SchoolNet SA has encouraged teachers to participate in inter classroom projects since the 1990s.  Now there are thousands of project options for teachers to choose from.

Schools Online is a British Council managed programme working in over 50 countries that offers school partnerships, professional development courses, accreditation and the chance to share best practice with international counterparts.  Links through Schools Online to schools in the developing world are funded in partnership with the UK Government through the Department for International Development.  Read more…

Through the programme South African schools are able to form valuable partnerships with UK and other countries, equipping young people with the knowledge to become responsible global citizens. These partnerships also allow local schools to expand the knowledge and capacity of their teachers, school leaders and policy makers to improve educational outcomes for young people and to help young people develop the skills, understanding and outlook to work in a global economy and contribute responsibly to society.

A programme overview guide is available for downloading to provide further insight into how the programme works.

The Microsoft Partners in Learning Network provides interaction spaces which enable teachers to collaborate with each other and share classroom project resources at various levels. This network is where teachers upload their innovative projects for entry into the Microsoft Partners in Learning  Forum. Click here to go to the Partners in Learning network.

Intel Education has an online community space that is called Teachers Engage – for educators dedicated to transforming the K- 12 classroom. The main section is the hub for the general community and where discussions take place and resources can be found that focus on effective uses of technology in the K-12 classroom.  There are also sub community spaces where countries can establish their own discussions and interest groups.  Intel Teach offers a webinar programme accessible from Intel Teachers Engage. 

SchoolNet’s premium membership programme

The inclusion of teachers in a community of practice serves as a sustained source of support not only providing content and ideas for teaching strategies but also increasing and retaining motivation among teachers.  The SchoolNet membership programme provides special attention to teachers once they have started on an ICT professional development pathway.  By becoming SchoolNet “premium members” (at no cost to teachers) they start to participate in a series of online interventions including webinars and podcasts and gain access to a range of resources that allows them to grow their professional capacity in teaching and learning with ICT.  The intention of the membership concept is to engage with individual teachers and encourage them to interact and to remain in contact with each other and with SchoolNet. Many teachers are saying that being a “premium member” is providing them with the support and access to a massive range of ICT teaching resources that they previously not had.

Obami – The social learning platform that lets schools connect, create, share and learn.

Obami is a  social learning management system.   It facilitates communication between learners, teachers and parents as well as governing bodies, NGO's, small businesses, corporates-doing-good, and other passionate people. This social media technology within a virtual learning environment provides a powerful tool for schools and the communities that form within and between them to connect, create, share and learn.  Obami is South Africa and it is free for primary and secondary schools!