About Grow with Tech
Grow with Tech was created to offer tips, tools and inspiration for teachers, education leaders, trainers, learning and development professionals who want to leverage learning through digital technologies.
Grow with Tech is guided by a set of principles:
1. Grow with Tech is aware of the dazzling technology innovations affecting every sphere of life and education is no exception. We see technology as a natural part of today’s learning contexts, rather than as an add-on. We believe that the term digital in “digital learning” will soon be redundant as with the terms like “computer-assisted learning” we used in the past.
2. The digital disruption already creates a skills gap in industries, so education professionals should do their part creating a learning environment where learners can develop 21st century digital skills while still investing in their human skills.
3. The second can only be achieved by educators’ embracing “the digital” and improving their technology skills.
4. Technologies like artificial intelligence are here to stay and improve. We believe robots will never replace humans in education but will constantly force education professionals to rethink their roles in learning.
5. Technology use in learning is not the ultimate goal but rather a medium to achieve learning goals. Knowing your ‘why’ is more important than knowing what digital tools you use.
6. We believe in growth mindset and that individuals’ passion to grow can make a collective difference in improving the whole context.
About the Author
Grow with Tech is managed by Didem Yesil, a passionate advocate for technology in learning. Didem believes in the transformational impact of technology on learning and teaching both in K-12 and higher education and that it is inevitable that digital transformation will continue to revolutionise teaching and development practices across all levels. Easy access to information, digital tools that enhance learning and advanced technologies like artificial intelligence transform our learning behaviors and the way educators, trainers and teachers do their job. A former EFL teacher who implemented technology in the classroom, Didem has been working at the intersection of education and technology for the last six years and had roles in important e-learning projects which have helped her gain tremendous experience in implementing technology in learning contexts. Some of those projects she was involved in are Bilge-İs Project, TIDBAU Project, Universiteplus, Currently she works as the Product Manager at the European Leadership University which provides work-based degrees and jobs to bridge the skills gap in the job market.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Foreign Language Education Department at Bogazici University, a top-ranked university in Turkey and a Master’s degree with distinction in Educational Technology from the University of Manchester. She has delivered talks at several national and international conferences and events on digital technologies in education. She loves sharing her experience and ideas, and help education professionals grow their mindset and technology skills.