Background Information:

The Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) was established in September of 2005 “to develop education and educational institutions in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, implement innovative educational policies, plans and programs that aim to improve education.” (ADEC 2008).  ADEC is responsible for managing administrative and teaching staff as well as the educational reform.  A large part of this reform has been implementing a new curriculum.  Many of the teachers, of ICT and other subjects, are finding it difficult to implement technology into their classrooms because they don’t have the current pedagogy or technological knowledge to do this efficiently.  These educators need a user and time- friendly method for learning how to effectively integrate technology into the classroom.  A Moodle course, geared at teachers, fits with the Vision 2020 document which outlines that  “introducing teachers with modern techniques in designing, preparing and producing instructional materials”(Makrakis, 2009, p.492) is essential to successful educational reform. The digital poverty traditionally attributed to mediocre bandwidth and connectivity is steadily decreasing in Abu Dhabi and there is now great potential for teachers and learners to use ICT as an educational tool. The social shift in education from classroom cooperation to global constructivist collaboration will be facilitated through the implementation of this Moodle course:  it will be a stepping stone for preparing 21^st century educators and learners in Abu Dhabi.