DUBAI, December 17, 2013: The Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), the UAE's largest higher education institution, will demonstrate its leadership in the integration of mobile learning in education, when it hosts the Mobile Learning (mLearning) Festival 2013 at the HCT-Dubai Men's College today.
The one-day festival, held under the theme of Sharing the mobile learning experience, will see hundreds of educational and technology experts from the Higher Colleges of Technology and other UAE-based institutions gather to discuss, share and deconstruct ideas, developments and best practices relating to mobile learning (mLearning) in the United Arab Emirates.
This learning forum is a continuation of a series of highly successful instructional and collaborative training and instructional events that took place over the 2012/13 academic year, which involved the UAE's federal higher education institutions.
In keeping with the concept of those previous events, this mLearning Festival will provide an occasion for educators to share their experiences and ideas, through conversations, case studies, workshops and panel discussions about using mobile technology for teaching and learning.
The festival feature a series of over fifty, 15-minute and 45-minute interactive workshop sessions throughout the day which are centred on the integration of the mobile technology into teaching and learning. The 15-minutes sessions, called Speed Geek Tracks, will consist of quick demonstrations of mobile-based Teaching & Learning strategies in a fun and interactive manner. The 45-minute interactive conversations will be detailed case studies, workshops or panel discussions.
The sessions will have the purpose of sharing ideas and experiences surrounding teaching and learning with mobile technology. Some of the session topics discussed will include:
- Boosting student productivity in iPads
- Using iBooks Widgets to engage students
- Mobile Learning in Language Education: An Impact Study
- Differentiated Learning in Foundation Level Classes
The event programme will incorporate showcases from publishers McGraw Hill, Pearson and Oxford University Press, as well as sessions facilitated by Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Blackboard, Gartner and Ellucian. There will also be a showcase of the BMW Road Safety Awareness Program, which is being undertaken by HCT Foundation students.
Dr Tayeb Kamali, Vice Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology, said the MLearning Festival was a perfect follow-up from the 2012 launch of the Federal Mobile Learning Initiative, as it continues the forward momentum of mobile learning.
"The Higher Colleges of Technology have achieved so much in the field of mLearning and the integration of the mobile technology into our teaching and learning pedagogy. This dedication to mobile technologies demonstrates our ongoing commitment to excellence in education, which has a strong focus on successful student learning outcomes in technology and innovation," Dr Kamali said.
"We are very proud of our commitment to providing our students with a technology-enhanced learning environment equipped with cutting-edge devices and practices, so that they can enter the workforce with the skills, knowledge and confidence to succeed in this increasingly technology-focused world," he added.
Dr Kamali thanked all the industry and corporate partners who greatly contributed to the success of the mLearning Festival.
Some of the session topics running throughout the day include:
"Wearable Computing" - the next Mobile Computing Frontier: This session places "wearable computing" in the context of the new generation network called "The Internet of Everything". It then explores the benefits of wearable devices such as the Nike FuelBand and Google Glass and the much rumoured Apple iWatch. The session concludes with tips on how to use the M7 chip and sensors on the new iPhone 5s to create cool health related activity monitoring apps.
Instagram and Pinterest: Social networking is vital to our students. This presentation will demonstrate how Pinterest and Instagram can be used to enhance learning both in and out of the classroom. Pinterest has been used in Ecology classes to encourage critical thinking and creative thinking skills. It will also present some practical ways on how Instagram can be used to help with learning and student retention.
Game based Learning Platform leading to 100% student engagement: This session looks at a game-based platform (ZONDLE) that enables teachers and students to create, play and share games to support their learning needs through games. Teachers and students can create customised question sets, or topics for any content area or level. Students complete questions by playing a game of their choice. Every time a student plays a game, he/she gains points (Zollars) that can be used to buy prizes entered by their teacher. There is also a Team Play option for creating games in a game show-type environment. Students can interact with the game through any smart device (IOS or Android devices).
Integrating Apps Seamlessly To Enhance Student Creativity: Participants will discover and use simple steps to integrate key apps in their class delivery. The focus will be on students seamlessly moving their work between apps to make the learning experience more engaging and to create more opportunities for creativity.
Learning By Doing and iPads: The iPad is a great tool to engage students in an active process of exploring and learning. Students can research, discover, question and obtain new information on their own. Participants will be shown, through examples of students' work, how iPads were used in the Foundation classroom to enable skills development and greater understanding of personal actions, reactions and decisions through projects.
Raise the bar through ALEKS: ALEKS is an adaptive, online learning program that is proven to significantly raise grades, retention, and pass rates at higher education institutions around the world. The ALEKS system has shown that learning environments have a visible effect on developing confident and motivated self-learners. ALEKS is one of the most exciting and dynamic educational processes that provides the advantage of one-on-one instruction, 24/7 availability from virtually any web-based computer. It is a living experience of m-learning where students are in control of their learning.
In-house created APPs provide new learning opportunities for students: In-house created Apps provide new learning opportunities for students and can enhance the learning process and provide a seamless access to a variety of learning activities across many platforms. This session will display Apps for the HCT Foundation MATH 1 course and which integrate Quizlets, WebLinks and other on-line resources. They are complemented by the BBLearn LMS and the MATH 1 iBooks.
About the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT)
Founded in 1988 with four colleges, the Higher Colleges of Technology have grown to be the largest of the higher educational institutions in the UAE, gaining a well-respected reputation for innovative learning. Over 20,000 students attend 17 modern men's and women's campuses in the cities of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Fujairah and the western region cities of Madinat Zayed and Ruwais.
HCT offers a wide range of English-taught programmes in the Faculties of Business, Education & General Studies, Engineering Technology & Sciences, Foundations, Health Sciences, Arabic & Emirati Studies and Computer Information Sciences & Applied Communications. These programmes are all relevant to the UAE's fast growing and evolving economic sectors and embody HCT's Learning by Doing philosophy. All programmes and courses are designed in consultation with business and industry leaders to ensure that the skills students learn are job-relevant and to high standards. They are constantly monitored to ensure they are at the cutting edge of industry standards and technological change. Visit www.hct.ac.ae. Follow us on Facebook hctuae and Twitter @hctuae
For more information or to arrange interviews contact:
Paul Lancaster.
HCT Communication Department.
Phone: +971 50 616 0964.
Mobile: 050 616 0964
© Press Release 2013
