The Importance of Personal Branding

I created this eLearning course using Articulate Storyline, which includes a Synthesia AI text-to-video video, inspired by an interview prompt where I was asked to deliver a virtual presentation on personal branding in a business context. I enjoyed the experience so much that I decided to explore the topic further and develop a more comprehensive learning experience. Personal branding is increasingly important in today’s professional landscape. It shapes how others perceive you, influences career opportunities, and helps individuals stand out in competitive environments. This course is designed to help learners understand, develop, and communicate their personal brand with clarity and confidence.

How to Improve Your Public Speaking

This eLearning course was created with Articulate Rise, which is a tool I enjoy using for its clean design and flexibility. I’ve been a teacher, coach, and worked in the hospitality industry, but I still get nervous when it comes to public speaking. To help myself—and hopefully others—I designed this course as a practical, approachable experience for professionals, students, or anyone looking to build confidence. The course also includes an engaging scenario-based practice element, giving learners a chance to apply their skills in realistic situations and receive meaningful feedback.

Projects
(click on each image to explore the artifact being described)

Immersive Learning, Example 1: Own the Room VR

Own the Room VR is an immersive public speaking simulation built in WondaVR. Designed as both a standalone learning experience and a companion to the Mastering Public Speaking with Confidence Rise course, it places learners in realistic scenarios guided by Maya, an AI-powered virtual coach. Learners can brainstorm topics, refine preparation, improve structure and delivery, manage nerves, and strengthen body language and eye contact — all while practicing their speeches with personalized feedback. By combining AI, VR, and immersive learning, this experience transforms passive knowledge into confident, applied performance in a safe, engaging environment.

Immersive Learning, Example 2: Beyond Borders: 2025’s Must-Visit Travel Gems

This interactive travel experience was created using Thinglink, a powerful tool for building immersive visual content. The project highlights ten of the most exciting destinations to visit in 2025, with five featured through interactive hotspots containing curated images, videos, travel tips, and cultural insights. The remaining five destinations are included as bonus recommendations, complete with planning resources. By integrating multimedia and intuitive navigation, this project serves as both an engaging source of travel inspiration and a showcase of how interactive content can enhance digital storytelling and instructional design.

When ADDIE Met AI: COMING SOON!

This course explores how artificial intelligence can enhance the evaluation phase of the ADDIE instructional design model, with a focus on AI-driven learner assessment, personalized feedback, and powerful learning analytics. I designed and developed the course using Adobe Captivate, incorporating interactive elements to demonstrate real-world applications of AI in learning and development. I am in the process of curating the content to remove all proprietary information from a former employer. A generic, portfolio-ready version of the course will be available soon.

DEIB in Action

This is a comprehensive instructional design and ADDIE course write-up created for a fictional company inspired by my wife's employer. I developed it as the capstone project for my Professional Diploma in Digital Learning Design program. The project includes a detailed plan for each phase of the ADDIE process—Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation—along with wireframes, screen plans, storyboards, and a working prototype. The prototype was developed using Genially, an interactive eAuthoring tool, and Animaker, an AI-driven animated video maker.

Practical Tips for Learning a New Language, from a Linguist

I grew up multilingual and have continued to deepen my understanding of linguistics and language learning ever since. While developing proficiency in a new language can feel intimidating, the benefits are long-lasting and often life-changing. During my time teaching social studies at an English immersion high school in China, my students frequently asked how they could improve their English skills independently. In response, I created this infographic using Piktochart, which I displayed in the classroom for many years as a helpful resource.

International Business Etiquette: Navigating Culture with Confidence

Inspired by nearly a decade of living and working abroad in Ecuador and China, I created this interactive Genially infographic to share insights into key business etiquette practices around the world. It offers a visually engaging overview of regional differences in greetings, communication styles, dress codes, and meeting norms, empowering professionals to build stronger cross-cultural relationships. Whether you're collaborating with global teams or preparing for international travel, this piece serves as a practical and accessible guide to navigating global business interactions with respect and confidence.

Curiosity Unleashed: The da Vinci Method for the Modern World

Inspired by my long-standing fascination with the genius of Leonardo da Vinci, this microlearning course explores how his relentless curiosity and multidisciplinary mindset can inform innovation and personal growth today. Created with 7taps, an AI-powered microlearning platform, the course delivers bite-sized, mobile-friendly content that’s both engaging and accessible. Using 7taps’ AI-assisted authoring tools, I was able to streamline the creation process while focusing on visual storytelling, interactivity, and learner engagement. Discover practical ways to channel da Vinci’s genius, transforming curiosity and creativity into personal and professional growth.

Scan Me

Smart Listening: How Podcasts Are Changing Workplace Training

This animated explainer video was created using Vyond, an intuitive animation platform that leverages AI-powered tools to streamline the creation of professional-quality videos with customizable characters, automated lip-syncing, and dynamic visuals. The video explores the rising use of podcasts in business training and professional development, emphasizing key benefits like on-demand learning, cost efficiency, expert insights, and improved employee engagement. As modern organizations shift toward more flexible and personalized training methods, podcasts offer a powerful solution for delivering scalable, engaging content. This project showcases how AI-enhanced animation can effectively communicate forward-thinking ideas and support innovative workplace learning strategies.

Social Learning E-tivity: Wired or Inspired? Understanding Nature and Nurture

During the pandemic, I served on the EdTech Gurus Committee at NCPA, which was responsible for developing our school's virtual classroom protocol and supporting teachers in transitioning to online instruction. Our goal was to maintain best practices in interactive, collaborative, and social learning. As part of this effort, I shared this virtual classroom activity write-up—known as an E-tivity—from my AP Psychology course as an exemplar for colleagues. The lesson focused on the enduring "Nature vs. Nurture" debate, a cornerstone topic in psychology. I designed the activity to be highly collaborative and engaging, adaptable for both live and virtual learning environments. It was structured using Gilly Salmon's E-tivity Five Stage Model framework, ensuring a clear progression from access and motivation to development and integration of knowledge, aligned with best practices in online facilitation.

My 14 Favorite Google Extensions

Screencasts are an excellent tool for sharing technical tutorials, product demos, and step-by-step workflows. I created this screencast to highlight some of my favorite browser extensions: tools that enhance my productivity, streamline my online tasks, and make my digital experience more enjoyable. This screencast itself was made using a free and easy-to-use browser extension called Awesome Screen Recorder & Screenshot. I hope others find these extensions just as useful and discover something new to improve their own online adventures.

Reimagining World History: A Modern Curriculum for Social Studies 10

When I joined Nansha College Preparatory Academy, the Grade 10 Social Studies curriculum was due for review, and I was tasked with leading its redesign. I chose to use the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework, a flexible but comprehensive, holistic approach to curriculum, instruction, and assessment. UbD emphasizes meaningful transfer of knowledge and skills through a backward design process: identifying desired learning outcomes, determining appropriate evidence of learning, and then designing instructional activities to support those goals.

The revised Social Studies 10 curriculum focused on world history, from the pre-modern era to the modern age. I intentionally centered the course around enduring historical "big ideas" rather than memorization of names and dates. The curriculum emphasized pivotal moments in history, inquiry-driven learning, collaboration, edTech, interactive experiences, and accessibility for all learners.

I'm proud to know that the curriculum I developed is still in use at NCPA today, continuing to support student learning in meaningful and engaging ways.

"Little by little, a little becomes a lot." - Tanzanian saying

Basketball is one of my passions, and I’ve been part of some exciting games, but this finish stands out above the rest. I was coaching JV boys basketball during the pandemic, a season when most international schools in our conference only fielded varsity teams. As a result, my JV team regularly faced older, more experienced opponents.

In this unforgettable game, we were down by 17 at halftime. But we didn’t give up. Of course, there are no 17-point plays in basketball. The only way to mount a comeback is through grit: playing tough defense, getting stops, and capitalizing on offensive opportunities. Slowly but surely, we chipped away at the lead. With 15.5 seconds left, we narrowed the gap to two points, got a stop, and had the ball.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Definitely Click

Just for Fun

My wife and I love getting creative with our Christmas cards. For the most recent holiday season, I decided to experiment with text-to-image AI tools to design our card. I used Pixlr to create a wintry background, then layered in additional images and elements to bring the final design to life. I think it's ok, but it certainly got a lot of laughs.