Does your school-going kiddo give every excuse to escape homework? After spending 5-7 hours in school, we bet no one would want to allocate time again to opening their books and revising what was taught in class. However, the harsh truth is that homework plays a very important role in achieving study goals and therefore it is an essential practice for all to inculcate.

Here are a few reasons to back up your intentions of following a routine for homework;

• Students stay on par with what is being taught in classrooms and don’t fall behind.
• Retention is possible only with practice and homework is the best bet a student can get.
• It teaches children discipline because every day they have to allocate time to do studies at home without fussing about it.
• Responsibility and onus come with maturity. But when children learn to account for their studies, they realize how important it is to perform in school, for which they will need to be self-motivated.
• Time management is not just learnt in renowned Business Institutes, but it starts early in school. Allocating the right amount of time to studies and recreation is the only way forward and a stepping stone to success for one’s future endeavors.

Smart Homework Routines for Gen-Zs

#1 Choose Your Spot Wisely

A noisy living room where other family members often watch Television is not such an ideal spot to study. Convert your mom or dad’s office area into a study room by evening, such that there is no distraction. If there is no dedicated space in your home for a separate study area, just set up a desk and chair in your child’s bedroom, thereby ensuring peace of mind to concentrate adequately. Often metropolitan regions within GCC have small houses, as rentals are pretty high, so a make-do study in the bedroom works just fine.

#2 Keep phones out of sight

Social media and online gaming are such an addiction that diverts our minds and we lose track of time. Without even realizing it, one spends hours browsing through the net. But when something as serious as studies are concerned, parents need to be a little mindful and ask their budding scholars to deposit their phones and tabs in a safe-keep locker or cupboard. This will avoid head-turns and pauses at every notification that appears on the device and the focus will solely be on completing homework.

#3 Finish off The Difficult Tasks First

The attention span of students is pretty short and thus, we must urge them to start with the difficult or boring Math problems and Science formulas that they need to learn. Enthusiasm dies down as the number of hours, pass by, behind the study desk. At the beginning of the homework session, it is a great time to start core learning and leave the other simpler checkboxes for later. Reading Eggs is an excellent platform that makes homework fun and engaging for students. Even difficult topics like blending and segmentation in Phonics are taught using attractive graphics in a game-like manner. Who said homework has to be bland? Add a dash of glamour to your studies by opting for a subscription to Reading Eggs, which is highly popular in the Middle East.

#4 Make a To-Do list

It’s not possible to study all subjects in one day and thus, it helps if you have a to-do list handy. Make columns and write down the name of the subject, chapter, and reference material you would be using. We’ve heard the phrase ‘Well begun is half done’, so let us ensure to pre-plan the homework by making a to-do list. Since digitization is apparent in cities like Dubai, students can use an App to make to-do’s and even set notification reminders to achieve the goal of completing a certain chunk of studies. Now that the STEM curriculum is adhered to by most schools in the UAE, it’s not just History, Science, and English, that one has to focus on, but also devote time to study Technology & Engineering related topics.

After trying all the above tips, if your child is still not game for after-school homework, try out incentivizing them. Allow them one hour of outdoor play, provided they finish their studies, or prepare a favorite meal for your child so that it gives him a boost of motivation.

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Experiential learning is a topic that is heard of and is picking up pace, especially in the Education Industry. The advent of 3D teaching aids encompasses the experiential learning gamut and makes studies intriguing for students. Powered by Augmented Reality, 3D learning is super-engaging and facilitates the teacher to grab the attention of students for longer durations. Presenting an entire real-world-like scenario before your students is quite interesting, within the closed doors of a classroom. We’ve heard the phrase ‘see it, to believe it’ and literally 3D learning presents different aspects of the subject such as; History or Geography as a story, such that the recall is better and the facts become more relatable.

Here are a few reasons to opt for 3D learning in classrooms;

#1 Facilitating Inventiveness

When students are given the liberty to play around and experiment with 3D technology, they feel a sense of pride and become first-time inventors. The idea of being able to do something out of the box is exciting and inspires children to think differently. Given the right resources, they develop design capabilities and learn to use technology to their advantage at an early stage in their own Schools. With the STEM curriculum becoming popular in Dubai and other regions of the Middle East, 3D teaching aids are in fashion and are customizable for students of different grades.

#2 Evokes Real Emotions

As students can understand what the real deal is, they indulge in real practice. What reaction would you give if you were on a vacation and there was a Volcanic Eruption? Well, the same emotion is felt by kids, since the 3D imagery is so precise and realistic in form. The virtual replica can be used to train students and prepare them for what may happen in a real-world scenario. Many 3D pieces of training are conducted in offices, where employees and factory engineers first receive their training in 3D simulated environments and then go ahead with their normal job roles.

#3 Novelty and Fun

Children appreciate something new every day and often get bored with monotony. This is true not only for preschoolers but also for middle-school and high-school students. When 3D is incorporated in classrooms, you can see, feel, touch, and have a memorable time in classrooms, instead of staring blankly at the whiteboard & textbooks. It is fun to watch monuments coming alive, pre-historic dinosaurs talking, and science experiments being conducted as-If it was real. All this, and much more is possible only when technology is incorporated into our schools across the GCC and other regions of the world.

About Alive Studios

In sync with the whole concept of 3D, Alive Studio presents a comprehensive kit to engage students and teachers across different learning stages. Thanks to their patented 3D Augmented Reality technology, Alive Studios is able to welcome 26 zoo animals to foster a love for letters and even Math resources that inspire a special connection with the subject. On-demand, they have launched their product in the UAE and several other cities of the world.

Some of their Early-Ed Resources Include:

The Zoo Crew Alphabet Show:

In this module, Cynthia and her friend Gerdy the Giraffe will take you on an adventure to teach you the names of magical zoo animals and their letter sounds using 3D (augmented reality). Lots of rhymes, thematic storytelling, and fun & dance to follow. So, get ready to Hakuna Matata!

Interactive Alphabet Chart:

This chart is great for practicing the 26 zoo Crew Letters so that the recall is thorough. Suspend it on a blank wall and read aloud, while passing by the corridor.

Letters Alive Student Journals:

“This journal absolutely changed the way my kids were writing their letters” – these words came from a teacher who explored 3D resources from Alive Studio in his classroom. The student journal is integrated with an app on the phone or tablet, where students can indulge in creative writing, collect sticker badges, and groove to the beats of the zoo crew animal song. Besides the above-mentioned resources, the kit also comes with magical Classroom Rugs, Math Alive Journals to particularly engage children in Math learning, and Letters Alive which is a phonetic based lesson plan to learn blends and digraphs.

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Certainly, everyone can remember a time when there was no Google Maps. Childhood trips out of town in the family car were made memorable by stopping and asking total strangers and locals the way to your destination. Making a list of the landmarks on the way and ticking them off the list one-by-one as the trip progressed. All the little joys of life that turned into great childhood memories for us. And then, cut to 2005 when the world was introduced to Google Maps – an app that would get people from point A to point B in the shortest and quickest way. It is now used by over 1 billion people throughout the world. Google Maps was made available in the UAE app store for iPhone and Android users in 2013. Ever since then, commuting and travelling have become almost impossible without it.

Google Maps is a wonderful invention that guides you to your destination while giving you the most accurate details down to the minute concerning the traffic situation en route, alternate routes and stops along the way such as gas stations and places to eat. It even includes the modes of transport such as bikes, taxis, private cars or public transport systems in the Middle East.

Google Maps users have always wondered how it manages to maintain its accuracy. The details it displays and the tiny lanes it guides you through feel nothing short of magical. The service is powered by a complex system of algorithms, data collection, and user inputs that work together to create a detailed map of the world. When it comes to the GCC region, Google Maps is an essential tool for users who want to navigate the city and surrounding areas. This data is then used to create a detailed map of the world that is constantly updated with new information. At its core, Google Maps works by collecting data from multiple sources, including satellite imagery, user inputs, and third-party providers. The service uses a mix of GPS, Wi-Fi and cell tower triangulation to pinpoint the user’s location and provide accurate directions. One of the most impressive features of Google Maps is its ability to provide real-time traffic updates. This feature is particularly useful in Dubai, where traffic can be notoriously congested. Google Maps uses a combination of data from traffic sensors, user inputs, and historical data to provide users with accurate traffic information. The service can even suggest alternative routes to help users avoid traffic congestion. Another feature of Google Maps that is useful is its ability to provide information on public transportation. The service provides users with information on bus and train schedules, as well as the location of nearby stations. This is particularly useful for tourists and visitors who may not be familiar with the city’s public transportation system.

Google Maps is a highly sophisticated mapping service that provides users with accurate and real-time navigation information. Its comprehensive abilities make it a reliable tool for users. With its real-time traffic updates, public transportation information, and accurate directions, Google Maps is an essential tool for anyone navigating the city and surrounding areas.

The user interface of Google Maps is a combination of coding languages such as JavaScript. The backend which is responsible for processing and storing the vast amounts of data used to create the maps is built using a variety of technologies and programming languages such as C++, Java and Python. Learning programming and coding languages is a must-have skill for every child today as the future depends on it and increasingly so.

Matatalab is a coding platform that originated in 2017 by a team of 4 developers. It teaches children how to code using simple logic and robotics and bridges the gap between the virtual and physical aspects of computer programming. Matatalabs’ tangible software design uses blocks to create a chain of code which in due course leads to a program. Children are more confident to be able to absorb computer science concepts as they use their hands to build and see how it finally works.

Learning coding through Matatalab will set your children off on a journey that can culminate in them designing useful apps such as Google Maps and bringing to life the unthinkable.

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Children get fascinated by outer space and the study of galaxies, because of its novelty and mysticism. Storybooks about our Universe and astronauts were a favorite for most of us in our childhood days. Day and night, we admire the stars and wonder about their pattern formations, thinking about all the fascinating wonders God has given us. The moon changes shape from waxing and waning stages, which is an amusement in itself that can be marveled closely, using a telescope.

Why do we send Robots to space?

The first Robot to ever go to space was Sputnik 1 and it was launched on October 1957 by the USSR. Since then, there was no looking back. Many countries have sent their Robots into space and it is considered a matter of pride for the nation to have a Robotic body encircling the orbit to observe and research the current scenario in space and have an edge above the rest in terms of Space Research.

It is more cost-effective to send a Robot is space, rather than sending a Human Astronaut, and therefore many Nations, including the Middle East have sent The Hope Probe (Arabic: مسبار الأمل, Misbar Al-Amal) to orbit around Mars on 9 February 2021.

A Robot is built to withstand all kinds of harsh conditions, which can be dangerous for Astronauts. Extreme cold and hot temperatures are not uncommon in outer space, and a Robot is designed to survive and thrive within the environment.

We’ve all heard of NASA and some schools encourage aspiring students who want to become space scientists, cosmologists, and astronomers, to visit NASA and have a first-hand experience of all the cool space-related stuff that happens there.

To give you a brief, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is a U.S. Government agency that heavily invests in air and space study, to invent newer technology that brings us closer to our mission of understanding Celestial phenomena more accurately.

You would be happy to know that Artificial Intelligence or AI is not only making our lives easier on Earth but also doing wonders on Mars and other planets. The major mission of collecting samples and sending pictures to Earth, happens more effectively between the International Space Station and a Rover in space, with the help of AI. Just as a drone flies high and takes Ariel view images and video footings of the region, a space Robot has cameras that do the same.

What is a Rover?

A spacecraft carries the Rover to different planets or any other position in Space that the scientists want to explore. The intelligent Rover then covers a wide area and conducts observations to provide unseen and unheard information to us. The Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicles were used by NASA to explore the surface of the moon and the Rover named Sojourner was sent to Mars to collect pictures and to understand wind and weather Patterns on this Red planet.

Currently, Rover named Perseverance which landed within the Jezero Crater region of Mars on February of 2021 is on a mission to collect samples of rocks and regolith (broken rock and soil), which will be brought down to Earth for further study on the subject. Isn’t that cool?

Robotics as a subject in Schools

As a part of the recent STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) module, it is propagated that Educational Institutes include the study of Robotics in their curriculum, alongside the regular subjects. Basically, the aim is to make students 21st century equipped and ready for the outside world, well in advance. Hence, most IB educational schools in the UAE and other GCC regions, are encouraging kids to subscribe to Robotify – a popular virtual coding platform. This gives a good start to those who want to dive into the world of Robotics and maybe in the future land on Mars by inventing their own Space Vehicles. The future is indeed bright for our kids and it isn’t far-fetched until today’s Gen-Zs reach the skies!

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Harvard University graduates swear by making lesson plans. They claim that it is only having an organised study schedule with everything clearly outlined that helped them get straight A’s.

Creating an effective lesson plan is crucial for teachers to ensure that their students are engaged and learning in a structured and organized manner. The process of creating a lesson plan can seem daunting, but with careful planning and attention to detail, it can be a rewarding experience for both the teacher and the students. In the GCC region, where education is highly valued, it is especially important to create lesson plans that are effective and meet the diverse needs of students.

The first step in creating an effective lesson plan is to determine the learning objectives. This involves identifying what the students should know or be able to do by the end of the lesson. The learning objectives should be precise, measurable, goal-oriented, relevant, and time-specific. Once the learning objectives have been established, the teacher can then move on to creating the lesson content. The lesson content should be organized in a logical and sequential manner. This means breaking down the lesson into manageable chunks and ensuring that each chunk builds upon the previous one. The teacher should also consider the diverse learning styles of their students, especially in the UAE where there is a diverse group of people from all over the world and incorporate activities that cater to each style. For example, visual learners may benefit from diagrams and charts, while auditory learners may prefer listening to a lecture or participating in a group discussion. Another important aspect of creating an effective lesson plan is to incorporate assessment and evaluation. This involves determining how the teacher will measure whether or not the students have met the learning objectives. Assessment can take many forms, including quizzes, tests, projects, and presentations. It is important to ensure that the assessment aligns with the learning objectives and that it is fair and objective.

Finally, the teacher should consider the overall flow of the lesson and how they will manage time. This involves determining how long each activity will take and ensuring that there is enough time for all activities to be completed. The teacher should also consider potential disruptions or unexpected events and have a backup plan in place.

It is also important to consider the resources that are available to us. This includes the materials and equipment that you will need to deliver the lesson, as well as any technology that may be required. By planning ahead and ensuring that you have all of the necessary resources, you can help to ensure that the lesson runs smoothly. This has been made easier with the introduction of online learning programs and websites such as Mathletics. Mathletics is a 3P learning product that saves you hours of work with its comprehensive library of ebooks, activities and scheduling capabilities. It is the perfect program to form a strong base for math students as you can sync all your devices to it and have it at your fingertips anywhere. This program includes a personalised path with downloadable worksheets and a curriculum to support your pace of learning and expertise. Middle East schools highly recommend using Mathletics as an added form of math guidance.

In conclusion, creating an effective lesson plan is a key aspect of successful teaching as well as learning. A well-planned lesson can help students to understand and retain information more effectively, and it can also help to keep them engaged and interested in the subject matter. This is especially important in Dubai where teachers are expected to deliver high-quality instruction.

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Digital Marketing has become one of the most in-demand jobs, where there is a requirement for over 860,000 skilled professionals who can handle social media pages for the brand and run various campaigns. All brands rely heavily on Digital resources to gain visibility and reach out to their target audiences. Companies pay heavily to hire competent Digital Marketing experts from MBA colleges and specialists who can create a sustained impact for the brands since major marketing spends are now being allocated towards online activities.

So, this brings us to the question, what are the skills required to succeed as a Digital Marketer, and how to ace up your game to compete with others?

#1 Content Writing and Editing

We are familiar with the phrase content is the king and why not wouldn’t it be? Content formats may vary, some may be in the form of a Blog while others may be video content. However, the baseline is that one must be well-versed in content writing and have a flair for writing creatively, to beat the competition. The essentials required to be a good content creator include; being able to conduct thorough research, understanding your target audiences, and including versatility in your writing styles, such that the copy is plagiarism free and makes for an interesting read. As important as it is to write beautifully, ensuring that the spellings are correct and the article is error-free is the need of the hour. Visitors come back to your pages only when they are educated by meaningful content, which is why having editing skills helps manifold.

The TechnoAdvertise curriculum by TechnoKids is an amazing start to discovering one’s interest in digital career opportunities, as school students can learn to curate their personalized Ads using Microsoft Office tools and Graphic Design skills.

TechnoKids has been providing a platform to engage students in computer science activities since 2015 and is popular in Dubai markets. Even the TechnoEditor module is a top seller in UAE and allows kids to edit publications and try their hands at editing at an early age.

#2 SEO and SEM

Online businesses are thriving thanks to the easy search options on Google. Companies are taking efforts to get the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) keywords right so that their page appears in the top searches. Google keeps upgrading its algorithm and as a Digital Marketer, it is vital to keep abreast of all the trending SEO technicalities, to capitalize on searches to the max.

Knowledge about Metadata, tags, titles, descriptions, and links, needs to be on point, to spruce up your game plan. All members of the SEO team need to be technically well-versed and function with dynamism, to quickly change strategies and adapt to new ones, whenever the need arises.

SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is a way to promote your product by investing in online ‘paid Ads’. It creates a pull within the digital space by showcasing your ‘sponsored’ content to viewers, thereby navigating them to your landing page. Grabbing the attention of users via creative Ads and banners is what is expected from an SEM expert. Global audiences can be targeted at low costs, thereby a Real Estate broker from the Middle East can publicize properties to home seekers in America, to get relevant inquiries.

#3 Data Analytics

All your Digital Marketing efforts need to be validated by results and hence getting into Data Analytics is a must. Top-level management expects the team to prepare a map and explain the digital journey of the product or brand, to know what can be done further to improve a campaign’s effectiveness. Matrices such as CPC (cost per click), site traffic, conversion rate, cost per lead, click-through rate, bounce rate, etc have to be presented and understood. Learning about customers happens only when you derive the right information from the data and use it to tweak your proposition.

The TechnoKids projects are curated with special teacher’s guide and student workbooks for GCC and other regions, so as to make computer lessons, such as TechnoReasearch, TechnoJournal, and others, extremely easy to understand while giving exposure to real-world scenarios to school-going students.

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