Anton Hierharger, director of sales and marketing for Texas Instruments in the Middle East and North Africa, presents the main features of the TI-Nspire CX handheld and TI-Navigator interactive classroom management system during the press conference. Saeed Al Khotani Saudi Gazette
RIYADH – The global educational technology giant Texas Instruments (TI) launched here Sunday its Arabic edition of the TI-Nspire CX handheld and TI-Navigator interactive classroom management system. Speaking at the launch, Anton Hierharger, director of sales and marketing for Texas Instruments in the Middle East and North Africa, said: “Texas Instruments is delighted to announce the launch of the localized, Arabic version of the TI-Nspire CX handheld and TI-Navigator, here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” “The system has been proven to aid to both students and teachers in the fields of mathematics and science. Highlighting our on-going global commitment to advanced classroom technology, teacher professional development and local content, we hope that our delivery of this solution will support the Kingdom's wider education initiatives to move towards a more knowledge-based economy,” he added. Hierharger said the system is designed to improve the teaching of mathematics and science in classrooms around the world by creating a more interactive learning environment, proven to encourage student engagement with the aforementioned subjects. It is the first time such an advanced technological education solution has been made available in the Arabic language. He added that to provide the necessary support for use of the TI-Nspire CX handhelds in classrooms, Al-Kharj school district and Texas Instruments have also launched the first Regional Training Center in the Middle East. The center supports teachers in their professional development and training on how to use the TI-NSpire CX handhelds and TI-Navitagor can support learning in the classroom. Hierharger said the decision to host both the pilot and training center in the Kingdom highlights the importance Texas Instruments attaches to a successful rollout of its activities in a country which it considers as a pioneer in the field of education in the region, before it expands into other territories throughout the middle east providing state of the art education technology for the entire Arabic-speaking countries. The launch of the Arabic TI-Nspire CX handhelds follows the completion of a successful learning pilot in the Al-Kharj and Jeddah districts. Participating schools, students and teachers, welcomed the new technology, and have since acquired the TI-NSpire CX handhelds and Navigator systems for day-to-day classrooms use as an aid to teach and study math, physics, biology and chemistry and to stay on course with the national curriculum. Textbooks in Arabic supporting the curriculum, and providing learning content and exercises with the help of TI NSpire Technology, are provided by the local publisher Al Obeikan.
