Abstract:

The combination of education and technology has been considered the main key to human progress. Education feeds technology, which in turn forms the basis for education. It is therefore not surprising that to be “developed” is to have had education based on knowledge, science and technology. The technology keeps changing; as hardware and software evolve, new educational opportunities appear. Effective use of technology must be supported by significant investments in hardware, software, infrastructure, professional development, and support services. Developing economies have a chance to leapfrog over certain cumbersome development steps and constraints to speed up the development process, if only their educational systems, which feed technological development with the necessary skills, are overhauled. The ability of Arab World to actively participate in the new global economy and to solve the many social and political problems that it faces depends largely on the intellectual capacity and skills of its labor force, particularly in Science Technology and business. There is therefore a great need in Arab World of professionals in a broad range of disciplines skilled in using and adapting existing and new knowledge and information to changing local and international conditions; and even more basic, a need for continual access to various forms of knowledge and information in a flexible and timely manner. What Arab World needs is a substantial overhaul of education and training that can match the technology revolution and keep pace with continued technology development. Education and Training must be reoriented so that learning institutions are much more responsive to the skill needs in business and industry. The basic principles of education and training have to be based more on the notion of learning Capacities rather than formal education and training. The current emphasis is ensuring that technology is used effectively to create new opportunities for learning and to promote student achievement. Educational technology is not, and never will be, transformative on its own, however. It requires the assistance of educators who integrate technology into the curriculum, align it with student learning goals, and use it for engaged learning projects. Teacher quality is the factor that matters most for student learning. Therefore, professional development for teachers becomes the key issue in using technology to improve the quality of learning in the classroom. The teacher is a key variable in technology implementation and effectiveness. Appropriate funding and professional development represent the key means of supporting equitable access and use of technology to ensure technology literacy and to support meaningful learning for all students. Lack of professional development for technology use is one of the most serious obstacles to fully integrating technology into the curriculum.

Keywords:

Technology, Education, Information revolution, Arab World, Development.