I have almost two decades of educational experience including various middle and senior leadership roles in state, independent, and international schools in the UK and UAE. I’ve held positions of responsibility for academic, pastoral, digital strategy, and professional development within schools along with centrally for a MAT of 8 schools.
Currently, I’m Deputy Head Academic at a leading international school in Abu Dhabi (UAE) where I lead on academic matters along with the digital strategy across the school.
My former role saw me devise, and deliver the overall strategy, vision, and direction of digital transformation across the MAT. As a part of this, I drove capability and capacity-building programs across the MAT ensuring all staff were supported with high-quality continuous professional development. I also led the IT teams across the MAT and on all aspects of GDPR.
In 2022 I was recognized by ISC Research as an Edruptor, an international education influencer. In 2021 I won a GESS award for LearnLiveUAE, an initiative to share best practices between schools and educators across the GCC region. In 2020 I won a GESS Award for the best use of digital learning in the classroom for school-wide strategy and implementation of CENTURY. Since 2022 I have been on the judging panels for the GESS Awards and the Global EdTech Awards.
I hold a Masters in Educational Leadership along with various other post-nominals such as QTS, PGCE, BSc, FCCT, #MIEExpert, #MIE Fellow, #GoogleCE, and #AppleTeacher. I’m also the co-founder and co-host of #LearnLiveUAE, a weekly show dedicated to sharing best practices in education, the show can be found on YouTube here.
I’m passionate about all things edtech, student outcomes, pedagogy, teaching, learning, and teacher professional development. I engage in my own professional development outside of school too and through my networking and sharing, I have run workshops and presented at schools and conferences across the UK, Europe, and UAE.
Accolades
Presentations
2023
MATPN – South Event
- Top tips for a successful digital strategy – presentation.
- “Why digital learning?” – panel discussion.
TLLeeds
Digital Cognition: how teachers, leaders, and schools can assess their systems and approaches to technology.
LGfL Let’s Assemble Conference
Managing Change When Change is Hard (presentation).
BETT 2023
- Insights with NetSupport interview (watch here)
- Inclusivity Tools with Microsoft – Microsoft Stand
- i3 Technologies live interview.
- Empowering Digital Transformation through effective governance – panel discussion.
- Digital Safeguarding Roundtable.
- NetSupport Radio – a chat with Al Kingsley (watch here).
2022
LearnLiveUAE – monthly show (watch here).
ResearchED National Conference – London – Digital Cognition (presentation).
Teach Middle East podcast – Reflections On Digital Cognition and Education Technology (watch here).
GESS Talks Webinar 10 – panel chair – The evolution of education; are we facing a future skills gap? (watch here).
Tip Top Tips Edu interview (watch here).
The Digital Ecosystem – Philippa Wraithmell’s book launch – Digital Learning & Cognitive Science (presentation)
The EdTech Show – monthly show (watch here).
2021
GESS Dubai – Leadership Stream – Driving Efficacy in your organization (presentation).
GESS Dubai EdTech Virtual Summit with LearnLiveUAE – Why Bother With EdTech? (watch here).
GESS Webinar – Digital Governance Sustaining Digital Changes in UAE International Private Schools (watch here).
LearnLiveUAE – monthly show (watch here).
Global Edtech’s The Future of EdTech event presentation (read here).
2019-20
GESS Dubai 2020 – Ensuring an equitable & flexible digital strategy (presentation).
GESS Dubai 2019 – Developing a Learning Culture (presentation).
GESS Dubai 2019 – My research-informed EdTech toolkit (presentation).
ResearchED Dubai – Research Informed EdTech Practice (presentation).
The Middle East Teaching & Learning Conference – Enhanced School Wide Learning (presentation).
BSME Professional Learning – Leadership for Sustainable Change and Impact (presentation).
LearnLiveUAE – monthly show (watch here).
Downe House teachmeet – 5 top tips for online learning (presentation).
BETT MEA – Research-informed #Edtech Practice (presentation).
Repton Abu Dhabi Digital Innovation conference – Cognitive Science (presentation).