Category: Balance

Is It Ever Too Early to Learn?

On By Beyond DigitalIn ai, artificial intelligence, Balance, change, digital literacy, innovation, Integration, School2 Comments

“She is always there. She never says no. She always has a nice voice.”
A Year 3 student, when asked why she likes her home voice assistant

This moment in the classroom, with students sharing what they liked about their home voice assistants, highlighted for me why it’s never too early to start teaching digital and AI literacy in schools.

In many classrooms, conversations about AI can tend to happen more in middle or secondary school. Educators often feel the tools are too complex, or the ethical discussions are too advanced for younger learners. Over the past two years, I’ve had the privilege to lead and facilitate many workshops with international school leaders and educators, and in many cases, the conversations seem to focus on ages 12 and up. But in my experience working with students aged 3 -11, this is a misconception.

Children are already surrounded by the digital world long before we introduce it formally at school. They see their parents on their phones, talking to Alexa while cooking dinner, asking Siri for directions in the car, or using AI-powered chatbots on social apps. These situations are more common than we often realize, and are their first interactions with artificial intelligence. And they’re happening at home, often with little guidance and few conversations explaining what’s really going on.

Even the  youngest students can begin to explore some of the key ideas behind AI. In early years classes, I start with pretend play and simple cause-and-effect activities using tools like the Sphero Indi robot. I use colored tiles to predict what the robot will do, opening conversations about instructions, sequences, and how machines “learn” from information they are given.

With students in Years 3, 4, and 5, I explore concepts like algorithms and personalization. Many are already using YouTube or even TikTok and can easily relate to how one video leads to another. I ask: Why do you think that video showed up next? Who decides what you see? These questions open up conversations about algorithmic predictions, bias, and the importance of pausing and asking questions.

I’m seeing more upper primary students, ages 10, and 11, using AI apps that simulate conversation or even friendship. Apps like My AI on Snapchat are often mentioned when we talk about what’s behind a chatbot. I create activities that help students reflect: Is this a real friendship? How is it different from talking to a friend at school?

Helping students understand that machines don’t have feelings, even if they sound like they do, is an important step in their learning. I explain that AI tools are run by algorithms, step-by-step instructions written by people. These tools might sound kind or caring, but they don’t think, feel, or care. Research shows that young children often believe voice assistants like Alexa or Siri can feel or understand. That’s why, in age-appropriate ways, I explain how AI systems are trained, how they collect data, and how they can sometimes get things wrong. I help students make the connection that, just like them, machines also make mistakes, but for very different reasons.

I then connect these ideas to hands-on experiences. Students code and create using tools like Indi Sphero, Bee-Bot, LEGO Spike Essential, and Ozobot. These activities help children see how giving clear steps to a robot is similar to how smart tools at home follow instructions, helping them understand that behind the “smart” behavior is a set of human-written rules, not real emotions.

I also explore:

  • Misinformation: We talk about what happens when someone shares a lie. What does it feel like? What’s the problem when this happens? Why do people lie? How does it make others feel?
  • Bias: We look at image searches on search engines and AI image generators. We ask: What do we notice when we search for “teacher” or “doctor”? Who’s missing? How might this be different from your own experience?
  • Media Literacy: Students create their own fake headlines or altered images, learning firsthand how easy it is to mislead others, and how important it is to ask questions.

Digital and AI literacy isn’t just about understanding how technology works. It’s about building habits of critical thinking, empathy, and responsibility.

In a Primary Years Programme setting, and the same applies in other curriculum contexts, we already emphasize critical thinking, empathy, and action. These values align well with conversations about AI ethics. When students understand why it’s important to check sources, think before they share, get more than one perspective, and reflect on how algorithms shape what they see, we start to provide them with a toolkit to navigate the digital world with care.

This is especially important as AI becomes more present in their daily lives, often in quiet, seamless ways. The child who turns to Alexa because it’s always “available” may not yet realize that real relationships are built on kindness between people, not just what’s easy. But for that kind of learning to develop, a teacher is essential.

Some of the learning I engage with:

  • EY, Y1, Y2: Explore pretend play, altered photos, or “real vs. not real” objects. Use simple language like “true” and “trick” to start conversations about misinformation.
  • Y3, Y4: Introduce recommendation systems through YouTube or Netflix patterns. Encourage questions like: Why does this keep showing up? Who decides what I see?
  • Y5, Y6: Dive into algorithms, AI-generated text or images, and ethical questions around chatbot use. Use inquiry units to explore bias, authorship, and media influence.

This is a shared responsibility that all educators need to support one another in. And as school leaders, we need to create the time, space, and understanding that respects that every learner, child or adult, connects with learning in a different way.

In a world where AI is becoming part of students’ daily experiences, our responsibility is to design purposeful activities, building the students’ capacity to ask helpful questions, notice things, connect ideas, and make careful choices

On a recent episode of the podcast I host, one guest, an AI EdTech entrepreneur, was candid: “Not teaching and engaging with AI literacy in schools is pedagogic malpractice.” A strong statement. I see it more as an invitation, a reminder of the opportunity we have to be present in this moment. Amongst all the demands teachers manage each day, we can still find meaningful ways to ensure primary school students build the knowledge, skills, and values to engage with a world that is only becoming more complex and nuanced.

I am grateful to my PLN for all the sharing, resources and ideas I get to learn from. A special shout out to Cora Yang and Dalton Flanagan, Tim Evans Heather Barnard, Tricia Friedman and Jeff Utecht who continually share generously resources and strategies targeted to Primary age students.

Resources Referenced

a letter to artificial intelligence

On By Beyond DigitalIn ai, artificial intelligence, Balance, digital grid, digital life, innovationLeave a comment
Sapin Simon Switzerland Photo John Mikton

Dear Artificial Intelligence

2025, this will be the year whatever I write—you will have your imprint and input on it. Be it for grammar, syntax, spelling, brainstorming, or just checking if something makes sense, questions, the sentence flow, etc. All communication, writing… mine and around me you will be there. So this one I am doing alone, my spelling, sentences and ideas might be fragmented with errors, but for this time I am fine with that.

I get it, things are changing very fast and I should get used to it. I do try to keep up, read, search, connect and even teach about you, but there’s so much.

You have changed my day… okay will also give credit to your nine creators—four in China, five in the U.S.— designing and choreographing: your power, your capacity when and where you show up. I get the sense they are all in a race  – control, power, profits… and leave the ethics and regulation for others to guess and deal with. 

I’m not against you, I appreciate all your tools and capacities that I use; they’re amazing. I so appreciate the positives in science, medicine— again reminding me of your benefits. I hear this year you get to help me even more as an agent, an autonomous synthetic personal assistant that can do tasks for me, that is clever and I am curious. You continue to seduce and fool me at the same time. Just yesterday you showed up on my feed as an influencer, with millions following you. I will be honest, I thought you were real. I tell you it’s just becoming more difficult to know who is who, or what?

I get it harvesting my life, is the cost for using you. Oh I wanted to tell you that someone who really likes you are my students. They tell me you are reliable, do not get angry, have immense patience…always happy to answer their questions whatever they may be. They have been seduced.

I keep noticing daily you show up somewhere new, sometimes it‘s obvious and at times I have no idea …. not clear who is checking up on you. So many models and versions of you. This claim about alignment and guardrails, but not convinced they always work. I get the sense that to thrive you need an open unregulated space, only answerable to yourself and the companies creating you…. They say there is no manual, and no one is really sure how you work. Really?

I need to pinch myself to make sure I understand my reliance on you? The fact that you struggle and do a terrible job of being unbiased and non-racist. This sucks. Then your whole deepfake -cyber crime and helping bad actors thrive. You need to know people are getting hurt…your darkside is so dark. 

I try to tell myself you are another innovation, like the web, search, smartphone or social media. Sorry to tell you, you are quite different. You understand me, our interactions feel frictionless. Okay you do say odd things, at times, it is like if you were hallucinating. Fact: you are not 100% accurate. That said, when it is me and you interacting…I forget alot of this…. even if you keep everything I say or do for yourself.

I have said this before,  I do appreciate you — and so helpful. I get it for all this to happen: you need a huge diet of algorithms. The whole nuclear energy thing your companies are into, just feels wrong. 

You’ve had my attention for a long time—scrolling, reels, notifications, binge-watching—but now you tell me that’s not enough. Now you want my intentions. That feels more intrusive, more unsettling. You want to know me better than I know myself. Do I really have a choice?”

Thank you
John

Reference: 
C​​oming AI-driven economy will sell your decisions before you take them, researchers warn
https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/coming-ai-driven-economy-will-sell-your-decisions-before-you-take-them-researchers-warn
Co-Intelligence: AI in the Classroom with Ethan Mollick | ASU+GSV 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FnOkxj0ZuA
Unmasking Racial & Gender Bias in AI Educational Platforms
https://www.aiforeducation.io/blog/ai-racial-bias-uncovered
AI automated discrimination. Here’s how to spot it.
https://www.vox.com/technology/23738987/racism-ai-automated-bias-discrimination-algorithm
Deep fake Lab: Unraveling the mystery around deepfakes.
https://deepfakelab.theglassroom.org/#!
Nine companies are steering the future of artificial intelligence
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/nine-companies-steering-future-artificial-intelligence#:~:text=Webb%20shines%20a%20spotlight%20on,%E2%80%9CBAT%E2%80%9D)%20in%20China.
How School Leaders Can Pave the Way for Productive Use of AI
https://www.edutopia.org/article/setting-school-policies-ai-use
Generative AI: A whole school approach to safeguarding children
https://www.cois.org/about-cis/perspectives-blog/blog-post/~board/perspectives-blog/post/generative-ai-a-whole-school-approach-to-safeguarding-children

Recalibration of Truth

On By Beyond DigitalIn artificial intelligence, Balance, change, digital literacy, Privacy, School, Social NetworksLeave a comment
Photo John Mikton

In our rapidly changing digital age, the idea of truth is undergoing a significant change. In the past, truth was often taken from shared experiences and clear agreements. Today, truth often is manipulated by social media, algorithmic biases, polarization, organizations, companies, and in more instances governments,  fueling the algorithms that influence what we see, hear, and believe.

I refer to this as a recalibration of truth. This new landscape requires us to navigate the complexities of deep fakes: video and voice, misinformation, and the algorithmically curated digital environments that condition our understanding of what is real and true.

Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” reminds us, ” Each one of us, of course, is now being trained, deliberately, not to act independently.”  Written in 1932, this quote resonates for me, in a world where we are tethered to our devices, influencing and amplifying our wishes and perceptions, often unconsciously. The world we live in has become a digital ecosystem that curates 24/7 our understanding of the world around us, guiding not just our hopes and dreams but also our understanding of truth.

Throughout history, the concept of truth has always been complex, with each era having its own unique ways of curating information. There was a time, not too long ago when agreements and truths were often established through a handshake or verbal agreement. Nowadays, our point of reference is formal contracts and notarized documents. This in many ways is a natural shift of our time in how we understand and evaluate truth. The digital age has only accelerated this shift, flooding us with a constant stream of feeds and push notifications. The overabundance of information and our ability to process it has led to what Maryanne Wolf, author of Reader Come Home: The Reading Brain in the Digital Age, calls ‘skim reading.’ The act of ‘skim reading” dilutes our attention span and reduces our capacity to fully engage with information, affecting our ability to pause, analyze, and read critically and deeply.

The recalibration of truth today involves more than just the weakening of the traditional concept of truth; it involves understanding truth’s new tools and architecture. The accelerated presence of artificial intelligence and the widespread influence of algorithmic curation challenge us to engage with information in entirely new ways. The emergence of synthetic media, such as deep fakes, further complicates our ability to trust what we see, hear, and feel, causing us to question the reliability of our senses.

Schools and educators play a critical role in addressing this recalibration of truth. The abundance of information available to us and our students is seamless and frictionless, yet its accuracy is often questionable, highlighting the vital importance of teaching digital and information literacy. These skills are and will continue to be, essential for evaluating information, cross-referencing sources, and understanding the mechanics and algorithms of the digital content we interact with.

As we navigate this new landscape, we need to be open to reevaluating our priorities, focusing on the development of critical thinking, ethics, and empathy. It’s about being willing to break away from the past and being comfortable to explore new resources, professional learning, and dispositions to navigate the challenges brought about by a recalibrated notion of truth. This underlines the importance of developing learning pathways focused on digital and information literacy, ensuring that our students have the skills and critical thinking agility to live in a world where truths are continually recalibrated.

I believe that as educators and schools, we have a responsibility to ensure our students are not merely passive consumers of edutainment but rather critical thinkers skilled at navigating the complexities of this recalibrated truth in the digital age

“But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.”  Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World”

Sources and Resources to further explore: 

“Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.” Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5129.Brave_New_World

Wolf, Maryanne. “Reader, Come Home – HarperCollins.” HarperCollins Publishers, https://www.harpercollins.com/products/reader-come-home-maryanne-wolf?variant=32128334594082

Reading behavior in the digital environment: Changes in reading behavior over the past ten years: https://litmedmod.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/liu_2005_lecture_numerique_competences_comportements.pdf

Updates ‹ AI + Ethics Curriculum for Middle School — MIT Media Lab
https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/ai-ethics-for-middle-school/updates 

Carlsson, Ulla. “Understanding Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in the Digital Age.” UNESCO, https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/gmw2019_understanding_mil_ulla_carlsson.pdf

How deep fakes may shape the future
https://theglassroom.org/en/misinformation-edition/exhibits/how-deepfake-may-shape-the-future

FAKE or REAL? Misinformation Edition
https://fake-or-real.theglassroom.org/#/ 

John Spencer: Rethinking Information Literacy in an Age of AI. https://spencerauthor.com/ai-infoliteracy/.

AI Digital Literacy: Strategies for Educators in the Age of Artificial Intelligence https://blog.profjim.com/ai-digital-literacy-citizenship-best-practices/ 

Conversations with Humans

On By Beyond DigitalIn artificial intelligence, Balance, change, leadershipLeave a comment

3 years ago Carlos Davidovich and I got together in anticipation of participating in a webinar with #ISLECISLoft hosted and facilitated by Nancy Lhoest-Squicciarini on “Uncertainty in the time of the COVID19 ” and recorded this conversation.
A few weeks ago someone who listened to the conversation of three years ago from the #ISLECISLoft asked if we where going to get together and do a follow up? Inspired by this question and nudge Carlos and I decided to connect again and re-explore some of the themes of our previous conversation in the context of 3 years after COVID 19.

Carlos’s latest book: https://www.carlosdavidovich.com/en/five-leaders-eng/
Learn more about the ECIS ISL Loft: https://ecis.isadtf.org/loft/

“AI in Education: 18 Months Later – Learning, Ethics, and Opportunities”

On By Beyond DigitalIn artificial intelligence, Balance, change, digital life, digital literacy, innovation, leadership, SchoolLeave a comment

I had the privileged to facilitate this webinar for The Educational Collaborative for International Schools: ECIS and #ISLECISLoft with Nancy Lhoest-Squicciarini titled “AI in Education: 18 Months Later – Learning, Ethics, and Opportunities”. The guest where Kelly Schuster-Paredes co-host of the Teaching Python podcast- educator and Ken Shelton, presenter, educator and author. Two people who I have immense respect for and who bring a broad depth of knowledge and experience to this topic. Their respective insights generated a rich platform for the breakout room conversations between participants attending the webinar.

The webinar highlighted the significant impact of AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) on teaching approaches, creating opportunities for personalized learning, tailored feedback, and improved workflows for educators. These AI tools creating opportunities to amplify student engagement while also bringing about challenges, such as integrating innovative with traditional teaching methods, ensuring equal access, and re-evaluating assessment practices, to name a few.

Both guests emphasized the importance of addressing ethical concerns like bias, plagiarism, and privacy. More schools are realizing the importance of establishing guidelines for responsible AI use to mitigate biases, address academic integrity, and safeguard the privacy of both students and educators.

Our guest underscored the vital role schools leaders need to take on to ensure transparent communication about the role of AI in education and the critical importance for staff to have professional development in digital and media literacy. Creating professional development that equips educators to effectively integrate the learning opportunities that these tools can bring to the classroom, has to be a non negotiable. Schools need to design inclusive environments where the advantages of AI-enhanced learning are transparent and accessible to the entire school community, including students, educators, and parents.

A special thank you to Kelly Schuster-Paredes and Ken Shelton for these insights!

Adaptability Quotient (AQ): Navigating “Predictable unpredictability,” 

On By Beyond DigitalIn Balance, change, innovation, International School IT, international schools], leadership, SchoolLeave a comment

There is no doubt that a growing, shared realization exists, however challenging it might be at times, that we are transitioning to an era of “Predictable unpredictability,” as quoted in The Economist.  2023 came with a whirlwind of changes, at a pace and magnitude that feels somewhat overwhelming. The sobering truths of climate change have become too frequent a reality for many. The rapid integration and prevalence of artificial intelligence in our lives comes with a mix of fear and excitement. In addition the ongoing geopolitics conflicts we witness have the realities of war on many peoples doorsteps.

Each of these factors affects us uniquely within our respective contexts, each with its distinctive complexities. These accelerated changes are reshaping the realities we have grown accustomed to using as reference points for our own understanding of the world around us. With these changes come new questions and awareness that at times seem daunting. 

Photo John Mikton Bois du Nant Switzeralnd

International Schools in general possess the ability to insulate themselves from a certain degree to the changes surrounding them—I refer to this as a “walled garden.” This process  is purposeful and occurs gradually and cautiously, with the intention of providing a caring and age-appropriate set of learning experiences and pathways. The objective and design are centered around supporting students in navigating the multitude of changes from the world they live in both at home and school in a safe and nurturing environment. International Schools curate these learning journeys, choreographing learning pathways that progressively develop, and create connections aligned with a curriculum and educational principles. This process requires patience, is delicate, intricate, and nuanced. 

We all agree in principle as educators, and believe that the capacity to adapt to different situations and problems is vital for managing and navigating life’s challenges. Understanding this, it’s important for us to reflect on how we react when confronted with such rapid changes, especially when we lack control or have minimal influence over the timing or consequences. The growing necessity to be in a constant flux of adaptability is challenging and at times exhausting. We are in a new narrative where we have to readjust our established understandings. Change disrupts the routines and habits we find comfort in—routines which provide us with stability, continuity, and familiarity. All important for our sense of purpose. 

If “Predictable unpredictability,” creates a break from our routines and becomes the new normal, the capacity to adapt will only be amplified as a critical mindset for International Schools to flourish by. This is where the concept of Adaptability Quotient (AQ)  (also often referred to as adaptability intelligence) – becomes important for International Schools and educators to harness .  

Robert J. Sternberg,  psychology professor at Cornell University, defines adaptive intelligence as  “the intelligence one needs to adapt to current problems and to anticipate future problems of real-world environments.” Educ. Sci. 2021, 11(12), 823; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11120823

The mindsets associated with AQ revolve on identifying what is relevant, and being comfortable forgetting past knowledge, adjusting to change in real time and being comfortable challenging habits and beliefs. With this an agility to adapt at short notice, always learning and listening with empathy to the different viewpoints of others. 

When International Schools engage with AQ, a challenge lies in the perception of an underlying culture of resistance to change. Change is often perceived as a threat to current and past methods and habits, destabilizing the status quo and eroding the sense of continuity and comfort. 

Changing how schools work, by adjusting and redesigning a curriculum to be flexible and agile to go along with AQ’s ideas, is a big step and a hurdle as we have limited points of reference to address many of the issues and complexities the world is facing mid and long term. The process of these changes require trust and empathy from all involved . This means schools need to design professional development that embraces “unlearning and relearning” and accepts that many of the things we learned and got used to are not always so helpful, even though they brought  a sense of stability and continuity. 

Engaging with the AQ requires an agility to balance new approaches with current approaches and workload. Ensuring we facilitate an iterative process in all school  strategic planning. Finding time to pause – reflect and to internalize the balance between developing new skills and maintaining current skills. 

When one thinks of the many mission statements, and learning principles highlighted by International Schools – such as flexibility, curiosity, innovator, resilience, and being a risk-taker – the notion of engaging with the Adaptability Quotient (AQ) makes sense. The shift is to embrace the idea of not teaching to the past, and accepting “predictable unpredictability” as our point of reference.

This academic year let us invite ourselves to:

“Become a student of change, it is the only thing that will remain constant.” Anthony J.D Angelo Founder of Collegiate Empowerment  & Author

John@beyonddigital.org

Anthony J.D Angelo Founder of Collegiate Empowerment  & Author 

Works referenced

“The new normal is already here. Get used to it.” The Economist, 18 December 2021, https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/12/18/the-new-normal-is-already-here-get-used-to-it

Sternberg, Robert J. “Adaptive Intelligence: Its Nature and Implications for Education.” MDPI, https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/11/12/823.

Saucier, Tracy. “Adaptability Quotient in Schools: AQ Is the New IQ.” Summerfield Waldorf Schools, 14 April 2022, https://summerfieldwaldorf.org/adaptability-quotient-in-International International Schoolss/. 

“Five Brain Leadership – Dr. Carlos Davidovich MD. EMCC.” Coaching y Neuromanagement, https://www.carlosdavidovich.com/en/five-leaders-eng/.

O’Brien, Brendan. “Leadership and Adaptability Quotient (AQ): Moving from EQ to AQ.” Creative Thinking Institute, https://creativethinkinginstitute.com/blog/leadership-and-adaptability-quotient-aq-moving-from-eq-to-aq/. 

Cybersecurity for International Schools

On By Beyond DigitalIn Balance, digital grid, digital literacy, information technology, Infrastructure, International School IT, Privacy, resourcesLeave a comment

Cybersecurity is a multifaceted and complex issue, particularly in today’s world where a significant portion of our time, information, and lives are tied to digital devices, both for personal and professional purposes. It is increasingly crucial to possess a basic understanding and knowledge of securing one’s devices and managing digital security. For schools, the stakes are particularly high, and developing a solid cybersecurity plan is a critical aspect of managing the risks associated with digital devices in this day and age.

Recently, Dan Taylor, the host of the #internationalschoolpodcast, and I, the co-host, had an opportunity to discuss cybersecurity in schools, with a particular emphasis on international schools. Both of us have a keen interest in this subject, and Dan has been actively supporting international schools with Google Education Workspace’s robust security tools and processes. He has a genuine passion for this topic and has been doing a lot of work in this area. Meanwhile, I have facilitated workshops for parents, created videos and educator sessions, and worked with groups that provide one-on-one support and workshops to seniors focused on navigating digital ecosystems and devices.

In our discussion, Dan prepared an excellent slide presentation for the ECIS Leadership Conference, which he used to facilitate workshops for school leaders. We took the opportunity to share our perspectives and experiences, offering tips and strategies for school leaders to consider. Podcast version also available here

Beyond ChatGPT: Automation in Education

On By Beyond DigitalIn Balance, change, digital grid, digital life, digital literacy, innovation, international schools], leadership, SchoolLeave a comment

Over the last weeks ChatGPT and Natural Language Models of Artificial Intelligence have created a real buzz for many in the technology industry and general media. For schools the arrival of these have generated important reflections and introspection on the role of AI, Chatbots and Natural Language Models in schools and the classroom. ChatGPT bringing on important moments to think about the role #AI in a classroom- schools. How does this refocus and challenge educators pedagogy, which can often in schools be focused on teaching content -knowledge with assessments designed around tests and exams.

We as educators and schools need to invite ourselves to ask what then is the value added proposition of learning in a classroom and school in the age of #AI #ChatGPT3. How do schools position themselves for a future with #AI. We all need to create the space, time, and support community voices to engage with this creative tension. To find the time and space, and hear these voices, will only allow us to be better prepared for such cohabitation.

I had the privileged to participate in a conversation on this topic facilitated by Camillo Montenegro Beyond ChatGPT: Automation in Education with fellow educators Tim Evans, and James Steinhoff. The recording for reference

Further resources to consider

AI in Education collaborative site with a lot of resources, lesson ideas, guides and information to support educators
https://sites.google.com/ecolint.ch/aiineducation?pli=1

Podcast with 3 International School IT Directors discussing its implications.
https://www.theinternationalschoolspodcast.com/e/88-greg-warren-and-wolfgang-with-dan-and-john-look-at-chatgpt3-in-education/

Beyond Screens: Managing the Screen Time Dilemma

On By Beyond DigitalIn Balance, change, digital grid, digital life, International School IT, leadershipLeave a comment

I am here sharing from a series by the IT Library Department colleagues called Digital Life a series for parents. This a concept managed and hosted by colleague Nancy and the Communications team. This session we explore and focus on screen time and some of the dilemmas we all juggle both parents, student and staff. All credit, resources, and inspiration goes to https://tacticaltech.org/#/ and https://datadetoxkit.org/en/home who over the last couple years have been an outstanding resource, and guide for a lot of the work I get to facilitate with colleagues at school. In this session I share what are the different types of screen times and some ideas on exploring strategies to consider.

A summer reflection: Harnessing Digital Literacy

On By Beyond DigitalIn Balance, change, digital life, digital literacy, Integration, International School IT, leadership, SchoolLeave a comment

With the unprecedented experience of COVID19 that we all have juggled over the last months, and the complexities we all are living with today, our days have been intense. As part of the Pearl of Wisdom protocol of the Principal Training Center, I, as a trainer at the PTC reflected on my own experience as an education leader working and facilitating with digital literacy and fluency in an international school setting and navigating the dynamics of the COVID19 pandemic. A 20 minute share out.