DUBAI – At the Gulf Education Supplies and Solutions (GESS) exhibition in Dubai, Ali Alkarni, Ph.D., director general of the Arab Bureau for Education in the Gulf States (ABEGS), and Brian Lewis, CEO of the International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE), jointly announced a new program that will prepare educator-mentors in the Gulf states. The program is designed to provide sustainable support and training to classroom teachers on the effective use oftechnology and digital resources for learning. Created in collaboration with ABEGS, this new certification program, the ABEGS/ISTE Standards Coaching Certification Program, will be offered by ISTE faculty. Educators who participate will learn strategies and gain knowledge about how to prepare teachers throughout the Gulf States for digital age teaching and learning. At the completion of the program, participants will be certified as coaches (mentors) to train other educators on how to implement the ISTE Standards. “Teachers are the focus of our work. Investing in technology will not enhance learning unless teachers are equipped with pedagogical skills so that they can meaningfully integrate technology into instructional strategies in their classrooms. We believe ISTE is in the best position to help deliver this vision,” said Alkarni. Beginning in 2014, ISTE faculty will lead two, three-day workshops for Gulf Region, followed by virtual professional development. Participants will demonstrate their learning through assessments to earn an ABEGS/ISTE Standards Coaching Certificate, qualifying them to facilitate the ISTE Standards Teacher Training programs in their home countries or regions. ISTE CEO Lewis said “we're honored to be collaborating with ABEGS on this multiyear effort to train a new cadre of educators to lead a transformation of learning and teaching across the region. This new professional learning program is uniquely designed to help aspiring teacher coaches fully implement the ISTE Standards in a modern, digital learning environment.” Gulf States educators who complete the certification program will se the ISTE standards as a foundation for education technology; build their knowledge and skills for integrating technology in a pedagogically; sound way using ISTE Standards for Students and ISTE Standards for Teachers; learn how to assess proficiency of skills via demonstrations and assignments; and be able to deliver the ISTE Standards Training for Teachers to educators in their home countries. The program is being piloted in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Republic of Yemen, Kuwait, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman and Qatar. Upon completion, participants will be prepared to lead professional learning in their own countries using the ISTE Facilitators' Guide in Arabic. Introduced in 1998, the ISTE Standards are the definitive framework used by educators around the world to successfully implement digital strategies to support learning. They foster the transformation of learning and teaching in our connected world and identify what it means to function in today's technology powered world. More than guidelines, the standards are a beacon for students and educators as they navigate digital learning environments. – SG
