Literacy project launched at primary school to bridge the digital divide in Lavender Hill
First published on: https://www.news24.com/news24/community-newspaper/peoples-post/literacy-project-launched-at-primary-school-to-bridge-the-digital-divide-in-lavender-hill-20230523
23 May 2023 By Natasha Bezuidenhout
Natalie Roos, managing director at Living Through Learning, shows one of the learners how to use the literacy content.PHOTO: Natasha Bezuidenhout
Living Through Learning, a registered non-profit organisation (NPO), launched a digital literacy project at Levana Primary School to bridge the digital divide between affluent schools and those in less fortunate communities.
Living Through Learning’s first digital literacy project
The pilot project, which was launched at the school’s Reading Adventure Room on Wednesday 17 May, will allow 120 Grade 1 learners to explore pre-loaded literacy content in a digital format.
Natalie Roos, managing director for the NPO, said learners would play literacy games and read stories from the tablets.
“Today is a very special day. For some of them, it is their first time touching an iPad. We work in disadvantaged schools and we create these magical reading adventure rooms in different schools. Our idea behind the rooms is to create a space where kids feel safe, feel like they are in another world and make them excited to come to class and learn.”
A donation from neaMetrics (a technology-driven company) made it possible to start the project.
“We have set up a big pencil iPad tower with five tablets and headsets. The association of the class and fun, and the learning of literacy goes hand in hand. We equip the classroom with things they need for their fine and motor skills development like puzzles and play dough to strengthen their hand muscles.
“From there on, we have our own curriculum that we integrated with the government curriculum, so we work very closely, hand in hand. It’s not like it is a separate programme where we put it all together. Our programme is very practical.
Daily, learners will rotate through the Reading Adventure Room. “We have picture books and flashcards and everything they need for their visuals and to make what they do come real and it is just more practical.
“We have a facilitator in the class working with the teachers on a daily basis to ensure that our programme is running effectively and is implemented, and just to assist teachers because we have 40 kids in a class.
Growing the project
Roos hopes to implement the programme at other schools.
“Because we are piloting this, we will put it here for a while and take all the learning lessons from this. We have already learned a lot just heading up to the event, such as what type of content and which devices to use.”
Deputy principal at the school Nicole Bailey said many learners did not have tablets at home, so this would be a great opportunity.
“Because of where our learners come from in Lavender Hill and our socio-economic situation they are more underprivileged. They don’t have the opportunity of having a tablet. Maybe one out of every 50 households has a tablet or just a phone, not even a tablet.
“Tablets are aimed at younger learners, their games and things and it obviously has more space to download things.”
She added that the programme was an addition to their current digital programme.
“We would love to see how it will assist the learners in the classroom because it is more fun and interactive.”