Learners studying Music and Design will be among the first to use the latest in Apple computers at Western Cape schools.

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) and Apple Computers have launched a pilot project using Apple technology in high schools teaching Music and Design at 14 high schools as well as six primary schools in the province.

The project will run over a period of three years and is aimed at determining:

• The total cost of ownership of Apple technology in comparison with existing technologies currently employed by the WCED;
• The suitability of Apple technology in an educational environment;
• The effective and creative support of curriculum delivery in primary schools and specialised curriculum areas in high schools using Apple technology;
• The processes of virtual remote teaching between these schools.

The WCED's Khanya Project and Apple Computers launched the pilot project today (Tuesday, 31 March 2009) at South Peninsula High School, Diep River. Khanya is an initiative of the WCED to use technology to support teaching and learning in schools.

The schools teaching Design - Alexander Sinton, Belhar, Cedar, Chris Hani, Eerste River, George, Schoonspruit, South Peninsula, Worcester, Wynberg, Oudshoorn High Schools as well as the Frank Joubert Art Centre - will be supplied with i-Macs as well as appropriate software for Graphic Design according to the Learning Outcomes and Assessment standards of the National Curriculum Statement for Grades 10 - 12.

Schools teaching Music - Alexander Sinton, Belhar, Bergvliet, Cedar, Chris Hani, Eerste River, George, The Settlers, Schoonspruit, South Peninsula, Tygerberg, Worcester, and Wynberg High - will receive five i-Macs each. These classes will be able to play, manipulate and compose music according to the Learning Outcomes and Assessment standards of the National Curriculum Statement for Grades 10 - 12.

The six primary schools involved are Grove Primary, St Anthony's Primary, Amstelhof Primary, Paarl Boys Primary, Cypress Primary and Turfhall Primary.

The project team will deploy MacBooks in Grade 4 classes where learners will use the technology for three years until they reach Grade 6. Literacy and Numeracy Learning Outcomes and Assessment Standards as indicated in the National Curriculum Statement will be the focus of the pilot project in primary schools.

The first phase, targeting Grove Primary, Settlers High, South Peninsula High and Schoonspruit High, will allow the pilot project to experiment and determine the correct procedures and ways of rolling out the rest of the pilot effectively.

Apple provided an orientation training session during 2008 for teachers, WCED officials and Khanya staff. WCED curriculum planners coordinated further training provided by Adobe and the University of Cape Town. Five teachers will receive further training to support and train the schools for the next three years.

For further information, contact Ingrid Graham, tel: 082-492-1873