Posts

Host a Conference and Connect Ideas

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On 18 & 19 March 2017, Jay Atwood (EdTechTeam) and I hosted the Taiwan Google Summit at Kaohsiung American School. In truth, this amazing tech conference could not have happened without the support of the most innovative professional speakers in the field (Anita Chen, Vivian Lin, Mike Yung, etc.) and our team here at KAS (special accolades to the Tech Crew, the Tech Ambassadors, and of course Robert, Lena and Tom). During this weekend long event, I lead a workshop on how to build a teacher website in minutes. I would like to share my resources here. Google Summit in Taiwan This was a really energizing event for all who participated. Both days opened with brilliant keynotes. On Saturday, professor Benson Yeh lit up the assembly recalling his experience implementing the concepts of gamification in his university course. Prof. Benson Yeh on Gamification On day 2, my friend Suan Yeo, education evangelist at Google gave us another insight into the future of education with

Design Thinking

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This is the TED Talk presentation I gave at Learning2. Called "Design Better People", it focuses on how the design thinking project management cycle teaches empathy, an essential life skill which  positively impacts individuals and institutions.

Redesign the Learning Experience

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Thank you to all the participants of my workshop Redesign the Learning Experience at the Learning2 conference hosted by Saigon South International School. Here are the resources that I am happy to share with everyone: Google Drive Folder with all Resources Both Friday and Saturday sessions are there including the trombinoscopes ! I Feel Lucky card deck Deck of cards including all the questions to the I Feel Lucky icebreaker game Poster  of the 4C's These thinking routines are used for the reflective pieces for the team Concepts - What key concepts do you think are important? Connections - What connections can you draw with other learning Challenge - What ideas do you want to challenge? Changes - What changes in attitudes are suggested? Poster of the ISTE Technology Standards (2016 revision) The 2016 ISTE Standards are used as a first layer in the x+y combine to innovate process Empowered learner Digital citizen Knowledge constructor Innovative des

Build a New Campus

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This is an extract on the case study done during the staging phase of the construction of Kaohsiung American School new campus and its technology infrastructure. KAS Blends its IT and Learning Technology Operations Our small IT department went without an office in the original designs. How would we create a technology support center to better suit our IT needs? Unlike international institutions with large technology departments that separate IT and professional development operations, KAS only retained a lean staff of three employees at the time. We hypothesized that centralizing all tech-based learning within one hub would build continuity between the effective delivery of IT learning experiences, dedicated technical support, and the involvement of the rest of the professional community. KAS IT Department Victor and Robert KAS Fosters a Flexible, Student-centered New Campus We reviewed and discussed the building designs, examining in great details all related aspects fr

Process Automation

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This is an extract on the case study done by KiSSFLOW regarding the implementation of their process automation solution by Kaohsiung American School IT department. The Need For Office Process Automation KAS is a hundred strong professionals who cater to over six hundred users across their campus. Like most international organizations, KAS too has numerous processes taking place throughout the year: finance, administrative and HR processes, most of which were carried out over paper. Even the simplest of processes, such as leave request approval, was taking days to complete. Although the flow of office processes were well defined, the medium through which they were carried proved to have numerous cracks for them to fail. Process Automation with KiSSFLOW Together with Lena Wang, our Systems Analyst and Robert Chuang, our Senior Technology Specialist, I was looking for a system to transform our organisation into a more productive and paperless atmosphere. A simple system throug

Empower Digital Leaders

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Technology Innovators We have many great technology innovators in our international institution. A strategy to support them requires as a preliminary step to identify who these various actors are. Some have already been identified and organized: Tech ambassadors program established leaders Tech crew program for aspiring innovators Others still need to be recognized: Admin and leadership teams Users who are not yet tech ambassadors Onboarding users who are not in the tech crew Tech Ambassadors Program We initiated a thorough review of the main axis of our  strategy to support and empower the learning leaders at Kaohsiung American School: the existing KAS Tech Ambassadors program. The following document details the origins of the program from its inception to its self-determined mission. It further examines the accomplishments and challenges that have been met leading to a reflective piece by Victor on its past 3 years. Tom develops the existing foundation into a the leade

Bring Coaching to your Company

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Since the adoption of a one-to-one environment in 2012, large investments were made into developing state of the art technology at Kaohsiung American School. These culminated in a complete integration of technology into the new campus inaugurated in May of 2015. The missing component was an equally strong system to enable our community to thrive by using this environment and infrastructure to redefine the professional development experience at KAS. Thus the first Learning Technology Coach position was created at our school in August of 2015. Lead, Collaborate, Share An in-depth discussion with Diana Beabout during her fortuitous visit at KAS in September allowed us to become conscious of the leadership potential in our existing Tech Ambassadors program . Innovators and early adopters establish the momentum that will effect transformation ( What Are Innovators Like? Everett M. Rogers 1962 p.55). Tech Ambassadors are KAS lighthouses whose leadership skills need to be recognized a