The 1st ADESSA Conference took place at Cornwall Hill College in Irene, Pretoria, on 18 March 2010. The guest speaker for the day was Mr Kobus van Wyk, Programme Director of the Khanya Project (WCED).

During the morning there was a closed session for ADESSA members only. During this time, the 2010 AGM took place, followed by a very interesting, interactive presentation by Kobus van Wyk on the possibilities for ADESSA as an Association. Many aspects arising from this presentation were very constructive and gave members the opportunity to engage positively in regard to the future of ADESSA and the role that it can play in education.

During the afternoon, delegates from Education Departments and schools attended and were exposed to a varied programme of events. The first slot on the programme was “60 Seconds” when each exhibitor was given that time frame to briefly tell the audience about the main product/s of that company. Delegates then had the opportunity to browse the educational exhibits on offer and to discuss how these would be of benefit in an educational environment.

This was followed by a further two presentations by Kobus van Wyk: “Why e-learning is a success in only certain instances” & “Partnerships, the key to successful e-learning”. The benefit of these presentations to all the delegates was extremely valuable and they enthused about how much they had gained from Kobus’s insights and experiences. They were also keen to visit Kobus’s blog which focuses on important aspects of ICT in education: www.e4africa.co.za

While the Conference was smaller than anticipated, it was nevertheless extremely successful, and will provide a sound basis to develop a model for future successful events.