A Slow Burn

As educators we have all experienced change. In fact, change is almost a constant thing these days when you take into account initiatives like STEM, STEAM, Coding, Maker, Robotics, PBL, Inquiry & 1-to-1. When you look at all of these together it can be quite overwhelming to say the least!

Many of these initiatives require teachers to have a certain level of competence & confidence using technology. As a Technology Integrator and Coach, a big part of my job is to teach skills, provide support & ultimately create a culture where technology is valued & used regularly and effectively by students & teachers.  

For some people, learning new skills and managing a “change” to their routine is easy. For others, “change” is as daunting as a trip to the dentist. There has been plenty written about “change” and this particular quote inspires me when I face my own “change” moments:

The only way that we can live, is if we grow. The only way that we can grow is if we change. The only way that we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed. And the only way that we can become exposed is if we throw ourselves out into the open. Do it. Throw yourself.

          ― C. JoyBell C.

For me, “accepting change” is the most difficult hurdle I encounter as a Technology Integrator. My title should really be “Change Manager” as this tends to be a significant part of what I do. Managing the change process is not easy and requires a lot of patience. At times the change process seems to move at glacial speed, making me wonder if change is happening at all.

I’m happy to report that change does occur, albeit slowly and even sneakily. I’m two and a half years into my current role and now I am seeing signs of considerable growth and “change”, sometimes more than I had expected. For example, becoming fully 1-to-1 (laptop) in our secondary school has allowed teachers and students to access tools & apps that make learning more engaging, authentic & individualized. Teachers are responding to this reality by adding to their skills via our in-house Tech Tuesday PD sessions and by acquiring micro-credentials such as the Google Educator Level 1 certification.

The “change” process has been like a slow burn, plenty of hard work early on that created smoke but not a lot of fire. Today, the fire is visible and it is well established. I’m now curious to see how big that fire becomes.

Creating a Learning Space

I’ve always felt that my school is quite innovative. Whether it be teacher collaboration, progressive teaching practices or access to & effective use of technology, there are many ways that TIS goes above and beyond.

The recent school expansion afforded some interesting opportunities that most schools would be envious of - suddenly there was an abundance of space. What do you do with a large space that was once the secondary school library? This scenario had the administration & department coordinators sharing ideas on how to best use the spaces that were now available.

We wanted to turn the old library into a learning space that all teachers and students at TIS could access. It was decided early on that our new space had to serve many purposes & interests and we took inspiration from innovative schools such as Shekou International School and Suzhou Singapore International School; both have innovative learning spaces and classrooms that are designed for student collaboration & comfort. We named our new space the “Learning Lab” and it was designed to include the following elements:

• Breakout rooms for small group activities
• Dividers that make the room smaller - these dividers also act as whiteboards
• An audio recording room
• Green screen area
• Robots & drones (all programmable)
• Chairs & tables that are moveable & stackable
• Several storage areas
• Sinks for washing/cleanup
• An office for technology integration staff

The Learning Lab is now open for students & teachers to use. If you are visiting the school I encourage you to stop by and take a look around. I think you will be impressed with the possibilities that this space offers to TIS staff & students.

Finding Value

Almost weekly I get contacted by phone, email or twitter about a fantastic new product that will surely improve teaching & learning at my school. While I think it is important to be continually improving our learning environment I often feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of apps, tools & devices that are available.

How do I determine if something is worth checking out? I base it on the following:

1. Does this product fulfill a current need?
2. Have I heard others talk (rave) about this product?
3. If I need to spend money will it be cost-effective?

Here are some examples of “new things” that we have incorporated at my school. The first is Seesaw. We use this product for digital portfolios for our students. When we were looking for a suitable platform there was quite a bit of buzz online about Seesaw. We did some testing -teachers loved it- and it quickly became our tool of choice. Seesaw is a paid service but we found the cost per student (and the unlimited number of classes) was well worth the benefits that came with this platform. It has become more and more popular and our Mandarin teachers are the latest group to incorporate Seesaw into their classes.

Another new product was Gibbon EDU. Gibbon (gibbonedu.org) is a Student Information System and a Learning Management System all rolled into one. My school had been searching for a new SIS and by chance a few staff met the Gibbon EDU developer at a professional development activity. His short overview piqued our interest enough to test out this platform. At the time Gibbon was being used in a handful of schools and it was still a young product. The positives for us was that it ticked a lot of boxes and the developer was a teacher; a person who understood the needs of a typical teacher. Again after a testing period we decided to use this young & developing platform. The interesting thing about Gibbon is that it is open source - no initial fees or subscription fees. This allowed us to take the money we normally spent on a SIS/LMS and put it towards a new staff member who would oversee this new platform.

My experiences show that there is value to be found; you just need to do your research and don't be afraid of some of the more obscure products out there. Good luck!

When Teens Talk to Parents About Technology Use

It can be difficult being a teen. You’re no longer a “kid” but not an adult either; it’s like being caught in a state of flux. Then there is the media, the peer pressure and the longing to “fit in” without standing out. When you add technology to the mix, many students (and parents) start to struggle. How much is too much? Is it safe? Is it distracting? It’s tricky.

The thing to keep in mind is that a teenagers online presence is just as important as their face-to-face presence. Many parents don’t understand this because they never experienced it themselves. Parents who lament about their teens (or tweens) always being on their devices should remember that they themselves probably spent hours on the phone talking with their friends. The difference was that phones back then didn’t have a screen and they were physically attached to the wall. Same but different - sort of.

But how do you get busy parents to give up two hours of their time in order to attend a presentation? You tell them that a panel of teens will be sharing their personal experiences and will answer questions from the audience. To be honest, this was not a novel idea, rather I learned about this format from Common Sense Media. Finding teens that were willing to answer questions and share their stories was easier than I thought. We did hand-pick students because we wanted individuals who had the maturity to speak openly, honestly and confidently to our audience. It was important that the group was diverse too; we made sure there was a wide variety of “life experience” on the panel.

The teen panel was an amazing success. The students spoke clearly and with detail as they answered fourteen different questions. I was impressed with their poise and it was interesting watching the parents; they were riveted by the responses from the seven teens who took part. The responses were completely honest and as such, a few comments raised some eyebrows.  One parent (whose daughter was on the panel) was shocked at how late into the night (morning really) her daughter had spent on social media. Overall, it was an incredibly valuable and powerful experience.

Looking back upon this night, it was the students who made it a great success. Nothing beats having authentic speakers with real life experiences. If you want to discuss teens technology use with parents, I urge you to involve students in the process. You won’t be disappointed.

Supporting Students Passion for Technology

I am responsible for technology integration at my school and it makes my day when I get to work with students who are eager to learn about computers, apps & technology in general. I’ve been able to engage students by creating a “Student Tech Guide Program” at my school. This program provides G-Suite Apps training (Gmail, Calendar, Drive & Search) for those students who want to expand their technology skills. It also helps create a certain level of capacity in each class that ends up helping everyone.

 

This is a voluntary program for grade 4-9 students and sixty-five signed up for the program. At the start of our first training session I asked each student to tell me why they signed up to be a “Tech Guide”. Their responses tended to be very similar:

• “I love working with computers”
• “I want to learn new skills”
• “I want to help my mom and/or dad with technology”
• “I like helping my teacher when the Smart board doesn’t work”

What struck me was the passion and joy displayed by these students. No matter what the skill or topic was they were engaged, focused and happy. As there are so many groups (14 in total) the training sessions are held only every three weeks. This has led to students regularly stopping me in the hallway and asking when their next training session will be; talk about enthusiasm.

If you are a technology integrator I encourage you to focus on both the teachers and students at your school. I firmly believe that regular and responsible use of technology will develop when you engage both of these very important groups. Good luck!

A Step Forward

Technology integration is my number one priority at my school. Last year, the integration process felt like a tug of war between two equally matched opponents; small gains here and there but nothing really significant. I am a realist though and I understand that change can be a slow process.

This year, two important initiatives have made a significant impact on the culture and mindset at my school. The first was a dedicated PD activity for teachers to participate in. Ours is called “Tech Tuesday” and technology integration staff offer learning opportunities throughout the day from 7:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Each Tuesday, one topic is discussed and there are several drop-in sessions to choose from throughout the day. This provides teachers the flexibility to choose a session that fits into their busy schedule. If a teacher cannot make a session, one-on-one learning can be scheduled at another time. To date, our sessions have been well received by staff and the value of these opportunities is becoming more and more appreciated.

The second activity that raised the profile of technology integration at my school was the first annual ACAMIS Technology Conference. Four teachers from my school presented at this conference and the three sessions that they led were very successful and well received. For all of them, this was the first time that they had presented to peers outside of their school. Each of them provided sessions that were relevant, engaging and well-attended. Beside the positive feedback that was received, each presenter was able to add new members to their PLN.

Moving forward, our primary goal will be to continue providing relevant and engaging learning opportunities to our teachers. My school will host the next ACAMIS Technology Conference (October 2017) and I look forward to more staff taking advantage of this amazing learning opportunity.

Willing to Fail

As a member of my school's leadership team, I was recently involved with the training and orientation of new staff. Since my areas of responsibility revolve around technology, I found it important to discuss not only technology (hardware, platforms, supports available etc.), but also attitudes toward technology. Both are important when it comes to ensuring effective technology use and integration in schools.  

It is exciting when new staff join my school as these individuals bring with them invaluable knowledge, experience and enthusiasm to an already strong staff. Yet it is important that these individuals are on the same page as other staff when it comes to school mission, vision & culture.

Regarding technology, I share one simple message with teachers: “You must be willing to fail”. A recent article on the business site Entrepreneur points out that fear of failure leads to inaction. Here is a great quote from this article:

All too many of us grew up learning that mistakes are bad. We walk through life on eggshells, trying desperately not to take a wrong step. When we live this way, we can’t learn from our mistakes and grow into new possibilities. Retrain your brain to know that mistakes happen, and it’s okay that they do. The most important thing is what you learn from a mistake about how to do better next time. The mark of a successful person is not based on how few mistakes they make, but on how quickly they get back up, learn from mistakes and move forward.  

I’m happy to report that my message is being heard. More and more teachers are telling me that they want to play around with a new app/tool/device first before seeking help from others. As for myself, I continue to fail forward on a regular basis; it’s just become part of my regular learning process.

Take the Time to Reflect

As the school year comes to an end, it is important to reflect upon the achievements made over the past year. This is a crucial process for teachers as it justifies and validates all of the hard work put in over the past ten months. The tricky part is that the last month of the school year tends to be extremely busy. There is graduation, farewell celebrations, that last bit of marking and report cards. It can be a crazy time and it is easy to forget to reflect upon the previous nine months as we approach the finish line.

Personally, I’m running low on gas as I near the end of the year. Instead of crossing the finish line with a sprint it will be more like a brisk walk. That’s fine by me; most people who run a marathon don’t sprint across the finish line. Having taken a few moments to look back upon my year, my review provided me with a sense of satisfaction and it also gave me a bit of an energy boost. Overall there were many more ups than downs throughout the year and there were also a number significant events as well (some of which I had forgotten about).

One particular event stood out to me. I had met another technology integration coach at a conference back in September and we stayed connected via twitter and Google+. In the spring she suggested we collaborate on a project and we ultimately decided to pursue a mystery skype. We ended up connecting two grade 4 teachers and we worked with them to prepare the activity. I was blown away with how well it went and I still remember to this day the energy in the classroom as the students worked together to determine where in the world the other students were located. When the students achieved their goals (country, city & school), cheering and dancing broke out!!

This wasn’t a particularly huge event for me but for the students (and me) it was one of the more memorable moments of the year.  Do you have some memorable events to look back on? I’m sure that you do… just make sure that you take the time to reflect upon them. Have a great summer!

Google Educator Certification Process

As a follow up to my last post, I'm happy to report that I've successfully attained my Google Educator Level 2 certification. There was a significant amount of preparation and studying on my part prior to writing; even then I still failed on the first attempt. The Google for Education Training Center is a great place to start if you want to be Google certified. There are several units to work through and they each have review questions that will test your knowledge.

Other potential sources of information that may help you prepare include Google+ and twitter; I have fairly extensive networks on each and I've come across useful bits of information from time to time.

If you are new to Google Apps for Education I suggest you take the time to familiarize with the core apps before taking any of the exams. I did not take the Level 1 exam prior to the Level 2 one (you don't have to) but most people recommend doing this if your skills are still developing.

I'm now preparing the Google Innovator certification by gathering the necessary prerequisites. Wish me luck!

Reflections on Learning

It’s been a year of change for me. New position, new routines and so much to learn. My situation reminds me of a previous principal of mine. During his first year at my school he spent much of his time “learning about the place” as he called it. No big changes occurred that year. A few people thought this was odd, but looking back I think it was brilliant. He wanted a clear picture of how things worked and an understanding of people's roles before introducing changes in year two.

I find myself in a similar situation. A good chunk of my time has been  spent learning how things work and “who does what”. There have been changes made out of necessity, but I see more changes in year two and beyond. Having said this, the learning process has still been eye-opening. Having spent several years in my previous position, I now realize how little I learned over that period; I had become complacent and taught like I was on autopilot.

Now my brain is absorbing new content on a daily basis. There has been Google apps, Moodle, iMovie, Seesaw & Chromebooks to learn about. There are staff members to help and supervise.  It has felt overwhelming at times, but all of this learning has been invigorating as well.  

Not all of the learning has been smooth. I’ve been improving my own knowledge in order to be “certified” by various organizations. The last “test” I wrote I failed - even though I felt quite confident going in. I was a little disappointed in the outcome, but the preparation process had me learning so much that I consider myself ahead of the game. As for the test, it can be rewritten.

Another benefit of all of this learning has been empathy. I have a better understanding of how it feels for students and staff who are learning something new. My experiences guide my preparation & planning and I have become more patient as well.

I hope my learning doesn’t stop and I look forward to the challenges and opportunities that will present themselves in the days and weeks to come.

Sharing - An Integral Part of Professional Learning

I was fortunate to attend two learning conferences this school year, the first being the 21st Century Learning Conference (21CLHK) and the second being the annual ACAMIS conference. Both events offered a variety of sessions that were led by teachers and administrators. What impressed me though was the amount of sharing that took place in these sessions.

For example, I attended a session titled “Fish Bowl PD: Professional Development That Works”. The session was led by Ben, Steve & Art, three guys passionate about technology and professional learning. During their presentation they shared a PD model that they had developed over a period of years. It covered topics such as rationale, resources, evaluation and marketing. It was very comprehensive and the best part was that they shared every aspect of their model; resources, templates, forms… everything! I was blown away by the fact that I had a wealth of information that I could take back to my school and incorporate into our professional learning model.

My experience impressed upon me the importance of sharing and how sharing can have a profound impact on the teaching profession. The notion of sharing is getting a lot of traction these days as noted in this video by Dean Shareski:

In this video Dean discusses the moral imperative of sharing and how we all have the ability to share. The key point though is that sharing has to be seen as something “necessary to do” rather than something “nice to do”. This recent blog post further supports the notion of sharing by teachers. In it the author states “(i)t is now an expectation…no, a responsibility that we all have to write, to blog, to post, to tweet, and to share our thoughts, our expertise, our successes and failures, and our collective knowledge about what is working for students and for schools”.

I consider myself a “sharer” and I’ve subscribed to the “pay it forward” mentality. Early in my career I benefited from teachers who shared their ideas, resources and experiences; without their help I don’t think I would have survived. Even now I depend on others for inspiration and ideas; these help me to grow and develop. When I present at conferences or in-house, I always share my resources. How about you? Do you share with others? Are you connected to teachers who readily share with others? I certainly hope so!

You Don't Have to be an Expert

I work with amazing teachers every day. They do incredible things in their classes that really make an impact on their students learning. When I see these things I often end up saying to myself  “I wish I had known about that” or “I really want to try that”.

Imagine if everyone shared their best tools, tips & tricks etc. with their peers?  I think you would end up with one amazing school. “Sharing” does occur in small pockets but teachers, in general, do not share with large groups of people. Why? I can think of two reasons. The first is time - teaching is an incredibly busy profession and teachers often have every minute of the day filled. The second is mindset. Many teachers feel that they need to be an “expert” on a certain topic before they would even consider sharing their knowledge with others.

The reality is that most of us don’t have the time and/or desire to become an expert. When I attend a conference session or PD activity, I want the presenter to be “knowledgeable” about their specific topic - nothing more. If I get one or two take-aways (tips, ideas, resources etc.) then I’m happy. I don’t mind if the presenter doesn’t know everything either, just so long as they are honest and upfront about it.

When I speak to groups of teachers, I begin my presentations by saying that they should learn at least one or two new things today and that I will do my best to answer everyone's questions. If I can’t, I say that I will search for an answer and get back to the person at a later date. Often someone else in the room can provide an answer or at least some insight into a possible solution. I have found that people attending my sessions appreciate my honesty when I can’t provide an answer.

After presentations people often ask how they can become a “presenter” and what qualifications they need to have. My response is simple: you don’t need any special qualifications - you just need to be knowledgeable about a topic. If you think other teachers could benefit from what you know, you are definitely qualified to share your knowledge with others. If you find the prospect of “sharing” daunting, I suggest the you start by sharing with a small group of your peers. Good luck!

New Year's Resolution for you: Ask questions!

I've been the Technology Coordinator/Coach at my school for four months now. It's been a fantastic change for me professionally - full of new responsibilities, routines and challenges. The most exciting part of the job has been working with teachers to develop lessons that incorporate technology. This allows me to share my skills & experiences while learning more about other subjects and grade levels.
I've learned about teachers too. Most of them are frequent users of technology and do some amazing things with it in their classes. They rarely contact me because they've got it going on; if anything I've learned some things from them.
Other teachers are keen but unsure about how to proceed. They reach out for help and are eager to try new things. I've appreciated their courage and honesty throughout this new learning process.
There have been a few teachers who have been hesitant to seek help. I'll admit that this has puzzled me at times. I wasn't sure if I should just wait, assuming that they would eventually call me? Or should I make contact and break the ice? This played on my mind for some time but I eventually decided to make first contact.
Schools have historically been places where teachers have worked in isolation. Progressive and forward-thinking schools focus on collaboration & teamwork to improve both teaching and learning. But the change process can be slow as the move to a more collaborative environment requires a major cultural shift to occur. There are many steps that can be taken to help this process along but one simple one can and should occur: People need to ask more questions. As a collaborative team we are here to teach and learn from one another. It needs to start with being willing to seek help and ask questions.
Here's a great video that outlines the benefits of asking questions:

Students' Role in Technology Integration

I consider most teens & pre-teens to be very “connected” but not necessarily “active” participants when it comes to technology integration.  Adoption and efficient use of technology takes time and students, no matter how savvy they are, need to be encouraged and guided along the way.

I look at integration as an ongoing process rather than a product or final destination. When it comes to technology, no one really “arrives” in our ever-changing world. Rather, people keep moving towards a target that is continually shifting.  In discussing this process with my colleagues, we brainstormed ways to involve students in the integration process. Here is what we came up with:

1. BYOD: For us, this meant leveraging the power of whatever device a student had. For most of our students, this meant using their iPod or Smartphone. We moved from a culture where such devices were regularly banned to one where these devices were encouraged by staff and administration. To further support this culture shift, we installed lockers that allow for charging of several personal devices.



Charging port in locker










2. Choice: When planning the rollout of our 1:1 laptop program we decided to give students & parents options in regard to the device they could purchase. Allowing a choice between a Macbook or a Chromebook catered to a variety of tastes and budgets.
3. Voice: Our students played a role in the rollout of our laptop program when they were asked to design a new backpack for our secondary school. The new backpack had to offer a laptop compartment, but beyond that, students chose the color, design, size & look of our new backpack.



Gr. 6's view backpack samples



4. Convenience: We ensured that all textbooks are available in a digital format, eliminating the need to transport these heavy items to and from school.
5. Leadership: We also wanted students to be active participants when it came to technology integration. As such, the TIS “Student Tech Support Team” was created. The purpose is to have 2-3 students in every class who can deal with minor technical issues that arise. Students received basic instruction,  a manual to refer to and a badge identifying their role in the class. The program has been so popular that in some classes one-third of the students signed up.

Student Badge

Are these changes making a difference? I’ll let some of our students answer that question:

“It is good having a laptop because we don't need to carry books home. Everything is at our fingertips” - Joao, grade 7

“It is way more easier than carrying all of our books to class and we can charge our laptops in our lockers if our laptops are low battery” - Polette, grade 7

“I feel that the laptop program has made me feel more productive during school, during free time and at home since I have enhanced accessibility to do school work” - Cyan, grade 10

As you can see, our efforts have helped to create a school environment where technology integration is seen in a positive light and students feel that they are part of the integration process.

Technology, Teaching & Learning for Teachers

This post was originally published here in October 2015.

Over time we have developed a culture at TIS that believes access to technology will directly benefit students’ learning by allowing for more engaging and diverse teaching to occur. Our capacity developed to the point where we felt comfortable starting our “Think Digital” laptop program in September 2015.

Our laptop program and the proliferation of technology at TIS allows teachers to promote learning that is:

                                   

1. Individualized: Having access to one’s own device allows each student to move as quickly or slowly as needed. Online tutorials and extra work can be accessed as needed.    
2. Differentiated: Teachers can provide support materials in a variety of ways, such as written text, videos and games that explore concepts, and also give students flexibility in their own content creation.                    

3. Personalized: Access to online resources allows students to find and use information from areas that they are interested in. Students can demonstrate their knowledge via documents, presentations and video.

4. Collaborative: Google Classroom, Google Drive, Edmodo and Moodle all allow students to work together and share their knowledge with one another.

These tools and apps are only as effective as the skills of the people using them, which is why we have directed a considerable about of time and resources into teacher professional development.  Over the past year, TIS has hosted two separate technology conferences. First was the “Engaging Tech” conference, held in April 2015. The second was the “Google Cloud Camp”, presented by AppsEvents in August 2015. Both conferences provided staff with the opportunity to learn about topics including digital design, Google Apps for Education and the use of Smartphones in the classroom. TIS also has two professional development days per year and technology integration sessions are always available for staff to enrol in.

Teachers also require “just in time” training to meet the needs of a diverse and progressive school. I’m proud to say that there are now three full-time staff available to support teachers (and students!) with their technology needs. This support allows staff to incorporate tools that make lessons more engaging and interactive.

For our teachers, it is important to remember these useful tips:

                   

1. Guidelines – Create clear guidelines for when devices can be used and how they are to be used. When sharing something important to your students, it is advised you have them turn over their iPad or close their laptops and give you their undivided attention.
2. Integrate technology in a purposeful way – Think pedagogy before technology and ask yourself if using this technology will improve learning in your classroom
3. Assessment – Use real time tools like Google forms, Kahoot or Mentimeter (polls) to gauge for understanding and engage your students.                        

To further support teachers, we will be creating student tech support teams at TIS. These students will be trained in basic computer troubleshooting, Google Apps for Education, laptop care & safety, sign out procedures and transportation of laptop carts between classes.

I look forward to working with teachers to ensure that technology is accessible, beneficial and that it positively impacts student achievement.

Technology, Teaching & Learning for Students

This post was originally published here in September 2015

Let me start by saying that I’m thrilled to be the new Technology Integration Coordinator at The International School of Macao (TIS). Students (and staff!) are fortunate to have significant resources available to them at TIS. We have computer labs, iPad & laptop carts, Chromebooks, SmartBoards, Smartphones, robots, microscopes, cameras and even a 3-D printer.

To further emphasize the importance of technology, TIS implemented the “Think Digital” laptop program in September 2015. The first students to join this program were our grade seven and ten students. Parents and students were given a choice regarding which device they would use - a Macbook or a Chromebook. At TIS we use Google Apps for Education, Edmodo and Moodle, thus the device a student uses is irrelevant as the vast majority of apps used by teachers and students are found on the web.

To support this initiative, the grade seven students were asked to choose the design of a new school backpack for use by secondary students. Students viewed various designs and materials and voted for their favourite combination. This backpack is now on sale in the school store.

Our laptop initiative was further supported by the installation of new lockers for our secondary students. Not only do they look great but each locker is wired for easy and secure charging of laptops and other personal devices.

The increased availability and use of devices makes the topic of “digital citizenship” an important one at TIS. Digital citizenship lessons are provided for all grade 4-12 students as well. Those students in the laptop program attended a presentation on laptop care and safety and they were encouraged to share this information with their parents. All students from grade 4-12 complete a “Responsible Use Agreement” that outlines the expectations for students when they utilize technology (personal and school-owned).

For our students, it is important that they remember these useful tips when incorporating technology into their learning:

1. Have a clear understanding of the guidelines in each of your classes - Each teacher is an individual and will probably have slightly different expectations.
2. Take full advantage of the technology you have - Seek out teachers, classmates and/or technology support staff so you can discover the potential of your device.

3. Be patience and persistent – Learning any new skill can be challenging and may take some time. Expect failures along the way – this is how most people learn.

Overall, It’s an exciting time to be a member of the TIS community. I look forward to working with all students to ensure that technology is accessible, beneficial and engaging!