Breaking the mould: Durban woman leads robotics talks
Durban — In celebration of Women’s Month, a St Mary’s Christian Girls' School (DSG) Kloof teacher recently led an ICT presentation, and broke the mould for a previously male-dominated industry.
Julia de Waal, the senior primary ICT co-ordinator and coding and robotics teacher, said she was originally asked to be involved in the conference to showcase the school’s work to fellow teachers and attendees.
“After meeting with the team at SchoolScape prior to the event, I was invited to present at the KZN conference.This was based on our success at St Mary’s in integrating science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) teaching methods, coding and robotics into the curriculum and due to my role,” De Waal said.
De Waal said being involved in such discussions was crucial for breaking gender barriers and showcasing female leadership in the ICT field, especially in a month dedicated to highlighting women’s contributions and achievements.
She addressed topics such as balancing school traditions with technological innovations, aligning planning and budgeting for technology, and the importance of school leaders supporting teachers in implementing new technologies like coding and robotics.
“As an all-girls school, we’re uniquely positioned to support and inspire the next generation of women in developing their skills and abilities to enter tech-related careers in their futures,” she said.
De Waal said the way forward included creating more opportunities for women to engage in professional development in ICT, offering teacher connect group meetings to share best practice.
Furthermore, by encouraging more female participation in tech-related projects and conferences, they will achieve this, she said.
“I’m thrilled to see more and more women engaging in such projects already and making significant contributions to advancing education,” De Waal concluded.
The SchoolScape IT KZN Conference takes place annually, and topics include:
- Building a Tech Backbone. Gain insights into the IT infrastructure solutions that take into consideration your school’s strong pedagogy and traditions.
- Devices and EdTech. Hardware and software in action that amplifies pedagogy and gets school decision-makers behind innovation. This discussion was women led.
- 4IR/Coding and Robotics.
WhatsApp your views on this story at 071 485 7995.
Daily News