SEC Holds Symposium on Technology and Education

The message was clear: technology is more present in our lives than ever and teachers must quickly learn how best to harness the power of technology to succeed in teaching a digitally advanced generation.

On March 15, 2007, the Supreme Education Council (SEC) marked the third anniversary of education reform in Qatar with its annual symposium, entitled "Illuminating Learning with Technology." Each year the symposium addresses a topic important to the education reform initiative, Education for a New Era. The symposium brought together Qatari, regional and international intellectuals and educators to discuss the impact of technology on the education discipline.

"It is important to create an environment that will allow parents and educators to learn more about how our children get their information, how teachers can use new technologies to advance learning and how parents can stay better connected to their child's education," said Her Excellency Sheikha Ahmed Al Mahmoud, SEC Secretary General and Minister of Education during her address at the symposium.

"In today's world, we are all influenced by technology. People from every age group, every discipline and all classes are affected one way or the other by technology. The challenge remains how to utilize technology in the best manner to amplify our achievements and avoid the risk of misusing it," she added.

Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned made a surprise visit to the symposium, illustrating her profound commitment to education reform in Qatar. More than 450 educators and stakeholders attended the symposium held at the Doha Sheraton Hotel.

In addressing the attendees, Dr. Nawal Al Sheikh, SEC's Director of Communications said of the group: "the educators, parents and students in this room are whom we consider the vibrant heart of the education reform initiative. Today, our Independent Schools are working hard to prepare this digital generation for the challenges of the creative era."

The symposium featured a keynote address by Dr. Ron Owston, Professor of Education and Founding Director of the Institute for Research on Learning Technologies at York University, Canada.

In his talk, Dr. Owston stressed the need to begin thinking beyond conventional approaches to teaching and learning with technology. He identified a new generation of students that are "Digital Natives," or individuals who have grown up accustomed to technology in their lives and cannot imagine a world without it.

"Digital Natives do things differently. They communicate, share, buy and sell, create, meet, coordinate and evaluate, play games, evolve, search, analyze, socialize and learn differently – all using technology," said Dr. Owston. "There is a need for rethinking our teaching methods to this new generation because today's educational system in most countries was not designed to teach them."

While stressing the need to change and adapt to the growing presence of technology in the lives of students, Dr. Owston said the teachers and administrators should not be asked to make changes without concrete support. Calling most adults, including teachers "Digital Immigrants," or those who are new to technology and must learn it, Owston said "Professional development should be part of a teacher's everyday job and not just something done three or four times a year." Professional development and high teacher standards are major components of Education for a New Era.

In concluding his speech, Dr. Owston praised the State of Qatar for its reform effort and commitment to improving education. He also noted that true reform takes time and that patience would be essential in the process. Dr. Owston took many questions from the audience, including questions sent to him via text messaging.

Following his address, Dr. Owston led a panel discussion of education experts. Each panelist gave a short presentation detailing his or her view or experience on how technology will impact education in the future. Following the panelist presentations, audience members asked questions.

The experts on the panel were Dr. Nancy Law, Director of the Centre for Information Technology in Education and Head of the Division of Information Technology Studies in the Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong; Dr. Ayoub Khaled Al-Ayoub, Professor in the Faculty of Law, Kuwait University; Dr. Mohammed Al-Ansari, Manager of e-education at ictQATAR; Ms. Hiyam Ibrahim Ahmed, e-education Manager at Al Wakra Independent Preparatory School for Girls; and Mr. Hassan Al-Mutawaa, Workshop Coordinator at Qatar Technical School.

During her presentation, Dr. Law highlighted the many fundamental changes that technology is helping create in the classroom. She noted that technology is helping facilitate a major shift from teachers instructing students to teachers serving as learning guides, with students becoming more active learners. Dr. Law said it was important to create classrooms that foster innovation and felt that technology had the power to help create this environment.

The panelists from Qatar provided valuable insight into the progress that is already being made with technology in the classroom.

In discussing ictQATAR's e-learning strategy, Dr. Al-Ansari said "The strategy aims at empowering students in Qatar to master and use technology as a means to communicate, acquire knowledge and develop important skills. It will provide the students with competitive 21st century technological skills that are comparable to their peers in other countries, bridging the gap between the current reality in the country and Qatar's high aspirations."

Ms. Ahmed and Mr. Al-Muttawa both shared stories of their highly successful and innovative programs that are presently putting technology to use in Qatari schools. Ms. Ahmed spoke of the e-schoolbag program that is being piloted in her school. Her students each receive a tablet PC that enables greater interaction between teachers and students. This links the student to the broader world outside the classroom and allows them to develop into independent, critical thinkers. Mr. Al-Muttawa spoke of the important technological skills students learn at the Qatar Technical School. The vocational training the students receive prepares them to enter the technology job market and contribute to society upon graduation.

The symposium closed with short remarks from the Supreme Education Institute Directors and questions from the audience, followed by a lunch for all attendees where the conversations continued.

"This symposium helped me understand the importance of learning to use technology in the classroom to help my students better learn," said one teacher. "I know that next time I am preparing a lesson plan, the issues discussed today will influence its development. I know that many of my colleagues feel the same way."