#altc – Page 3 – Maren Deepwell

The year in blog posts… so far

As I am half way through the year, I am taking a look back at what I have blogged so far, and in the best tradition of the form, to blog about blogging once again. And, if you missed one of these, now is a good time to catch up and bookmark posts for future reading.

Blogging in numbers

So far I have published 43 blog posts this year. The average per month is 7 per month. January was the month with the most posts (10) and March and April were the month with the fewest posts (5).

January (10)

February (9)

March (5)

April (5)

May (6)

June (8)

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14/07/2023

Career transition update: June 2023

Things have moved on a lot since I last shared an update, so there’s a lot to cover this month:

First, I am glad to see the announcement of ALT’s next CEO meet with such warmth and welcome! It’s been great to see Members and stakeholders welcome Billy Smith, and it’s been good for me to start working with Billy as we begin our handover. If you don’t already, follow Billy on social media and find out more about the transition on Billy’s blog!

I’m now in my last three months of this transition, as I’ll be stepping down as CEO in early September ahead of my last day later that month.

The next three months feel like a gift! I get to work with my team, with Members and with many volunteers ahead of ALT’s 30th Annual Conference (book your ticket and join us) and enjoy this exciting, busy time once more before starting my new chapter.

My job has been hugely rewarding over the past 15 years and I have had so many moments of joy, so much that I have been part of, so many milestones achieved that the time I have left now feels like the icing on the cake. The proverbial cherry on top. A time to share what organisational knowledge is useful before things move on in a new direction.

Preparing for my new career chapter

I’ve now completed the next step in my formal coach training this month. Working with more and less experienced coaches and mentors has been super inspiring for me as I develop my own approach and what aspects of coaching I want to focus on.

Unfortunately everyone at home has been sick for the past week or two, but hopefully we will feel better again soon as we prepare for the summer!

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28/06/2023

ALT appoints new Chief Executive: Billy Smith

We are delighted to update members that the Association has appointed Billy Smith as our new Chief Executive.

Since the announcement of this leadership transition in February, the recruitment panel, chaired by ALT’s Chair Helen O’Sullivan, has worked through a rigorous and competitive selection process that involved the staff team, Trustees and ALT’s HR and EDI advisors.

Helen commented:

“Billy immediately stood out from the strong pool of applicants through his strong commitment to the values and principles of ALT as a membership organisation. His energy and enthusiasm impressed the Panel and we are confident that he is the right person to take ALT forward into the next phase of our development.”

Billy will join the team in early August and formally take on the role of Chief Executive at this year’s Annual General Meeting, which will take place on Wednesday, 6th September 2023 during our Annual Conference in Warwick. The AGM will also be our opportunity to say thank you to Maren Deepwell, who will step down as Chief Executive on that date.

We invite you to warmly welcome Billy together with our Members, staff and Board of Trustees.

Read the full announcement on the ALT website.

05/06/2023

Career transition update: May 2023

In this month’s update, I want to share how things are going now that we are entering a very busy period, both in ALT’s year and my coaching business.

Reflecting on the past month at ALT…

This month at work has been incredibly busy, but also included a wonderfully relaxing week of annual leave! May is the month in which we review progress made in Q1, finalise our annual accounts, start working on our Annual Conference in earnest and… a host of other activities that keep everyone across the organisation very busy.

May was also the month in which the recruitment process for my successor stepped up a gear, which added more tasks to the days of Trustees and staff alike. It’s been a very rewarding and illuminating process, which I feel very positive about. Thinking back to my own ordeal applying for this role, from the extensive prep, to the nerve-racking interview days, to extensive online tests and skills scenarios… I feel for everyone involved. It takes a lot of time and effort to prepare a CEO application and even more to be successful at the end. Hats off to all who applied and threw their hats into the ring.

I am very much looking forward to the public announcement introducing ALT’s next CEO, which will be coming out next month, so keep an eye out on all our channels 🙂

… in other news

I have been working hard on a brand new project that is concluding this week: How to… Lead Virtual Teams: The Course! It’s the first course I have developed for my new venture and it’s been a fantastic project. The course took place over seven weeks in April and May. As a podcast based offering it afforded a lot of flexibility and tailored support for managers and leaders and attracted around 50 participants from across sectors.

It’s been fantastic to wrap up the first successful run of the course, and interesting to read contributions and reflections from those involved. Definitely a project I am hoping to repeat come autumn.

My formal coach training is continuing this month, and investing in my own professional development is really important just now. Working with more and less experienced coaches and mentors is really helping me understand more about how to develop my own approach and what aspects of coaching I want to focus on.

I am still looking for clients for the summer, so if you’re interested in coaching with me, head over to my coaching page for more information or just get in touch for an informal conversation. I currently offer discounted packages and for professionals who are not supported by their employer and for whom cost is a barrier to coaching, I also offer pro bono coaching sessions.

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27/05/2023

Career transition update: April 2023

In February I shared the news that I will step down as ALT’s CEO this September to focus on my work as a coach. This is a monthly update on how things are progressing from my perspective, sharing some of the experiences along the way.

Reflecting on the past month at ALT

April had a very busy start indeed, as it was time for this year’s OER Conference. No matter how busy it was, OER23 was a blast, and I loved every minute of it. It was a special pleasure this year as this was my last big event as CEO. If you’d like to read more of my personal take on the conference, then head over to the dedicated post and, check out #OER23 on social media for lots of interesting conversations and folk involved in the event.

The recruitment panel who will appoint the next CEO of ALT is chaired by Professor Helen O’Sullivan. My part was to meet candidates for informal conversations about the role, and I enjoyed these meetings very much. With the interview process now underway, everyone has been involved in the preparations for these and you can feel the excitement, and nerves, mounting a little. The prospect of meeting the new CEO of ALT is now becoming a very real thing. ALT will be announcing the new CEO in early summer and you’ll have the opportunity to meet them at ALT’s Annual Conference this September. So look out for news #altc.

Other than that, my day to day work continues very much as usual. We are busily induction new members of staff, planning for ALT’s 30th anniversary and Annual Conference this September, and I have a lot of travel coming up, too. As well as attending events this month, I really enjoyed seeing my whole staff team in person for a site visit and lunch. It’s a rare pleasure for us as a mainly virtual team to get together in person, and I value those elements of blended collaboration and catching up very much.

What’s else is happening

With so much going on at work, I’m mindful of setting some goals and engaging in activities that aren’t work related: I’m finally getting back to regular running (having recovered from a serious injury last year) and thinking of signing up for some races to have additional motivation.

I’m also really looking forward to joining formal coach training from May, and spending my Saturday evenings with fellow coaches across different time zones. This is the final part of my formal training before I can apply for ICF accreditation, and I am excited about developing my practice further in the coming months.

And… not to forget my side project at the moment, a podcast-based course all about How to Lead Virtual Teams. It’s been fun designing something completely new to me and I am learning a lot as the course develops.

30/04/2023

Empowering agency and expertise for EdTech futures

This week, I am looking forward to speaking at Bett for the first time in a few years, having missed last year’s event with Covid 🙁 . This year however promises to be a lot of fun, and I am excited to speak alongside two inspiring colleagues: uiyin Wong and Julie Voce.

Here is what’s in store for our session:

The Association for Learning Technology was established 30 years ago, in 1993. Since then, much has changed! Yet as the decades have become ever more digital, our focus on the central role of human agency and expertise has remained strong. This session brings together findings from benchmark surveys, insights from leaders and practical resources to help tackle professional development and recognition challenges in the sector. We will share new findings from ALT’s Annual Survey 2023, charting how practice is shifting in the sector and what institutions are investing in. We will also reflect on the continued challenges rapid digital transformation poses for staff development and professional recognition.
https://www.aheadbybett.com/agenda-2023/empowering-agency-expertise-edtech-futures

If you are heading to the event this Friday, we hope to see you at the session and look forward to saying hello.

Whether you are joining us or not, you can also explore the key findings from ALT’s Annual Survey which are now available online:

This year, the survey explores the main trends in learning technology with a focus on the digital transformation, that includes:

The top nominated tools as the software of the year
Models of learning in the UK
Biggest challenge for digital transformation

This survey is available to provide an insight into how Learning Technology is being used across sectors as well as identifying emerging trends in current and future practice.

28/03/2023

Tag: #altc

The year in blog posts… so far

Blogging in numbers

Top 5 posts

January (10)

February (9)

March (5)

April (5)

May (6)

June (8)

Career transition update: June 2023

Preparing for my new career chapter

ALT appoints new Chief Executive: Billy Smith

Career transition update: May 2023

Reflecting on the past month at ALT…

… in other news

Career transition update: April 2023

Reflecting on the past month at ALT

What’s else is happening

Empowering agency and expertise for EdTech futures