It was an honor to participate in the keynote speeches at the recent International Baccalaureate Global Conference in Hong Kong. My job was to guide a question and answer session with Michael McQueen, the author, speaker and future trends expert. During his speech, the audience could send questions via the conference app. It was a bit of a challenge to have an intimate, informal conversation with him in front of over 1,800 educators, but we managed to do so.
His talk was well received and got me thinking about the direction that education needs to take. McQueen feels we are in the midst of a technological revolution as great as the printing press or the start of the Renaissance, and educators need to prepare students to be ready for an ever-changing landscape of work and society.
It was also funny that Michael and I being two, bald white guys, looked so similar on stage! Several people commented on the fact after the talk.
Ally Wu, the head of the Shen Wei International School in Shenzen, China also gave a talk about how hard it was for her, growing up and working in a Chinese educational system, to start an international school. She showed the human side of China’s rise to the world stage.
It was good to get our school’s name out there at such a large gathering of IB educators. Public speaking can be nerve-inducing, but as with anything, the more times you do it, the more comfortable you feel. I look forward to trying it again!
TIS Director's Blog 
Published by