The Sixth Annual Learning and Technology Symposium was organized by Effat College at the Jeddah Hilton hotel on Saturday morning. Carrying the theme “Cyber Citizenship: Vistas and Visions,” participants and organizers assured their willingness to continue the process of training and educating people on visual and innovative knowledge. The program consisted of keynote presentations, panel discussions, group presentations, as well as the highlight of the event, the Education and Technology Exhibition that had stands from around 40 companies in the fields of technology, education, banking and healthcare, among many others. Students from schools, colleges and universities from across the Kingdom showcased their technology-related projects. Islamic inventions were also highlighted at the learning area. Dr. Haifa Jamal Al-Lail, Dean of Effat College, said the roots of this year's event lie in the World Wide Web. “Since the Web first appeared in the early 1990s, growth in numbers of websites, user, and applications have been undeniable,” she said. “But more significantly, its influence has increasingly been felt in all aspects of our everyday lives.” She added that to date, the most dominant sites on the Web are user-intensive ones such as FaceBook, Flickr, Wikipedia and YouTube. “The Web has evolved from being merely a space where users passively gathered information into a cyber-community where people meet, interact, exchange ideas and contribute.” She hoped that by the end of the event, learners would gain a better understanding of what it means to teach and learn in the technology-dominated world of the 21st century. Dr. Annete Lagman, Vice Dean for Information and Educational Technology Services, said the event mainly aims to realize the importance of understanding how education needs to change in response to the new interactive, collaborative and creative nature of the cyberworld. The event marked the launch of a Professional Development Network that allows the program's graduates to become members of an IT club and hold monthly activities to further develop the use of technology by these women. Enaam Khayyat, Administrative Assistant of the Extension Program at the college, said literacy courses are very affordable. Around 150 women have gone through the program so far. Zenab Elghazali, English Coordinator from Dar Al Hanan School, said that they are at the symposium to introduce the latest technology and its applications to the students. “There is a major need of computer literacy workshops and network training in the Kingdom,” she said, adding that her school has specific internet services, so that if a student has missed a lesson, she can go into the internet and find it immediately. In his panel discussion, titled “Emerging Technologies and the Youth,” Baba Ali, from Ummah Films USA, said that it is all about clear communication. His discussion was appreciated due to his linguistic command and approach towards the rights of the youth. __
