by Matt Harris
Expert Educator Columnist, Singapore
“Learning is what most adults will do for a living in the 21st century.” – Lewis Perelman
Right now, I’m eating peanuts contemplating what to write in my introductory blog post. I want to outline the lessons learned and the value of international education from ed tech perspective.
I was thinking about a rehash of my CV or some Ben Franklin-esque series of quips that encapsulate my intention for this work, but I decided against it.
Let me talk to you about Ed Tech in the international schools space by giving a tour of my team: I have Database Manager from India, Ed Tech coaches from Germany and the UK, IT techs from Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, and Pakistan, and librarians from the US, Holland, and various parts of SE Asia…and I’m from the US. We are diverse in culture, language, ability, and approaches to working and we are indicative of what you find in most international school. And let’s be honest, the rest of the world.
As a Senior Manager at my school, I lead our team in finding ways to leverage tools, facilitate professional development, encourage collaboration, and improve our use of technology for teaching and learning across multiple curricula and languages of instruction. From this vantage point, I hope to share with you approaches and thoughts on improving schools that are universal to all educational institutions. We have learned a lot here and we continue to learn as I hope everyone out there is doing as well.
My pride as an EdTech leadership shines with our team itself as we all work towards a common goal of Improving Student Learning through Resource Rich Educational Practices.
I look forward to talking about that…
I don’t suppose I could get away without a personal introduction, but I will keep this short as most of what you need to know about me you’ll learn from me in my writing…and my bio is on this page as well after all. Some keep points to bear in mind:
I am US trained as an educator, but I work and live outside of North America.
I hold a Doctorate in Educational Leadership where I studies Student Learning Outcomes for 1:1 Student Laptop Programs (contact me if you are bold enough to read my dissertation)
I am the Chair-Elect of the Board of Directors for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). You probably know use from the ISTE conference and the ISTE standards.
Let me close by saying that I hope people see blogging, particularly this one, as dynamic and interactive process. I hope people contact me directly to ask questions or suggest topics, follow me on Twitter (@MattHarrisEdD), leave comments, and engage in discussions. This is not intended to be a framed work sitting on a shelf somewhere, but a professional development experience for those who read and for me as the writer.
Please engage in our mutual learning…
Now, to finish my peanuts.
Matt Harris, Ed.D. is the Head of Learning Resources at the German European School Singapore where he leads a team of educators and specialists that works to improve teaching and learning through ICT, Libraries, and other educational resources. Dr. Harris has experience as a teacher and an administrator working with schools in Asia and North America, having taught every grade level from preschool to graduate school. He is a frequent conference speaker and author focusing on educational topics from educational technology integration and information literacy to professional development and change management. Currently, Dr. Harris serves as the Chair-Elect of the Board of Directors for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). He will take over as Chair in 2016, becoming the first Chair to live and work outside of the United States.
Matt Harris, Ed.D. is the Head of Learning Resources at the German European School Singapore where he leads a team of educators and specialists that works to improve teaching and learning through ICT, Libraries, and other educational resources. Dr. Harris has experience as a teacher and an administrator working with schools in Asia and North America, having taught every grade level from preschool to graduate school. He is a frequent conference speaker and author focusing on educational topics from educational technology integration and information literacy to professional development and change management. Currently, Dr. Harris serves as the Chair-Elect of the Board of Directors for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). He will take over as Chair in 2016, becoming the first Chair to live and work outside of the United States. 
