Aidan McCarthy
As Director of the Global Digital Learning Strategy team for Microsoft’s Worldwide Education organization, Aidan works globally with Ministries of Education, NGO’s, education leaders, policy makers, schools and supporting education companies to help them realize the teaching and learning potential of Anywhere Anytime Learning. In this role, McCarthy oversees a worldwide team of Pedagogy and Education Technical Specialists to enable Microsoft’s vision for education in a Mobile First Cloud First world.
Aidan has a Master of Learning Technologies degree and is completing Doctoral research on developing educators in Children’s Hospitals to expand their digital pedagogies in mobile learning technologies for their practice.
Aidan has worked in Education for over 25 years, teaching, leading Schools and directing large 1:1 Information and Learning Technology Programmes. During 2001 - 2007 Aidan began working with Microsoft focused on eLearning in the US and transitioned to Europe Middle East and Africa as the Learning Solutions Manager before returning to the US as the WW Managing Director. Aidan returned to Australia as CIO for two of Australia’s top International Schools in his home state of Western Australia driving their 1:1 mobile learning programs.
Throughout 2010 - 2013 Aidan was a member of Apple’s Worldwide Strategic Initiatives Group focusing on large and strategic mobile and content learning initiatives. Aidan now leads Microsoft’s Global Digital Learning Team. Since then he and his team of Pedagogy and Technical Specialists have developed and implemented a new research supported Framework. The Microsoft in Education Transformation Framework is a guide for educators and leaders engaged in holistic education transformation and the critical conversations needed for effective transformation of education systems.
Aidan is a recognised public speaker and well known for his work in helping universities, Ministries of Education, schools and education leaders to effectively plan, implement, integrate and evaluate learning with Information and mobile learning technologies. His strategic planning has assisted in the development of education policy directions for governments and Ministries of Education throughout the world.
Aidan is married with a very well-travelled family. He enjoys sport, photography, motor racing, travel and loves the opportunity to work with the dreamers throughout the world who make technology do amazing things for learners.