"Edutainment" is the theme of the seventh Learning and Technology Symposium

This year's theme, "Edutainment: Technology for Learning and Life", is designed to incorporate concepts of recreation and entertainment into the educational process.

As an advocate for progressive education, Effat University has annually sponsored the Learning and Technology Symposium since 2002 in order to provide a forum for sharing expertise and ideas among educators, researchers and businesses in the area of educational technology.

Throughout last years, the symposium is attended by more than 500 people who come from different sectors focused primarily on Education and Technology.

"The impact of computers and information technology has moved far beyond science and engineering. It is changing how people interact with governments, with business and industry, with educational institutions, and with each other," said Dr. Annette Lagman, Vice Dean for Information and Educational Technology generally highlighted the significance of the symposium.

On the significance of the theme of this year's symposium she added,

"Learning is a process by which one acquires knowledge and skills for life. Studies have shown that motivation is a key factor in successful learning, and at the same time learners are more motivated when they enjoy the process. With these two ideas in mind many educators today recognize that in order to improve, they must address the question of how to make learning fun."

Previous symposia have focused on topics such as "Cyber Citizenship: Vistas and Visions", "Digital Literacy" and "Bridging the Digital Divide", and speakers have included, Dr. Farouq Al-Baz, Dr. Martina Roth (Director of Education, Intel Corporation), Mr. Reza Mahdavi (Vice President for Corporate Affairs, CISCO Systems USA), His Excellency Dr. Ousama Tayeb (President of King AbdulAziz University).