JEDDAH, 17 March 2005 — Speakers at Effat College’s Learning and Technology Symposium called for integrating technology in learning and “pooling our resources”.
The recommendations focused on more cooperation and sharing of knowledge between various educational institutions. However, it was emphasized that the integration of technology in the learning process should not diminish the role of the teacher but should instead be used as a tool, and this realization reinforces the need for faculty training and support.
It also reinforces the need for funding and establishing the required infrastructure in order to truly get the most out of technology and be in step with its development especially in the light of globalization and the Internet communication bringing the world closer together.
The symposium was held under the patronage of Princess Lolowa Al-Faisal, vice chairperson of the board of trustees and general supervisor of Effat College.
The speakers included Dr. Aziza Ellozy, the director of the newly established Center for Learning and Teaching at the American University of Cairo; Abdulhadi Shayif, General Manager of National Commercial Bank; Dr. Zuhair Fayez, chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dar Al-Hekma College; Dr. Haifa Jamalallail, dean of Effat College, and Dr. Yaseen Al-Jifri, dean of Prince Sultan College for Tourism and Administration.
In his speech, Dr. Fayez disclosed statistics on Saudi Arabia’s usage of technology and compared the figures with those in other countries. He said Saudi Arabia is considered 14th out of 16 in using technology in Asia, as well as being the fifth in the Gulf countries.
At the end of a panel discussion, Dr. Fayez stated a three-word technique — policy, strategy and implementation — to fulfill Princess Lolowa’s project of learning and technology.
Participants in the annual symposium held this year under the title “Shared Minds, Shared Vision”, spoke highly of the symposium’s organization and of benefiting from it, especially from the hands-on workshops.
The second and final day of the symposium yesterday began with three concurrent presentations on “Microsoft Education Solutions,” “Maximizing the Cost Benefit of IT Investment Through Education and Training,” and “Integration of Technology in Education,” which set the tone for the workshops that followed.
Three sessions of five concurrent workshops were conducted by faculty members of Effat College and other educational institutions such as City University of London, Dar Al-Fikr Schools in Jeddah, Columbia University of the United States, American University of Cairo, Dhahran Ahliyya Schools and King Faisal University in Hofuf.
Other workshops were held by Oracle Systems Ltd. in Riyadh and International Technology Exchange and Distribution in Dubai. Between 20 and 50 people participated in each of the workshops.
— Additional input from Lulwa Shalhoub & Razan Baker
