The Gulf Education and Training Exhibition (Getex) has signed a memorandum of understanding with International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

The MoU is aimed at hosting the Global Forum on Technology and Innovation in Education from April 1-3, 2008, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC).

The forum will provide a world-class professional learning opportunity for teachers, faculty members, educational leaders, technology leaders and policy makers in GCC schools, colleges and universities.

Held in conjunction with the Getex – Educational Equipment and Technology Exhibition in Dubai, the conference programme will include leading policy makers, institutional leaders and innovative classroom practitioners from across the region and around the world to share their vision, expertise and enthusiasm for improving education through the use of information, communication and learning technologies.

“Technology is transforming the educational landscape, offering new opportunities and challenges for educators and learners alike. It is a powerful tool for facilitating the acquisition, distribution and exchange of information in brand new ways. Technology-using educators can generate rich content that can be delivered and interrogated through multiple channels. ISTE believes that the Middle East is on the cusp of widespread changes in ICT-mediated education delivery, and is delighted at the prospect of holding the event in a region where technology uptake cycles and implementation times are highly compressed,” said US-based ISTE Chief Executive Officer Don Knezek.

The Global Forum on Technology and Innovation in Education will combine two and a half days of intense learning and productive professional networking for delegates and educators across the GCC and beyond, and will explore the increasing role of technology in the educational sector.

“There is a clear market need for exploring the application and potential of technology in the education sector that the Global Forum on Technology and Innovation in Education will help address. Getex has already established itself as a definitive platform for the education sector in the Middle East, and its tie up with ISTE will bring international resources together with regional expertise in an event that will chart new ground in technology-mediated education delivery,” said IC&E Managing Director Anselm Godinho.

With over 70 international affiliates and a membership base spanning 87,000 educators internationally, ISTE is the world’s premium association for educators and policy makers engaged in improving teaching and learning through the effective use of technology in education.

ISTE annually hosts the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in the USA. The event is considered the world’s premier worldwide conference for technology-using educators, drawing presenters and participants from sixty countries.

The Global Forum on Technology and Innovation in Education being organised by ISTE and Getex has already obtained the support of leading education policy makers and education infrastructure developers from the region’s public and private sectors. – TradeArabia News Service