Doha – The Bon Education team is currently working on an initiative with the Qatar Supreme Education Council and Microsoft Partners in Learning to provide ongoing Arabic-language ICT professional development and coaching to educators working in classrooms with a 1-to-1 set-up. PD focuses on using ICT to promote digital literacy, project based learning, extending learning beyond the walls of the classroom, student motivation and communication between school stakeholders.

Bon Education co-founders, Anna and Chris Batchelder, along with K-12 Handhelds President Karen Fasimpaur, will be keynoting at the Global Education Conference, an online and free conference spanning multiple time zones and languages.  In an effort to engage attendees on the importance of edtech, Anna, Chris and Karen will discuss their recent involvement with P2PU School of Education pilot. The School of Ed provides an open model of community-based learning for those seeking professional development. Topics explored in the fall 2011 pilot included OER, Social Media for Deeper Learning and Differentiated Instruction, Writing and others. Login to the conference on November 17, 8 PM Dubai UAE time for the full session.

In partnership with Microsoft Partners in Learning, Bon Education is leading Arabic and English ICT Institutes for ministries of education and private schools throughout the GCC. The trainings focus on using social media, search, mapping and video to develop creativity and innovation amongst teachers and students. Bon Education developed the bilingual curricula for the Institutes and will be delivering workshops throughout the fall.

The Dubai School of Government and Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research just released the GCES 2011 Proceedings — highlighting recent developments in public and private education in the Gulf. Included in the Proceedings is a white paper by Bon Education CEO Anna Batchelder titled, “Education 2.0: Using Social Networking Tools to Promote Teacher Professional Development in Ras Al Khaimah”. To read a copy of the paper, click here.

Starting this fall, Bon Education will design the educational programming for Shelter Dubai. Mary Ames will be the lead education curator for the space. Shelter Dubai is a space providing a unique office infrastructure aimed at nurturing entrepreneurship within small businesses. Mary will design and oversee programs which will bring together entrepreneurs and industry professionals from all sectors to generate an interactive exchange of ideas and growth.

This fall Bon Education co-founders, Anna and Chris Batchelder, will be working on Peer 2 Peer University’s newest initiative – The School of Education (pilot).  P2PU is an open education project that knocks down the walls of the university and allows students to learn from one another for free. The School of Education looks to bring the model of open, community-based peer learning to professional development for K-12 teachers. Anna and Chris’ course will focus on providing these educators and administrators that wish to utilize web 2.0 and social media tools in the teaching process with the necessary skills and tools to achieve their goals.

Recently, the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi Foundation released a video that describes Bon’s involvement in the Ras Al Khaimah Teacher’s Network. The Teachers Network is an online community that serves as an edtech professional development program for teachers and those working in the education industry throughout the UAE to share lesson plans, best practices, and other education initiatives. Take a look at the video and share with us your thoughts!

May 2011: The National, Abu Dhabi’s media company’s English newspaper, recently featured a piece about our involvement with Ras al Khaimah’s Teacher’s Network. Bon Education was commissioned by Ras al Khaimah’s Teaching Network to create an interactive platform for teachers to share best practices.  Teachers exchange ideas about lesson plans, student engagement, and technology integration through the online platform and have found the tools to be extremely helpful in the teaching process.

April 2011: CEO of Bon Education, Anna Batchelder, was recently invited to speak at the Global Edtech Forum regarding social media practices in education. The main focus of the presentation was to draw attention to Bon Education’s experiences researching and implementing technology in education projects across the Gulf. Blogging, social networking, and wikis are all extremely beneficial tools in promoting and engaging both students and teachers. Anna shared based practices, tips, and future opportunities. ]]> http://boneducation.com/2011/04/20/bon-at-the-global-edtech-forum/feed/ 0 http://boneducation.com/2011/04/09/guest-lecture-at-tc/ http://boneducation.com/2011/04/09/guest-lecture-at-tc/#comments Sat, 09 Apr 2011 15:35:30 +0000 admin http://boneducation.com/?p=462

Anna Batchelder, CEO of Bon Education, lectured on international development and education in the Middle East to a group of Columbia University Teacher’s College students.  The seminar focused on both the challenges and opportunities of using social media as an educational tool in the Middle East.  Social media and collaborative technologies have great potential to increase engagement and learning for students, teachers administrators and parents, but how do you harness this potential?  Strategies for working an a global education consultant were discussed.