InfoComm MEA 2013, Co-Located at GITEX, Displays Cutting Edge Educational Technology, Helping Organisations Affordably Reach Larger Audiences
University professors, such as this one at Temple University in the United States, are increasingly using webcasts, as educational institutions rapidly integrate ICT into courses. Photo Credit: Temple Creative Services.
DUBAI, UAE: Universities, schools and corporations are bracing for a surge in demand for technology that facilitates education, according to a Singapore-based technology expert.
In the Middle East, integration of ICT in education is rising, especially as more people advance to higher levels of education, according to UNESCO. In Africa, many organisations are pioneering new ways of using ICT to meet the United Nations’ education-related Millennium Development Goals, according to the World Bank.
Online education is a major driver of take-up of ICT technology in the region. In the Middle East, millions of people increasingly have Internet access, demonstrating the potential for expanding online educational resources, according to the Middle East e-Learning Association (MEeA).
In Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 300,000 teacher-learners in 10 countries have used multilingual open educational resources, offered by the TESSA research and development initiative, which could be adapted to the Middle East, according to MEeA.
As educational institutions and enterprises seek to meet the needs of students and employees, they can discover the latest technologies for teaching and education at InfoComm Middle East & Africa 2013, co-located at GITEX Technology Week 2013, one of the world’s largest Information and Communications Technology industry events.
Held from 20-24 October 2013 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, InfoComm MEA 2013 is jointly organised by InfoCommAsia Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of InfoComm International, and the Dubai World Trade Centre. InfoComm International is the international trade association of the professional audiovisual and information communications industries.
David Lim, Project Director, InfoComm MEA, said: “Countries in the Middle East and Africa are committed to integrating ICT in education, as technological literacy of educators, students, and employees is increasingly important in this globally-connected age. At InfoComm MEA 2013, the region’s educational institutions and enterprises can find cutting-edge scalable and affordable audiovisual technology to make their courses easy-to-create, engaging, and accessible to a wide range of consumers.”
InfoComm MEA is expecting its largest-ever attendance, primarily of technology managers and business owners from a cross-section of fields. Attendees can learn about the latest trends in the educational sector through engaging panel discussions; test innovative products and services at exhibitor booths including interactive whiteboards, state-of-the-art projects and visualisers; and network with representatives from the world’s most influential companies.
Once again, InfoComm MEA is attracting the industry’s leading audiovisual companies, such as Wolfvision, the leading manufacturer of high-end visualisers and document cameras.
Hazem Mahdy, Middle East – Sales Manager, WolfVision Middle East, said: “Educational institutions and companies are heavily investing in new and engaging learning methods, especially for distance learners. Attending InfoComm MEA will help us reach rapidly-growing markets in the Middle East and Africa. We’re eager to demonstrate how our latest visualizers – which enable lecturers to spontaneously present, digitize and magnify documents and objects to their audience – can help educators and influencers retain the attention of viewers.”
Another influential exhibitor is Sonic Foundry, the developer of Mediasite, the most trusted video management platform for academic, enterprise, and event webcasting.
Rob Lipps, Executive Vice President, Sonic Foundry, said: “Video is transforming communication and knowledge transfer across all industries. Educational institutions use webcasts for instruction, and companies use it for training, professional development and marketing. As multinational corporations, universities and schools continue to expand in the region, InfoComm MEA offers the unique opportunity to engage both the decision makers and the technology enthusiasts responsible for taking advantage of this transformation.”
To help InfoComm MEA attendees learn how to maximise the effectiveness of their audiovisual systems, InfoComm MEA offers free presentations that aim to explore cutting-edge technologies in classrooms of the future, and focus on professional audiovisual solutions for modern universities.
About InfoComm International®
www.infocomm.org
InfoComm International® is the international trade association of the professional audiovisual and information communications industries. Established in 1939, InfoComm has 5,000 members, including manufacturers, systems integrators, dealers and distributors, independent consultants, programmers, rental and staging companies, end-users and multimedia professionals from more than 80 countries. InfoComm International is the leading resource for AV market research and news. Its training and education programs set a standard of excellence for AV professionals. InfoComm International is the founder of InfoComm, the largest annual conference and exhibition for AV buyers and sellers worldwide. InfoComm also produces trade shows in Europe, Asia and China.
About Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC)
http://www.dwtc.com
GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK is professionally managed and hosted by the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), which provides more than three decades of experience in delivering world-class events in the Middle East, featuring local, regional and international exhibitors with unmatched expertise and in-depth market knowledge. The extensive portfolio of leading trade and consumer brand events includes GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK, Gulfood, Dubai Internal Boat Show and Dubai International Motor Show. The DWTC’s commitment to ongoing innovation within the exhibition industry has supported the rapid growth and development of a wide range of business-to-business and business-to-consumer shows, and delivered consistent satisfaction to exhibitors and visitors. DWTC works with the leading trade bodies and industry associations to ensure that all exhibitions deliver full value, and are built upon the real needs of their specific sector.