GEORGE NEWS - Technology in schools is the future, but how do teachers keep up? Local teacher Elgine Ballie and her colleagues at Rosemoor Primary are making sure they stay at the forefront of new technology.

After receiving their certificates in integrated course design (ICD) at a ceremony in Cape Town at the end of March, Ballie said it was a challenging and time-consuming course. She and her colleagues had a tough time juggling their teaching jobs, taking care of their families and completing the assignments.

The school is equipped with smartboards, right through from the foundation phase and up. "In order to qualify and obtain new gadgets like tablets, we had to complete this course," she said.

The course was put together by the University of Cape Town and Unisa. According to Ballie they had to complete online activities, two contact sessions, and a write-up of how they were going to implement their new knowledge in the classroom. 

"We had to do all these things on the different internet platforms. But it was really worth it."

Since the four teachers have graduated, they now stand a chance to get a bursary for further studies in BEd, a bachelor's degree in education. Ballie says about 100 people are evaluated for the chance to qualify for a bursary.

"This is a two-year part-time course, which means we would still have to work and handle all the day-to-day activities at school and home."

She says they should hear in April whether they qualify for the course, which starts in June.

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