BBS Conferences on Education, South Africa

There are several conferences on the FamilyNet BBS network that are concerned with education. These are public conferences on public com- puter bulletin board systems (BBSs) that are accessible to anyone with a computer and a modem over the dial-up telephone network. The purpose of these conferences is to promote the public discussion of educa- tional questions, and communication between people concerned with edu- cation, including teachers, students and school pupils and their parents, and education policy makers.

The following conferences are available:

     DISTANCE_EDUCATION
     EDUCATION_CRISIS
     COMMUNITY_EDUCATION
     SCHOOLS
     STUDENTS
     THEOLED

These conferences are described more fully below:

The following BBSs are linked with FamilyNet, and should have these conferences available:

     ACSIS               (031) 42-3514
     CrossWired BBS AH   (021) 790-3983
     Diakonos            (0441) 8-1652
     Keith's Place       (011) 435-1779
     MailHUB             (021) 618780
     Top Line            (011) 828-9315
     Unisa Editorial     (012) 429-8641

(Note: AH after the name indicates that the BBS operates only in the evenings).

These conferences started on the Unisa Editorial Department BBS in Pretoria, and are now being echoed around Southern Africa on FamilyNet. We would like to see them made available in all parts of South Africa and in neighbouring countries. We would like to see schools, community colleges and other educational institutions start- ing their own BBSs and participating in this network. If anyone is interested in linking up, please contact Deon Strydom on Diakonos BBS (phone number above), or call any of these BBSs and send a message to Deon.

The purpose of the various message areas is as follows:

DISTANCE EDUCATION

This is mainly for educators to discuss distance education, which is of obvious interest to the University of South Africa (Unisa), Vista University, members of the Southern African Institute for Distance Education (SAIDE) and universities and others running distance educa- tion programmes. We are interested in anything to do with the presentation of study material, including printed texts and instruc- tional design, but anything else of interest to people providing dis- tance education will be welcome. You may cross-post interesting material from elsewhere - if you do, please indicate the source.

Unisa students who find problems with the presentation of the material in study guides and tutorial letters, or even radio broadcasts, may comment on it here. If you found something that was difficult to understand, please give an example and quote the course code and Study Guide Number and page (e.g. Page 23 of Study Guide 1 for SGG103-6).

Information about resources available to distance educators is always welcome.

EDUCATION CRISIS

This is primarily for the discussion of education POLICY at any level (primary, secondary, tertiary). Anyone concerned with developing policies for education - whether as a parent, teacher, pupil, student, or anything else, may contribute here.

COMMUNITY EDUCATION

This is primarily for educators. It was started after a workshop on computer education and networks for schools in the Pretoria area where the formation of school computer networks was discussed.

While the EDUCATION CRISIS echo is mainly for discussion of education POLICY, this one is more for the practical nuts and bolts stuff of teaching. Use it to discuss how to get communication between schools, how to help teachers and pupils cope with computers. Use it to list resources available for education, and anything else that seems appropriate and might be helpful to teachers and others involved in education. It is also for discussing the need for wider education - those who never completed school, and so can be used for discussing basic adult education, literacy teaching etc.

SCHOOLS

This was also started as a result of the workshop on computer literacy and networks in schools. It is primarily intended for teachers and pupils at schools to communicate with each other. If such schools start BBSs, then it could become an echo on one of the networks link- ing such schools. It is now also gated into the schoolza list on internet, which links schools in some of the bigger centres.

It is for discussion anything connected with primary and secondary education, including the use of computers in schools, teacher training etc.

STUDENTS

This is for students at universities, technikons, etc., to discuss problems they are having with their studies or anything else of inter- est to tertiary students. Students of any university, technikon, teachers training college, theological seminary or other tertiary edu- cational institutions are welcome to discuss various things with others who are studying the same subjects.

Note that this will NOT be a reliable means of communicating with Unisa lecturers. A few lecturers do use the Unisa Editorial BBS, but most are not connected. So it is primarily for discussions between students.

THEOLED

This is primarily for members of staff and students of theological education institutions (theological seminaries, Bible colleges, uni- versity faculties of theology, etc.) to communicate with each other. It was started at the request of members of the Joint Board for the Diploma in Theology in Southern Africa.

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SYSOPS

Sysops who are interested in carrying these conferences on their BBS should contact:

Deon Strydom
FamilyNet Coordinator, African Region
Sysop of Diakonos BBS Tel (0441) 8-1652
FamilyNet: 8:79/0    Fidonet: 5:7104/40

OR

Steve Hayes
Sysop of Unisa Editorial Department BBS
Tel (012) 429-8592 (voice)
    (012) 429-8641 (BBS)

FamilyNet: 8:79/42   Fidonet: 5:7106/20   ICDMNet: 77:2703/2

Internet: steve.hayes@p1.f20.n7106.z5.fidonet.org
          hayesstw@risc1.unisa.ac.za

Updated: 1994-11-30

--
|FMLYNET:  Steve Hayes 8:79/42.1
|Internet: steve.hayes@diakonos.iaccess.za
|
| Standard disclaimer: The views of this user are strictly his own.
| FMLYNET SA <> INTERNET GATEWAY at Diakonos BBS


From: steve.hayes@diakonos.iaccess.za (Steve Hayes)
Subject: [schoolza] Education conferences
Date: 1 Dec 1994 04:36:04 +0200
Message-ID: b4b_9412010430@diakonos.iaccess.za