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Experts train students the 'smart' way

Dubai - 53 GEMS Education students given crash course at Intel innovation lab

The computer keyboard, since its invention in the late 1960s, has not technologically evolved as much as its other hardware counterparts like the mouse or the monitor.
"It has stayed the same, with the exception of it becoming wireless ... and featuring other languages," said Kourosh Tabib Khoie, a 16-year-old Iranian student of the Dubai American Academy (DAA).
Khoie, along with his batch mates Mohamadou Belna Bah (16) from Sierra Leone and Lebanese national Hadi Ramlaoui (16), recognised the need for a 'smart' and personalised keyboard. That is how the 'Suberboard' came to be.
Suberboard is a smart keyboard that can be personalised according to your lifestyle.
"The idea struck me when my dad pointed the various limitations in the modern keyboard.This keyboard changes as per the applications you use, and is also touch sensitive," said Bah. Chipping into the conversation, Ramlaoui said that for an avid gamer like him, a customised keyboard is a necessity. "Keyboards with different languages also make it difficult for the end user... But the Suberboard can be adapted in your lifestyle," said Ramlaoui.
Khaleej Times caught up with the three boys from DAA at the Intel's Ignition Lab for the innovation of Internet of Things (IoT) at the Dubai Technology Entrepreneurship Centre in Dubai Silicon Oasis.
Over 53 students from across six GEMS Education Schools, including one from Saudi Arabia, were invited to the lab last week. The IoT is built around the idea of turning any device/object into a smart one by allowing it to communicate with other devices, via cloud services, and to produce data that can be used to increase value. The lab was launched in September 2015 and apart from schools, the lab will also collaborate with local companies to develop smart solutions.
Outside of the 'Suberboard', there was literally no shortage of innovative ideas from the young minds. The ongoing experiment aims at giving students first-hand exposure about this emerging industry and encourage them to think of various problems faced by mankind, and solutions to these problems.
The students were given a basic crash course into the world of robotics and smart-devices by Intel experts, after which, the participating students came up with several brilliant ideas, including a heating 'Thermal Regulator' that can control the temperature of water during the summer and winter months in Dubai.
Students of The Winchester School Muskaan Fatnani (15), Calvin Jason Francis (15), and Akshar Patel (16) were makers of the Thermal Regulator. Fatnani said: "It is an honour to be here.The opportunity is as such that I feel like I'm working for Intel. It's amazing."
Nassir Nauthoa, General Manager Intel Corporation Gulf Countries, said: "Globally market opportunities and solutions around IoT continue to gain more prominence." Nauthoa said that education has always been a key pillar in Intel's roadmap. He stated that the company has been working hard with Ministries of Education across the EMEA to make the education system more student-centric.
"We've had great success with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Smart Learning Programme and the Intel Teacher Learning Programme. However, innovation in education is more of a slow evolution. In the case of the UAE, there has been a real drive from Rulers to change the economy into a knowledge-based one and in that way, there has been heavy investment into technology," he said. Nauthoa also said that technology is a great enabler for teachers.
He said that with advancement in classroom management software, teachers are now able to monitor the performance of a child in a real-time format. Unlike previously, where teachers had to wait till the end of semester to gauge the student's performance.
Christine Nassenghodsi, the Innovation Leader at GEMS Education, said that it is a very exciting time for students now, with the traditional paradigm slowly shifting. "There is an across-the-board focus on the needs of a child, especially since data collection has become more real time," she said. Students are presented with excellent opportunities, such as the one at the IoT, giving them a first-hand learning experience into the new world.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com