I began teaching in secondary schools and quickly realised that those I worked well with, were the students that were hard to reach. Following this realisation, that area then became my sector for a while before I moved into adult and community teaching with underserved communities.
A shift towards freelancing
But as technology evolved, and began playing a larger role in the classroom, I became increasingly interested in EdTech. I became certified in numerous platforms showing how I was using technology in my classroom and these certification communities connected me to a global network of like minded, passionate educators.
Tapping into this global network, I sought advice from others on how to earn a living doing what we loved. Quickly I picked up ad hoc training sessions to global audiences all from the comfort of my home office.
The time came for me to leave the classroom when there was no progression for me anymore other than management, which did not appeal.
Those ad hoc training contracts I had enjoyed needed to now become my regular income so I used the communication skills I’d honed from teaching those hard to reach students to negotiate with firms and soon I had regular work across hardware and software companies.
As fun as freelance work was, I needed stability of my income for my own wellbeing and the security of my family. I realised that now I had fully left the classroom, I was an educator not in education.
I had moved into education technology.
Arriving in EdTech
EdTech is a huge sphere and I needed to focus and align to an area that spoke to my values. When I looked around, only one sector of EdTech truly spoke to me and that was inclusive technology.
Working in inclusive technology I am able to be passionate about widening participation in education knowing I am having a greater reach than the students in my classroom. Our inclusive technology impacts a global audience.
I still get to teach by sharing internal training with colleagues. I also get to use my knowledge of learning and brain science daily in my role as Learning Evangelist.
From product design through to marketing I get to influence our product ensuring that evidenced informed learning science is at the heart of what we do.
If you are passionate about education and technology and want to have a bigger impact wider than your classroom walls, there is an EdTech industry seeking your skills and expertise.
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