Uwitube, the online resource tool, launched last November, with emphasis on Mathematics is now ready to add English to its offerings.

This was revealed today, during a meeting at the UWI Campus, where 10 teachers from English Departments across the island???s secondary schools received iPads from the Media Resource Department (MRD) to facilitate the creation of material in this area.

Those present, also received a report on the progress of Uwitube and heard plans for its future development from its creators.

Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Senator Harry Husbands, in addressing the gathering commended Senior Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics, Dr. Janak Sodha, Maths teachers, the UWI and the MRD for ???committing their time, expertise and knowledge to improving the Maths scores of students???.

Explaining that this was critical, he said: ???Our first aim really is to improve the performance in Mathematics by our students and thereby offer them the opportunity to have greater access to further education and probably a higher standard and higher quality of living???I am pleased that we have taken the initiative to put in place a significant development in this programme.???

Senator Husbands pointing out that he too would take advantage of accessing Uwitube, said: ???I am convinced that what I have seen this morning that we too are on the cutting edge and more importantly are using local materials, local people and regional people in the development of these concepts and initiatives particularly in the area of Mathematics.???

Noting that he may be part of the last generation of those who ???skated by??? without having a firm knowledge of Mathematics, Mr. Husbands, a former teacher, said: ???Today???you must have Mathematics to be a teacher ???Mathematics has become so important that a sound knowledge of Mathematics is today for the average student probably a determining factor in the quality of life that you are??going to live. Without Mathematics, you don???t have exposure to certain jobs and opportunities.???

Meanwhile, Chief Audio Visual Aids Officer, Walter Harper, in pledging support to Uwitube said: ???This project and our continued support to joint UWI/Media Resource Department projects is what we are all about.???

He expressed further pleasure at the partnership assuring Dr. Sodha that more iPads would be donated to the project for the production of videos and that Science would be included. Stressing that Science would be ???the next logical step??? after English, he added that the MRD would continue to advertise Uwitube on its website and provide further promotion via posters placed in schools.

Mr. Harper also revealed that later this year, within eight primary schools, MRD would be seeking to encourage at least one teacher ???to embrace the iPad in teaching and the delivery of instruction within 50 per cent or more of the lessons within a week???. ???We are hoping that this would be the forerunner to what we see would become Uwitube primary ??? another logical step,??? he concluded.

Meanwhile, Dr Sodha, in reviewing the project that was launched on November 7, 2012, felt that the team had achieved a milestone in showcasing videos produced by the Mathematics teachers dealing with the 10 topics that constitute CXC syllabus in that subject. ???For one individual or a few individuals to do that is not possible. We have had many teachers come together and we have managed???to cover at least a minimum of 10 videos on every single topic, he said.???

The educational tool can be accessed via http://uwitube.com

joy-ann.gill@barbados.gov.bb

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