About personal and public space

We would like to play some games with you, create posters and have nice discussions and blogs on awarenet.

1.1 Gordian Knot

The Gordian knot is a coordination game for groups and also contains elements of group dynamics.

Rules:

All players stand in a circle. They close their eyes and stretch their arms to the circle's center. Every player grabs a hand of someone else with each hand. Both hands should be from different persons and not from neighboring people.

The task that follows is easy to explain, but often hard to fulfill: All players open their eyes and the group has to open the knot. Of course, all grabbing hands may not be released.

1.2 Horse race

Rules:

All players stand close to each other in a circle. There are 6 orders which the game master can command. Players have to follow the orders at the same time.

Orders:

1. The horses are running: Players pat their legs.
2. Turn right: Players turn right.
3. Turn left: Players turn left.
4. Paparazzi: Players imitate a photographer.
5. Queen: Players wave their hands.
6. Jump: Players jump.

After we did the Warm Up – either the Gordion knot or the horse race - the students wrote blogs about privacy and answered the following questions:

2.1 Warm Up

How did it feel standing close to each other during the Warm Up?
Did you feel comfortable or uncomfortable? Why?

2.2 Privacy

What is privacy? How would you define privacy?
What does privacy mean to you?
Is privacy important to you? Why?
Was your privacy ever damaged?
For example: Somebody read your personal messages or somebody broke your secret
Where do you feel private?

Below you find a selection of blogs.

Mpongoshe Buntu

2.1 Warm Up

I felt so uncomfortable because it was hot outside and being close to each other when its hot its so horrible. I liked that game even though it was challenging at first. Others thought of cheating but we were being watched and its not a good thing to cheat.

2.2 Privacy

Privacy is something that is private, that belongs to you and you want to keep it to yourself and not telling everyone.

I will define privacy in my own words, Privacy are things that you don't want everyone to know about.

Privacy is so important to me because, other things about me I keep them private. I don't think everyone who knows me must know everything about me.

I feel private when I'm in my room thats where I feel privacy.

Nqola Sihle

2.1 Warm Up

- How did it feel standing close to each other during the warm up?
During the warm up it feel like it’s very easy but it was very difficult to go back to your place.

- Did you feel comfortable or uncomfortable? Why?
I feel uncomfortable because it was very difficult to get my partner.

2.2 Privacy
- What does privacy mean to you?
It means something that you can’t show anyone or tell him or her that's privacy.

- Is privacy important to you? Why?
Yes it is important because you can't tell anyone your private things or show him your private things or parts.

- Was your privacy ever damaged?
No one was break my secret but there was who someone who read my diary.

- Where do you feel privacy?
I feel privacy when I am at home and I'm alone thinking of my privacy things and when it's a painful thing I can cry alone and pray so that it will never happen again to me. And when my privacy it's for my family I feel very lonely it's like I don't have parents.

The students wrote short stories about privacy and took some photos according to their story. Here are the results:

4.1 Standogramm

Rules:
A rope symbolizes a line divided from number 1 (student disagrees to the question) to 5 (student agrees to the question). A host will read out a question. After listening the students have to take a position between 1 and 5. The aim is to reflect your own opinion and experiences, to position on the topic and to get to know each other.

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4.2 Forum discussion

After we did the Warm Up called “Standogramm” the students answered the following forum discussion:

1. Do you feel save in public locations?
2. Is observation with cameras and security guards important to you?
3. Do you feel observed by cameras or security guards?
4. Do you think observation is necessary? Why?

5. What is more important to you? a) or b)? Why?

a) To have a lot of cameras and security guards which are observing you.
So there is more safety, but less privacy.

b) To have less cameras and security guards.
So there is more privacy, but less safety.

6. How would you define your personal middle between the extremes safety and privacy?

Each student chose one of the two cartoons and answered the following questions:

1. Describe the cartoon. What do you see?
2. Interpret it. What do you think is the meaning of the cartoon?

The students answered the following questions about privacy in the internet:

After the SciFest 2014, the students had to write a blog about their expereinces at SciFest:

Below you find a selection of blogs.
If you want to read more, please click HERE.


Mpongoshe Buntu

What did you learn in scifest?

I've learned many things such as not to throw expired medicines and needles in dustbins.Maths and science are very important to me.I also learned that there are plants that were not mean't to grow here in South Africa.I learn that unsafe water can contain cholera and it can be dangerous to someone.

What have you seen at Scifest?

I've seen that there are cars that can move with only water and no petrol.I also seen plants that grow in oceans only and there are insects that eat alien plants here in South Africa.

Was was interesting?

It was the biggest bird that it was the first time I see it,they say it was found in Japan I forgot its name.It was the openning of Scifest it was awesome and I saw the first black man that was in space.

Did you attend to a workshop? How was it?

We attended a workshop it un and I've learned some few thing about the career that I chose, the Engineering it is a great job and they get a good/high salary

Jillian Welkom

The Science Festival in Grahamstown was well on last week. It is a really interesting time, because people from all over come to Grahamstown to see all the cool science and different stalls and shows that happen at the 1820 Settlers Monument.
I went up the the Science Festival, or "Sci-Fest" as everyone calls it, to stand at the Awarenet Stall, and talk to people about Awarenet. I of course had a look around at the other stalls as well.
The Awarenet stall had quite a few things to show people. Like the really cool video that some of the children from different schools, who do awarenet as well made. It was a nice song, it had quite a catchy tune, so of course I found my self singing it all day.
There was an African Thunderstorm stall, presented by the SABC Weather Team. They created a walk through, which had images, sounds and lighting, showing how a storm would develop. They also showed us how they are able to detect a storm a few days ahead of it, so they are able to warn people if a terrible storm was on its way to that town or area.
I would suggest that if you have never been to the Grahamstown Science Festival, that you make a turn next year. You'll learn many new things, and have a fun with science as well. It'll be an experience to remember. :)

Village Scribe Association and eKhaya ICT members Terri-Lynn Penney, Rieke Heitmueller, Antje Hering and Richard Strickland with help from CM Vellem, Ntaba Maria and Victoria Girl’s learners presented the awarenet programme at the Science Festival Africa 2014. awarenet is a new interactive education and communication platform for schools, designed to create a safe environment where student communities at schools across the country can interact.

The SciFest took place at the National Settlers Monument in Grahamstown, from the 12th of March to the 18th of March 2014. Companies and organizations from all over South Africa and Germany introduced their work to the visitors according to this year’s topic “Into the space”. Local schools as well as other schools from the Eastern Cape like Port Elizabeth, East London and Mthatha visited the SciFest and took part in its workshops.

The VSA presented the new picture login of awarenet and how the new KaLite (an offline version of the KhanAcademy) was integrated into awarenet.

Together with the awarenet users – learners from CM Vellem, Ntaba Maria and Good Shepherd School – we presented our project “About personal and public space”, on which we worked for about 6 weeks. It deals with the topic safety & privacy in the Internet, privacy in general and the conflict between safety & privacy. The learners had to write blogs, answer forum questions, interpret a cartoon and create posters and photo stories during the project.

As part of the awarenet programme we also showed the awarenet Peace Day music videos, the latest video clip of the awarenet Peace Day concert and a slideshow with pictures of the last six month to get an overview of our several projects.

The SciFest was a great success, where we established contacts with interested teachers, students and other organizations. It was our first time at the SciFest and we had a lot of fun and met people from all over South Africa, which was really exciting!