Latest news with #Toprak
Digital Trends
07-05-2025
- Digital Trends
Samsung's handy Now Bar to get new functions in One UI 8
Samsung's One UI 7 software included updates for one killer feature that has multiple uses: the Now Bar. From showing notifications and currently playing music on your lock screen, to a recent integration with Google Maps, the pill-shaped bar at the bottom of the screen has been a handy answer to Apple's Dynamic Island. Now, it seems that the Now Bar is set to become even more useful in the upcoming Samsung One UI 8 update, as a leaked image and video of an early version of the software show new features for the bar. Shared by X user Topraks9plus, and highlighted by Android Authority, the video shows the new functions of the lockscreen widget: One UI 8 update adds phone calls to Now bar 🌟#OneUI8 #NowBar — Toprak (@Topraks9plus) May 6, 2025 The video shows a user flicking through options on the Now Bar, including seeing the current Do Not Disturb mode, interacting with music controls, seeing phone calls, and seeing upcoming calendar events. The phone call feature is new, and it allows you to see the name of the contact you are on a call with and the call duration. The Do Not Disturb notification is new as well. Recommended Videos As well as new functions for the Now Bar, Samsung is also working on fixing the Now bar for Z Flip devices. The Now Bar is currently only visible on the internal screen on the Samsung Z Flip, which severely limits its usefulness. But a previous leak showed the Now Bar running on the current screen of a Z Flip 5 or 6 instead, which would be much more useful. That fix is expected to be part of One UI 8 as well. Hopefully users won't have to wait too long for One UI 8, especially given the criticism of the One UI 7 release and some of the bugs it contained. There is even a rumor that Samsung could jump straight from One UI 7.0 to One UI 8.0, given how behind it is on its releases. Please enable Javascript to view this content
Khaleej Times
24-02-2025
- General
- Khaleej Times
UAE: Do you see teachers quit? How Sharjah plans to retain staff, improve school leadership
Sharjah is prioritising teachers' welfare by focusing on enhancing their emotional intelligence (EI). Experts recognise emotional intelligence's vital role in fostering strong relationships, supporting students' well-being, and improving teacher retention. This was highlighted by Dr Mustafa Toprak, Associate Professor, Sharjah Education Academy, after conducting a systematic review to examine the existing literature on School Leadership (K-12) in the UAE. Micromanaging leadership styles Speaking during the fourth edition of the Sharjah International Summit on Improvement in Education on Monday, Toprak explained that his findings revealed. "There is this need for integrating emotional intelligence which is very important for boosting motivation. Authorities or micromanaging leadership styles are common in certain schools here, where leaders limit autonomy for teachers. It seems to negatively influence the teacher turnover rate. School leadership plays a significant role in shaping the conditions that enable teachers to perform at their best, ultimately enhancing student outcomes." Veteran educators highlighted that teachers with high EI contribute to a supportive and positive school culture, which benefits both students and staff in the long run. "Authentic leadership on the other hand is also important which means having a high level of integrity, honesty, being down-to-earth and transparency is important for engaging the staff and creating a trust-based school environment. This impacts teacher quality as well as student outcomes," he added. 'Many leaders are unprepared for their roles' Toprak explained that to foster the development of academic leaders, it is important to focus on their emotional intelligence, as this is key to ensuring 'transformational leadership' and making effective decisions within their institution. He also highlighted that much of the research in education leadership has traditionally been ethnocentric and Eurocentric, focused on the needs of Anglo-Saxon communities, and stressed the importance of making research more contextually and culturally relevant. "Under 'Leadership selection, training and development', I found that many leaders are unprepared for their roles. So, there are issues related to the selection of school Principals … training and continuous development of school Principals (are required). There seems to be an inconsistency among school leaders, particularly in their ability to effectively use data. Research shows that some school principals are competent in using data for improving their school and for decision making, but some are not." Similarly, e-Communities of Practice (e-CoPs) are valuable in developing collaborative leadership skills among school leaders. By leveraging digital platforms, veteran educators stressed that school leaders can engage in peer learning, share best practices, and refine communication styles -- all of which contribute to a more positive and effective school environment. "e-Communities of Practice have proven to be an effective tool for fostering collaborative leadership skills. Several schools are leveraging this platform to enhance the skills of school leaders, particularly in the area of communication styles, which directly impacts their performance and contributes to a more positive school environment. Research highlights a growing need for context-specific, personalised, and integrated professional development (PD) opportunities to better support the growth of educational leaders." Toprak reiterated that building strong, culturally diverse leadership in schools requires more than just policies—it demands real—world exposure and collaboration. "Close cultural mentoring is important. We need to pair school principals in the UAE with school Principals in other geographical and cultural context so that they can learn from each other," he added.
