Thousands of students and experts from 80 different countries came together yesterday for the third e-ducation Without Borders conference.
The event is organised by the Higher Colleges of Technology.
For the first time, many experts and officials remarked on the negative impact that technology can have on society and called for it to be used constructively.
Held under the patronage of Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Education, the three-day conference provides a platform for both students and experts to meet and exchange ideas and challenges.
"As the conference clearly demonstrates, worldwide trends in technology and communication pose serious challenges for the development of our educational system. Meeting these challenges successfully will enable us to become leaders in the uses of technology in education," Shaikh Nahyan said.
He said it was impossible to stay isolated from the rest of the world.
"We live in a global age where knowledge and its free movement across national borders has effectively internationalised human activity. At the same time, global trends affect the way we live, work, and learn in our home countries. Countries and communities can no longer develop within a strictly national context.
"We must understand and engage the forces of globalisation if we are to create economic opportunity and first-rate educational and cultural institutions. And we must, in the course of understanding and acting, adhere to international standards and benchmarks as well as to the deep-rooted values of our communities," he said. Although technology has helped society in many aspects, including e-learning, some have highlighted the negative impact it has.
"Technology is not as revolutionary as everyone thinks because it has not had any revolutionary results. It has not done anything for poverty, terrorism and world peace," BBC presenter, Tim Sebastian, said.
Sebastian added technology had brought together wrongdoers and given them a common ground.
"Terrorists and murders can now join together. Technology has given way to international crime. Proceeds of crime can bounce back and forth at the blink of an eye. If modern technology cannot be used to stop these activities, then what is it for?" he asked.
Chandra Babu Naidu, former chief minister of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, said there was a divide between rich and poor regarding the use of technology. "Many people are uneducated and cannot deal with technology.
"It must be made simpler and at affordable cost so the poor can use it too. Otherwise, it will only be the rich who benefit. Technology should also be used to eradicate poverty," he said.
The former chief minister said we were now entering an era of distance learning. "Distance learning has a bright future. Education now has become a lifelong endeavour but the digital divide should be bridged," he said.
Students participating in the conference said technology had opened up a completely new world for them.
"Technology has allowed us to learn online, to enhance our knowledge and upgrade our certificates. Now whether you are in the car or in the office you can go online and connect with other people or even pursue your studies," Ravshan Safaxov from the Westminster International College in Uzbekistan said.
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