Matthew Hains. Computer Applications Technology Teacher. Author. Speaker. Teacher ICT Development.
- Transforming My Classroom Jun 8, 2022My classroom is the place where I spend the most time at school. I want it to be an environment that is engaging, inspiring, interesting and interactive. I also want it to be a place where I feel happy and confident. I initially tried to “brighten up” my classroom with a bunch of posters on […]Matthew Hains
- Learn about Algorithms: A Content Pack for Teachers and Learners Jun 2, 2022Algorithms are covered in Computer Applications Technology in IEB schools. It is included in the Subject Assessment Guidelines document for Grade 10. I have created a content pack for teachers and learners, covering algorithms. It consists of interactive PowerPoint presentations, videos, templates and tasks. I have included everything in a download in my shop. Here is […]Matthew Hains
- NEW Excel posters for your classroom or lessons May 28, 2022I have redone all my Excel posters and added some new ones too! This set now has 55 Excel functions that your students can learn and use in their work. All posters are high-quality, printable up A3 and look great when laminated. Each poster has a function explanation, layout example, a screenshot example and a […]Matthew Hains
- A different approach? Apr 8, 2022I thought I’d try something a little bit different in regards to a practical assessment. I wondered what it would be like to have my students choose what skills they would prefer to be assessed on, instead of me giving them specific instructions. I have yet to mark the results but I really wanted to […]Matthew Hains
- Using the Flash Fill tool in Excel Mar 30, 2022Definitely a time saver and a neat feature called Flash Fill! In Excel, you can suggest a pattern and then use the Flash Fill tool to learn from that pattern and continue on down a column. See the video below how it works. The post Using the Flash Fill tool in Excel was published […]Matthew Hains
- My Presentation at Schoolscape Premier (March 2022) Mar 13, 2022I had the privilege of being a speaker again at the Schoolscape Premier conference this year where I presented briefly on the application called Canva. It was a live stream while I was running on battery during load-shedding! Anyway, Canva is a fantastic application and the premium features are free for education. Canva will let […]Matthew Hains
From Matt Hains

Master the Green Screen: A Hands-On Workshop
A common question I get after I’ve done an online presentation is almost always “How did you put yourself in front of your content like that?”. And I’m not talking about MS Teams or other […]

The Tech Teachers store has moved!
The Tech Teachers store has moved to join with Matt’s store on https://MatthewHains.online/shop. Nothing has changed, just the location. See you there!

SIERRA : The Grade 11 CAT Notebook is here!
The next notebook, after TRINITY, is here! The CAT Grade 11 Digital Notebook is a OneNote notebook that can be used by students and/or teachers who are interested in doing CAT…differently. The idea for creating […]

Let’s Talk About Computer Applications Technology
The first open, online, discussion of its kind goes live on Thursday at 19:00 (GMT). If you have not registered to be a part of it, please do so here. All teachers who have registered […]

These are the slides you’ve been waiting for! THEORY!
Here they are! My beauties, my pride and joy, the fruit of my labour, the effort and results of many, many hours! The presentations I created that I used to create my Theory-based lessons for […]

Let’s talk about Computer Applications Technology
Register here to be a part of an unofficial discussion on the present state of the subject of Computer Applications Technology in South Africa and where we, as teachers, believe the subject should be headed […]
From Claire Smuts

New Matric CAT PAT step-by-step video guide
PAT videos for Matric DBE updated! For the past few years, many learners and teachers have made use of the PAT step-by-step video guides I made in 2019. Last year the guidelines and mark allocation […]

Gauteng Prelim P1 2021 walkthroughs
The Gauteng Prelim Paper 1 of 2021 was one of the best (and toughest) prelim papers I’ve seen. It was excellent preparation for the matriculants, provided that they know what the correct solutions were! I’ve […]

CAT Theory Flashcards – Afr & Eng
Thanks to the terminology list on Study Opportunity’s home page and with the help of the assistants sponsored by the DBE (specifically Kerry-Ann Oelofse), we’ve got a great new resource to help our matric learners […]

CAT Practical revision
Thanks to Covid, we’ve had a few days to take a breath before we start with exams, so I thought I’d put the time to good use and make us some exam walkthroughs for the […]

CAT Matric Prac revision
With less than 10 days to go to the final practical exam for our CAT matrics, they need to put a lot of effort into revision. I’ve made recordings of solutions of last years final […]

Teacher Tip: see which learner’s files you’re marking
Here’s a quick 2 min video showing you how to access a specific question from all your learners and easily see which learner’s file you’re marking right on your Quick Access Toolbar like in the […]
Word of the Week

Word of the Week : Computer Addiction
An unusual and excessive desire to make use of a computer constantly or to be online as much as possible. [The Digital Classroom Resource].

Word of the Week : Drop Cap
A drop cap is used to format the first letter of a paragraph in uppercase, but it is also much larger than the rest of the text. The letter is dropped over a number of […]

Word of the Week : Drone
A drone is any unpiloted aircraft. These crafts can carry out an impressive range of tasks, ranging from military operations to package delivery. Drones can be as large as an aircraft or as small as […]
Trinity: Grade 10 CAT Digital Notebook
A complete C.A.T. curriculum in one digital notebook
- Video lessons
- Activities linked to each lesson
- Resources
- Solutions for all activities
- Student section
- All material cross-linked throughout the notebook
- Tagged content for quick and easy searching
- Can be used online or offline
121 videos, 134 lessons, 101 activities