The Siyavula Case: Digital, Collaborative Text-Book Authoring to Address Educational Disadvantage and Resource Shortage in South African Schools
Siyavula is known as a pioneer developer of high-quality free digital maths and science textbooks to address resource gaps and disadvantage in South African schools. This case study identifies the success factors which could be replicated in other contexts. Siyavula has developed ex-pertise in digi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Kura Publishing
2019-01-01
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| Series: | International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.iejee.com/index.php/IEJEE/article/view/704/391 |
| _version_ | 1828024897985576960 |
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| author | Sarah Lambert |
| author_facet | Sarah Lambert |
| author_sort | Sarah Lambert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Siyavula is known as a pioneer developer of high-quality free digital maths and science textbooks to address resource gaps and disadvantage in South African schools. This case study identifies the success factors which could be replicated in other contexts. Siyavula has developed ex-pertise in digital developing, editing and improving maths and science workbooks and teachers’ guides and distributing them in multiple digital and mobile formats for free. In 2013 the government took the free texts and sponsored the printing and distribution of c500K copies of Grade 4-6 titles, saving the government approximately USD$83.5 Million for each of the 12 books (student workbook and teacher guide in both Eng-lish and Afrikaans). The collaborative authoring system is identified as instrumental to the success of the project to address under-resourced schools, through a combination of personal (attitudinal), technical (online systems) and social resources (volunteers and stakeholders). Siyavula leaves a legacy of multi-stakeholder volunteer text-books sprints where an intense face-to-face experience provides the ground-work for con-structive online authoring inclusive of diverse stakeholder input across different roles and ranks. Collaborative authoring advances curriculum and pedagogy sharing, expertise and capacity building. Collaborative authoring systems are found to have potential in many under-resourced school contexts not only for school texts, but also for early reading, multi-lingual and culturally appropriate book adaptations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T12:51:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-877e2d5d4d6743909bea01a1fa09703b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1307-9298 1307-9298 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T12:51:50Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | Kura Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-877e2d5d4d6743909bea01a1fa09703b2023-02-15T16:13:43ZengKura PublishingInternational Electronic Journal of Elementary Education1307-92981307-92982019-01-0111327929010.26822/iejee.2019349252The Siyavula Case: Digital, Collaborative Text-Book Authoring to Address Educational Disadvantage and Resource Shortage in South African SchoolsSarah Lambert0Deakin UniversitySiyavula is known as a pioneer developer of high-quality free digital maths and science textbooks to address resource gaps and disadvantage in South African schools. This case study identifies the success factors which could be replicated in other contexts. Siyavula has developed ex-pertise in digital developing, editing and improving maths and science workbooks and teachers’ guides and distributing them in multiple digital and mobile formats for free. In 2013 the government took the free texts and sponsored the printing and distribution of c500K copies of Grade 4-6 titles, saving the government approximately USD$83.5 Million for each of the 12 books (student workbook and teacher guide in both Eng-lish and Afrikaans). The collaborative authoring system is identified as instrumental to the success of the project to address under-resourced schools, through a combination of personal (attitudinal), technical (online systems) and social resources (volunteers and stakeholders). Siyavula leaves a legacy of multi-stakeholder volunteer text-books sprints where an intense face-to-face experience provides the ground-work for con-structive online authoring inclusive of diverse stakeholder input across different roles and ranks. Collaborative authoring advances curriculum and pedagogy sharing, expertise and capacity building. Collaborative authoring systems are found to have potential in many under-resourced school contexts not only for school texts, but also for early reading, multi-lingual and culturally appropriate book adaptations.https://www.iejee.com/index.php/IEJEE/article/view/704/391STEMTextbooksDisadvantaged SchoolsOERSocial JusticeDigital ResourcesMobile FriendlyOnline Publishing |
| spellingShingle | Sarah Lambert The Siyavula Case: Digital, Collaborative Text-Book Authoring to Address Educational Disadvantage and Resource Shortage in South African Schools International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education STEM Textbooks Disadvantaged Schools OER Social Justice Digital Resources Mobile Friendly Online Publishing |
| title | The Siyavula Case: Digital, Collaborative Text-Book Authoring to Address Educational Disadvantage and Resource Shortage in South African Schools |
| title_full | The Siyavula Case: Digital, Collaborative Text-Book Authoring to Address Educational Disadvantage and Resource Shortage in South African Schools |
| title_fullStr | The Siyavula Case: Digital, Collaborative Text-Book Authoring to Address Educational Disadvantage and Resource Shortage in South African Schools |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Siyavula Case: Digital, Collaborative Text-Book Authoring to Address Educational Disadvantage and Resource Shortage in South African Schools |
| title_short | The Siyavula Case: Digital, Collaborative Text-Book Authoring to Address Educational Disadvantage and Resource Shortage in South African Schools |
| title_sort | siyavula case digital collaborative text book authoring to address educational disadvantage and resource shortage in south african schools |
| topic | STEM Textbooks Disadvantaged Schools OER Social Justice Digital Resources Mobile Friendly Online Publishing |
| url | https://www.iejee.com/index.php/IEJEE/article/view/704/391 |
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