Culture & Education | Thursday 4 February, 2016 3:27 pm |

His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has attended the launch of the largest iTunes U courses in the Middle East at the Victoria International School of Sharjah (VISS).

 

VISS launched the publication of 30 courses on iTunes U as part of its STEM and Innovation in Education programme.  In attendance at the launch was His Excellency Arthur Spyrou, the newly appointed Australian Ambassador to the UAE and Qatar, and International leading education Expert Professor John Loughran, Dean of Education, Monash University, who spoke about the importance of STEM and Innovation in Learning.

 

The free ITunes U app is the world's largest online catalogue of free educational content from top schools, universities and prominent libraries, which features courses, collections and educational resources which provides educators and students everything they need on their Apple devices to teach and take entire courses.

 

Dean Pyrah, Principal of VISS, said: “This launch of our iTunes U courses reflects our dedication to delivering innovation and integrating technology into our learning. We are fully committed to being a centre of excellence, focused on sharing best practice in Sharjah and the UAE. By developing key partnerships with the likes of Apple, we are continuing to drive innovation.”

 

The ceremony included presentations on the development of the school’s iPad program and use of the iTunes U application at VISS. There was also a student demonstration on iPad use and insights into how it is used as a learning tool in Arabic and Islamic studies.

 

The keynote speech was delivered by Professor John Loughran who discussed Innovation in Education and STEM Development.

 

Professor Loughran said: “VISS is at the forefront of educational innovation in Sharjah with the launch of these curriculum courses on iTunes U. The notion of innovation in education is to create purposeful practice for meaningful learning. Innovation in education enhances the quality of learning and requires teachers to develop students as thoughtful, creative and active problem solvers‎."

 

VISS is a premium school in the UAE offering both the Australian Curriculum and IB diploma.