DOHA: Qatar will be the first GCC country to stage the iEARN (International Education and Resource Network) international conference when Reach Out To Asia (Rota) hosts the 20th Annual iEARN International Conference and 17th Annual Youth Summit in July this year.
iEARN is a non-profit organisation made up of over 30,000 schools and youth organisations in more than 130 countries. Empowering teachers and young people to work together using the Internet and other new communications technologies, over 2,000,000 students each day are engaged in collaborative iEARN projects worldwide.
iEARN-Qatar will be hosting the conference which will bring together teachers and students from over 70 countries.
“iEARN enables young people to go beyond learning about the world, to learning with peers around the planet by using connective technologies. Instead of just a few students who are able to physically visit another country, the entire class can have personal and educationally valuable experiences with other cultures,” said Rota Executive Director Essa Al Mannai during a recent seminar at Qatar University to brief faculty members on the iEARN programme and the upcoming conference.
“Since 2008, Rota has supported iEARN’s pioneering work in online school linkages to enable students in Qatar to engage in meaningful educational projects with peers in their countries and around the world.
“We are looking forward to hosting iEARN conference this year and welcoming participation of Qatar University faculty, staff and students,” added Al Mannai.
Dean of QU College of Education Dr Hissa Sadiq said: “Collaboration and the sharing of ideas and lessons learned are keystones to professional development, which feeds back into improving educational standards. iEARN’s programme has benefitted many teachers and pupils here and we hope others will get involved in this worthwhile initiative to build on its successes in Qatar.”
With entry open to all educators, the iEARN meet will be a chance to share and learn from teachers how technology is used in the classroom.
Encouraged by the success of iEARN-Qatar, Rota took the bold step in organising a two-day meeting in July last year to establish iEARN-Arabia, the first iEARN network for the Arab world.
It involved iEARN representatives from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Palestine, Qatar, the UAE, and Yemen.
The meeting defined iEARN-Arabia’s vision, mission, goals, status and format.
The Peninsula
