A Message from the Director
Greetings Educators,
I am pleased to be writing this issue’s column from Dubai where MSU has opened a new campus in Dubai International Academic City. Dubai has clearly become a 
cosmopolitan international center for commerce, education, and tourism and is also the construction capital of the world with over 25% of all the world’s cranes (in 2006 the number was over 30,000).
The new MSU Dubai campus is on a good day about a 20 minute drive from the center of the city. For a better idea of where it’s located in relation to the city of Dubai just use Google Earth and Fly To Dubai International Academic City.
As I travel throughout this region I’ve learned that Dubai is a bit warm, particularly during the summer months. Although the official weather report on Weather.com said today’s high was 38° C, while I was stuck in a traffic jam today in Sharjah it was 52° C (125° F) with roughly 50% humidity.
Now back to the topics of education and technology. I’m often accused of being a bit longwinded so I’ll do my best to focus here. From my notes taken during a meeting held at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai (http://www.khda.gov.ae/En/Home/Default.aspx) there are approximately 182,000 students in Dubai with 149,000 in private education and 33,000 in public education. The number of schools, however, is approximately 82 public and 140 private.
The MSU Educational Technology Certificate Program and Master of Arts are on the ground floor with MSU in Dubai and we expect our first certificate classes to begin in October. As in Michigan an important element of our program (and one key to our success) is outreach. As most readers know we offer our classes in local schools where teachers learn in their own environment, with their peers, using equipment they have readily available in their classrooms. In Dubai it’s no different than in Michigan; teachers are pressed for time and change is often difficult. But again, as in Michigan, teachers are highly motivated when learning how to use and teach with technology in their classrooms. The challenge is to infuse technology into their practice of teaching and classrooms so that it’s seamless and invisible, integrated but not imposed.
Over the past two weeks I’ve met with key stakeholders in the Dubai education market; private school network owners, school superintendents, teachers, administrators in the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, and leaders in the Ministry of Education. The one element they all have in common is a strong interest in transforming schools and curricula to meet the demands of the 21st century. Classrooms I’ve visited have been amazing and technology integration is clearly present. The challenge is now to infuse the technology rather than just use the technology.
Lastly, I want to introduce Myra Khattab who is our newest colleague and Outreach Coordinator for the Certificate program in Dubai. I met Myra on my last trip to Dubai. She is a graduate of our Ed Tech Masters program in Plymouth, England and agreed to lend us a hand with a professional development workshop we were offering teachers. It must have been karma as Myra’s background as a teacher, an MSU graduate, and her skills in educational technology were just what we needed to assure our program success in Dubai. Myra is also fluent in three languages with Arabic being her first language, French second, and English third. She’s a talented, energetic, and motivated individual and I invite you to read more about her in the Instructor Spotlight later in the newsletter.
For our new readers in Dubai and the U.A.E., we look forward to working with you and learning from you. Welcome & Ahlan wa Sahlan !!
Best Regards,
Joe Codde
Professor and Director
Educational Technology Certificate Program