Rapid Growth Expected In Educational Device Use
The UAE can expect rapid growth in both laptop and tablet use in schools, says a new Intel report.
According to the Gulf News, device utilisation in schools is expected to increase 100 percent over the next two years. Frederico Carvalho, regional business director at Intel Corporation said, "the trend is facilitating a drastic shift from teacher-centric teaching methods to learner-favoured styles across the GCC."
“We found that over 90 per cent of the educational institutes utilise laptops, tablets and two in one (laptop-tablet combo). The GCC’s education sector is witnessing significant growth and a focus on delivering quality education has driven institutions to adopt technology at every level,” he went on to say.
The report indicated that currently laptops are utilised for content creation, while tablets are preferred for younger children in kindergarten and primary essentially for reading and accessing applications.
The current usage split is approximately 60-40, with 60 per cent of students using laptops and 40 percent tablets.
Adriana Rangel, systems and infrastructure solutions director at IDC, said, "the GCC education sector is witnessing unprecedented growth and development owing to intrinsic drivers like government reforms for education, the rapid influx of expatriates, the development of the region as a knowledge hub, and a conscious effort to produce industry-ready graduates in the region that parallel the growth in certain key industries".
“Beyond the adoption of mobile devices through government initiatives and private sector investments, we have also observed acceleration in the adoption of private clouds,” she said.
The report also noted the fall in interactive whiteboard usage to less than 30 per cent of institutions, in favour of displaying teaching materials on LCD or LED panels that are connected to laptop or tablet devices.
