Institute of Applied Technology Engages Emirati Youth on Education

Student Gathering

For the first time since its launch in 2010, IAT TEC was moderated and organized by Emirati students from different Applied Technology High Schools (ATHS) across the UAE.

45 ATHS students, grade 9-12, presented 8 technical papers and showcased 20 projects in the form of videos, 3D models, iBooks, iPad Operating System (iOS) Apps, infographics and computer games. The conference delegates voted on the best showcases.

 Dr. Abdulatif Al Shamsi, Managing Director of IAT, awarded the first place winners with iPads and the second place winners with 50$ each. On day 1, two students Sultan Al-Marzooqi and Amer Alharthi from ATHS Abu Dhabi Boys campus won the first place for their showcase ‘iPad Integration in the IAT Science Lab’ and ‘Effective Use of Technology in Modern Classroom’ presenters, Ahmed Al Mansouri, Abdulla Al Abri and Omar Al Jaberi won the second place.

 On the second day of the conference, 8 girls from ATHS Al Ain won both first and second place with 4 participants: Mariam Ahmed, Shamma Ahmed, Marriam Rashid and Khawla Yousif winning the first place for their showcase entitled ‘Cyber Awareness Through iBooks’ and two participants: Kouloud Obaid and Asma Al Mehairy won the second place for their showcase entitled ‘‘Creating Multimedia for School Projects’.

Under the theme of ‘Education For The iGeneration’, the opening of the conference by Dr. Abdulatif Al Shamsi, highlighted the unique IAT experience in creating a successful eLearning environment at the seven Applied Technology High Schools.

Dr. Al Shamsi called for changes in teaching methods and educational philosophy to meet the needs of the youth who are solidly tied to their mobile devices and to narrow the gap between the technologies which the iGeneration have access to outside and inside the classroom. Dr. Al Shamsi’s speech ended with a short documentary on eLearning at IAT where teachers, administrators and students from ATHS shared their perspectives on eLearning.

The conference started with a keynote lecture by Prof. Elliot Soloway from the University of Michigan and Prof. Cathleen Norris from the University of North Texas, entitled ‘Education in the Age of Mobilism: The Inevitable Transformation of the K-12 Classroom’ which shed lights on the professors’ own experience in integrating mobile devices for the past 5 years at different schools in Singapore.

On the first day of the conference, Knowledge Point, the conference gold sponsor, announced launching Cyber C3 competition, season 2.

Mouza Al Baloushi, ATHS Abu Dhabi Girls student, moderated a discussion panel on the first day of the conference entitled ‘Is Education Serving the iGeneration’. Three panelists: Prof. Norris, Prof. Soloway, Dr. Yacine Atif from UAEU and two ATHS students who were selected from the audience, Maitha Al Zayoud, ATHS Al Ain Girls, and Ahmed Abdouli, ATHS Dubai, discussed the needs of the iGeneration and whether schools do currently meet these needs.

On the second day of the conference, a keynote by Prof. Peter Scott from The Open University UK (OU) showcased new channels for reaching the iGeneration and how the OU is starting to use these new channels to communicate eLearning content to the learners.

Following the keynote, four educational technology experts: Prof. Peter Scott, Dr. Najla Al Naqbi from Abu Dhabi Educational Council (ADEC), Ahmed Ashour from Microsoft Gulf, Rehab Rajab from IAT and two of ATHS students, Iman Al Hosani, ATHS Abu Dhabi Girls, and Zayed Al Hosani, ATHS Abu Dhabi Boys, discussed the future of technology in a panel entitled ‘What’s Next in iEducation’ The panel was moderated by Omar Al Melhi, a student from ATHS Abu Dhabi Boys. Some of the main points that were heighted is that technology available for education today is sufficient to transform teaching and learning when used effectively.