FUN AND LEARNING: People can take pictures on one part while children play games on other part of the screen. Photos by Umer Nangiana
By Umer Nangiana
It is not just fun, it is education in a fun way. It is the children’s chance to embrace technology at an early age. And you can also report your presence at Qatar Summer Festival 2015 live through pictures taken at the site and communicated instantly electronically.
One of the most visited corners of the summer festival underway at Doha Exhibition Centre (DEC) these days, this is the interactive touchscreen with games and puzzles for children on it and operated by CELS, a Dubai-based event management company.
“The idea is to provide the children edutainment where they learn things in a fun way. All the programmes and the applications that we use are developed in-house. The only thing that we might outsource is the screens,” Alessandro Gafffuri, CEO of CELS, told Community.
The response to the project has been great. The audiences liked the idea so much that the organisers of the event have decided to extend it for a few more days.
“It is one component of our business outreach and we are promoting it further to engage bigger audiences,” said the CEO of the company. The idea is simple, straight forward and easy to understand for the children.
Mahmoud Hafiz, the project supervisor at the festival said more than 5,000 pictures have been generated through the camera fixed at the screen.
“The response has been big here. We did not expect this much. People liked it and it is always busy. We never have idle screens. So far, we have generated 5,000 pictures from the screen and it is a big number. Anyone can take the picture and play at the same time,” said the supervisor, adding that mostly it is the parents who are usually taking pictures while their children play games on the other part of the screen.
“It is an interactive touchscreen so people can work with it and learn how to use it smoothly. It runs a custom-made programme. The underlying OS is Windows 8,” said Hafiz.
The screen, he said, has two sections. The first one is a gaming section which has been divided into three parts so three children can play at the same time. The other part is the camera section where people can take photos and send them to their email addresses right away and then share it with their friends.
The gaming section has two games. One is for the younger children where they have to solve easy puzzles and then they can also colour them. The other game is for the slightly mature children, where they have to use their memory to find and match the cards with each other.
“These are programmes or applications designed for this event in particular in order to cater to the audience here. It also generates interest among children on how to use the technology for different purposes including innovative learning,” said Hafiz.
Parents are taking a keen interest in it, said the supervisor. “They like the idea and sometimes you see them playing for their children, especially when they see them getting stuck in the challenging memory game,” said Hafiz.
The innovative screen helps children become tech-savvy, according to Hafiz. He acknowledged that people are switching to use newer technologies. Children today are capable of using mobile phones and computers and hence they are responding in a very good way here, he added.
The interactive screen project does not target a specific age group. It is open for everyone who wants to try it. “Sometimes people ask us to make it for them in their houses. They ask how they can get some of these screens in their houses and make their children use computers in a smart way. Children can also use the platform for browsing the Internet. It is easier for them,” said Hafiz.
CELS, he said, is primarily an event company. “I believe the company will expand here in Doha as soon as possible, [introducing] simulators and screens for presentations [in Qatar],” said Hafiz.
Gafffuri said that CELS is planning a bigger event in Lagoona Mall here in September, where they will bring original jerseys of renowned football stars. People would have a chance to get pictured in them by qualifying through smart competition played on similar interactive touchscreens.
