Kim Ranwell does the Eastern Cape proud in Technology-Enhanced Teaching National Teaching Awards

Ms Kim Ranwell of Herbert Hurd Primary School in Port Elizabeth, recently placed third in the 19th National Teaching Awards 'Excellence in Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning' category.

Along with teachers who placed first and second, Ranwell won a SchoolNet SA SACE accredited professional development course of her choice for herself and her colleagues as well as a sponsorship to attend the SchoolNet SA Digital Learning Conference, taking place in North West province in June 2019.

Ranwell's uses of Technology to Enhance Education

Technology permeates every learning area in Ms Ranwell’s school; the school insists on having it included as a lesson in each subject taught. Learners are also given an opportunity to independently demonstrate their understanding of the various ICT applications by creating various multimedia content, which they then present to the class.

Ms Ranwell not only champions the learners’ cause but has been instrumental in empowering her fellow teachers to effectively use the technology that is at their disposal. Mindful of people’s natural resistance to change, she uses her dedication and absolute passion she has for technology to convince them of its benefits. 

“Everything that I do comes out of the belief that technology does enhance the children’s learning and can improve our teaching,” she says. 

According to Ms Ranwell, staying abreast of technological developments in one’s area of interest and the willingness to constantly redefine oneself is critical in today’s education system. She advises other teachers to move with the times and try new ways of doing things. “You cannot do things the way they’ve always been done, you have to find out what works best for the learners you currently have in your class because they’re very different to learners we’ve ever had before,” she concludes. 

SchoolNet SA - proud supporter of Excellence in Technology-Enhanced Teaching

“SchoolNet SA is especially proud to support the Excellence in Technology Enhanced Teaching and Learning category of the NTAs. As an organisation, we believe in improving existing pedagogies by providing innovative classroom activities that harness new technologies, that promote higher order thinking skills and ignite a spirit of enquiry among learners. The teachers who won the Excellence in Technology Enhanced Teaching and Learning Category are teachers who have demonstrated that they have embraced digital learning and are using this to the benefit of their learners,” says SchoolNet Executive Director, Janet Thomson.