Vodacom and the Eastern Cape Department of Education have launched a virtual teaching platform in East London to help address the challenges facing rural and underperforming schools.<\/p>\n
Virtual teacher is an interactive technology platform which allows an individual teacher or lecturer to deliver lessons in real-time to multiple remote classrooms or locations simultaneously.<\/p>\n
Through a range of smart devices, learners can join classes from anywhere and at any time. For the first time in South Africa, the technology can be accessed through any personal device.<\/p>\n
The platform is supported through portable hardware which delivers high quality visuals and sound. It can also accommodate unlimited viewer numbers.<\/p>\n
The technology enables live interaction with the remote audience through a texting Q & A facility for written responses during the lesson.<\/p>\n
To improve the matric pass rate in the province, the Eastern Cape department of education will use the virtual teacher platform to provide extra classes to students at selected districts in the province.<\/p>\n
Lessons will be delivered remotely by some of the country\u2019s best teachers, with an emphasis on mathematics, science and accounting.<\/p>\n
Students from various locations will be transported to teaching sites in the Eastern Cape, including Mdantsane, Maluti, Lusikisiki and Mt Frere.<\/p>\n
The virtual teacher platform encompasses a camera, microphone and streaming unit which can be streamed from any device. Lessons can be pre-recorded if needed and recorded content can also be downloaded to any device.<\/p>\n