Educators from UAE join Microsoft at Global Educators Exchange (E2) Conference

Sunday 15 May 2016
Anthony Salcito, Vice President of Worldwide Education at Microsoft

Dubai - MENA Herald: As part of its ongoing international commitment to education, Microsoft hosted 2 sector professionals from UAE, during the company’s annual Educator Exchange (E2) conference, this year held on 8 to 10 March in Budapest, Hungary.
E2 is an annual three-day event recognizing and celebrating the achievements of educators who combined content, pedagogy, and technology in exemplary ways to prepare students for success. This event brought together 240 of the most innovative educators from 79 countries in Budapest, Hungary to share their expertise in integrating technology and pedagogy to transform education. Microsoft used the event to reiterate its commitment to making learning more engaging, citing the device-friendly Windows 10, Office 365 and a slew of next-generation tools, as peerless partners for educators looking for ways of fine-tuning learning processes.
The Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts chosen to attend the event included Tarek Qeshta, Ibn Al Haitham School Cycle 2, and Ronan MicNicholl from the Jumeirah English speaking school, were among the selected 92 Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) experts in the Gulf region. These are stand-out education professionals who have made a clear and pioneering contribution in their field, by establishing ground-breaking techniques, through the use of technology, for application in the teaching of students. Selection was done through a competition, on the basis of submitted portfolios and 02 teachers from UAE were among those selected.
“MIE experts who attended the conference work closely with Microsoft as part of ongoing efforts to upgrade classroom experiences,” said Ahmed Ameen Ashour, Education Lead. Microsoft Gulf. “These specialists are in frequent contact with us, sharing their vision for the future of education, so that Microsoft can continue to be an effective partner in helping educators achieve more. E2 is an opportunity for us to make clear just how critical educators’ feedback and support is, as we develop new and exciting tools for the modern classroom. But it also gives Microsoft the chance to teach the teachers – about what we have to offer them, as they work to reinvent the classroom.”
. The day-long event centred on discussions about how technology can best be harnessed in the classroom, to evolve the education process and better hold the attention of pupils. Brainstorming sessions were a major part of the event, and delegates referred to numerous projects in which Microsoft technology had been leveraged to allow teachers to achieve more.
“Through my experience in participating in E2, I gained invaluable information on important tools such as Office mix, Sway, OneNote and Office 365, which made me move to a new teaching experience and improve collaboration with colleagues.” Said Tarek Qeshta, Ibn Al Haitham School Cycle 2.
“E2 offered countless opportunities to collaborate and share ideas with teachers around with world. It inspired me to initiate an online collaborative project with a school in Wales using a combination of programs, including the Minecraft Education Edition beta, Skype and Office Mix. A big thank you to Microsoft for making this happen!” said Ronan MicNicholl from the Jumeirah English speaking school
The Educator Exchange is part of the Microsoft in Education initiative, which focuses on launching programmes aimed at bridging technological skills gaps for teachers and students. As part of Microsoft’s commitment to take the lead on development of more effective technology solutions, E2 attendees also got to participate in the “Learning Marketplace” event, in which experts and MIEs exhibited lesson plans and curricula developed using advanced technological tools. Free Microsoft Certification Exams also formed an integral part of the Educators Exchange.
The event culminated in the Global Educator Challenge awards, given to honour educators who have shown exceptional innovation in their fields and during the sessions held at E2. The awards are intended to further Microsoft’s commitment to the enhancement of education standards, by identifying true thought leaders who are transforming their learning environments.

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