Queen joins Ministry of Education and Intel in honoring the three millionth teacher to complete training</STRONG>
Pet0799 4 1126 Queen joins Ministry of Education and Intel in honoring the three millionth teacher to complete training Amman/Jan.22(Petra)-- Queen Rania joins Ministry of Education and Intel in honoring the three millionth teacher to complete training through 'Intel Teach to the Future' Highlighting the central role of teachers in introducing creativity and 21st century learning skills into the classroom, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, on Sunday, attended an award ceremony held by Intel Corporation, in recognition of the three millionth teacher, Jordanian Bothayna ElHabahba, to have completed the "Intel Teach to the Future" training program worldwide. Intel Teach to the Future is part of the Intel Innovation in Education Initiative, a sustained commitment - in collaboration with educators and government leaders worldwide - to help today's students develop the higher-level thinking skills they need to participate and succeed in a knowledge-based economy. Established in 2000, the program has since then armed three million teachers across 35 countries, including Arab countries, with strategies to develop digital literacy, creativity, higher-order thinking, communications and collaboration. By incorporating technology and these new teaching models into daily lessons, teachers are making learning exciting, are helping students to reach their potential and are driving digital literacy. ElHabahba was awarded at a ceremony held at the Al Marouj Secondary School for Girls, which was attended by Minister of Education, Khalid Touqan, Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Mr. Omar Al-Kurdi, and Gordon Graylish, Vice President, Sales and Marketing Group, General Manager, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Intel Corporation. "In today's global knowledge society, technology literacy is essential for innovation and economic growth. Through Intel Teach to the Future, teachers like Habahba are embedding technology into the process of learning, thereby improving the skills and competitive readiness of the future workforce," said Graylish. He added: "Such programs are part of Intel's comprehensive, multi-year "Digital Transformation Initiative for the Middle East" and underscore our long-term commitment to promote technology skills, knowledge transfer and economic development in the region" "Applying the knowledge I gained from the Intel Teach to the Future training has transformed my lessons. My students are eager and excited to use the computers, and lessons are more interesting and participative. The new way of teaching has also revealed previously hidden skills, such as designing and group working, in many of the pupils," said Habahba. Prior to the ceremony, Her Majesty met a number of teachers who have completed the program and was briefed on the program's skills and methods of implementation. Queen Rania has long been an avid supporter of integrating information technology into the classroom, stressing that enhancing teachers' skills is vital to motivating students to learn and engage in creative and critical thinking, a criterion upon which the Queen Rania Distinguished Teacher Award, launched last year by His Majesty King Abdullah, was based. Established in Jordan in 2003, the first Middle Eastern country to implement it, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the program has thus far trained more than 25 thousand public school teachers, the largest public-private initiative ever launched between the Jordanian government and any corporation to date. Intel, the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Earlier on Sunday, Queen Rania also visited the Shafa Badran Charity Society, where she met members of the local community and listened to their concerns and needs. The Society was established in 1991 with the aim of empowering young women to enable them to develop small and income-generating projects. The society offers a number of services, including sewing and embroidery training, support of underprivileged families, illiteracy classes in cooperation with the University of Jordan, computer training for older people, and lectures and awareness programs. Queen Rania had previously visited the organization in 2003, where she launched a vocational training center with the Ministry of Labour. Wardat/Petra 221925 Local JAN 2006
http://www.petra.gov.jo/nepras/2006/Jan/22/30140700.htm
