Michelle Ong

Background

About Michelle Ong

I am foremost a Learner and I am more than just a School Teacher. Why I Do What I Do The students we are teaching now are digital natives who work in a technologically and socially media centered world. Current teachers face the challenges of educating these students within their world of meaning, i.e. through multimedia content, multimodal communication and real time delivery within a real life context. I aim to help bridge this generational digital divide within a school setting. What I Believe In Learning happens when curiosity is stimulated, creativity is nurtured, choices are given and communication is encouraged. What I Do Now Recently, I started two exciting new roles: First, I teach MYP Mandarin Language Acquisition and DP Mandarin ab initio. Second, I facilitate the integration of technology into our curriculum as an ICT Coordinator by coaching teachers, co-teaching in classrooms, running PDs, hosting webinars to parents and developing ICT related policies. What Else I Have Done When the school I was teaching became IB, I also became a PYP Teacher, got to lead the school's first PYP Exhibition, and ended up doing that for 15 years! This has made me very knowledgeable about the Primary Years Programme AND the Exhibition. More than just Teaching and EdTech My favourite travels always involve photography, Nature and the outdoors. With my belief that children need outdoor and Nature skills, I have organised and run camping trips for 8-15 year-olds, including weeklong educational experiences in the Amazon. Multicultural and Multilingual Born in the Philippines to a Chinese family and educated in a trilingual (English, Mandarin and Filipino) and international schools, I grew up a Catholic, Buddhist and Taoist for spiritual beliefs and family traditions, and Western literature, music and television for cultural immersion. I am a typical Third Culture person who is well-read, well-traveled, speaks six languages and understands multiple cultures.