Smart Classrooms Need 'Smart Teachers'
A top UAE based educator said this week that he believes not all teachers in the country are adequately equipped to use technology in the classroom.
Dr Ali Al Nuaimi, director-general at Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) was speaking at the British Education Training and Technology Middle East, a two-day exhibition and workshop.
According to UAE newspaper, Gulf News, Dr Ali Al Nuaimi, told attendees, “in the UAE, we are blessed with easy access to technology and an abundance of smart devices. But a smart classroom has to be driven by smart teachers.”
“Teachers need to understand that there is a generation gap. Today’s children know and understand advanced technology better than they do. So it is up to educators to catch up with them, and then use these smart devices to make learning enjoyable and engaging,” he said.
Dr Ali Al Nuaimi, told the group it was simply not sufficient for teachers to turn worksheets into files and expect students to be engaged.
“Some institutions deliver content to pupils using tablets and pages, but such technology use is not worthwhile because it does not engage children. Our educators need to make learning so much fun through smart devices that children simply want more, just as they wait for the arrival of the next smartphone,” he explained.
He went on to note that for the UAE to become a top knowledge-based economy, as planned, it is the education sector that will form the foundation of the transformation.
