The Naplan failure – which saw up to 60 percent of the Australian school students undertaking the online test experience connectivity issues and other technical glitches – has resulted in the widespread call to reassess how nationwide mandatory testing is delivered.  State education ministers, school authorities and teachers across the country were appalled when the national rollout of online testing ultimately failed, leaving students in tears and parents outraged as their tests froze or shut down part way through testing. In Western Australia alone, over 40,000 students were unable to complete their tests, causing distress among students who feared it would ultimately impact their grades and school standing.

Naplan, the annual assessment for Australian school students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, tests students’ literacy and numeracy skills as developed over time through the national school curriculum. Naplan has attracted controversy from day one, when the validity of the online testing system came under fire after it was found that students who completed NAPLAN online were disadvantaged compared with those who sat the traditional pen-and-paper tests. To date federal authorities have failed to address ongoing problems with NAPLAN testing, and last month’s massive failure has only fueled concerns about the online testing system. 

The Naplan issue is symbolic of a much larger one – that of what happens when technology fails in educational settings. I myself have taught numerous classes that ended prematurely or that failed because of a technological fault. A laptop that wasn’t able to connect to a projector, an educational video that didn’t stream, a student’s presentation that failed to load. It begs the question: are we doing ourselves a disservice, depending so heavily on technology for all aspects of teaching in today’s classroom? Admittedly, more often than not technology makes things easier and there is no denying its power to make learning more engaging and accessible, but have we taken it too far? While we celebrate the use of emerging technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) in education, are we becoming so excitable over the possibilities technology offers us that we forget the importance of traditional skills like handwriting and note taking? And are we forgetting the step back we take when a computer fails to start at the start of a lesson or when we delete a major piece of work from our computer accidentally?

New York Times writer Therein Maria Konnikova in 2014 made a strong case for bringing back cursive handwriting in schools after evidence was published suggesting the links between handwriting and broader educational development run far deeper than we think. She argued that in our “money-driven quest to digitize and automate education” we are forgetting and neglecting the most important aspects of a child’s educational development. Children ought to be learning how to build sandcastles, stack building blocks and draw, not learning how to code.

We are constantly seeing the shift towards the digitalization of learning and measuring students’ personal growth and statistics, with kindergartens increasingly equipped with iPads and class presentations now considered mediocre unless they come with brilliant audiovisual effects. Beyond primary and secondary schools, we are also seeing traditional pen and paper exams such as the LSAT becoming digitalized. July 2019 will mark the first time in 71 years the notorious exam will be delivered digitally, meaning traditional LSAT prep and possibly one day even MCAT prep will no longer involve lengthy hours of essay writing practice but the filling out of online multiple choice practice tests. Students are no doubt celebrating the prospect, for is it not easier to click a button that get wrist-ache from speedwriting? No longer will university exam prep mean squeezing stress balls for hours on end to strengthen hand and wrist muscles. Boy were those tough times… 

Our growing dependence on technology for delivering important tasks and for storing confidential information has hurt us in the past. From the leaking of classified government information, to the millennium bug, we have experienced and seen firsthand the pitfalls and risks of technology but there are always two sides to the coin and Steve Gory, EdTech Strategist of BestGEDClasses.org, argues that, “limiting ourselves or regressing to traditional modes of education is stunting our growth. The world is moving forward and becoming increasingly digitized for a reason. We depend on computers to do our grunt work so we can focus on what’s truly important. Humans are limited by their bodies, computers can free us from our bodily limitations.”

Bill Gates argues technology is failing students and schools, in its inability to personalize learning to an extent where teachers are able to figure out how to help that particular student. The pitfalls of EdTech are myriad: technology in class can be distracting (one word, Facebook), educational computer games can hurt a student’s ability to apply the same mathematical principles in the real world or to a regular equation, online testing often doesn’t allow the user to return to an unanswered question, having access to Google tempts students to simply seek answers there, and of course then there is the loss of human connection in the classroom thanks to increased computer use, which is perhaps the most dangerous risk of all. But the simplest risk is that which the Naplan incident demonstrated – throwing all our eggs in one basket is a risky move. 

By depending so heavily on computers and online platforms to deliver testing and lessons, we run out of options should the technology fail. A pen is far more dependable, far safer a choice. I know which one I would choose. 

عبر السنوات الأخيرة لاحظنا حالة من الرواج غير المعهود للتداول عبر الفوركس في الأردن، وذلك للدرجة التي تجعل من المملكة الأردنية تحتل مكانتها ما بين مجموعة الدول الرائدة في هذا المجال الاستثماري، وقد ساعد على ذلك تعدد شركات التداول المرخصة في الأردن، والاهتمام الحكومي بهذا النوع من الأنشطة المالية ووضع هيكل تنظيمي له، بالإضافة إلى إقرار قانوناً خاصاً بشركات التداول في الأردن، ويذكر أيضاً انه يتم إقامة مؤتمراً دولياً لتجارة الفوركس سنوياً في الأردن، والذي عُقدت دورته السادسة عشر في عمان بالعام الماضي بمشاركة 50 شركة عربية وعالمية وعدد من البنوك العاملة في مجال تداول العملات والأسهم والمعادن الثمينة.

مزايا التداول في الأردن

• تطوّر الاقتصاد الأردني والقوة السكانية بها، مما يعني زيادة العدد السكاني للطبقة المتوسطة نسبة إلى جميع السكان وبالتالي زيادة أعداد كل من المستهلكين والمستثمرين.
• ازدياد أعداد السكان من الفئات الشابة المهتمة بالتعلم والبحث في التكنولوجيا الحديثة واستخدام الإنترنت بشكل دائم.

معايير اختيار شركة التداول

• ألا تقل مدة تقديم الشركة لخدمات التداول عن سنتين.
• توفر خدمة دعم عملاء سلسة ودائمة.
• خضوع الشركة لجهة رقابية، وحيازتها ترخيص عالمي أو محلي، وتعتبر هيئة الأوراق المالية الأردنية (JSC) الجهة الرقابية المحلية الوحيدة المنوطة باعتماد شركات الوساطة بالسوق الأردني.
• قدرة الشركة على تحقيق عمليات السحب والإيداع خلال يومين أو ثلاثة على الأكثر.
• امتلاك الشركة تواجد على الصعيد الدولي.
• يوصى باستبعاد الشركات التي تعتمد على منصات خاصة، ويفضل اختيار الشركة التي توفر إحدى المنصات العالمية المتطورة مثل منصة MetaTrader؛ لأن هذه المنصات أكثر مرونة وأسرع في تنفيذ الأوامر، ومن ثم فإنها تزيد من فرص عقد صفقات ناجحة والاستفادة من فروق الأسعار لحظة بلحظة.
• التعرف على حجم فوارق الأسعار التي تتيحها شركة تداول الفوركس الأردنية، ومعرفة قيمة العمولات والرسوم المفروضة على عمليات التداول.
• توظيف أشخاص يتحدثون اللغة العربية في الشركة حتى وإن كنت متقنًا للإنجليزية.
• التعرف على أنواع الأدوات المالية المتوفرة من خلال الشركة؛ فكلما كانت متنوعة أكثر كلما زادت الفرص الاستثمارية، ويوصى باختيار شركة الوساطة التي تتيح تداول أزواج العملات بالإضافة إلى عقود مقابل الفروقات (CFD).

أفضل شركات التداول في الأردن لعام 2022

فيما يلي بعض أفضل شركات التداول في الأردن في العام 2022، وبعض مميزات كلٍ منها:

• FXDD: حصلت على علامة (92.15%) – أفضل وسيط شامل
• ICM capital: حصلت على علامة (91.10%) – أفضل وسيط للإيداع والسحب.
• XTB: حصلت على علامة (85.55%) – أفضل وسيط لخدمة العملاء.
• IG: حصلت على علامة (85.45%) – أفضل وسيط تنظيمي ومنصة مناسبة.
• Saxobank: حصلت على علامة (80.09%) – أفضل منصة تداول خاصة متميزة.
• CMC Markets: حصلت على علامة (80.07%) – توفر أكثر من 9000 أصل.
• Think Markets: حصلت على علامة (80.05%) – الأكثر استهدافا من قبل المتداولين.

المنتجات المالية الأكثر رواجاً في الأردن

يمكن القول بأن المنتج المالي الأكثر رواجاً في الأردن هو تجارة الفوركس وتداول أزواج العملات، وفي ظل ذلك تتيح بعض شركات التداول المرخصة الفرصة لتداول ما يزيد عن 50 زوجاً من العملات، بينما تأتي المنتجات المالية الأخرى في مرتبة متأخرة نسبياً؛ حيث قد يعود ذلك لفرض القانون الأردني لقواعد صارمة على عقود مقابل الفروقات (CFD)، مما تسبب في توفرها لدى عدد محدود من شركات التداول الوسيطة.

Today, we stand at the forefront of a changing world. Every second of every minute, new data is being created. Attending a recent conference, an interesting statistic was utilized. 65% of today’s children will work in a job that does not exist yet. 65%. That is an incredible amount of people and changes to industry, but it is important to reflect on what that really means and where it starts.

The first considerations are not what could be, but are founded in what is occurring today, while we prepare for tomorrow. At this foundation, as a society it is essential to consider the influences of technology today. Education technology (also called EdTech), is changing faster before. Where it used to take weeks or months to understand fundamentals of how to teach the right way to all the different learning styles, is now being done in weeks.

Teachers are being given access to products that enhance their ability to teach. This type of teaching increases learning by allowing participation in a changing world. From various online courses to paid surveys, participation nw adapts to the learning styles of the users while connecting the important points of hands on learning that can be left behind with the implementation of new technologies.

What do the technologies look like? In many cases, we are already using them. Many schools have implemented a ‘Bring Your Own Device” protocol. By utilizing a BYOD method, allows educational systems to keep up to date for minimal cost. In fact, many schools have already been removing stand alone desktops from the classrooms in favor of tablets, or other devices like personal cellphones.

In many cases, educational technologies incorporate programs that use databases. A successful example of these types of databases is CMMS Software. This technology enables priority development, due date alternations if needed and problem reporting. To further the benefits of educational technology in the classroom, in the hands of the right teacher a database program like the one mentioned above can stimulate cognitive capabilities beyond expectation.

However, there are challenges facing the incorporation of educational technologies in the classroom. First, a teacher whom is willing to utilize and take the time to learn these programs is essential. Teachers are the driving force that will increase the ability of the next generation to fulfill the 65% of jobs that have yet to be created.

Next, it is essential to provide access to these software programs and the devices that support them. In a ‘No Student Left Behind’ society, this needs to be incorporated at an academic level that is sustainable for the cognitive abilities of children. The consistent investment by schools does not end at the purchase of a product. There is the need for constant technological change as well as updating and virus/hacker protection.

Since the invention of the telephone, humanity has been on a steady climb to technological change. Whether it was the development of the light bulb, or a hand held ‘smart’ phone, the changes are necessary for the advancement of youth who use educational technologies.