ROTA Holds iEARN-QATAR Open House
Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) organized an Open House on June 12 to give students and teachers the chance to display their work and achievements and showcase their iEARN projects for the 2009-2010 school year.
iEARN is the world's largest non-profit global network that enables young people to use the Internet to engage in collaborative educational projects across the globe.
The Open House, held at the Carnegie Mellon University-Qatar in Education City, saw 23 schools from Qatar showcasing their efforts towards accomplishing 34 projects.
H.E. Sheikha Aisha bint Falleh bin Nasser Al Thani, ROTA board member, was in attendance and welcomed all the teachers, students and visitors to the event, commenting that "This event is a great example of how team work boosts creativity. Young students and their teachers have combined ideas and efforts and completed so many interesting projects! More schools through more projects have participated this year, and I am extremely pleased that educators are beginning to recognize more and more, the benefits of project-based learning."During the school year 2009-2010, students and teachers worked in teams on a variety of projects such as "Solar Cooking", "Energy for You and Me" and "My Hero".
They got the chance to learn new things, acquire new skills, do their own research, exchange ideas and enjoy their learning. Participants and guests at the Open House explored the different project stands showcasing the teachers and students' achievements.
The event also highlighted the professional development achieved by teachers and the benefits of collaboration through the network with over 130 iEARN communities around the world. All the students, teachers and iEARN-Qatar facilitators were awarded certificates as a token of recognition for their hard work and dedication to their projects.
Commenting on the Open House, Pascal Siegel, Senior Programs Manager at ROTA and iEARN-Qatar Coordinator, said: "The iEARN-Qatar Open House 2010 is another demonstration of our efforts to connect educators and learners. The iEARN-Qatar community has benefited from the ROTA Knowledge Network and worked with so much energy and enthusiasm. The past year has been a motivating and rewarding experience for the teachers and students; I would like to encourage more schools to join us and share the enthusiasm and the knowledge of the community."
Reach Out To Asia, is the official representative of iEARN in Qatar since March 2008. During the past two years, ROTA successfully established and implemented the program in Qatar. In the coming years, ROTA will further expand the program by building the capacity of iEARN-Qatar trainers and facilitators in order to build a sustainable community of educators.
