My leadership initiatives led to my role as the ICT Educational Specialist for the secondary section of the school. The main objectives of the position were to facilitate the integration of technology into interdisciplinary learning, promote the development of digital fluencies in curriculum instruction, and offer professional development opportunities and programme recommendations for middle and high school teachers. While in this role I also earned a Master of Educational Technology degree from the University of British Columbia with a specialisation in instructional design for K-12 school environments.
Returning to my passion of classroom teaching, I next moved to Singapore to be a Grades 7-10 MYP English Language and Literature Teacher at an International Baccalaureate school. I am a proponent for the teaching of new literacies and am driven by the desire to help adolescents find their identities through digital storytelling.
Most recently, I have relocated to work as the Head of Learning Technology & Innovation for a group of 25 all-girl independent and academy schools across the United Kingdom. My primary focus is to work with schools to develop effective teacher training programmes for the effective use of technology and to develop innovative approaches to teaching and learning.
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YOUTH MENTOR
My own experiences as a student have inspired me to help young people who struggle to fit into the mould of traditional schooling systems. I have a strong understanding of how external hardships can impede learning and have supported students with addressing adversity as both an in-school behavioural mentor and adolescent bereavement counsellor. Working as a remedial learning resource tutor and special needs activity partner further demonstrated to me the impact that individual attention can have on a child’s development. I am a firm believer that students should feel safe to take risks, be inquisitive and experiment with new ideas in a learning community which has taken into consideration each child’s unique history, skill sets and challenges.
TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATIONIST
It was my role as a learning accommodations assistant that introduced me to the use of assistive technologies to provide equitable access to students with special learning needs. After specialising in educational technology during my preservice, I began my professional teaching career during the inaugural year of a 1:1 laptop programme where adaptability was fundamental to the success of the initiative. My ability to use learning technologies coupled with my eagerness to facilitate workshops for my colleagues led to my selection as the technology integration coach at my school. I am a proponent for the use of technology in schools not merely for students to gain technical competencies, but to support individualised learning, foster computational thinking, and develop the digital fluencies required for success in the twenty-first century.
GLOBAL CITIZEN
My decision to live abroad is deeply rooted in a desire to immerse myself in unfamiliar landscapes to develop a better understanding of the world. I am an advocate for intercultural learning environments and seek to embed principles of environmental conservation, human equality and cultural preservation in my teaching practices. As an English Language teacher in Hong Kong, I most notably designed a term-long interdisciplinary global citizenship project for students to examine quality of life indicators of countries around the world to better understand the cycle of poverty. Working alongside non-profit organisations have further enabled me to design global-minded learning experiences for students centred around humanitarian action.
LIFELONG LEARNER
My passion for learning is evident through my pursuit of formal and informal learning opportunities from job-alike events and education conferences to participation in online learning communities and open courses. I further publish this blog to document my journey as an educator, share teaching ideas and resources as well as connect with fellow educators. I am an inquisitive thinker, creative problem-solver and versatile team member who wishes to instill these same qualities in future generations.
