MICROSOFT participated in the Investment and Quality in National and International Education Forum recently held in Madinah. Under the patronage of Prince Faisal Bin Salman, the Emir of Madinah, and Dr. Hamad Al-Sheikh, Deputy to the Minister of Education, the forum aimed to find ways to improve the quality of education at private and international schools across the Kingdom. Khalid Al-Saydalani, head of educational techniques at the Madinah Education Administration, showcased Microsoft's Smart Classroom, an initiative that redefines the concept of the classroom and brings it in line with the latest development in technology and the requirements of this and coming generations of schoolboys and girls in the Kingdom. The Ministry of Education's departments of school supplies and educational techniques in Madinah are working with Microsoft and its partners, Majd Al-Tatweer and IT Worx, to get the initiative rolling and get the private sector to more actively participate in education and adopt its latest developments more readily, ultimately creating a more interesting school environment that instills stronger drive in students by giving them greater diversity and comprehensiveness of choice. The initiative starts by turning the conventional classroom into a truly smart one, with the teacher being at the helm of change. The latest teaching methods will be adopted using modern technology and continual training for both students and teachers, who together will ultimately create a better classroom environment. The tools and components for a smart classroom are a Microsoft Windows-powered tablet PC, internet connectivity, projectors, electronic education management software, a digital content gateway, virtual lab software, 3D interactive video products, and apps for parents to keep track of the progress of their sons and daughters. The fair that accompanied the forum saw participation from 30 educational and technology institutions, businesses and schools, which offered a slew of services and technologies that help investment and improvement in education. Among the exhibitors were the departments of technology and school supplies at the Madinah Education Administration. The administration's section at the fair exhibited a number of services, programs and projects, such as the Smart Classroom, digital content and calculator, of which visitors got detailed explanations and shown how they will be used in education. “Educational studies have proved that students' use of information technology and modern ways of communication boosts their intelligence and motivates them to learn,” said Saydalani. “The Smart Classroom is the ideal place to bring technology together with the latest educational trends and theories, where the blackboard and marker are replaced by broadband-connected projectors, laptops and tablet PCs, and the printed syllabus is replaced with a digital, interactive one produced by the Ministry of education that fits the curriculum.” Bader Al-Hawwas, the education sector's account manager, said that Microsoft “is making great progress with the Madina Educational Administration and our partners (Majd Al-Tatweer and IT Worx) to move the educational and learning processes forward and make them more fun and more interesting by training both teacher and student on ways to incorporate 21st-century information technology and skills into the educational process for better outcomes and greater success.” Microsoft is working hard to raise the efficiency and effectiveness of societal institutions, open up more opportunities for young people to be productive and contribute to economic growth, support learning and creativity, and bolster the prerequisites of creativity in order to boost Saudi Arabia's competitiveness. — SG
