“Choosing a university or an academic course is a life changing decision. Now, you can pursue your dreams with Najah Connect. A platform that connects you with leading universities worldwide.
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If you’re a teacher who’s recently moved to Dubai and are struggling to adjust to your new life, pay attention!
The largest teacher community in the region, Teacher Socials, is gearing up to launch an exciting new app that’s about to change your life. From connecting with other teachers in the city to finding out about amazing events taking place near you, you’ll have all of this and more, simply at the click of a button.
We sat down with the founders of Teacher Socials ahead of the grand launch to find out more about the origins of the community and the app.
Q) How did the idea of Teacher Socials come about?
Teacher Socials was launched in 2016 by English teacher, Robert Welsh, after a chance phone call to an old friend made him wonder about the struggles of expat teachers in Dubai. He realized that teachers needed a platform to network, meet, connect and socialise with other like-minded teachers.
We started off three years ago with a handful of teachers from the Ministry of Education D.I.S. and GEMs, meeting up weekly and inviting other teachers to meet and socialize for Thursday night Karaoke sessions. We have since grown to 11,000 plus members signing up through our Facebook group and special events hosted at McGettigan’s.
Q) How will the app help teachers connect with other teachers in Dubai?
The app provides information about teacher well-being events to all the members, inviting them to connect with other teachers at safe and secure venues, and in line with the current DHA safety guidelines. There’s information on the variety of well-being events and sessions, which are exclusively tailor-made for teachers by our partners such as Guided Meditation, Tai Chi, Yoga and home PT sessions. Members also get access to a variety of exclusive fun-filled teacher events and activities that’ll help them connect with and meet amazing like-minded teachers.
Eventually we aim to promote teacher wellbeing seminars, PD sessions, group yoga, fitness events and other outdoor activities, facilitated by our carefully selected partners.
Q) What are the benefits of becoming a member on the app?
Our mission starts with our simple philosophy- Happy Teachers, Teach Happy!
By giving members access to amazing offers and events, Teacher Socials aims to promote positive well-being within Dubai’s teacher community. We help teachers find a healthy balance between work and life outside of the classroom through group activities, social events and group meetup sessions.
We also strive to develop positivity in terms of mental, physical, and financial well-being through a dedicated section, on the website and app, which consists of helpful videos and articles written by professionals.
We have also added a relocation feature to the app. This will help those who sign up get actively headhunted by schools and universities.
Q) How does the expense tracker work?
Our unique inbuilt Expense Tracker has a simple ledger-keeping function that allows teachers to add their income each month and note each expense, thus monitoring their spending. Teachers can use this information to adjust their outings which should help save them some dirhams in the future.
Q) What type of venues/events are featured on the app?
We conducted surveys, polls, votes, in order to better understand teacher preferences. We then partnered up with the most requested businesses by teachers in the UAE. There are all types of venues on the app–fitness activity centers such as Bounce, gyms, watersports centers, golf courses, shooting, galleries, desert safari, spas, restaurants, bars, hotels and car rentals.
Q) How do I invite friends to join the app?
Word of mouth is usually the best way teachers can invite others onto the
app through social media and groups. However, we have an ‘invite a friend’ option on the app which will help spread the word too.
Q) How can I join?
Teachers and members of all educational institutions can join Teacher Socials. Membership is open to all employees working within the education sector.
For more information and to download the app visit their social media
Get AED 300 off your car rental
New to the UAE and unsure how to get around? Want to skip the hassle of owning a car?
We are delighted to partner with Carasti Car Rental to offer teachers in the UAE exclusive discounts on their car subscription services.
With Carasti you can find a car suited to your needs from an ever-growing fleet with just a few clicks from app to having the car delivered to your door in 4 hours! Just fuel up and drive, leaving the servicing, insurance, registration and overall car management to Carasti.
Join the Carasti family today and enjoy:
Exclusive Teachers in UAE Offer:
As a UAE-based teacher, receive AED 300 off your first month’s subscription fee when you use the code ‘T300’ on checkout. Renew your subscription and receive AED 50 off the second month when you use the code ‘T50’ on checkout. Download the Carasti app today and start saving!
Connect with Carasti:
Instagram: Carastiapp
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carastiofficial/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/carasti/
App link: carasti.app.link/carastiapp
Mobile: +971529111367
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Headteachers in the UAE said they were closely following plans in the UK that could result in a slimmed down A-Level and GCSE curriculum.
Pupils attending British schools could have their workload reduced this year, as part of efforts to make studying more manageable during the Covid-19 pandemic.
British officials are considering new ideas, including reduced curriculum in some subjects,exam papers with more options, and limiting exam questions.
Brendon Fulton, principal at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park, said: “Reduction in content means that schools can catch up on any school time missed during school closures. Reduced content will allow pupils to focus on a narrower workload.
“We are keeping abreast of the ongoing proposed changes to the GCSE and A-Level courses for this year as a result of work missed during term three.
“For some subjects the coursework components have been reduced or removed, whilst others are looking at removing sections of work.
“As with all things currently, the situation remains quite fluid and we will adapt as required and informed by the relevant exams boards.”
Edexcel Art, for example, has removed a component of their coursework. Some poetry sections were also removed from its English Literature class.
Cambridge Physical Education has dropped requirements from four activities to one. And Cambridge Drama has reduced their typical two group assignments to just one.
While some changes have already been confirmed, more are possible.
Pupils around the world lost hundreds of hours of in-person classes as Covid-19 wreaked havoc on the educational systems last year.
By May 2020, children in the UK had already lost about 20 days of schooling, while pupils in Estonia had lost close to 60 days of in-school classes.
Last month, British researchers surveyed 2,200 schools and found the average child in England was about three months behind.
Children in the UAE underwent distance learning between March and July. While most schools returned to in-person classes in August, some schools have closed again because of isolated Covid-19 cases.
This year, the Central Board of Secondary Education In India reduced coursework for pupils in grades nine to 12 by up to 30 per cent to help children complete syllabus.
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We are delighted to be working with ‘Know Thyself Coaching Institute’ in Dubai to offer Existing and New Teachers working and hoping to work in The UAE, excellent growth & development programmes at a very generous discount…. to find out more click on the image below
Get AED 300 off your car rental
New to the UAE and unsure how to get around? Want to skip the hassle of owning a car?
We are delighted to partner with Carasti Car Rental to offer teachers in the UAE exclusive discounts on their car subscription services.
With Carasti you can find a car suited to your needs from an ever-growing fleet with just a few clicks from app to having the car delivered to your door in 4 hours! Just fuel up and drive, leaving the servicing, insurance, registration and overall car management to Carasti.
Join the Carasti family today and enjoy:
Exclusive Teachers in UAE Offer:
As a UAE-based teacher, receive AED 300 off your first month’s subscription fee when you use the code ‘T300’ on checkout. Renew your subscription and receive AED 50 off the second month when you use the code ‘T50’ on checkout. Download the Carasti app today and start saving!
Connect with Carasti:
Instagram: Carastiapp
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carastiofficial/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/carasti/
App link: carasti.app.link/carastiapp
Mobile: +971529111367
Read more
Courtesy of Kelsey Warner The National Newspaper UAE Sep 13, 2020
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) and Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science signed a preliminary agreement on Sunday to collaborate on the development of AI.
The agreement, the first of its kind to be signed between two higher education institutes from the UAE and Israel, includes plans for student exchange programmes, conferences, and the sharing of research and computing.
It will also set up a joint virtual institute for AI.
The agreement was held virtually and was signed by Dr Sultan Al Jaber, MBZUAI chairman and UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Alon Chen, president and professor of the Weizmann Institute of Science.
“I welcome the opportunity to collaborate with such a renowned establishment as the Weizmann Institute of Science,” Dr Al Jaber said.
He said the cooperation will aim to use AI to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges, “from Covid-19 to climate change”.
The deal comes a month after the historic Abraham Peace Accord, which established full normalisation of relations between the UAE and Israel. The diplomatic pact opens the two nations up to cooperate in a number of areas of mutual interest including tourism, security, technology and energy, and one of the fastest growing disciplines in the world: AI.
Both countries are rapidly expanding their investments and development of AI. The UAE is one of only a handful of countries to have an overarching AI strategy supported by the government. Israeli AI start-ups raised $3.7 billion in 2019, more than double the figure for 2017, according to the IVC Research Center, a data provider on the country’s high-tech industry.
Last week, Abu Dhabi’s AI firm Group 42 said it would open a wholly-owned subsidiary in Israel.
The company will use its new office to focus on areas including Covid-19 diagnostic solutions, smart cities, renewable energies and water supply solutions.
Group 42 plans to access technologies and expertise available in Israel and assist Israeli companies to expand their operations in the Middle East, it said.
Abu Dhabi’s MBZUAI is the world’s first graduate-level, research-based AI university.
It plans to welcome its first 100 students from 31 countries in January 2021. The students will pursue master’s and doctoral degrees in computer vision, machine learning and natural language processing.
The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, is one of the world’s top-ranking multidisciplinary research institutions. It offers master’s and doctoral-level degrees.
The institute’s scientists study the human brain and carry out extensive research in artificial intelligence, computer science and encryption, astrophysics and particle physics.
The tie-up with MBZUAI will advance Weizmann’s flagship project, the Artificial Intelligence Enterprise for Scientific Discovery.
This $100 million project will use AI tools to further research in areas like drug discovery and climate protection.
“It is said that science knows no borders,” said professor Chen.
“I have every hope this collaboration between scientists in the same region will be a shining example of this expression, and will extend the boundaries of human knowledge.”
The Student Support Portal is an on-line community designed for education professionals, students with additional needs or a disability and their parents. Our goal is to remove barriers to learning and raise attainment levels by connecting the world’s leading assistive technology (AT) publishers and hardware manufacturers with those who would benefit from their services.
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