Finally, a challenge faced by all UAE educators, is the lack of  learning repositories containing Arabic or culturally relevant materials (Al-khalifa et al., 2008). A Learning Repository is an online library for storing, managing, and sharing digital learning objects. (Desire2Learn Resource Center, n.d.). Learning repositories play a pivotal role in online learning as they act as a platform to curate course learning objects. Learning objects can be be anything from an image, video, presentation, document or quiz.

In the UAE, the Ministry of Education highlighted this challenge and in partnership with Google established Duurosi. The YouTube page is used as a platform for teachers to record videos of Maths, English, Biology, Geography and Chemistry lessons. The page has over 400 videos which are catalogued into 11 playlists. The most watched, a Year 12 Maths video has been viewed over 297 000 times. The aim of Duurosi is to not only extend the learning into the home but also help parents support students in their education.

Screencastify is an example of a tool used to create a video or learning object. Using this tool instructors or teachers can capture their monitor displays and audio recording. Using platforms such as GoogleClassrooms or Youtube teachers can then share the instructional videos. As a result of the program allowing audio to be recording, the students are provided with additional context as well as continuing to build on the relationship with the teacher or instructor. Tools like this compliment a blended learning approach.

Gore, N. (2016, Oct, 20). Screencastify for Teachers. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQoZGZne5OU

Creating learning repositories or even learning objects can be time consuming and overwhelming to those unfamiliar with the technologies being used. This may be why the most recent video posted on the Duurosi page was from 2014. In 2009, The Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research in conjunction with Bon Education surveyed 145 teachers across nine schools in Ras al Khaimah. The study was aimed at collecting information to be used to inform an ICT-based professional development program (Batchelder, 2011).

They found that in terms of digital literacy, teachers had most experience with Microsoft PowerPoint, Word and the Internet with almost none having experience working with Web 2.0 tools such as wikis or blogs. 

Teachers identified whether they were digital literate

%

Using the interent

%

Using MS Word processing

%

Using MS PowerPoint

From the study a teacher development program was established using a blended learning approach, covering five topics, including social networking, open education resources, classroom blogging and podcasting, and ICT rich lessons. Initiatives such as this provide local teachers with contextualized professional development opportunities. Educational leaders need to be addressing both of these issues with some haste as online learning cannot be successful without a comprehensive learning repositories and teachers to either create or use them effectively.

Let's wrap it up
References

Al-Khalifa H. (2008). Building an Arabic Learning Object Repository with an Ad Hoc Recommendation Engine. Paper submitted to of International Organization for Information Integration and Web-based Applications and Services. pp. 390–394.  

Batchelder, A. (2011). Education 2.0: Using Social Networking Tools to Promote Teacher Professional Development in Ras al Khaimah. In Second Annual Symposium for the Gulf Comparative Education Society. Retrieved from http://gces.ae/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Second-Annual-GCES-Symposium-Conference-Proceedings.pdf

Center for Education Reform (2005) National Charter School Directory, Washington, DC., quoted in A Synthesis of New Research on K-12 Online Learning, Smith, Rosina; Clark, Tom; Blomeyer, Robert, Learning Point Associates, October 2005.

Desire2Learn Resource Center (n.d.). Learning Repository. Retrieved from  https://distancelearning.elgin.edu/d2ltutorials/d2l_10_3_faculty_guides/en/Learning%20Repository.html