Supporting rural teachers 21stcentury skills development through mobile technology use: A case in Cofimvaba, Eastern Cape, South Africa

The purpose of this paper is to provide a general overview of an initiative known as ICT for rural education development (ICT4RED), as part of the larger TECH4RED. With a specific focus on the research and teacher proffesional development components. The ICT4RED initiative is supporting rural teachers to integrate tablets in teaching mathematics and science in schools in Cofimvaba in the Nciba district of the Eastern Cape in South Africa. The teachers have to “learn to earn” the technology and have to apply the use thereof in their classrooms with evidence of this use. This is operationalised through 10 proffesional development sessions over a period of 6 to 9 months. This paper will focus mainly on the teacher professional development as well as research components attached to this initiative.