Technology in the South African classroom: Microsoft's Xbox Kinect uses games to teach

Teachers in a South African primary school are using Microsoft's interactive hands-free gaming systems, Xbox Kinect, to improve English literacy among learners. Microsoft says both learners and teachers have embraced the new technology in the classroom. Victor Ngobeni, Manager of Microsoft's Africa School Technology Innovation Centre, will present a workshop about the study, which is a world first, at the upcoming African Education Week in Johannesburg from 6-8 July.

Games used in all three learning areas
The study is taking place at the Lakeside Primary School in Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and six Xbox Kinect units were installed in the school's Grade 1, 2 and 3 classrooms in March. Says Victor Ngobeni: "Teachers integrate it into formal lessons for 2 to 3 hours three times a week. The other time spent playing is purely for enjoyment. Although the games are used in all three learning areas, it appears that numeracy (maths) is being integrated more often than the other two as all the games have scores and these are being used in lessons on counting, number concept, basic operations and data collecting. Games like Kinect Sport, Kinectimals and Joyride have also been used in lessons on road safety, transport, wild animals, pets, diminutives and good sportsmanship."

The kids love it
The goal of the study is to see a spike in literacy, according to Microsoft's Victor Ngobeni and already he says all the teachers agree that the kids love it and participate enthusiastically. He adds: "As all the games are in English and have verbal or written instructions, learners are automatically exposed to listening and reading more English. Their vocabulary is extended and they are motivated to interact in English. It is in this interaction that language acquisition takes place coincidentally and informally."

Teachers see the fun being put back into learning
At the start the Lakeside Primary School teachers were a little apprehensive as this was new to them, says Victor Ngobeni, "but once they saw the possibilities this technology brought with it, they mellowed into it a little more. Once they saw the excitement on learners' faces, the boost to confidence levels, the emerging leadership skills and the fun being put back into learning, they were sold."

Microsoft code released
Victor Ngobeni explains that the knowledge and experience gained from the study at Lakeside Primary School will be shared with other schools as the concept evolves, and is monitored and evaluated in 2011. He continues: "already we have found that there is a clear need for more of a variety of games to offer each of the different grades something unique, and we will release the Microsoft code for local games developers later this year, so that they can devise education-centric locally relevant games to the benefit of our youth's education."

Technology could transform education
While budget is often listed as the main stumbling block to getting more technology in education; it is often a matter of how best to support effective learning and teaching as well as prioritising says Microsoft's Victor Ngobeni. He adds: "Technology together with other critical success factors like continuous teacher professional development and support has the potential to have a transformative impact on education. There is a great need for clear leadership, support and guidance to ensure relevant integration of technology into education."

African Education Week
The fifth African Education Week is taking place from 6-8 July in Johannesburg and is the largest education convention and expo on the continent. Part of the event is the Technology Indaba which focuses on using technology to enhance teaching and learning in the classroom. African Education Week is for anyone who is involved in Education: teachers, principals, curriculum planners, advisors, FET college and university faculty heads, deans, lectures, campus heads and ICT managers, along with suppliers of educational products.

"Bridging the skills gap through quality education for all" is the theme for this year's event, which will provide a forum for over 1600 attendees from across Africa to discuss the critical issues affecting schools, FET colleges and universities and exchange ideas and solutions.

Event dates and location:
Conference and exhibition: 7-8 July 2011
Pre-conference workshops: 6 July 2011
Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

Event website: www.educationweek.co.za

African Education Week is part of Clarion Events, the UK's largest independent events company with annual turnover of over £150m, drawing upon over 80 years of experience of hosting strategic conferences conferences and seated events across Britain, Europe, North and South America, Africa, Middle East and Asia. Our events, business-to-business and business-to-consumer, serve 15 different market sectors from leisure and entertainment to finance, from retail to gaming and from fine art to energy.

Communications manager: Annemarie Roodbol
Tel. +27 21 700 3558
Fax. +27 21 700 3501
Mobile: +27 82 562 7844
Email: annemarie.roodbol@clarionevents.com
Postal address: PO Box 321, Steenberg, Tokai, South Africa

This release was published on openPR.