Technology & IT | Monday 1 June, 2015 9:35 am |

- Educators from Mohammed Bin Rashid Smart Learning Program (MBRSLP) join 300 Microsoft innovative Educator (MIE) experts and Students Ambassadors from around the world to attend the event and gain more insights.



- Microsoft recently hosted 9 educators from United Arab Emirates and Qatar to join 300 Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) experts and Students’ Ambassadors from around the world at its E2 Global Educator Exchange event. Taking place from April 29th to May 1st in Redmond, Washington (USA) at the Microsoft headquarters campus, educators were selected from amongst the most innovative in the world to attend the event, and collaborate, create and share experiences with their peers on how to integrate technology in education, in ways that improve learning outcomes and equip students for the world of work.
Awarded Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert status in 2014, four educators from UAE and one from Qatar were selected because of their abilities to employ technology effectively within the classroom in order to help students develop all-important 21st century skills. The educators also demonstrated excellence in creating and leading transformational learning environments.
The four educators selected from UAE include Shafaque Riaz and Richard Marcus Boniello from Cambridge International School, GEMS, Zoe Tostevin from Deira International School, and Ashraf Ayyad Selmi Ayyas from Al-Majd Model Shool, Sharjah . The educator selected in Qatar was AbdulGelel Shalaly from Independent Secondary School for Boys. Also, in line with the strategic partnership between Microsoft and Mohammed Bin Rashid Smart Learning Program (MBRSLP), four other educators from UAE attended the event for the experience and to gain insights. The selected educators from MBRSLP were Emaan Saeed from Haya Bint Hussein Girls School for Basic Secondary education, Hanadi Ebrahim Al Nuaimi from Al- Ghub Girls School for Basic Education, Amna Mohamed Akbar and Zainab Al Baloushi from Nad Al-Hamar Girls School for Basic Education.
“Our MIE Experts worldwide are transforming the learning environment in truly pioneering ways, and the E2 Global Educator Exchange event gives them the chance to share these experiences amongst their peers and work together to solve the challenges faced,” said Anthony Salcito, Vice President, Worldwide Education, Microsoft Corp. “Hosting E2 at our campus in Redmond means we can hear their innovative ideas and bring them back into Microsoft, ensuring that we support this transformation and work together to adapt learning to equip students for tomorrow’s workforce.”
As part of the event, MIE Experts participated in the Global Educator challenge, where they were divided into groups with peers from different parts of the world to design a project around the use of Microsoft technologies within a specific theme of bravery, courage, and leadership.
The event culminated with the Global Educator Challenge awards, which recognized educators who have shown exceptional innovation in their fields and during competitive sessions at E2. The award for the best achievement under the category “The Pitch” went to two groups that included two UAE educators Zainab Al Baloushi (MBRSLP, UAE) and Zoe Tostevin (Deira International School, UAE).
Each year Microsoft identifies educators to be part of this exclusive global community – educators that are truly transforming learning environments while also being open to share ideas, try new approaches and learn from each other. MIE Experts work closely with Microsoft to lead innovation and communicate a vision for education.
The E2 Global Educator Exchange event is part of the Microsoft in Education initiative that offers a range of professional development programs to bridge the gap between technology skills and innovative teaching. These programs reach beyond traditional software training to provide a framework that supports educators and school leaders of all skill levels on their learning journey. Through these programs, Microsoft trained more than 10 million educators and reached more than 200 million students since 2003 worldwide.