framework for the implementation of a virtual design studio model in ...

interact website 94 the foreigners in the UAE are given temporary
resident visas. Young 95 states that the foreigners in the UAE society live
in apartments close to the urban areas; whereas, citizens occupy
suburban estates complete with villa and large areas of land.
The rapid development of the infrastructure in the UAE and the diversity
of culture have enabled the UAE people to change to fit into the new
modern society.
2.5 UAE Culture and Hofstede’s Dimensions
In general, integrating technology into a new environment requires an
understanding of the motivating factors that is believed to influence the
integration policy. It also requires proper planning and decision making.
Hence, it is important to understand the socio-culture factors of the
society into which technology will be integrated. This will help to make
suitable decisions on the type and need of technology and the proper
ways of conducting the integration process. According to Punie et al 96 ,
using technology in education has a great benefit if it is firmly grounded
to the changing social realities. Punie et al state that the world is
witnessing a transfer from the industrial society into knowledge based
society. They further argue that using technology is becoming the
centre of what he identifies as learning spaces. Learning spaces
according to Punie et al is where the educational needs of the learner
will have priority. Moreover, Punie et al highlight the importance of
embedding technology according to the social and cultural context in
order for these technologies to be effective. This section classifies the
UAE culture according to Hofstede dimensions 97 in order to understand
the socio-cultural factor and its influence in the UAE society to make
better decisions for technology integration. Hofstede Dimensions have
been known as the appropriate dimension to understand the culture of a
society.
94
Abdualla, M (2007). op.cit. p187.
95
Young, B. J. (2005). op.cit. p.32.
96
Punie Y., Ala-Mutka K. (2007). ‘Future learning spaces: new ways of learning and new digital skills to
learn’, Digital Kompetanse. 2. p210-225.
97 nd
Hofstede G. (2001), Cultural Consequences. 2 ed. London: Sage Publication.
40