Forum Programme

Strategic Planning for IT in Education: A Practical Approach (Higher Education)
Ian McKenzie, Head of IT, Emirates College for Advanced Education, UAE
This session will examine how to construct a strategic and operational plan for IT within an educational institution.
     OR
Strategic Planning for ICT in Education: A Practical Approach (K-12)
Chris O'Neal, ISTE Faculty member, Professor, University of Virginia and Technology Director for School District in Virginia. USA

Educational Strategic Planning with Essential Conditions
Dr. Don Knezek, CEO, ISTE, USA
Dr. Lynn Nolan, Senior Strategic Initiatives Officer, ISTE, USA
Self-assessment and priority setting to identify major areas to address in strategic plan and to establish strategies for accomplishing your goals.

Digital Images - Unsurpassed Power in the Classroom
Dr. Chris Peters, Associate Professor of Education and Director, South Carolina Center of Excellence for Instructional Technology Training, USA
Digital cameras represent one of the most powerful and most affordable technologies available today.  This session will demonstrate simple, creative classroom uses of digital images that excite students and support instruction across the entire curriculum.
OR
Making Social Networking Work
Dr. David McCarty, Associate Professor - Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media, Michigan State University, UAE
Myra Khattab, Program Manager, Instructional Technology & ICDL, Michigan State University, UAE
This presentation will provide an overview of recent developments in social networking and discuss strategies for incorporating social networking into educational curricula, civic participation, and business processes. It will also address the role of infrastructure and government policy

Building Online Education Communities: Case Studies from the UAE and Abroad
Anna Batchelder, Founder and CEO, Bon Education, UAE
Learn first-hand about this presenter’s work in building online education communities for the Ministry of Education, RAK, Curriki, and other communities. You will also have an opportunity to learn a little about Twitter, Twine, and a few other tools.

Followed by

The Benefits of Increased Media Literacy Aross the GCC
Ryan J Pickard,Abu Dhabi University,UAE
This workshop is designed to enlighten practitioners in both education and media as to the benefits of increased Media Literacyacross the GCC.It will examine views of media literacy in order to expose false assumptions as well as expand possibilities forapproaching the vast array of traditional and emerging modes of communication in the public sphere.
OR
Tools for Managing Communication and Information
Chris O'Neal, ISTE Faculty member, Professor, University of Virginia and Technology Director for School District in Virginia. USA
In this session we will explore Twitter, and how one can use this tool to
effectively keep up with ongoing technology conversations. In addition, we will set up a Google RSS homepage to streamline blogs and other RSS feeds.
OR
Increasing Communication Skills with Podcasts and Wikis
Jared Mader,  Director of Technology, Red Lion Area School District, USA
Learn how to elicit better communication and interpretation skills from students by allowing them to use podcasts to convey their understanding and comprehension.

Followed by

Increasing Communication Skills with Podcasts and Wikis
Jared Mader, Director of Technology, Red Lion Area School District, USA
Learn how to elicit better communication and interpretation skills from students by allowing them to use podcasts to convey theirunderstanding and comprehension.

What questions do you have of the presenters or of other delegates?  What would you like to know more about?  Do you have comments, contributions or observations you would like to make about what you heard in the first day of the Forum?  What specifically would you like to see addressed tomorrow?

Student Creativity and Innovation in Schools
Jared Mader, Director of Technology, Fluvanna County Schools, Virginia, USA
Today's classroom is comprised of students who are digitally intuitive. They learn best in a constructivist environment through media interaction, hands-on learning practices, and problem-based strategies. Through communication, collaboration, and problem-solving we can better prepare our students for the global workforce of lifelong learners to which they will soon join. Teaching, utilizing a constructivist model with students, demands that students become active participants and creators of knowledge as they construct their learning.
OR
How ICT can be Used Creatively to Enhance 21st Century Learning
Stephen Cox, Director of Strategic Professional Development, GEMS, UAE
This programme will discuss the issues around creativity and how through two working examples in two GEMS schools this was achieved. One focusing on a project based approach using mobile technologies and social networking sites and the other through an Apple pilot project using MacBooks and i-Pod Touch.

Technology for All Learners:  Environmental Education through Scuba Diving
Introduction: Anna Batchelder, Founder and CEO, Bon Education – Presentation: Ernst Vanderpoll, Founder, Tawasul, UAE
Discover how special needs students use Ning and Google Earth to chart their dives and other technologies to overcome disabilities
OR
iPods in the Classrooms for ALL Learners
Introduction: Jared Mader - Presentation: Chris O'Neal
Learn about the challenges and successes of using iPods for learning in the classroom.  Discover ways you, too, can easily implement an iPod program in your school.

Making Data Informed Decisions to Improve Instruction
Chris O’Neal with ISTE Team

Delegates will select topics for deep 20 minute exploration and then rotate to 2nd topic and then 3rd topic

• Podcasting in Less than a Minute
  Led by Jared Mader,  Director of Technology, Red Lion Area School District, USA
• Creating and Sharing Education Resources with the Global Community (OERs – Open Education Resources)
  Led by Anna Batchelder, Founder and CEO, Bon Education, UAE
• Digital Images - Unsurpassed Power in the Classroom
  Led by Dr. Chris Peters, Associate Professor of Education and Director, South Carolina Center of Excellence for Instructional Technology Training, USA
• Using Mobile Technologies to Enhance the Learning of Arabic Teaching
  Led by Stephen Cox, Director of Strategic Professional Development, GEMS, UAE
• Want 21st Century Ready Students? Start with the Teachers
  Led by Kerry Bailey, Education Consultant - ICT Model Schools, Abu Dhabi Education Council, UAE
• Faculty Professional Development – One Size Does Not Fit All
  Led by Jacqueline Stephen, Faculty Member,Business, Information Technology and Applied Communication, Dubai Men’sCollege – Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai, UAE

Using Technology to Break the Traditional Mould of a Laboratory Report
Jared Mader, Director of Technology, Fluvanna County Schools, Virginia, USA
Do your students struggle with writing lab reports? The session will emphasize the importance of using technology with students to will change the face of the traditional science lab report.  Research and problem solving are important skills students learn in science.  Using technology, your students will better communicate their findings and convey their analysis of results.

Followed by

Motivation, Writing, and Multimedia Programs
Dinos Demetriades , Curriculum Coordinator of Foundation Program -English Department, Qatar University, Qatar
Teachers use multimedia for grammar practice in language laboratories, but rarely use it to teach writing in ordinary classrooms.  However, innovative multimedia programs allow teachers to highlight model texts and teach writing interactively in any classroom, which motivates and engages students in ways that traditional textbooks cannot replicate.

OR

Google Earth – The World at Your Fingertips
Dr. Chris Peters, Associate Professor of Education and Director, South Carolina Center of Excellence for Instructional Technology Training, USA
Discover ways you can integrate Google Earth into your geography, social studies, and history lessons.  Google Earth is a free, interactive world map that can be used by teachers to help their students understand the world better and see themselves more clearly as members of a global community.  With Google Earth students can explore mountains, dive under the sea, and visit lands the will never see in person. This session will show how teachers can capitalize on Google Earth to engage their students and increase learning.

Followed by

Teaching Mathematics with a Tablet PC
Dr.Jamal Benbourenane, Assistant Professor, Abu Dhabi University, UAE
Tablet PCs are opening up new and exciting ways to teach and study Mathematics.Using MathJournal,hand-recognition software,makes teaching mathematics or other science subjects enjoyable for the instructor and the students.The use of the snipping toolfrom Microsoft adds another flavor and flexibility.

Technology and Content Integration
Moderator: Dr. Don Knezek – Panelists: Jared Mader, Dino Demetriades, and Dr. Chris Peters

Who Needs a Textbook to Teach Writing? Using Multimedia to Teach Writing
Dinos Demetriades, Curriculum Coordinator of Foundation Program -English Department, Qatar University, Qatar
You will learn how to use innovative multimedia programs to highlight model texts and teach writing interactively in the classroom, which will motivate and engage students in ways that traditional textbooks cannot replicate.
                                                            OR
Organizing your Digital Life Using Free Google Tools
Chris O'Neal, ISTE Faculty member, Professor, University of Virginia and Technology Director for School District in Virginia. USA
You will learn the basics of each tool and how they can work together to streamline your communication and collaboration efforts.

Creating an Environment for Students to Succeed in Using Technology
Jared Mader, Director of Technology, Fluvanna County Schools,Virginia, USA
Use our developmentally based taxonomy of technology integration to elicit high order thinking,creativity,collaboration,and prob-lem-solving from your students.Change the way you plan!
OR
Digital Image Magic with Free Image Editing Tools
Dr. Chris Peters, Associate Professor of Education and Director, South Carolina Center of Excellence for Instructional Technology Training, USA
Pictures tell stories that words can only hint at.  In this workshop you will learn to use image editing tools that are freely available online to enhance, edit and combine images in ways that engage students and energize the curriculum.

Building Digital Slideshows with Free Tools
Chris O'Neal, ISTE Faculty member, Professor, University of Virginia and Technology Director for School District in Virginia. USA
You will learn the basics of each tool and how they can work together to streamline your communication and collaboration efforts.
OR
Google Earth - Making your Mark on the World
Dr. Chris Peters, Associate Professor of Education and Director, South Carolina Center of Excellence for Instructional Technology Training, USA 
With Google Earth you and your students can add content to interactive electronic maps.  In this workshop you will learn to create Google Earth placemarks that can be used to showcase family history, track the paths of ancient explorers, document a scientific event, or tell others about anything else happening in the world. The tools are free, easy, powerful, and fun to use.