I believe that cultures of innovation begin with a culture of empathy.
My career journey began amidst the 2007 recession, a time of intense change in the professional world. That experience fueled my commitment to preparing students and professionals for a future that’s vibrant and secure.
From my early days as a high school science teacher to my roles as an Education Leadership Executive at Apple and Director of Innovative Learning at USC, I've made it my mission to help others discover the power of technology to solve problems and open doors to new opportunities.
In my first leadership role, our team struggled to scale innovation because we were always starting with technology. We saw the potential in it, but everyone was so overwhelmed and didn't have time to implement it.
I used to be someone who was really hesitant about technology. I was adamantly anti cell phone. I thought technology was going to kill social skills – so I was really resistant to it.
When I went to work at USC, I decided to get involved in the school’s tech committee despite my hesitations. Eventually, I led a project with iPads in the classroom. The results were shocking. The technology unleashed my students' creativity, giving them new ways to express themselves through language, music, and images. I saw more of their personality and engagement skyrocketed, especially from students who previously hadn’t shown much interest.
This experience demonstrated the transformative power of providing students with choices and autonomy. That's when I really realized the limitations of a one-size-fits all approach to education.
This is how we learned that when we start listening to people, their challenges, their goals and, their motivations, we can share solutions that help them see immediate results. When we do this we create more engagement, excitement, and ownership and better outcomes.
This is called Design Thinking and it can be found in schools all over the world in places like Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Finland.
This journey taught me that leveraging technology is crucial but not sufficient on its own. You must also communicate how it can solve specific problems and open new opportunities. As Don Norman shares, 'A brilliant solution to the wrong problem is worse than no solution at all. So solve the right problem'.
After seeing how impactful Design Thinking could be, I began to work with schools and universities across the country alongside Apple, and researching how design thinking would prepare us for a world with AI.
I know educators are incredibly pressed for time and resources. That's why, in this webinar, I'm excited to show you how you can transform your classroom and your school, making your educational environment more effective for you and your students, while also saving you time and energy.
See you inside!