The Sound of the UAE

I have been teaching a practicum course at Zayed University in Dubai called Zayed Media Lab since 2003. This course has changed a lot since we first started it, but it has always stayed very true to the core idea of combining what has been learned in the curriculum of the communication college to real world [...]

Talent Among Us!

One of the things that makes Dubai such a vibrant community is the amount of talent that is living here. When I say talent, in this case anyway, I am talking about cultural talent. My Canadian sensibility leads me to listen to music that is being produced here in the UAE as a piece of [...]

Great Little Utility Trailer

So, what is the big issue when camping? You need something to carry all the gear. You need something that can house a generator. You need something that has a toilet. This may be the trailer for you. I didn’t get a good look at the sewage storage system BUT there is a fan on [...]

What the UAE Film Industry Needs.

Saro Carlwig and Ahmed Arshi set up Talent Casting Agency, www.tcame.com, to help develop Emirati talent in the film industry. So what does the UAE film industry need? UAE, Emirati talent! It is great that we have many film festivals cropping up, and my favorite is the student led project at Zayed University, but festivals [...]

What if education was student driven?

It is funny and a bit sad that aging educators are doing their best to reinvent the way teaching happens and in the process are really clueless. I was talking to an educator at an IB school about the mega play they are putting on this term. My question was is is student written? NO. [...]

Business vs Education

I have to be honest there are days I look at the person beside me in the flash car with the seemingly unlimited spending power and wonder why I stick around as a university professor. Sure there are the vacations and the very nice working hours, but is that enough? Then about this time of [...]

Welcome to the time of de-sensitization!

On Nightline we are now getting the response of people in the UAE to the nagging questions of the moment. Last night I asked the UAE how they felt about the growing global phenomenon to use video surveillance, whether it works or not, in public and private environments. The response was very interesting. While all were in agreement [...]

Value Of Localisation to Schools

Our schools, today, are faced with a huge problem, how to make the education being delivered cost effective and relevant. Too many education group executives think the best way to deal with decreased revenue and greater demand on fiscal resources is to cut back on teachers, offerings and even supplies. In fact too many education [...]

Wandering off the Path.

Students, professionals, education they all seem to be geared around the idea that we have some idea what we want to do and that we can study today for the path of tomorrow. Over and over again I have told my students that what we learn at school is secondary to the process. Sure there [...]

Just start! The Future of the UAE

I had the opportunity to speak with Nayla Al Khaja, CEO of D-Seven, about her career as a film producer. Confident? Totally. Driven? Totally. Proud? Absolutely. So why are more women not looking at her and just going for it? Nayla started at HCT in the UAE and learned her film craft at Ryerson in [...]

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