cap that! asks educators to become Captions Champions, where they are provided with a kit of information to learn about captions, promote them to colleagues and introduce them into their lessons. We recruited 577 Captions Champions this year, which well and truly topped last year’s 375.
Teachers who have been using captions, which in their simplest form are words on a screen, as an access tool in their classroom for a while may want to explore using captions to teach language skills, concepts, new vocabulary, comprehension and so much more.
As a range of students struggle with literacy, they need direct and explicit instruction to assist them and resources that can support their learning. Using captions to teach skills and concepts can greatly assist these students and supplement the learning of others.
Monday 29 July to Sunday 4 August is NLNW and a perfect time for teachers to introduce captions in their classrooms as a literacy tool for all students. The CAP THAT! education initiative is tailor-made to help teachers learn about captions and is endorsed by NLNW.
The ATOM conference, held every two years, brings together teachers, researchers and media makers to promote critical thinking about the media in schools.
The ATOM website states:
Live or real-time captions are provided at schools, universities, conferences and workplaces. The Ai-Live system uses a trained captioner working remotely, transcribing live speech into captions which appear discreetly on the student’s laptop. This gives Deaf and hearing impaired students direct access to teacher instruction via text.
If the school chooses, a transcript of the lesson can also be provided. This is important as unlike students with hearing, those who are Deaf or have hearing impairment cannot lipread, read captions and take notes at the same time.
By turning on captions on videos used in the classroom, teachers can boost learning, literacy and support inclusive learning for all students, regardless of their hearing ability, understanding of English or learning method.
The mobile Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Training Centre will travel between special needs schools in disadvantaged areas. The centre will focus on the basics of using a computer, including Microsoft Office, and the web. The training is designed to help children with disability from underprivileged backgrounds escape poverty and gain employment later in life.
The project is in keeping with the South African Government’s plan to help people with disability integrate into mainstream society.
