• Home
• /
• Education

Intel helps educators ride innovation wave

Company focuses on ‘maker programmes’ to inspire creativity

Education remains a key sector for any country which aspires to bring in innovation and Intel is pioneering this in many countries globally. The Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region is no exception to this wave of massive change, a top official of Intel affirmed.

Recently, Intel donated 100 Galileo boards to Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) and participated in the Innovator Abu Dhabi 2015 conference. The Innovator conference showcased live demonstrations, interactive workshops and signature innovations developed by hundreds of talented individuals.

Manar Al Hammadi and Hasna Saif from the HCT showcased their robotic arm that is controlled by a mobile application, which  taps into the mobile phone sensors (precisely the accelerometers and proximity sensors) to control the arm’s movement.

Nassir Nauthoa, general manager, GCC, Intel, told Khaleej Times: “We are dedicated to extending the benefits of Intel technology to all facets of computing and to an even wider range of developers, whether it is a student, a hobbyist or a professional designer.

“From the education sector perspective, Intel supports a range of maker programmes that help inspire creativity, enthusiasm for learning and invention with Intel technology among makers and students.”

 

Devices in classrooms

The education sector in the GCC is expected to increase its device utilisation to 100 per cent in the coming two years, according to a study by IDC. The ‘Role of Technology in the Education Sector’ report reveals a seismic shift from personal computers to tablets. The latest figures of the survey show the education sector accounted for 10.3 per cent of all tablet shipments to the Middle East in the first half of 2014, up from 2.2 per cent for all of 2013.

“We found that over 90 per cent of the educational institutes interviewed utilise laptops, tablets and 2-in-1 (devices). The GCC’s education sector is witnessing significant growth. A focus on delivering quality education has driven institutions to adopt technology at every level,” said Frederico Carvalho, Intel’s regional business director for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META).

“Education is a fundamental right for everyone and technology opens doors to opportunities, which is why we are going over and above with initiatives to understand the GCC educational environment.”

The company spends $100 million across the world in 70 countries every year on education.

 

Intel Teach

The Intel Teach programme is now active in nine countries in the Mena region. It offers teachers proven professional development supporting 21st century skills. Intel Teach courses promote student-centered approaches and help teachers engage students in deeply relevant ways, with appropriate use of technology for learning, creativity and communication.

Intel Teach is the largest, most successful programmes of its kind. Through this programme, the company has taught more than one million teachers in the Arab world over the past 10 years.

sandhya@khaleejtimes.com