In acknowledgement of Africans not having English even as third or fourth language the question around engaging in events in other languages than English has been frequently debated within the e/merge Africa core organizing team. Lead by team member Mohamed Ahmed of Mansoura University, Egypt, we are now taking a small yet significant step in this direction through piloting online seminars in Arabic. Over the coming months colleagues located in the Middle East and Arabic speaking Africa will present on Friday afternoons 4 – 5 pm (Cairo time – see your local time zone here – This time slot is subject to change in the future). For more details for events below and to sign up please go to e/merge Africa Arabic Once signed up we will send you details on how to attend. For questions and thoughts about this initiative we welcome your comments to this post. If you wish to present in Arabic please use the Presenter’s form which is available via the e/merge Africa Arabic website.

The first event 9 August 2019 4 – 5 pm (Cairo time see your local time here) is presented by Atef Abuhmaid from Hashemite University, Jordan focusing on the impact of the flipped classroom in the Arab world. This event has ended – Recording is available here

The next event 30 August 2019 4 – 5 pm (Cairo time) will be presented by Ahmed Saadeldin Anwar Morsy, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) Egypt, focusing on the role of Gamification

Scheduled for the 13 September 2019 Maha Bali from the American University in Cairo will speak about open education.

As we are having more events confirmed these will be announced both on our English and Arabic language platforms.

Session format: Once-off webinar

Date and Time: Thursday, 18 July, 1 pm SAST

Presenters:

Dr. Nicola Pallitt, Academic Staff Development Practitioner: Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning Specialist, CHERTL, Rhodes University, South Africa 

Heinrich Prinsloo, Senior Instructional Designer, University of the Free State, South Africa

Isabel Du Preez, Instructional Designer, University of the Free State, South Africa

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Online supervision is an emerging practice in African universities where there is a need for more flexible forms of postgraduate supervision. This is particularly important for educational technology professionals studying towards a postgraduate degree while working. In this presentation, Dr. Pallitt and her Masters students reflect on the practical aspects of how online supervision happens, and the opportunities and challenges for supervisors and students. Examples of good online supervisory practices are discussed by expanding on Lee’s (2007) concepts of supervision. Lee (2007) argues that conceptions of research supervision that supervisors hold affect the way the research student operates. We argue that this conception also influences the kinds of online tools that supervisors use as part of the supervision process. Participants will be given the opportunity to question the conceptions that they hold and examine these in conversation with other supervisors and students. Developing supervision skills more generally is essential for emerging and experienced academics. 

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Nicola Pallitt coordinates the efforts of the Educational Technology Unit at Rhodes University and offers professional development opportunities for academics to use technologies effectively in their roles as educators and researchers. She provides learning design support and consultation in relation to teaching with technology (technology integration) and blended and online teaching and learning. Nicola supervises postgraduate students and co-teaches on formal courses in Higher Education. Nicola is passionate about engaging fellow practitioner-researchers in research that takes critical, contextual and pedagogically informed approaches to educational technology.

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Heinrich Prinsloo is a senior instructional designer at the University of the Free State. He is responsible for improving blended and online delivery of content, as well as developing Blackboard as the online platform for learning and offer training to staff and students through innovative approaches.

 

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Isabel Du Preez works as an instructional designer at the University of the Free State. She is part of a team who design and develop learning materials for online learning programmes, especially in the field of teacher education.

 

 

The live session for this event has ended but please continue the conversation in the Facebook event page 

The recording is also available here (YouTube)

 

Presenter: Dr Tutaleni Asino – Oklahoma State University, US

Time and Date: 5 July at 1 pm (SAST)  1 hour webinar

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Description:

This event is in collaboration with the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) at the University of Cape Town. 

There are many terms, concepts and theories used in education today. Terms such as collaboration, community of learners, openness, context and culture, 21st century skills, critical thinking skills, and many more are prevalent in educational conversations. I propose that we take time to dismantle the dichotomous nature of much of this conversation. One is made to believe that there are only two choices, often extreme, from which one can select. Reality however is a system with varied and intertwined options requiring us to address the simple and complex at the same time. We can design physical learning spaces so that students can move flexibly between individual and collaborative learning AND ensure that an online learning environment such as Vula is used effectively to support learning. The commonality in both situations is about a concern for the learning space or learning environment. Afrikan ideals are present in many of the conversations that are currently presented as innovation. In this session, I propose that we take time to (re)center, re)frame and (re)own some of the dominant dialogues as Afrikan academics.

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Dr Tutaleni Asino spends most of his time with one foot on the Afrikan continent in Namibia, the other on the North American continent in the USA and his arms stretched out to the world beyond. His research focuses on emerging technologies in education; diffusion of mobile devices in teaching and learning; Mobile Learning; Design for Mobile Devices; Indigenous knowledge; Openness (access, education, resources, pedagogy); Comparative International Education; and the role of culture in the development and evaluation of learning technologies. He is an Assistant Professor in the Educational Technology Program and Director of the Emerging Technologies and Creativity Research Lab at Oklahoma State University.

This seminar has ended please refer to the recording here