Update from Microsoft:Bill Gates Announces Microsoft Partnerships Aligned to Arab Region Quest for Social and Economic Development

Bill Gates Announces Microsoft Partnerships Aligned to Arab Region Quest for Social and Economic Development. IT News. Online January 2008. . ... Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates highlighted the transformative power of education and the critical role public-private partnerships and information and communication technology (ICT) play to create a strong, vibrant economy across the (MENA) region. … announced a partnership with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Foundation to enhance research and knowledge creation in the Arab world; the results of a new study by IDC underscoring the impact of ICT on the region's economy; and a renewed five-year commitment to the Partners in Learning programme that aims to significantly expand its impact worldwide, reaching up to three times as many students, teachers and schools. …

Tops and Bests: Ten Top Tech Trends

Ten Top Tech Trends: Technology & Learning’s look at the major issues, products, and practices of the day. Susan McLester. Technology & Learning. Online January 2008.

Online Event: Economist Online Debate.

Economist Online Debate. Proposed: “The house believes that social networking technologies will bring large [positive] changes to educational methods, in and out of the classroom.” Online debate Jan 15-25, 2008. …the current proposition (and upcoming debate) … puts technology itself on trial, and the debate is sure to raise questions that extend far beyond the discipline of education, including: how must we adjust our lives now that technological interaction is increasingly replacing face-to-face communication? Is electronic social networking a valuable tool or merely a distraction? Should we proceed with caution when implementing new technologies, or should we focus on the positive changes that arise from increased electronic connectivity?

Informative Reading:UNESCO Launches ICT Competency Standards for Teachers

UNESCO Launches ICT Competency Standards for Teachers. All Africa. Online January 2008. ...UNESCO guidelines for teachers to use information and communication technology (ICT) to improve education was yesterday presented to Education Ministers from more than 100 countries, and to the press, at the Moving Young Minds Conference in London. … Developed in cooperation with Cisco, Intel and Microsoft, as well as the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), the ICT Competency Standards for Teachers have been designed to help educational policy-makers and curriculum developers identify the skills teachers need to harness technology in the service of education. … a tool that will help policy makers and teacher training developers plan their use of information and communication technologies," the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, said. "These standards consist of modules that will help trainers prioritise their needs and design training curricula adapted to specific requirements and resources…

ICT Competency Standards for Teachers: Policy Framework. 15 pages http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001562/156210E.pdf

ICT Competency Standards for Teachers: Modules. 13 pages http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001562/156207e.pdf

ICT Competency Standards for Teachers: Implementation Guidline v 1.0. 17 pageshttp://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001562/156209E.pdf

Predictions for 2008: Technologies on the rise in 2008

Technologies on the rise in 2008: Predicting technology trends can be a difficult business. BBC. Online January 2008. A number of technologies have exploded throughout 2007, from Facebook and the iPhone to the Nintendo Wii. … making the headlines over the next 12 months? 1. The web to go. 2. Ultra mobile PCs 3. IPTV 4 Wimax 5. Mobile VoIP. …