Isabel has recently joined TechChange as our Community Manager, working specifically with our service design team. Prior to coming to TechChange, Isabel went to Swarthmore College, and graduated with honors in Political Science and a minor in Asian Studies. While she’s not working, she enjoys playing ultimate frisbee and is starting a politics blog called, “Informed Dissent”. She also coordinates the Facebook page of the Delaware County Symphony and plays trombone.

Welcome to the TechChange team, Isabel!

Please join us in welcoming Amelia, one of our new summer fellows here at TechChange! Amelia graduated this past May from Yale University with a math major. Some of her most rewarding experiences she had at Yale were focused on teaching computer science: working as a peer tutor and TA for computer science classes, as well as designing a training program for students to learn how to repair computer hardware. She is so excited to be a tech fellow this summer and to continue to work at the intersection of education and technology! She is from NYC, so her free time is primarily spent eating the world’s best bagels, and trying to convince herself that it’s about time to learn how to drive.

Welcome to the TechChange team, Amelia!

Earlier this spring, TechChange partnered with the SCORE Association, also known as “Counselors to America’s Small Business”, along with their sponsor, the Deluxe Foundation. SCORE’s nationwide volunteer network provides small business development resources at no cost to entrepreneurs. Kathryn Kelly from their Field Operations team said this about their mission:

“Small business is the engine of our national economy through business formation, job creation and wealth building. In 2014, SCORE mentors helped start up over 56,000 businesses and create over 47,000 jobs. SCORE provides direct support to entrepreneurs and small businesses, which is critical to the development of vibrant communities throughout our country.”

The partnership entailed developing e-learning modules for SCORE’s Mentoring Skills Track, a vital training pathway for volunteers with advanced business experience to share their advice one-on-one with new entrepreneurs.

“The majority of our volunteers come to SCORE with high business acumens in such areas as finance, marketing or accounting. However, they do not necessarily have a background in mentoring,” Kelly said. “Our goal is to ensure volunteers have access to training on soft skills such as listening, facilitation, learning styles and peer learning.”

With these needs in mind, TechChange developed two scenario-based modules based on the first-person perspective of a new mentor learning from other more experienced SCORE mentors:

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The user could test their learning while running through a branching conversation with their first client – a new business owner seeking advice for the first time.

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Depending on the path selected, varied feedback would address the nuances of each possible response.

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SCORE utilizes a variety of resources, including local workshops and in-person seminars to train its volunteers and meet their community’s learning and development objectives. However, online learning has become an increasingly important part of their blended toolkit. Kelly added this about SCORE’s training philosophy:

“Lifelong learning is one of SCORE’s key values. Our e-learning program helps our volunteers stay relevant to the latest business trends and tools to ensure they can provide our clients with the support they need when they need it.”

At TechChange, we agree with SCORE and echo their commitment as we strive to create the best possible interactive resources for today’s ever-changing professional development needs.

-by Michelle Marshall, TechChange

Is your organization looking to train your teams online? Besides online facilitated courses, we also also create custom offline computer training that can be used in settings where internet connectivity is a non-starter. See our different projects on our Enterprise page and feel free to reach out to us enterprise@techchange.org.

 

Please join us in welcoming Tahmid, one of our new summer fellows here at TechChange! Tahmid is a rising senior at Swarthmore College, double majoring in Math and Computer Science. He will be working with the tech team this summer and is excited to learn Node, JS, and React while tackling the many projects, known and unknown, that lie ahead. In his spare time, he likes drawing and painting, solving math puzzles, playing ultimate Frisbee, and sharing fun facts.

Welcome to the TechChange team, Tahmid!

Please join us in welcoming Katie, one of our new summer fellows at TechChange! She is currently a rising junior at the University of Maryland, double majoring in Computer Science and Art. This summer she will be working with both our tech team and our creative team. She’s still exploring her passions in Computer Science, but has interests in HCI. In art, she is interested in digital media, but also enjoys drawing, painting, and sculpting. Aside from that, she loves long distance running and has been running since middle school.

Welcome to the TechChange team, Katie!

Please join us in welcoming Sarah, our new Instructional Design Fellow at TechChange!

Sarah is a rising senior at Carnegie Mellon University, majoring in
Human Computer Interaction and Decision Science with a minor in
Learning Media.  At CMU, she has developed a passion for instructional
design and educational technology, running CMU EdTech and as a
Research Assistant at the Learning Media Design Center.

Sarah is very excited to be spending her summer at TechChange and is
eager to learn more about how education, technology, and social change
can come together to empower learners, build community, and mobilize
change.

In her spare time, she loves long runs, hiking, traveling and yoga.

Welcome to the TechChange team, Sarah!

TechChange courses are designed for busy young professionals. Today we are very excited to chat with Grace Kim, the project manager for the Global Innovation Exchange, who participated in TC103: Technology for Disaster Response. She discusses her experience with the overall program, and how it has impacted her work.

Q: Why did you decide to enroll in the Tech for Disaster Response course?

I spent 8-years as a software sales executive at IBM and several startups, but I had always wanted to focus on T4D. My initial plan was to try T4D from the private sector side, but soon realized that most companies have not integrated products and services serving the development industry into their core business. This makes it difficult to find a full-time, dedicated role focusing on T4D in the private sector. In May 2015, I decided it’s time to change careers, but felt I needed to brush up on development technology. I have always been interested in disaster response and humanitarian aid, but never really figured out how to break into that sector. So I searched online for courses, TC103 came up…and the rest is history!

Q: How did the Technology for Disaster Response course impact your professional life and/or professional development?

While I was taking TC103 in June 2015, I was spending more time and effort (by choice!) on the course than on my day job. It made me realize that life is too short to spend my life doing something that I was not passionate about so I LEFT MY JOB! During my “funempoyment”, I did 60 informational interviews in DC between August and November (Chris Neu, COO of TechChange, was #38 and Nick Martin, CEO of TechChange, was #51) and landed my job at USAID by the end of December. TC103 helped me to learn very quickly about the technologies available in disaster response and develop a network of practitioners in this space. Being able to name drop relevant organizations and people during my informational interviews and job interviews allowed me to demonstrate that I wasn’t a complete foreigner coming from the private sector.

Q: What caught your attention about TechChange courses, or got you interested in taking them?

First, TechChange offered a course that was of personal interest to me – technology for disaster response.  Second, it was affordable for me to pay out of pocket. Third, the platform was really easy to use, and encouraged participation and collaboration between students so I truly felt that I got to develop some good relationships with other classmates.  Fourth, the instructor, Timo Leuge, was very knowledgeable and brought experts in the field as guest lecturers, which I thought, were really great.

Q: What would be an advice to other participants taking a TechChange course? How can they get the most out of it?

1. Do all the reading because you will learn a lot from them.  2. Participate in the course and earn points (for your certificate) by commenting and jumping in on various discussion strings.  You will feel more connected to your classmates. 3. Visit the TechChange office in DC…they are super friendly!

Q: How have you been able to use what you learned in the courses in your work, and how has the program overall been helpful to you?

The Global Innovation Exchange covers all sectors in development so I’m using the learnings from TC103 to make sure that we have the disaster response/humanitarian aid sector content developed in terms of innovations, funding opportunities, resources and events relevant to this sector.

Q: What is the Global Innovation Exchange?

The Global Innovation Exchange is an online platform that is a “one stop shop” for development innovations, funding opportunities, resources and events.  It is free to create an account to connect with like-minded individuals and experts, browse content by sector/topic/region, and share your expertise for the benefit of the global development community.  The goal is to democratize and provide equitable access to information, reduce duplication, and allow us all to make informed business decisions across the development industry.  It’s a great tool to see what people are working on and where, and search for funding opportunities, resources and events that is relevant to you.

Q: Are you new to the ICT4D sector? 

Yes, although I’ve kept a pulse on T4D even when I was in the private sector, joining the Global Development Lab is my first job in the T4D sector.

Q: Would you recommend TechChange courses to a friend?

100%!!!  It is great to see TechChange evolving to offer new courses like the diploma course in M&E and white labeling courses for organizations.  What’s truly beneficial is that the instructors are practitioners who bring real-life experience to the course along with their network of experts who guest lecture.

About Grace:

Grace Kim is a Korean-American returned Peace Corps Volunteer from Los Angeles. She spent over 15 years in the private sector in environmental consulting, digital development and enterprise software.  And recently, she joined USAID | Global Development Lab as the project manager for the Global Innovation Exchange.grace-kim-headshot

 


 

 

 

 

Help us in welcoming John, one of our new summer fellows! He is going to be a senior at Swarthmore College, majoring in studio art and biology. As a creative fellow at TechChange, he will be creating graphic assets and collaborating with our awesome creative team on animated videos. He is passionate about using art as a means of telling stories and encouraging others to tell their stories, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Welcome to the TechChange team, John!