[caption id="attachment_153113" align="alignright" width="199"] The seminar took place at Shahid Rajaei Teacher Training University in Tehran[/caption]

As part of a series of events to mark UNESCO’s Mobile Learning Week, a national research seminar on “Applying Modern Technologies, particularly Mobile Learning Tools, to the Teaching-Learning Process” took place on 25 February 2015 at Shahid Rajaei Teacher Training University in Tehran.

During the opening session Dr. Hamid Reza Azemati, Rector of Shahid Rajaei University, talked about the importance of mobile learning tools in the 21st century.

Dr. Saeidabadi, Secretary-General of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, talked about UNESCO’s overall mission towards “building peace in the minds of men and women” and the important role of quality education in that process.

Ms. Kuisch Laroche, Director and Representative of UNESCO’s Tehran Cluster Office, discussed the global theme for this year’s Mobile Learning Week: Leveraging mobile technology to empower women and girls.

“Education empowers women and girls. A child born to a mother who can read is 50 percent more likely to survive past the age of five years old. The positive effect of education for women and girls is so far-reaching that it is argued it may be the single most effective tool for development”, said Ms. Kuisch Laroche.

She continued by talking about some of the challenges that women in developing countries face in accessing ICT for learning and for professional purposes, and highlighted the importance of targeted ICT training.

“Teachers are the pillars of education systems and their involvement is crucial to the viability of ICT in education efforts. Without the support of teachers, technology generally remains peripheral to teaching and learning. UNESCO explores how mobile technologies can help teachers work more effectively in different contexts and underlines the importance of better understanding how mobile technology can help prepare new teachers and provide professional development to working teachers.”

The research seminar was attended by many university professors working in the field of teacher training. During the working sessions they explored the following topics:

Theoretical and Methodological Fundamentals of Applying Mobile Learning Tools to the Teaching-Learning Process

• Best Practices and Localizing the Use of Mobile Learning Tools for Integration into the Iranian Teaching-Learning Environments

• Foresight to Check the Modalities of Effectively Integrating the Use of Modern Technologies, especially Mobile Electronic Tools, into the Iranian Educational System.This seminar followed a high-level meeting on mobile learning held on 23 February.