Dell hosts Middle East education sector roundtable on role of IT in education at Gitex

The open discussion forum also showcased the company's education products and services alongside education application partner SunGard.

The roundtable focused on the many benefits of effective IT in education. Using new technologies, educators can make informed decisions that can lead to better time management, streamlined online testing and personalized student information via student unique identification numbers used to check their grades, assignments and test dates.

The conversation also addressed how better access to information from data warehouses can help teachers create their own improved learning resources to improve student outcomes.

Josh Claman, Vice President and General Manager of Dell's Public business unit in Europe, Middle East and Africa, commented:

"The methods by which students learn today are different to that of past generations. Today's students are more connected to each other and the world around them than ever before. They are the connected generation, yet they typically must digitally disconnect when entering the classroom. To reach these students and prepare them to work in the digital world, we must work together to transform how learning happens."

Claman added, "Educators have a tremendous opportunity to leverage technology to develop the 21st century skills students need to be successful, productive members of the future workforce. We are teaching the connected generation, so by integrating technology into the classroom across all levels, education institutions can offer better, more effective instruction that can contribute to the overall performance of the students and differentiate education organizations from their competitors, regardless of whether they are publicly or privately run."

One example of how Dell technology is benefitting the education sector is the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) in the U.A.E. Using Dell's PowerEdge M-Series blade server, combined with other data center equipment, and ERP and learning management applications, HCT students not only gain access to the most up-to-date information and communications technology, the institute is able to reduce both power and cooling costs while increasing server capacity.

Another customer, Hasith Panditharatne, ICT Manager for the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, said, "We are impressed with the design and functionality features of Dell's servers, storage and client products. A lot of engineering excellence has gone into building those products that provide the reliability, performance and scalability we need. In fact, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland have chosen to standardize on Dell thanks to its commitment towards customer satisfaction."

During the session, Dell was able to present its education solutions, including the Latitude 2100 netbook and ProSupport services. Influenced by the needs of primary education students, Dell Latitude 2100 netbook present educators with the opportunity to enhance lessons and boost time management. The Latitude 2100 has unique features for schools like bright primary colors and a more rugged, 'rubberized' design that is easier for children to carry and use safely. It also offers wireless connectivity that can be monitored by the teacher with a Network Activity Light on the netbook lid. An optional touchscreen is a first for an education netbook and makes the Latitude 2100 a perfect choice for enhanced student interaction, assessment, and for special education teaching.

IT services and support challenges were also raised during the discussion. For both schools and universities in the Middle East, sometimes the biggest IT challenge is not having the necessary staff to support systems continuously. Dell's ProSupport for End-Users is a hardware support service from Dell which helps educational institutions enhance productivity by providing 24 hour telephone and online support for their hardware, as well as advice on getting started with applications, including Norton AntiVirus, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Small Business Server, Intuit QuickBooks, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Acrobat.

In order to deliver industry-leading education solutions, Dell has partnered with companies such as SunGard, Moodle and Blackboard Inc., to offer a well-rounded portfolio.

Dell's SunGard Higher Education Partnership led to the creation of the Unified Digital Campus Test Centre that offers customers interoperability testing between SunGard Higher Education applications and Dell hardware configurations based on Dell PowerEdge servers. Customers are able to conduct hardware performance testing on servers for Linux and Windows operating system environments, as well as test and validate reference architecture configurations upon which to build or expand a unified digital campus.

Hand in hand with Blackboard Inc., a leading Internet infrastructure company for e-Learning, and Course Management System provider Moodle, Dell can also help provide its education customers in-class instruction and the opportunity to create online courses.