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The Think Digital Academy story

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The history of Think Digital Academy starts with Janessa Leita. A South African mother with an extensive and successful background in education, who owned a college that provided further education and training for 17 years. She founded her global virtual school, Think Digital Academy in her native country when her youngest son was diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome.

Janessa Leita and family

Janessa, CEO of Think Digital Academy, together with her sons.

The beginning: Janessa Leita’s maternal love

As a parent, you always want what is best for your children. Janessa is a mother to three boys, and when her youngest son, Alessandro, was diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome, she quickly realised that traditional schooling would not be suitable for her son, so in 2016 she founded and launched the virtual school, Think Digital Academy in South Africa. Her vision was to create an environment for Alessandro where he would feel safe and happy, but at the same time, have access to top-level educational content.

The family unit has since relocated to Florida in the USA, and they are immensely proud to announce that Alessandro has been accepted to Florida University of Technology to study Aerospace Engineering in 2021.

An alternative to traditional schooling

Online schooling allows for students to engage in their learning at their own pace in the comfort of their own home. When Janessa realised that depression and anxiety were common amongst those with Tourette’s, she knew right away that traditional schools were not going to be the best course of action for her son. This new virtual space that has been created for young people to learn, has allowed thousands of youths to both flourish and graduate from Think Digital Academy. And the number keeps growing.

Think Digital Academy goes global

Think Digital Academy (formerly known as Thing Digital College) was launched and founded in South Africa. A first of its kind in this country, leading the charge in economic development and infrastructure for the African continent.

When the pandemic COVID-19 hit, Think Digital was in the perfect position to accommodate all those students who still needed to continue learning while their traditional schools were clumsily trying to transition into online classes. As a result, the virtual school’s attendance exploded, and Think Digital Academy saw great success in South Africa.

But as we all know COVID-19 did not just hit South Africa, it has been a worldwide pandemic, impacting students all over the world. With Leita being an educator at heart, she expanded this successful online learning school worldwide.

Redefining online schooling

Janessa has built a successful online school using her experiences, hard work and innovation. The desire to continually evolve to provide world-class education to a younger population that is growing up in a technological revolutionary era, continues to focus her energies on improvements and expansion.

The company has already received a prestigious international award from the United Kingdom, that further affirms the success Think Digital is experiencing at the forefront of the transition of education.

Want to learn more about Think Digital Academy?

As an award-winning business, with the purpose to provide top-notch education in an ever-changing environment, Think Digital Academy publishes a blog called Think Tank that provides information to both parents and students offering them online learning tips and tactics.

You can subscribe to the Think Tank newsletter to receive updates in your inbox.


Reviews

THINK DIGITAL ACADEMY

Customer Reviews

Sarabibi Varachia

I love that there is an option of tutor support, and that it can be done at my own pace, the free 14 day trial gives a good idea of the course before signing up.

Janine Gouws

My daughter has gone from strength to strength since joining Think Digital Academy. She is now so used to taking notes after watching and reading through the material that she has taken comprehensive notes during her Zoom swimming sessions and is able to explain everything that she has learnt easily from her notes. This is a child who really battled in the conventional schooling system and has undergone a tremendous change since joining Think Digital Academy. Thank you to the Think Digital Team you truly are a spectacular team 😁

Neldie VdMerwe Viljoen

It was the best decision to enroll my grade 10 and 12 kids here. They can't get enough of the interesting lessons. The people are so pleasant and always help with kindness, no matter how many times you call to ask for help. You are the BEST!!!!

Judy-anne Naude

Love the platform, very user friendly.

Annie Andrews

My boys are very much enjoying this. And I love that you can do this anywhere. We take our ipads to the park, and we work from there. I love it!

Bob Howard

TDA is by far the best home schooling platform in South Africa. As a digital home school, I as a student can be anywhere, literally, and do my work. My marks have gone up, I no longer have to travel 2 hours a day and I am much more focused on school work.

Michelle Ferreira

The best. My kids love it!

Lorinda Everson

Love them!! They allow children to be children!!

Kharmen Wicks

Great home school option - we had a great experience last year during Covid lockdown. Our matric daughter passed with a university exemption - we were very happy with the support she received while she was doing her online studies with them - thank you Think Digital!!!

Stephanie Hibbert

We did the 2 week trial and my son loved it. We've now paid for it and he sits for an hr at a time and does his work im very happy with how much he enjoys this program.
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