UAE schools turn to notebooks instead of books

Speaking at a seminar during GETEX, the region's leading education exhibition and trade fair, representatives of Academia Management Solutions International (AMSI) said schools in the region were actively exploring the latest teaching technologies that combined fun and learning to educate students.

AMSI, which officially launched in the UAE yesterday, is a keen advocate of Notebooks for Books (N4B) and self-paced learning. N4B, a fully-integrated network in which teachers communicate directly with students via their laptops, is already in place at Al Mawakeb Schools in Al Garhoud and Al Barsha, the International School Koura in Lebanon and the International School of Arts and Sciences in Al Warqa, Dubai. All of the schools fall under the management of AMSI.

Self-paced learning technology is a natural progression from N4B, using networking technology to provide users with the ability to learn anywhere, anytime and at a pace that suits their individual skills, knowledge and aptitudes.

Speaking at the forum, Adonis Nasr, CEO, AMSI, said,

"AMSI is committed to using technology to enhance the learning experience, and we believe self-paced learning represents a real leap forward in e-learning. The programme allows students of different levels to co-exist in the same class, ensuring the abilities of one student will not affect the learning schedule of others. The teacher's role will be to guide the students in their selection of courses and answer questions on specific topics."

AMSI is an academic management consultancy firm with AED10 million in paid-up capital. The company has signed an agreement to provide services to a number of schools in Dubai, with plans to pursue further opportunities in the region and internationally.

Having already formed strategic partnerships with international institutions, including INTEL and Xerox, AMSI aims to boost educational standards in the region and raise the bar in ICT applications.