ictQATAR, in cooperation with the Supreme Education Council (SEC), yesterday announced 25 more Independent schools will take part in the second phase of ‘School Knowledge Net’. The programme was initiated as a pilot project in 12 schools last year to provide a portal for sharing education applications and student data, as well as three-way communication between students, teachers and parents. Dr Ghadah Omar Al Fakieh, ictQATAR e-Education Manager, said ‘School Knowledge Net’ will be operating in the additional schools by October next year and will incorporate improvements to further ensure Information and Communication Technology (ICT) makes lifelong skills development possible. "To build on the foundation laid by phase one of ‘School Knowledge Net’, ictQATAR and the SEC will roll out phase two with new features to the portal designed to improve the user experience to enhance the technology's support of student achievement," she said. "Additional training will also be provided to teachers to assist them in integrating ‘School Knowledge Net’ into their teaching practices to maximise the portal's benefits and ensure students deepen their technology skills so they can realise their goals," she said. Dr Jock Schorger, Educational Technology Specialist at the SEC, said: "I believe that Knowledge Network (Knet) can be the e-Learning hub for education in Qatar. It has the potential to connect students, teachers, parents and administrators to 21st-century learning resources anytime, anywhere." Schools were chosen for phase two following a workshop in March, which introduced the project to school administrators and outlined the application and selection process. At the workshop, ictQATAR's e-Education Department summarised the positive impact of the portal on the three main players in the education process — students, parents and teachers. On the benefits of the initiative, Hanem Anwar, Amna bint Wahb Secondary School's Knowledge Net Project Coordinator, said the school's participation in phase one of the project resulted in new channels of communication being opened as parents have been able to view school assignments and engage with teachers on their child's progress. The network has also helped the school to save time and money as students can upload assignments and teachers can post class materials and information, which avoids mass printing. Teachers have also been brought closer together through the school's use of `School Knowledge Net' by sharing their teaching experiences online. Adel Mani, Knowledge Net Coordinator of Abdel Rahman bin Jassem Preparatory School for Boys, said his school was able to save about QR45,000 in printing costs as School Knowledge Net meant teachers could mark students' homework and access educational materials online. the peninsula

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