Introducing Leanne Bishop

What was my project about?  
My project demonstrated the creative and efficient use of ICT to enhance teaching and learning in the 21st century.
 
To teach is to 'impart knowledge to or instruct (someone) as to how to do something'. So often, a teacher gets stuck in his or her ways of teaching the same content in the syllabus year after year. The classroom setup has not changed over hundreds of years and yet everything else in the world is rapidly changing. Teachers are stuck in a tug-o-war: teaching for the end-of-year examination and trying to prepare their learners sufficiently for jobs of the future. Jobs that perhaps do not exist today. Classroom management needs to change in order to sufficiently prepare our learners with the demands of life after school and we are tasked with having to equip our learners to be successful in jobs that possibly do not even exist yet.
 
My project involved a fairly ordinary section in Geography (Population), and with the help of ICT, I made the content come alive. I was not teaching. I was guiding the learners to be at the centre of their learning. I used an augmented reality application to make words on a seemingly boring, blank A4 page, come to life. From there, there was discussion, thought, the asking of questions and…great learning. All learners were actively involved and this project was an absolutely wonderful journey to embark on.
 
A little bit about myself
 
I am a high school educator at Grantleigh School, situated in the heart of Zululand. I teach Geography, Social Sciences and Life Orientation. I will be honest and say that the use ICT in my classroom used to scare me a bit for two reasons: I did not grow up with a computer in my home so I felt as though I was slightly behind with my skills and, I was comfortable with being in control of the class (or at least I thought I was in control).
 
I was lectured at university on “how to be a good teacher”, and I was attempting to best implement all the facts I had acquired during my studies. This way of teaching did not last very long and I soon tossed almost everything out. I needed a fresh start and I longed for something different…I just did not know what.
 
I started surfing the net after school hours in the attempt to build my resources and I wanted to find ways to make my lessons interesting, fun and (most importantly) educational. I wanted to find ways to use technology to enhance the critical thinking of the learners. I came across numerous applications and websites (some good and some not-so-good) which I individually and incredibly slowly tested out in class. All the applications and websites I have used are free and everything is self-taught.
 
This is where my love for the use of ICT in the classroom developed. I love to see the learners’ eyes light up with excitement and wonder. It makes me feel as though I am adding one small piece to their puzzle of the future.
 
From there, my next passion developed (this is a more recent passion). I aim to help educators who feel trapped or overwhelmed at the thought of basing lessons on the use of technology. I would love to help educators who do not know where to start with the use of ICT in their own classrooms. I hope to empower the scared educator. I wish to transform their fears into power.
 
My online presence:
NEW TO Instagram J: insta.techclassroom

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