1. The Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Awareness Week Exhibition 2007 is a joint initiative of the Geographical Information Systems Society of South Africa (GISSA) in the Western Cape and the Western Cape Education Department (WCED).
2. The GIS Awareness Week Exhibition 2007 will take place from 7 to 11 May 2007, and will highlight the use of technology in the Geography classroom, and profile training and development resources and services in the Western Cape.
3. Now in its fourth year, the GIS Awareness Week Exhibition promises to be even bigger and more innovative than before. It will offer several exciting themes and opportunities for addressing the current challenges and developments in the Geography classroom.
4. Full programme details can be found on the WCED Curriculum (http://curriculum.wcape.school.za/) and Geography (FET) (http://curriculum.wcape.school.za/site/39/page/view/) websites. Posters will be distributed to schools providing details of all the events. In addition, the media will be publishing articles and advertisements pertaining to the GIS Awareness Week.
5. The GIS Awareness Week Exhibition 2007 will coincide with a mini conference dealing with topics relating to the new FET NCS Geography Curriculum.
6. The exhibition will be held at the University of the Western Cape campus in Modderdam Road, Bellville, and will include a general awareness programme of seminars and other activities. While the sessions during the awareness week will be of great interest to learners in particular, schools are also encouraged to invite educators to attend so that they can be in a better position to enhance teaching methodologies and give meaningful input with regard to learners' career choices.
6.1 Exhibitors will provide access to information on all aspects of GIS teaching and learning, training and development, showcasing the latest courses, courseware, educational software, learning and teaching support material, techniques and methodologies.
6.2 The participation of educators, trainers, skills development practitioners and facilitators in the programme will ensure their exposure to national and international trends for educators and learners from all sectors and levels of learning. The programme will also provide a strategic platform for networking, partnerships and current debate.
6.3 The GIS Awareness Week programme will focus on exposing and exploring Geography education and training opportunities. Schools that are considering making changes to their selection of subject offerings will also benefit from a visit to the exhibition, as they will be exposed to a full range of learning options. Practitioners from different sectors will deliver papers from 14:00 until 15:30 on 8 and 9 May 2007 based on GIS topics.
6.4 The Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday programme has been designed especially to accommodate teachers, Grade 9, 10 and 11 learners and parents, including those from rural areas. Schools will have to arrange their own transport to enable learners to attend.
7. All WCED institutions are encouraged to support the GIS Awareness Week Exhibition.


SIGNED: J.P. RAULT-SMITH
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2007:03:23