Welcome to the second episode of the GLOBAL edition of our What Matters in Edtech Series, our podcast collaboration with Bett. This podcast series is all about the things that matter in education, and how and when tech might help.  Thanks to Bett for supporting the series, to Teacherly for sponsoring this week’s episode and to the wonderful Sam Wheeler for leading on interviews while Sophie grapples with her Quaranteenie baby.  What's in this episode? In this episode, we focus on the Middle East and Africa; you'll hear about the role of tech and community in supporting refugee learning, careers opportunities for girls, flexible working and teacher professional development, and truly hybrid online learning. We are in Dubai, Oman, Kenya and across the UAE.    You can follow the conversation using #edtechpod and #BettMEA People Sophie Bailey is the Founder and Presenter of The Edtech Podcast | Twitter: @podcastedtech Sam Wheeler, Presenter at The Edtech Podcast | Twitter: @SamanthaRose83 Aastha Das, Founder and CEO at InnoYouth, a young passionate entrepreneur & tech-savvy innovator | Twitter: @aasthadas0510  Linah Anyango, Teacher and ICT integration Coordinator at Regis school Runda, Gems Education and Global Teacher Prize 2020 Nominee | Twitter: @YLnhanyango Kai Vacher, Principal, British School Muscat | Twitter: @PrincipalMuscat Dr Sonia Ben Jafaar, CEO, Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education | Twitter: @SB4Edu Atif Mahmood, Founder and CEO, Teacherly | Twitter: @teamteacherly Show Notes and References   Check out https://theedtechpodcast.com/edtechpodcast for the full show notes. Episode Time Stamps 3:30 - Kai Vacher Intro 12:00 - Aastha Das Intro 19:00 - Linah Anyango Intro 28:00 - This episode is titled "What Matters in Edtech Middle East and Africa"; What would you say are the defining characteristics of education in the MEA region as you see it? 33:00 - Dr. Sonia Ben Jafaar 35:00 - Working with Industry 38:00 \ 1:00 - As we record this, we are in the midst of the novel coronavirus outbreak; how has this affected your work, that of your colleagues, parents, students. Are there any positives to come out of the situation; what do you think will be long term and what more short-lived?   55:00 - Atif Mahmood Intro 79:00 - What books, resources, people, projects or students are you most inspired by? Tell us your story We'd love to hear your thoughts. Record a quick free voicemail via speakpipe for inclusion in the next episode. Or you can post your thoughts or follow-on links via twitter @podcastedtech or via The Edtech Podcast Facebook page or Instagram.