by Hugh C.n. Miller | Nov 22, 2018 | Uncategorized
There are very few organisations that are able to effectively combat social issues faced in many communities, including unemployment. ORT SA seamlessly manages to do this through its various programmes while producing measurable results.
The collaboration between ORT SA and the YES (Youth Employment Services) campaign has ensured that 200 young hopefuls have been placed into companies and schools as administrators for a 12-month workplace experience, that maximises their potential. The collaboration has created an essential platform for youth to develop their skills and tap into their potential.
Hilda, Botlhale and Thabiso are interns at Puo Media which is a performing art’s school specialising in dance, music and drama at the Pretoria State Theatre. “The interns are learning on the job and are very useful to the company,” said their manager.
Nondumiso and Bongi are being trained to become young, successful all-round entrepreneurs as they are receiving the necessary exposure into the world of entrepreneurship through the Gooie Café food truck based in Sandton, Johannesburg. The owner of the food truck, himself an alumni of an ORT SA Business Training course, is confident that these two individuals will be equipped to begin their own businesses in the future.
A huge thank you to all the businesses that took on these young people, for the support in enriching the lives of others. From here on, it can only be onwards and upwards!
Written by ORT SA’s YES intern, Molebogeng Assegaai
by Hugh C.n. Miller | Nov 13, 2018 | Uncategorized
In a classroom somewhere in Gauteng, a primary school pupil is staring out of the window, wondering what project s/he could come up with for his/her ORT SA Coding Club assignment.
Pupils aged 10-14 years old create ingenious projects that involve problem-solving, targeted at real life situations, which are presented at a glittering event each year.
Coding is the lingua franca of the future and ORT SA places emphasis on the importance of this skill as a critical element in the 21st century learning. In order to equip learners to create, use and consume technology ORT SA, with its partners Bidvest, Astron Energy, Nedbank and the Sage Foundation has implemented Coding Clubs as an extra mural activity in 20 previously disadvantaged primary and high schools across Gauteng, reaching over 600 learners.
“At the annual end of year ORT SA STEM event, Ariellah Rosenberg, ORT SA CEO said, “It is important to show-case what teachers and learners have achieved throughout the year. Their commitment to ORT SA’s Coding Clubs means that they invest many hours after school, dedicated to the learning and teaching of the language of coding, ” said Ariellah Rosenberg, ORT SA’s CEO
The projects that the pupils present at the events are only a sample of the total projects that were designed, researched and created by them with the support of their teachers and ORT SA’s facilitators.”
The project-based learning methodology directs learners to explore challenges in their communities and then try to solve them. For example, one of the designs is a tracker for children to combat child- trafficking challenges in townships. The pupils touched on a very pertinent problem facing their communities on a daily basis.
Other ingenious projects include: a vibrating walking stick for the blind, a bag that is illuminated inside when it is dark (for safety reasons when there is no electricity), a gate that alerts the school to anyone trying to bring in weapons (to avoid the alarming rate of violence at schools) and an administrative system that is based on fingerprints, (to avoid children ‘bunking’ from classes).
The methodology develops critical and analytical thinking skills, problem solving and collaboration. Furthermore, learners have to present their projects in front of a large audience, which develops their communication skills.
“These gained skills are in addition to the computational abilities, which are crucial for preparing the youth of today for jobs of the future,” said Mashudu Romano, Astron Energy Chairman and funder of some of the clubs, “STEM is so important. This is why Astron Energy is partnering with ORT SA. ”
“ORT SA is looking to expand this programme to more schools, in partnerships with the Department of Education, key stakeholders in industry and the corporate world. We are happy to meet the challenge set to us by Dr Aaron Nkosi, Director of Maths, Science and Technology and ICT at the Department of Basic Education, for ORT SA to take the lead for the incorporation of Coding into the national curriculum,” Rosenberg added.
“Whenever I observe these presentations, I am reminded that these innovations are generated by 10-14 years old! And this gives me hope for the future for this country,” she concluded.
ORT SA is an educational and training NGO and its mission is “Making People Employable”.
Written by Marcelle Ravid
by Hugh C.n. Miller | Oct 19, 2018 | Uncategorized
One of the main ways to eradicate poverty, defeat crime and reduce unemployment is through education.
One of the many stories that tells of what , why and how we do it at ORT SA.
When Ziyanda was approached to come up with a problem in her community and provide a solution that incorporates technology, it didn’t take long for her group to come up with an idea they thought was great! Designing a digital timetable that alerts the teacher that it’s time for class! It seemed to be a bit cheeky but it was a real problem for these pupils. With the help of Amini, the ORT SA Coding Coordinator, the group designed a digital time table to alert teachers and the principal if the teacher was absent. This invention was presented at the ORT SA end of yer event and received a standing ovation. You see, the group of girls were from Ivory Park,a township community situated north of Johannesburg, and they were 13 years old at the time!
There are many challenges facing us in education in South Africa, but ORT SA’s proactive approach to challenges allows us to build capacity at schools in Math, Coding and Leadership.We are now running Coding Clubs in 20 schools / 60 teachers with more than 600 learners across schools in Gauteng.
BTW, Zeanda will be traveling to Argentina at the end of the month together with 12 other learners and three teachers to an educational programme organised by Pope Frances and World ORT.
By Ariellah Rosenberg, Chief Executive Officer, ORT SA
