On The Road - There and Back Again
Graduate Adventures in the City of Merchants
by Dr Theo Lynn
Jun 6, 2009 (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
It's seven degrees in Dublin today; rainy and windy. It was 40 degrees yesterday...in Dubai. I have just returned from another trip to the Arab world but this time I brought six marketing graduate students - Eoin, Fiona, James, Linda, Neil, and Sarah (collectively know as "the Students"). Their two teams won the trip as part of an internal competition I held as part of an MMK Strategic Management module that I delivered last semester. Their prize was the result of their work on country profiles and integrated marketing communications campaigns prepared for the Arab Grid for Learning project. In January 2009, they presented to the Global Grid for Learning management team in Cambridge and thus from a snowy day in Cambridge they ended up in blistering sun on the edge of the Arabian Gulf.
Having seen their work and had the opportunity to spend an intensive few days with them, I would recommend these students to any employer. To paraphrase Mark Twain, rumours of the demise of the Irish education system has been exaggerated.
We departed on the redeye to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night. An overnight flight would not normally be a great start to any trip however Etihad provided an exemplary service, even in coach. My age (and possibly experience) is showing and while I got some sleep, the students were happy to avail of the extensive on-demand and personalisable entertainment system. The only complaints being the server was down and thus we couldn't try the multi-player games and chat system and there was no cash prizes for winning "Who wants to be a millionaire?".
Having landed in Abu Dhabi at 7.30am, a minibus brought us across the desert to Dubai. In the past, the desert may have slowly laid waste to various civilisations but it was clear that modern urban design was quickly extracting revenge. As we progressed towards Dubai, everything seemed to be under construction and the signs of this could literally be seen everywhere.
Our accommodation for the trip was the Habtoor Grand Hotel in Dubai Marina - although the Students had to share rooms, student accommodation in Dubai is somewhat better than European counterparts, at least on this trip! After a buffet breakfast, the Students checked out the resort and hit the beach while I, again showing my age, hit the sack.
Peter Finan, an Irish legal consultant with DLA Piper, organised our first meeting in Dubai. DLA Piper are one of the w0rld's largest legal services firms and are building their presence quickly in the region. Neil Isaacson, their Head of Marketing for the region, gave an excellent overview of their approach to marketing in the region which was given extra depth by Peter and Andrew Hodgman, one of the Partners. Their perspective on the critical success factors for their firm and the challenges of building brand presence in a market where legal services is still very nascent was enlightening. Commitment to the region, and not merely using a fly-in, fly-out model, cannot be overemphasised.
Peter joined us with Elle Demianos (Brookfield Multiplex) for dinner at the Mango Tree at The Dubai Mall, the world's largest shopping mall. Peter and Elle gave us a very good insight in to working and living in Dubai; a life they described as excellent but revolving around interaction with a largely ex-pat community.
The restaurant, with a thai fusion theme, looked out on the Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building and we were presented with a showstopping fountain display (25% bigger than the Bellagio) every half hour as entertainment. Later, Peter informed us that if we wanted to watch the Lions rugby match, Brian O'Driscoll, the Irish Captain, owned a bar near the restaurant. We declined but as we walked through the mall, it was clear that Dubai catered for every cultural or ethnic need, reflecting its diverse inhabitants.
Later as we ended the day with a drink (yes, they do serve alcohol in Dubai) at the hotel, we reflected on our first day - it was great but somewhat surreal. In his book, "The Condition of Postmodernity", David Harvey discusses the postmodern city with reference to the rise of historical eclecticism, multiculturalism, and spectacle. While it was clear Dubai was unique, it was not uniquely Arabic. Unlike Riyadh and even Doha, the architectural design was all very new and modern; while possibly inspired by traditional Arabic themes, it has more in common in with Manhattan or Los Angeles. In Riyadh and Doha, the minarets of mosques comingled with the modern in a subtle, unobtrusive but natural way, in Dubai this was missing. And while we saw people of every hue, we saw few Emirati. But there was spectacle, commercialisation and a lot of malls. If the postmodern city is the commercialisation of the built environment, then Dubai, the City of Merchants, is one.
Dervla Murphy, the Irish travel adventure writer, might think experiencing a culture, in itself, was the ultimate goal of travel. When over 80% of your population are ex-pats, that may be hard to achieve. But when your identity is highly correlated to ultra-luxury, the masses also increasingly expect celebrity. I would love to say that Dubai doesn't deliver on either but, you guessed it, in our case it did.
The morning started off with what could be described, at best, as a distracted breakfast. Neil, one of our team, is a stalwart Manchester United fan. While abhorrent to many, this is nothing unusual for an Irish soccer fan. However, if you asked Neil what his abiding memory of our trip to Dubai was, it will not be experiencing the educational objectives I so carefully planned, the ultra-luxury of the Barj Al-Arab, the architectural phenomenon of The Palm or the heat of the desert. No, it will be Ryan Giggs. Yes, readers, what made Neil's trip was that the venerable Welsh footballer was staying in our hotel. Could we leave the man have his breakfast in peace? No. We had to have proof. Neil charged over and yes, objective achieved walked back with Ryan's autograph. Dubai delivered. One satisfied student, five to go.
Our first meeting was only 5 minutes away. The Dubai Knowledge Village was launched in 2003, initially to support the nearby Media City and Internet City free zone business clusters. It is a self-sustaining knowledge business cluster with over 400 professional training and learning support organisations operating there including Manchester Business School Worldwide, the University of Wollongong in Dubai and the British Council. Our hosts, Ibrahim Moosa Jamel (Director, Business Development), Rania Rawass (Brand Manager) and their colleagues in events management and the business centre provided us with a detailed overview of the project and a tour of the facilities. The project is extremely ambitious however has already demonstrated a certain amount of success with over 12,000 students p.a. with its sister project Dubai International Academic City. It is a free zone so every partner located there has 100% ownership and operates on a tax free basis. Our hosts graciously answered our questions both about the project and marketing both Knowledge Village and their partners.
The tour was also informative as they seem to have provided for every student need including a 24/7 grocery store, a stationery store, a driving school, travel agent, barber/hairdresser, pharmacy, gym, food court and accommodation for students and visiting parents. We also visited their business centre, which acts as a business incubator unit, and their state-of-the-art ministerial-class conference centre which has been designed to cater for over 300 people. The fit-out throughout the facility was world class andwe could see how Knowledge Village could be an ideal initial site for an organisation in the region.
After the tour of Knowledge Village, our driver took us 30 miles, mostly in to the desert, to Dubai International Academic City (DIAC - pronounced D-I-A-C and not "DIACK" which means rooster in Arabic!). Unfortunately our driver got lost (despite a map) so the amount of time we could spend at this project was limited. Chindu Mohsin, one of the Account Managers, provided a good overview of the Dubai Strategic Plan and of Dubai Holdings and Tecom Investments, the companies that ultimately own both Knowledge Village and DIAC (and it would seem most of Dubai). The presentation was very well prepared and professional and we were all impressed with the ambition of the project and the scope of Tecom's operations. Michigan State University, Heriott-Watt, MAHE and c. 18 other higher education institutions. It is an extension of Knowledge Village and from September all HE institutions must locate at DIAC. I, personally, am uncertain of this strategy. Although the space and fitout of DIAC is excellent, it is still in the middle of the desert, away from the bright lights, big city feel of downtown Dubai where Knowledge Village is located. At this early stage of development, it lacked a community feel and I think it would be hard to persuade faculty to locate there other than on a fly-in, fly-out basis. Maybe in a few years.
On our way back to downtown Dubai, we were reminded that urban design does not necessarily equate to urban planning. We noticed a tailback of trucks for several miles - "who were they," we asked. "Sewage trucks", our driver replied. Enough said on that matter.
Enterprise Ireland's office in Dubai is located in the prestigious Monarch Tower, home of the eponymous hotel. David Hamill, Marketing Executive for the Middle East and North Africa, gave us an overview of Enterprise Ireland in the region and some insight in to business norms and Irish activity in the region. David is on the EI International Graduate Programme so the Students were interested in both EI and David's experience in Dubai and on the Programme. EI offer a wide range of support services to companies in the region and those thinking about entering it including organising meetings, local business networks, trade missions and providing hotdesk and temporary office space. There seems to be a lot of opportunity for Irish companies particularly in telecomms, construction, and ICT and EI have a goal of helping their clients generate over €35 million this year which they are on target to exceed. Again, the fly-in fly-out approach seems to be on the wane as demonstrating commitment to the region is a critical success factor. CR2, an Irish channel banking software company, has located it's CEO in Dubai to show this commitment and it is has worked out extremely well so far. On a personal basis, David echoed Peter and Elle in that he had hoped to meet more Emirati but most of his social life, while admittedly good, is centred around the ex-pat community. While we were impressed with the activity of Irish businesses in the region, we were surprised at how small EI's team and offices were. The Arab world represents a huge opportunity for Ireland, more investment is clearly needed.
Ironically, one of the best business lessons the Students experienced was afternoon tea at the Burj Al-Arab. Now, I know some will question the educational value of afternoon tea in an ultra-luxury hotel but as the ubiquitous "they" say "you can't talk the talk unless you walk the walk". The Burj Al-Arab is one of the architectural icons of the world and is considered one of the most luxurious hotels in the world. You cannot get past the security check-points without a reservation; you literally have to be on "the list" as a guest or diner. We weren't.
After waiting nearly 40 minutes in the searing heat, we were finally let through the gates and to cross over the bridge to the hotel. Once we entered the hotel, we were immediatly made to feel special, ultra-special. After explaining our situation, the Maitre'd apologised profusely and organised a table for us and starting with glasses of champagne, the next six courses flowed seamlessly for us. As we soaked in the atmosphere at the bottom of the world's tallest atrium and gazed out on to the panorama of Dubai from the Sahn Eddar lounge, I am sure the Students felt a lifetime away from exams and dissertations.
What can students learn from this? Firstly, to aspire to the best things in life, you must first experience them - this also applies to business. How can students be expected to manage or compete with such organisations without experiencing them as customers. Secondly, our own experience started off as bad customer service story which was turned around by the subsequent experience. I cannot tell you how frustrated and extremely hot we were by the time we finally got to our table however the staff at the restaurant not only apologise (several times) but gave us an unforgettable dining experience.
After freshening up back at our own hotel (and more Ryan Gigg spottings), we visited the Mall of the Emirates where the Students took me out for a dinner of arabic and lebanese food. This was an entirely enjoyable affair followed by a browse around the extremely busy mall where thankfully there were some Emiratis. It was strange seeing everyday European brands next to some of the world's most luxurious brands - expectations for the ignorant masses could be made. For example, we visited an Arabic perfume store which was again an interested experience in customer service. Every perfume seemed to be designed and made up there and then. After testing various scents, we asked the price - the equivalent of €1,000 per bottle...so much for that gift for the wives and girlfriends!
The visit to the Mall compounded my view of Dubai as a postmodern city - the mall, even at 11pm was extremely busy with the activity at hand, consumption. But what was truly surreal was Ski Dubai, an indoor ski resort created in a mall in the middle of the desert...it has trees, real snow...with us in our mall looking at the skiers in their winterwonderland. Maybe the decision-makers in Dubai took Baudrillard's "Desert of the Real" too far...
We finished the night over drinks in the Polo Bar of our hotel. Bizarrely, my watermelon juice cost nearly as much as a liquor! A busy day, a late night and as I left it looked like and even later one for the Students....
Our final day in Dubai began late. After sleeping in, we waited for a small bus to bring us to a Big Red Bus and we headed off to see the Atlantis Hotel on The Palm. While the Atlantis dominates the landscape, visiting The Palm is somewhat of a non-experience as really you need to be flying above it for effect. While genuinely fascinated by the concept, there seems to be a lot of building and few people on the beaches. The next hour of the tour really described architecture, malls and a series of car dealerships. Not ideal in over 40 degrees of heat.
The second half of the tour was more interesting and as we travelled around Dubai Creek, we could see that not everyone in Dubai lives in luxury and although the souks and environs add to the vibrancy, it felt more like India and the Far East than an Arabic country.
We disembarked the bus at the Abra station and rather than take the scheduled Dhow cruise, we haggled with an Abra driver to take us down river to the Spice and Gold Souks. This allowed a more unmoderated experience of Dubai and was quite refreshing as the Students waved at workers travelling down the river in similar fashion.
The Spice and Gold Souks differed dramatically from the sanitised experience of the malls in Dubai and we were vastly outnumbered by Asian workers and buyers.
Hawkers walk buy quickly listing more than a dozen watch brands in seconds while at the same time looking for some connection with you, seemingly through the language of international football - "You Irish? Roy Keane, Robbie Keane, Mick McCarthy"...the watch brands and Irish footballers blurred after awhile.
Fiona successfully haggled our first purchase, vanilla, as we perused the spices and "natural herbal remedies" in the stores. I am not sure whether the FDA had jurisdiction here but it was an amusing experience - no need for cosmetic surgery, the Spice Souk merchants can cure everything with some powder!
We continued our walk through the Gold Souk but didn't buy any of the eponymous gold, it was nearly "over gold" - very yellow. Possibly a good investment but not really our "taste". This is not to say that the group didn't buy anything else. James did manage to get a 60% discount by haggling for a gutra but whether this was good value, we may never know.
After lunch at yet another mall, we returned to relax at the hotel before our final dinner. It was Friday night, the International night for partying, and Dubai is no different. As we walked towards Dubai Marina, cruising is a sport there too...but only provided you have a sports car or SUV. No one was going anywhere fast and maybe that was the point. After some time, we settled on a mexican restaurant, celebrated Neil's birthday and reflected on the trip.
Everyone agreed the trip was worthwhile. We all agreed the vision and ambition of policymakers in Dubai is to be admired but were unsure whether it was good just for doing business. While here, we all began to appreciate the breadth and depth of Dublin for tourists however also could see the limitations from a business and development perspective. And may be that's a trade off Ireland can live with but maybe not.
To see more pictures, check out:
Trade Miss-ion
by Dr Theo Lynn
Apr 27, 2009 (Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
It’s 10pm and as the Irish Trade Mission to Saudi Arabia and Qatar (the “Mission”) moves on to Jeddah and then to Doha, I am getting ready to depart the Marriott for the airport and back home to Ireland. It has been a strange and largely frustrating two days.
I usually schedule my own meetings but had depended on Enterprise Ireland, as the Trade Mission organizer, to organize some new introductory meetings – it is their remit after all. This was not a successful arrangement. Apparently despite meeting with EI in Riyadh in March, normal support service is suspended during Trade Missions unless you pay a supplemental fee. Oh. Great.
As well as the itinerary difficulties, I was also surprised that DCU was the only University represented on the Trade Mission. Whether it is that the Irish IT (Institutes of Technology) sector are better organized or are perceived by Enterprise Ireland as a better bet in the region, the Irish University sector, individually and collectively, seem to be missing out on significant opportunities which are currently being pursued by the IT sector and private education sector nearly exclusively.
The first missed opportunity became apparent at Trade Mission Client Briefing on Sunday morning. A very informative speaker from Arab National Bank provided an overview of Saudi Arabia, trade opportunities and critical success factors. Unsurprisingly, the education sector was identified as a major opportunity. However, he also identified management and financial services education as a major opportunity for the Irish education sector. This was confirmed later by Enterprise Ireland through one of their meetings with the Institute of Banking in Riyadh. DCU has one of the leading financial services programmes in Ireland….
The second missed opportunity was the vocational sector. The Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) is a state-owned agency which funds and manages technical and vocational education in Saudi Arabia. Developing an educated indigenous workforce is critical for Saudi Arabia to reduce reliance on the expats that make up the bulk of their manufacturing workforce. Unfortunately, many of these workers have less than secondary level education. The demand for Saudi manufacturing workers will increase by 130,000 by 2014 and 600,000 by 2020. The TVTC has to provide the training programmes, infrastructure and educators to support this demand. To put this in to perspective, TVTC estimate that they will need to have c. 40,000 trainers in place by 2017.
So, how will TVTC do this? Currently, senior education staff and trainers are being trained in a number of countries including Ireland. Indeed, the IT sector in Ireland have over 200 students starting programmes in September 2009 and have regular short courses in the Summer scheduled to train management in technical institutes. Obviously, this is not enough. TVTC have also partnered with leading industry participants and nations to create education institutes. The former include General Motors, Yanbu, Bin Laden, and Saudi Aramco; the latter includes the Saudi Japanese Higher Institute for Automobiles.
I was fortunate to attend a group meeting and lunch with the TVTC. The TVTC made it extremely clear that they would like increased cooperation with Ireland to train and education more trainers and management, to develop new programs (business and engineering) in both Saudi and Ireland and to establish a Saudi-Irish Institute. While the meeting was notionally for the Institutes of Technology to sign formal agreements with the TVTC, the Tanaiste (presumably at the behest of Enterprise Ireland) invited me to make a short comment on DCU. It became apparent that they were not familiar with DCU which is unfortunate as this was a significant missed opportunity. Firstly, DCU is one of the only universities with TVTC students – students who came to us from the ITs. Secondly, we have existing programmes that TVTC management can avail of and therefore could expand the total capacity of courses that could be delivered to TVTC both in Saudi Arabia and Ireland. Thirdly, DCU has an existing research relationship with one of the industry sponsors of the TVTC institutes, Obeikan, which could have been used as an example of industry engagement. Finally, Ireland has an abundance of experience and research capacity that can be put to service in Saudi Arabia, if only Saudi decision-makers knew.
So where did all go wrong? For some reason, the University sector has been focused nearly exclusively on the King Abdullah Scholarship Programme while the IT sector has been focused on the TVTC sector. I believe this has resulted in missed opportunities for both sectors, missed opportunities that are probably being replicated throughout the Arab world. We revel in (and in our case envy) recruiting 200 students while missing the bigger picture. Irish institutions need to decide (a) whether they are truly committed to becoming a major players in education in the Arab world, (b) if so, whether they should take an institutional or sectoral approach, and (c) whether they are willing to invest the resources to establish the presence and structures in both in their institution and the Arab world over a long time horizon. This means looking beyond mere student recruitment for courses in Ireland.
So was the Trade Mission worth going on? Yes. Luckily, I was able to schedule my own meetings at short notice and invite my good friend and colleague, Dr. Ali Alhakami, to the reception to meet the Tanaiste. And ironically, I made some good contacts and identified some opportunities with Trade Mission participants. However, there is a lesson to be learnt – organize your own meetings – anything else is a bonus.
Thus endeth the lesson.
In Search of Creative Capitalism
by Dr Theo Lynn
Mar 19, 2009 (Doha, Qatar)
Sam and I are demonstrating Global Grid for Learning at ICTD 2009 in Doha, Qatar. As academic conferences go, it was somewhat strange with a very specific multi-layered pecking order - on which we were clearly just above the bottom! But more on that anon.
Doha was a very different experience to Saudi Arabia and Jordan. There is grass, sea and sand and it seems quite liberal. Doha has managed to preserve it's traditional architecture while developing the new. Modern architecture challenged the horizon but was not offensive and some indeed, were very impressive. We were staying in the Intercontinental Hotel which, although surrounded by a construction site, was a generally positive experience although the Arab propensity for buffets is doing my weight no good!
- Keynote Presentations
- Papers selected for oral presentations
- Papers selected for poster presentations
- Workshops
- Panels
- Demos accepted for proceedings and presentation
- Demos accepted for presentation only
- Demos corresponding to oral or poster presentations
- Conference attendees
- Keynote Presentation attendees
While we were very late in submitting our extended abstract, we were both surprised that we were accepted for only a demo presentation. Our project is both substantial and significant and the feedback on the abstract did not give much guidance or justification for the designation. Having attended and reviewed other presentations at the event, we still remain confounded by the decision. As it turned out, it was not an insignificant decision as we got less space and virtually no opportunity to present to the wider audience of participants in one sitting. As demo presenters, we were expected to be at our presentations during breaks and meal times with the carrot that dignatories, including Bill, would visit on their walkaround.
But back to the event. ICTD2009 was held in the Carnegie Mellion University campus in Qatar's Education City. The facilities were literally palatial and clearly build for a future capacity. Education City was some distance from our hotel and we had been warned about unreliable taxis so used the car service at the hotel. Although this seems extravagant, it was not the expensive in European terms and was predictable. For some reason, all the cars were Jaguars with Philipino drivers - we weren't complaining!
The presentations were held in a large hall-cum-atrium. They largely confirmed my suspicions that there are a lot of ICTD (ICT for Development) pilots but success stories that are replicable platforms are limited. The panelists generally agreed that a greater focus on a quicker turnaround of research and more emphasis on evaluation were needed. If there was a focus in the demos, it would probably be mobile learning but, I like others, am suspicious of the degree to which you can accomplish higher order education with such a limited display on the low end mobile phones used in the developing world.
But what about Bill? Bill was good. I was impressed. He was very generous with his time and spoke largely without presentation aids and answered seemingly random questions from the audience. You can see his presentation here. Bill was introduced by Dr. Raj Reddy (someone I would have paid to hear from) and like us, it seems that it was Bill's first trip to Qatar too. Bill reiterated what those of us who have visited the Arab world, and particularly the GCC countries, cannot but help be impressed by - the GCC countries are really investing in their future and in particular in education and health. I found his discussion of the need for Creative Capitalism to encourage corporations to engage in markets which might not otherwise be prioritised stimulating. Why? Because he is walking the path. He didn't come and preach about how technology is the answer. He empahsised that technology is merely a tool, a powerful tool, but a tool nonetheless; it can't solve all problems (a theme reiterated by Dr. Carlos Braga of The World Bank the following day). He called for a (i) lot more exploratory projects, (ii) clear measurement of benefits, and (iii) interdisciplinary teams. Projects are catalytic so are important for wider innovation and change.
Did he mention any specific projects - a couple. He likes the Kindle and can see how when it (or a competing device) has color, interactivity and more software tools if could be used as a force for change. He also mentioned Digital Green - an initiative for sharing information to farmers using video. He recognised the hype around mobile telephony and while he cited good examples of how the mobile phone (and digital cameras on mobile phones or discretely) can be used for governance (Poverty Action Lab) and financial services (M-PESA), he expressed some limitations in education due to functional design.
Was there some good networking? Yes and no. We met a number of senior executives from Qatar Foundation and ICTQatar, which we will pursue projects but unfortunately the peers we met were largely from everywhere but the Arab world.
Is Doha worth visiting? Definitely. The Souk is very friendly and the restaurants serve a variety of local and international cuisine...although the entertainment in the restaurants seemed to be beamed from space and time from a 1960's Indian cabaret show (see picture). Doha has a good mix of the new and the old, it will be interesting to see whether this can be preserved.
My alternative St. Patrick's Day - ELI 2009
by Dr Theo Lynn
Mar 18, 2009 (Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
This year I had a different St. Patrick's day, free of parades, shamrocks and Irish dancing. With Dr. Ali Alhakami,Sam and I presented a paper on the Arab Grid for Learning at ELI 2009, the First International Conference on e-Learning and Distance Learning, in Riyadh.
The conference focus was on how to effectively use advanced technologies to develop educational content and educational tools and raise generate awareness of educational technologies. It was held in the al-Faisaliah hotel, an ultra-luxury hotel in downtown Riyadh. The opening was unlike any other academic conference I have been to. The conference had three main conference rooms. The main room was the Grand Hall which had capacity for over a thousand people; there were two additional rooms that held 100-150 people. All the rooms were video recorded and broadcast on screens in the atrium and at the Expo area. There was a separate room for ladies where all presentations were simulcast.
As presenters, we sat at the front of the Grand Hall for the opening of the conference by His Excellency, Dr Khalid bin Mohammed Al Anqari, Minister of Higher Education. Believe it or not, we sat on sofas and had arabic tea, dates followed by green tea served to us as we listened to the opening using headsets with translators. The opening was no simple affair with readings from the verses from the Holy Quran as well as opening remarks from various dignatories. This high level of hospitality was the norm for the entire event.
Our paper,"The Arab Grid for Learning: A Model for System-Wide Resource Sharing and Services", was scheduled for the Grand Hall. This was a surprise as the Grand Hall seemed to be exclusively for Arabic papers. Other presenters, with whom we were familiar, were scheduled at the same time but in panel sessions in the smaller rooms. It would seem that as Dr. Ali was on the paper, it seem to have been assumed that Dr. Ali would deliver the paper in Arabic by himself. As such, the panel had been set up to accommodate only one speaker from our paper. In fairness to the organisers, they adapted quickly and additional chairs and a translator were found. There were a couple of hundred people present and we were up first. Basically, it wasn't out finest presentation...our presentation time got cut short as soon as we got to the podium (and Sam and I are not known for our brevity) and the teleprompter/presentation cues weren't working. We did recover and had some questions which we fielded well but I think we could have done better.
For this conference, I always felt we were not quite "with it" - for some reason, we didn't collect our credentials and bag correctly (although Dr. Ali organised one for us), missed many of the international presentations and most of the social events (which ironically were held on our sponsor's farm) and our presentation seem to hit a number of hiccups. We didn't even manage to collect our certificate for presenting! If it was my first trip to Riyadh, I might have been more disappointed but there will be many more opportunities to make amends.
Anyhow, a different conference experience but well worth going to.
Looking for the IDEAL world - my annual retreat to MEC
by Dr Theo Lynn
Mar 11, 2009 (Tempe, Arizona, USA)
MEC is emerging as my annual retreat in search of the real American teacher. Unlike many of the conferences I go to, MEC is full of people very different than me but no less passionate about what they do and how technology can transform education. I first came to MEC in 2007 and now work closely with the organisers, alt^i on a number of projects. MEC is an educational ICT conference without the pretension.
This year I was presenting on ASPECT (Adopting Standards and Specifications for Educational Content), a 30-month Best Practice Network to improve the adoption of learning technology standards and specifications. It is supported by the European Commission's eContentplus Programme and I am involved in the project through the Global Grid for Learning. I am delivering the presentation to support the dissemination workstrand. I had a small audience who seemed interested but could have been just polite.
As usual, Sam and Angel have sourced some interesting keynotes. The first keynote was delivered by Neeru Khosla, Co-Founder and Chairperson of CK12. Neeru and her organisation want to reduce the cost of textbook materials for the K-12 market both in the U.S. and worldwide. This will be done using an open-content, web-based tool to generate "Flexbooks" which can be printed for free and hopefully created (and updated) using a quasi-crowdsourced model. Neeru's presentation started well and she quickly captured our interest with a scene from Slumdog Millionaire and a discussion of the shortcomings of textbooks - they have a limited lifespan, they are not current, they do not deal with change efficiently and only deal with a single learning perspective. Oh yeah, they're heavy and cost a lot. Over US$4bn is spent in the US on textbooks purchasing per annum - US$600m in California, US$250m in New York and US$100m in Arizona. What's more, despite this investment there does not seem to be a lot of diversity in publishing. Neeru's plan is to get teachers (and college professors) to work together to create open books using their online software and let schools just print on-demand. After all, this is who writes the books for the existing publishers. Neeru ended her presentation with a plea to stop school districts paying corporations for textbooks. Oh. Yet another open content initiative coming across as nearly anti-commercial.I admire CK12's mission and it's great that they have already some books published and in use - and they look good. But there are a lot of inconsistencies in Neeru's presentation. One problem - as presented, the school still prints the open content books so they are still heavy and there is still a cost associated with printing. It also seemed like CK12 were funding the initial authoring of their books so they are in effect, the new publishers, only now instead of the school districts paying for the books, their sponsors are. And showing a clip from Slumdog and then discussing how badly off American schools and students are, just doesn't play well in my head. CK12's model is ideal for the developing world, why start in America. But my major gripe is that instead of working for change with publishers, CK12 are adopting or at least, in this case, communicating a negative message to publishers. Open source software, like LINUX, was a success because the open source community and the commercial software vendors, like IBM, worked together. Can this not be the case here? Why not accelerate output by working with publishers to identify legacy or even out-of-print material that is available digitally or can be digitised and updated in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost and then make that available in developing countries that really do need the cost advantage.
The other keynote was Dr. David Whyley from Wolverhampton Local Authority. I am biased here as I introduced Dave to the folks at alt^I. He is probably the most passionate speaker on mobile learning that I know and his presentation at MEC was no less passionate. In a hugely entertaining presentation, which I might add I acted as both a prop and butt of his jokes, David brought us through how his local authority is seeking to transform education through mobile learning. His project gives pupils in K12 their own mobile device to access school content, communicate with peers and teachers and complete exercises etc. It is truly inspiring - check out the Learning2Go website. Dave brought us through some observations and research on the Net Generation and then showed us how they were addressing the digital divide in their area. Interestingly, it is co-funded by the local authority and the parents - costing the parents the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes a week! Low cost and good for your health! You can learn a lot from Dave about public speaking - he provides a lot of value by going the extra mile. Not only did he discover a link between Wolverhampton and the US Declaration of Independence (Button Gwinnett lived in Wolverhampton) but he demonstrated some of the GIS software his kids use by geotagging various locations around Tempe. There were many highlights to his presentation but for me it was toss up between his story of how his mobile phone was used to correct the Smithsonian or his demonstration of a mobile phone pico-projector to display the Jimi Hendrix Accordion Ad.
There were lots of other worthwhile sessions at MEC, too many to mention. MEC has lots of hands on workshops and so you could spend hours learning to podcasting, travel through virtual worlds and if you got bored there was a anti-terrorist drill (although unrelated to MEC) which was quite entertaining in a Kiefer Sutherland-24 way. And for when you needed downtime, there is always independent (non-Starbucks) Clover-brewed coffee at the Cartel Coffee Lab - well worth checking out - and yes, we demo'd the mobile phone pico-projector there too!
Time, Glue and Canapes - The Learning and Technology World Forum
by Dr Theo Lynn, Dr. Angelos Alexopoulos and Louise Gorman
Jan 14, 2009 (London, England)
We arrived late at the first Learning and Technology World Forum organised by Becta. Hosted in the center of London, the forum was organised just before BETT to attract over 50 ministries and over 500 delegates. There were very few from Ireland and we never met those that were notionally registered. Quelle surprise.
Our first presentation was an informative one by Sir Mark Grundy, Head of Shireland Language College. Sir Mark's presentation focussed on their learning platform which was built on Microsoft SharePoint. We really liked his summation of educational ICT needs - Time and Glue. We need to extend learning beyond the classroom and in to the weekend and we need "glue" to bring the various iniatives and systems together in one single point (TL - I will be appropriating this!). He demonstrated some neat educational games that allow students compete against each other and see their scores (which while is attractive, is also somewhat Darwinian) and some interesting software tools for interacting with images - SeaDragon and GeoSynth. While Sir Mark seems to be achieving really significant outcomes, the presentation seemed as if Microsoft was sponsoring his initiative. Nobody in the room could not but be impressed by the presentation but they must have also been curious to how all these systems and the seemingly significant number of developers supporting the project are funded. At one point, it seemed that they had commercialised the initiative and were selling their "services" to other schools. Is this a good thing?
Time for canapes.
The presentation on ICT and global economic trends was relatively ho-hum however there was a very interesting presentation of the eWords Framework (Blows, 2005). They are:
- Exchange – swap traditional practices with ICT
- Enrich – engage learners by using a richer mix of media
- Enhance – deepen learning through the use of ICT
- Extend – change the content, process and location of learning
- Empower – enable learners to take control of their own learning
The simplicity of this framework is very attractive but also a potential achilles heel.Time for more canapes.
Dr. Mark Million's (great name) presentation on "Understanding and engaging digital natives" highlighted the the differences between Generation X and the "Net Generation" and provided some good examples of how schools and colleges are making use of mobile learning devices (Florida Virtual School) and social networking. Dr. Million posits that if there is commitment from all education stakeholders, learning resources will never go out of date and will be utilised more readily by students than books or journals - crowdsourcing educational utopia?
Cisco, Intel and Microsoft presented their plans for an education partnership for the 21st century - deja vu? Becta highlighted that a strategy for resource discovery is a critical precrusor to ICT-enhanced learning. Their "Harnessing Technology Strategy" seems to have at least one premise based on the value of learning resources being defined by their ability to transform teaching and learning, the ease with which they can become embedded within learning institutions and their accessibility, transferability and level of security. Training and development in the use of ICTs remains and investment priority. This all seems good news for Global Grid for Learning.
The Forum also included Visits to different educational institutions. Of particular interest to our group was the London Knowledge Lab, a unique collaboration between two of the UK’s most prominent centres of world-class research – the Institute of Education and Birkbeck, University of London. We, at LINK could learn a lot and draw from their “way of doing things” as we continue growing and evolving into an increasingly cross-disciplinary and culturally diverse research centre. They have have over 50 researchers in a dedicated space in close proximity to both Birkbeck and the Institute of Education. The space is a reflection of their open, cross-disciplinary and organic approach to research. The Director viewed the Lab as a "knowledge hive" bringing together people from a very broad range of fields, ranging from philosophy, sociology and education to culture and media and information management to work on well-defined projects underpinned by a shared aim, namely to understand how technology informs and is informed by social, economic and cultural factors. As part of our visit at their Emerald St. building, we had a quick yet informative glimpse at some of the work being done at the Lab. What struck you immediately was the diversity of each of the eight project groups presenting their research. To be precise, it was not only national but cultural and epistemic diversity. And even more importantly, as evidenced in discussions with some of the Lab members, this diversity seemed to pertain to both junior and senior staff.
Sir Michael Barber of McKinsey (former educational advisor to the British Government) gave the keynote speech at the gala dinner. He discussed how students of today and of the future face challenges associated with the emergence of the global economy and that technology can make a significant contribution to decision-making and planning. He pointed out the responsibility of education systems worldwide to prepare them to face these issues. While Sir Michael didn't really present anything particularly new, his speech was light-hearted and rounded up the event well.
Onwards to the zoo that is BETT!
ECDL - much done, much more to do
by Dr Theo Lynn
Oct 24, 2008 (Vienna, Austria)
Sam and I arrived yesterday overnight from Riyadh to the Intercontinental Hotel in Vienna. Coincidentally, the OPEC meeting was being held at the same time as the ECDL Forum conference which we were due to address. The clash of one generation's wealth, oil, with the next generation's, information and communication technology, was not lost on attendees.
We were invited by the ECDL Foundation to address future challenges to education but it seemed that in line with our trip to Riyadh, the ambition and activities of some of the attendees are significantly greater than those of Ireland and the U.S. While we were lamenting that our estimates of 60% or more freshmen students not having the minimum ICT skills needed for university, Dr. Ekram Fathi from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in Egypt demonstrated that when a Government is motivated, significant progress can be achieved. Egypt has embraced that challenge to make the Information Society a reality for all by putting in place structures at second level and now third level to ensure every student has a minimum level of IT literacy, ICDL. The statistics that he quoted sees rapid training and certification, in the hundreds of thousands, for a wide population of Egyptians in ICDL. Why? Because it is government policy but also ICDL is recognised for its employability.
The reality is that employers expect universities to ensure that students have minimum ICT skills - unfortunately, no one has told the universities this, or if they have, maybe we aren't listening or don't want to hear. To prepare students adequately to function as citizens and professional workers in an Information Society requires not only IT skills but collaboration, thinking, learning and communication skills. ECDL/ICDL isn't necessarily the answer but it is a start - rather than ignoring or reinventing the wheel, maybe universities need to build on what is already there.
Preparing the next generation of Arab graduates – the KSU PY Programme
by Dr Theo Lynn
Oct 22, 2008 (Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
Over the last two days, Sam and I have had the good fortune to meet with Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Othman and Dr. Arslan Abed and to learn more of the King Saud University Preparatory Year (KSU PY) programme. The ambition of the programme was impressive and worries me about the extent to which the Irish education sector and many other countries in the “developed world” are preparing school-leavers for third level education.
The yearlong programme prepares students in the necessary skills to excel at university and beyond in five key subject areas:
- IT skills
- Math skills
- Learning, thinking and research skills
- Health and fitness
- Communication skills
The expectations for students are high; KSU’s vision is to have the leading preparatory programme in the region and the courses are designed to meet international standards e.g. the International Computer Driving License and IELTS 5.0 for English language competency. Recognising that English is the lingua franca of business and academia, students are expected to operate in an English speaking environment. The learning environment reflects this vision. The PY programme is located in a state-of-the-art “Knowledge Building” with over 235 classrooms. The “B classrooms”, of which there are160 would put Irish university classrooms to shame with interactive whiteboards and e-podium technology in each room. The “A classrooms” have an enhanced specification with audio-visual recording equipment in each room.
The programme is also distinctive in that KSU have adopted a multi-stakeholder approach to the delivery of the programme with local partners such as Obeikan Research and Development and international partners such as ICDL, Bell International and Cambridge University Press managing, delivering and certifying content and outcomes with KSU.
This year, over 6,500 girls and boys will complete preparatory year. This is nearly the same amount of full-time and modular students enrolled in Dublin City University. Over 70,000 students are currently enrolled in KSU. It is not difficult envisage that in 5 years time, if not sooner, KSU alone may have more enrolled students than the entire Irish higher education sector. In an effort to improve quality, KSU are investing heavily in international faculty and visiting professors. For example, KSU have recently announced a Nobel Laureate Program to bring Nobel Laureates to KSU to deliver public lectures and seminars in their areas of expertise.
If the KSU PY programme is extended to other universities in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, the volume of graduates and quality of those graduates should not only impress Irish policymakers but also question the future long term competitiveness of the Irish higher education system with Saudi Arabia but also other established and emerging markets. Now is not the time to cut higher education funding but to invest in both preparing school leavers and the quality of education they attain while in higher education.
Tatweer – Transforming public education in Saudi Arabia through technology
by Dr Theo Lynn
Oct 21, 2008 (Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
Today, our hosts - Obeikan Research and Development - organised for us to meet with representatives from the King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Project for Developing Public Education or "Tatweer". Our meetings with Dr. Abdulrahman Al-motrif and subsequently, Dr. Naif Alromi, of the Tatweer project demonstrated clearly to us that Saudi Arabia's plans for transforming education are both ambitious and complex. Unlike many other nations, Saudi Arabia is taking a systemic approach to transforming public education and backing this with the necessary financial resources to create momentum to succeed.
The Tatweer project is a six-year, SR9 billion project to transform public education. The project consists of four axes: developing teachers' skills, developing curriculua, enhancing school activities and improving the school environment. The focus for students seems to have a heavy emphasis on problem-solving and inquiry-based learning and demonstrates a substantial commitment to the role of technology in education. Tatweer is investing in transforming the education environment with high-tech classrooms including interactive whiteboards, digital content services and web-based software services for school administration, learning management and delivery. The first batch of over 400,000 teachers are about to start being trained on the new syllabus and equally importantly how to teach in these new technology-enhanced learning environments.
It would seem that the theme of this trip is likely to be future skills development.Tatweer is only one initiative by the Saudi government to develop a highly skilled and motivated work force for a future economy that is not necessarily dependent on oil. Maybe Saudi Arabia have not only realised but internalised into action the belief that the next economic age will be build on a hyperskilled workforce - one whose value to the market is based on "tacit" conceptual and abstract creativity. SR9 billion is a lot of money anywhere. Is it money well spent? As the old proverb says: "the proof of the pudding is in the eating".