20th Annual iEARN Conference Kicks Off at QNCC

Doha, July 01 (QNA) -The 20th Annual iEARN (International Education and Resource Network) International Conference and 17th Youth Summit, organized by Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), got off to an awe-inspiring inauguration at the iconic Qatar National Convention Center, on Monday. The inauguration of the first-ever iEARN event in the Gulf took place in the presence of HE Mohammed Abdul Wahed Ali Al Hammadi , Minister of Education and Higher Education, Kenjiro Monji, the ambassador of Japan to Qatar, IEarns executive board members, ROTA Executive Director, Essa Al Manaai and an august assembly of local, regional and international dignitaries, including 500 teachers, students and specialists in information technology from more than 50 countries, as well as a number of representatives of various media organizations. "This event reflects the best platform for the convergence of the world around education, the main pillar of communities growth and development. This conference meets the aspirations of the leadership of our country, represented by HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, and we look forward to seeing our youth's ambition translated in our nation-building", said HE Al Hammadi giving the opening speech of the event. "The participation of the Supreme Council for Education (SEC) in this important conference reflects the Council's keenness to support all initiatives that serve the cause of education, and prepare all needed plans to reach new horizons, and enable our young with the necessary educational tools to face future challenges", HE the Minister added. HE Al Hammadi also said "As part of his plans and initiatives in this field, the SEC has launched several programs including the e-learning program, which provides technology services to all parties in the educational process (teachers, students and parents), as well as the service of personal talks, that provides communication channels promoting continuous communication between students and teachers. As well, the SEC in Qatar offers the students a free and safe e-mail access to be used in the educational process". The theme of this year's conference is ICT for Education: Reaching Out, Building Bridges, and will focus on the use of technologies in education to reach out, learn and build a better world together. The opening session included interesting words for each of Arhama Al-Kaabi, Director of Development and care staff at RasGas, the conference golden sponsor, and Dr. Dalia Khalil and Mr. Tony Casires, members of "IEarn" Executive Board. The session was followed by a Qatari cultural show that reflected the Art and musical heritage of Qatar, presented to a multicultural audience. ROTA Executive Director Essa Al Manaai welcoming the assembly said, "The iEARN International Conference is indeed timely as it comes at an important moment, a time when more and more people around the world are taking interest in Qatar. We are proud to host this landmark forum that aims to increase cooperation and coordination, which are crucial imperatives if we are to advance the use information and technology to empower the youth." Terming the IEARN conference historic, Al Manaai said, "It is through gatherings such as this, that the youth of the world will gain the skills necessary to become the leaders of our communities, our cities and our countries". While underling the importance of the iEARN summit, He said that ROTA as the sole representative for iEARN in Qatar since 2008, has been supporting iEARNs objectives of improving learning and teaching, and arouse civil awareness and responsibility. "At ROTA, we have always believed strongly in the use of technology to develop education and promote global collaboration and debates. For this, the model promoted by ROTA through iEARN is providing the youth of today with the tools and skills necessary for them to actively participate in the economic, social, human and environmental pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030," Al Manaai added. Calling upon the educators and students to take advantage of the conference, Mr. Al Manaai said a unique event, as this summit, adds to the knowledge, experiences and skills of this generation, who needs to acquire and develop qualities continuously, so as to be up to the international standards and international students. "By hosting the 2013 iEARN Annual Conference, iEARN-Qatar hopes to create thought-provoking and information-sharing occasions for all iEARNers as well as educators for a better quality of education" concluded Al Manaai. The Supreme Education Council is the official partner of the 6-day iEARN conference while RasGas is the Golden Sponsor and Qatar Vinyl Company, the Bronze sponsor. The summit is open to all educators and students already involved in iEARN as well as those interested in the field of ICT for Education. The conference program will offer 8 plenary sessions, 2 panel discussions, and more than 90 workshops and presentations. In addition, there will be an exhibition for students and teachers to showcase their projects, or present about their cultures. ROTA has also assembled world- renowned speakers like Dr. Essam Heggy, Dr. Mohamed Ally, Peter Copen, Dr. Judi Harris and Julie Lindsay, who will address the conference. These speakers are pioneers in their field and their speeches will be a defining moment for every educator and student present at the conference. The conference is expected to dwell on topics such as environment, cultural diversity and the use of Information and Communication Technologies in the classroom will be taken up at the conference. Educators and students will be able to attend plenary sessions, deliver or attend a variety of workshops to further develop their knowledge and skills, share experiences, discover innovative ways to use ICTs, and connect with their peers across the world. iEARN is a non-profit organization made up of over 30,000 schools and youth organizations in more than 130 countries. iEARN empowers teachers and young people to work together online using the Internet and other new communications technologies. Over 2,000,000 students each day are engaged in collaborative project work worldwide. The first iEARN International Conference began in 1994 when iEARN teachers came together physically in Argentina. After that it became an annual event and the last iEARN conference was held in Taiwan in 2011.(END)