The name Khanya is derived from a Xhosa language word meaning "to let the light shine", "to brighten", or "to illuminate". The Khanya project was established in 2001 by the Western Cape Education Department in South Africa to provide computer technology to schools. The objective was to use the technology as an illumination tool during the curriculum delivery process.

I had the privilege of being involved in this project from the start. Over the years I had many illuminations regarding the potential benefits of ICT in education. In e-culture terms, I received many e-luminations. The purpose of this blog is to present my personal e-luminations to all who have an interest in education, technology, or both. You are invited to add your comments and insights.

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      • Shadow or substance?
        08/30/07
        The battle between proponents of proprietary software (like Microsoft) and those of open source software has been raging for quite some time. Good, irrefutable arguments have been put forward in support of both sides.

        Unfortunately this argument has spilled over into the realm of educati

      • Application of Pareto's Principle
        08/29/07
        In the previous posting it was suggested that Pareto's Principle could guide us while introducing ICT as a curriculum delivery tool in schools. To Khanya the value of this principle lies in the fact that it reminds us to focus on achieving our goals.

        First of all, we must provide

      • Pareto's Principle
        08/28/07
        Vilfredo Pareto observed that twenty percent of the people in Italy owned eighty percent of the wealth of the country and so, in 1906, he created a mathematical formula to describe this unequal distribution of wealth in his country. This came to be known as Pareto's Principle, or the 80-20 Rul

      • Another brick in the wall
        08/25/07
        Today I am taking a page from the book from another blogger, Alice Mercer, from whom I have learned a lot over the past months. A while ago she had a link to a delightful web story, which I am using today with a slightly different angle. It goes like this:

        How to place new employees.

      • Powerpointlessness
        08/24/07
        The expression “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater” has become a cliché but it still contains a simple truth: in getting rid of waste, don’t also discard what is worth keeping.

        When we try to improve education through technology a number of changes are proposed. For example, it

      • Toolishness
        08/23/07
        A sledgehammer is a large iron hammer which was first used in England in the fifteenth century; it is a heavy, powerful tool used to beat hard metal into shape. One therefore understands the meaning of the expression, “to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut”; it describes a situation where a dispropo

      • Agents of change
        08/22/07
        The role of principals in establishing a strong ICT culture in schools has been emphasised in a number of entries on this blog (see Rotten Fish Heads of 15 April 2007 and The Taste of Honey of 19 August 2007). The comments of readers confirm that there is general acceptance of the fact that p

      • Nature or nurture
        08/21/07
        It is common knowledge that the worst form of teaching is to stand in front of a class and talk non stop for the entire lesson period. All good educators agree that the best way to teach is to involve the learners.

        Technology lends itself to participative learning. Learners are put in a

      • Does a crisis exist?
        08/20/07
        The local TV news bulletins earlier this evening carried reports about an alleged crisis in some schools in the Western Cape: as a result of the strike of last term, learners are far behind in the program to prepare them for Mathematics examinations at the end of the year. A shortage of Mathematics

      • The taste of honey
        08/19/07
        One of the mistakes that Khanya has made over the years is that we have neglected school principals.

        Yes, when we start an ICT implementation project at a school, the principal is heavily involved in deciding the curriculum focus, selection of the venue, as well as in negotiations regar

      • Classroom blogging
        08/18/07
        What is classroom blogging? The answer is simple: it is the use of blogs in the classroom.

        In a recent posting entitled "Readers & Writers", David Warlick wrote the following in his blog "2cents worth" (see http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/):

        I’m a

      • Ruthless action required
        08/15/07
        Until recently we have been very fortunate in the Western Cape with regard to burglaries of computer centres in schools. There were hardly any successful burglaries; only a small number of attempted burglaries were reported; and just a few isolated cases of vandalism took place.

        Violence

      • Science graduates and work ethics
        08/13/07
        The population of Ireland is roughly the same as that of the Western Cape, although the land area is much smaller. Are there any lessons we can learn from this country?

        Irish guys are stereotyped as being rather dimwitted. Ask your internet search engine to look for "Irish humour&qu

      • The Khanya Story
        08/09/07
        That was the title of the conference hosted by the Khanya Project for the past three days (6 – 8 August 2007) in Cape Town.

        Was the event successful? The attendees must decide for themselves how valuable it was to them. From my perspective the conference was a roaring success since it a

      • Watching the World
        08/05/07
        In the 23 July 2007 issue of Fortune 500 magazine, three different, unrelated articles contain information that are of interest to those who are busy with ICT in education.

        The article The Other Side of India's Tech Boom bemoans the fact that, as a consequence of the increase

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