Last month I was delighted to find out I’d been made a Digital Ambassador for the island of Jersey.
How I Became a Digital Ambassador for Jersey
“So how did this happen Neil” I hear you ask?
Jersey is an island I’ve had a close connection with since I was a small child. My Mum and Dad honeymooned on the island 55 years ago and as a family, we holidayed there.
I was to be reintroduced to the island a number of years later when working closely with Apple UK Education as a Distinguished Educator. Apple’s iPad had caused excitement in schools and colleges across the world. I was delivering presentations on the benefits it could bring to teaching and learning.
IQ Jersey
From these presentations, local Apple Authorised Reseller IQ Jersey asked me to return to deliver professional development sessions for teachers on the island. It was during one of these training sessions that I met my now good friend Rory Steele who was Assistant Headmaster Curriculum & Technology at Beaulieu Convent School. Rory is a great ambassador for the use of technology in teaching and learning. He quickly saw how our TrilbyTV platform could evidence the impact of iPads at Beaulieu Convent School. So we had our first TrilbyTV customer on the island and our second, Jersey College for Girls, soon followed. From this, my professional connection to the island had just become a little stronger.
My personal connection with Jersey.
The following years would see a mix of business and personal trips to Jersey. This included my own honeymoon in September 2018. Jersey was always my first choice for a honeymoon destination based on the fact that my Mum and Dad had done exactly the same 55 years previously. For my first wedding anniversary would see my wife and I walking 45 miles around the Jersey coastal path which was simply amazing. My Mum and Dad also joined us later for our celebration.
This most recent trip was a perfect opportunity to catch up with my friend Rory and hear all about his new role as Head of the newly opened Digital Jersey Academy. I managed to have a social drink and catch up with Rory in the beautiful town of Gorey. He told me how he’s excited to lead the Island’s first Centre of Excellence for digital education. He also told me about the newly created Digital Jersey Ambassador and that I would be perfect for this. Part of the role is to create a positive buzz and show the world what Jersey is really made of. The following day Rory invited us to visit his fantastic new training and business start-up facility in St Helier.
Finally Becoming a Digital Ambassador
On returning home to the UK I applied straight away to become a Digital Jersey Ambassador and after an online application and follow up video call I was extremely proud to be accepted into the programme.
Jersey will always be a special place in my heart and in my family’s heart. Every year I will return to celebrate my wedding anniversary and enjoy the beauty of the island. I’m excited to see how I might be able to work with the wonderful island of Jersey in the future.
