DIBF Hosts Symposium on Role of Reading in Light of Rapid Developments in Technology

A symposium discussing the role of reading in promoting soft power in light of the rapid developments in technology was organized Sunday as part of the activities of the 32nd Doha International Book Fair, which is held under the slogan “With Reading We Rise”.

Director of the Arab Educational Training Center for Gulf States Dr. Fatma Ghanim Al Maadeed and Dr. Mohammed Mustafa, an educational expert, attended the symposium which was moderated by Director of Qatar Media Center of the Ministry of Culture Iman Al Kaabi.

Dr. Fatma Al Maadeed stressed the importance of using modern technology to attract children to reading by listening to recorded and online stories, and through their favorite activities, in addition to the programs available for reading on the Internet.

She noted that the State of Qatar organizes many activities to promote reading, and has public libraries to encourage students to read and borrow books to develop the reading habit, pointing to the possibility of transforming modern technology into a factor that helps in the actual promotion of reading.

Dr. Mohammed Mustafa said that technology nowadays helps reading everywhere and anytime. There are many websites that offer a large collection of books for free, in addition to sites for audiobooks that enable the browser to listen to the audio of the books they want.

The rapid development of sites, including Arab and foreign sites, has made the process of browsing and searching easier for the reader. In addition, digital devices are easy to move and allow reading from anywhere in the world, he added.

Source: Qatar News Agency