Residents in the Johannesburg north-east suburbs should embrace themselves for new technological learning equipment when the much-awaited Patterson Park Recreation Centre is finally completed.
The City of Johannesburg has announced that the currently under-construction library at Patterson Park in Norwood is also part of their Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) projects.
According to Wikipedia, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is a period in which one or more technologies is replaced by another technology in a short amount of time – an era of accelerated technological progress characterised by innovations whose rapid application and diffusion cause an abrupt change in society.
In its quest to be part of this global community, the City, through the Department of Libraries, has started to introduce mobile e-learning classrooms across the municipality. Department of Libraries director, Nobantu Mpendulo, said they have started this at other libraries citing Alexandra at Thusong Centre, Randburg Library and one in Sandton. However, once completed, they will be using the Patterson Park Library as one of their sites to provide this modern technology to locals, especially children.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Code Tank Competition held in Newtown at Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, Mpendulo said they have about 12 e-learning classrooms in 12 libraries within the City of Johannesburg. “In those libraries, we bring WiFi routers and tablets which are mobile to enable library patrons to use them and learn about the current trends of technology which are in line with the new 4IR,” Mpendulo said.
“This is because 4IR is the future and children also are our future so we want to invest in them and ensure that we equip them with resources that are in line with what the future demands. We call them the digital natives.”
Professor Jean Greyling from Nelson Mandela University, who was a guest at the competitions in Newtown, has encouraged parents and teachers to encourage children to learn as much as they can about this new technology, especially coding.
According to the professor, the country desperately needs these skills to grow and participate in the world-wide technological markets.
“Children need to start dreaming about coding and as their potential careers because the more we have coders, the more we will be able to help the country to grow,” he said.
Details: jeffny@joburg.org.za
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Related article:
https://northeasterntribune.co.za/229661/new-school-subjects-prepare-sa-fourth-industrial-revolution/
