A student checking his robot at the GESS Dubai Event at Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai on Tuesday, 01 March 2016.
Dubai - Education's future is here: It's robots, motion sensors.
Published: Wed 2 Mar 2016, 8:19 PM
Updated: Thu 3 Mar 2016, 7:33 AM
As education in the UAE gets smarter and as more classrooms are being fitted with smart boards and cascading screens, technology developers are predicting that the future of education lies in augmented reality, robotics, and motion sensor technology.
"The future of classrooms in the UAE is very exciting. It can be anything ... Smart boards and the current available technology in classrooms are essentially just the beginning," said Audai Altaie, regional director of sales, Middle East and North Africa for LG. "In comparison to other countries in the region, the UAE is still heavily investing into the education vertical."
According to him, educators in the UAE have grown out of the timetable format of learning, and children are being encouraged to innovate and invent.
Altaie spoke to Khaleej Times at the Global Educational Supplies and Solutions (GESS) and Global Education Forum (GEF) that opened on Tuesday in Dubai.
Organised by the Fand E Group in partnership with the Ministry of Education, this is the ninth edition of the Middle East's biggest education event. Over 500 exhibitors from over 35 countries are exhibiting at the three-day event.
The event will be on at the New Zabeel Halls (4-6) of the Dubai World Trade Centre until March 3.
Smart boards and classrooms, cascading screens, intelligent touch boards, robots, and similar projects were some of the most prominent products and exhibits at the show.
Augmented reality
Speaking about the introduction of augmented reality in school classrooms, Ahmed Ameen Ashour, education sector lead, Microsoft Gulf, said: "One of the technologies we have been focusing on is augmented reality. We started this with Kinect and then came up with XBOX and have lots of educational applications for it.
"We believe it is a more interesting way for students to have more physical activity and interact with the games. We are very much focusing on how gaming can assist in educating students, and help excite students to actually learn and do more."
Ashour said that with the use of augmented reality, students can be put in many scenarios and environments that they might not have access to. Like for example, a space expedition.
"They can transcend reality, go back in time and learn about history through augmented reality ... I would like to highlight Minecraft which is a learning tool. With thousands of classrooms in more than 40 countries already using Minecraft in the classroom, its Education Edition will build on that early success to go even further."
Intelligent screens
Intelligent screens were a prominent feature at the exhibition. LG showcased a new age fitted out classroom that sets a new benchmark in smart education, according to Altaie. Companies like LG have adopted the "flipped learning" pedagogical model that is rapidly being integrated into various schools across the UAE.
The smart screens are 84-inch 10-point built-in touch ultra HD display. "All of the data that the child needs to access to is on cloud ... In the future, I believe children will also use 3D and 4D models for learning," he added.
"Governments in the region are focusing on implementing smart technologies across educational institutes, introducing smart learning and ultimately improving student's education," said Ravinder Kumar, general manager, business solutions at Sharp Middle East and Africa. "The Classroom Management Solution are now allowing teachers to effectively control student devices, stream videos, teach graphic-intensive subjects, share content and even software to students in real time," he added.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com
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