關於 american online school for international students ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

【#雜學校 11/21線上全球開展】

滿滿的國際參展單位！🔔
線上展網址： http://zashare2020.org

ZA SHARE POP-UP SCHOOL International Exhibitors 🌏
國際教育創新博覽會- 24hr POP-UP School
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🇺🇸Supporting Your System
📍展位：學習現場 B30 (At the Frontier of Learning B30)

最好的師生關係建立於教師與家長合作。Supporting Your System 將討論教師與父母如何影響他們與學生的關係，並展示教師該怎麼找到合適的位置，而非成爲替代父母。

——Catalyze the flow of love and creativity through systemic exercises using google jam.

🇹🇼Hsinchu American School 新竹美國學校 / HAS Service Learning
📍 展位：社會參與 D18 (Social Design and Civic Participation D18)

新竹美國學校服務學習計劃旨在讓學生瞭解社區服務的重要性，讓他們接觸到不同類型的社區服務，授予他們必要技能識別和解决本地、區域和全球問題。

——We educate international students in order to successfully transfer to western universities.

🇸🇬SuperCampus / 超神學院 Online
📍 展位：文化生活 C13 (Culture and Life C13)

我們相信，學校必須是一種鼓勵知識共享的心態和文化，在超神學院，一間無止盡的學校，不論愛好者，或是狂熱學習者都可以分享新觀點，為理解世界提供新的催化劑。

——A school that knows no bounds but the boundaries of thought.

🇲🇾Sri Aria / Humanising Education in Malaysia
📍 展位：學習現場 B05 (At the Frontier of Learning B05)

Sri Aria 學校是一所完全以學生爲中心的自主學習學校。在Sri Aria，學生們負責自己的學習，身旁有老師作爲學習促進者支持之。課程以學生實力爲基礎，以興趣爲動力，讓他們有機會探索自然和新事物。

——Strong advocates for Play and Self-Directed Learning to break away from the exam-orientated mentality in Malaysia.

🇮🇳Design for Change / Riverside School
📍 展位：學習現場 B01 (At the Frontier of Learning B01)

Design for Change 是由兒童推動的最大全球運動，覆蓋 65 個以上的國家、30 多萬所學校和 2500 萬兒童，從挑戰農村社區古老的迷信，到自己掙錢資助學校電腦，孩子們正在證明，他們有能力「設計」一個他們所想像的未來。

——We work everyday shamelessly to cultivate the I CAN mindset through the FIDS framework in all children across the world.

#限時24小時 #ZASHARE #雜學校慶 #MeetYouOnline #SupportingYourSystem #HASServiceLearning #SuperCampusOnline #HumanisingEducationinMalaysia #DesignforChange
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❗️展覽資訊❗️
#2020雜學校
🔹國際教育創新博覽會- 24hr POP-UP School
🔹時間：11/21（六） 中午12:00 - 11/22（日） 中午12:00
🔹網址：http://zashare2020.org
🔹地點：Worldwide

[教育時評] Distance Learning 遠程教學

I personally feel that universities will fully embrace distance learning and relevant technologies will be rapidly developed as a result.

個人認為，大學院校將會全面擁抱遠程教學，而相關科技也將因此迅速發展。

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US Universities Move Classes Online

The day after colleges across the country suspended classes over fears of the coronavirus, Abigail Lockhart-Calpito, a freshman from San Antonio, ran across the Harvard campus trying to get answers. Her lectures were being replaced by online classes. Her residence hall was being cleared out. She, like thousands of others in her shoes, had a million questions: What was going to happen to her financial aid? Where would she stay? What about her credits?

1. over fears of 擔心、擔憂
2. financial aid 助學金
3. school credit 學分

全國大學院校因新冠病毒擔憂停課的第二天，來自聖安東尼奧的大一學生阿比蓋爾·洛哈特-卡皮托(Abigail Lockhart-Calpito)在哈佛校園裡四處奔走尋找答案。她的課換成了在線教學。她的宿舍要騰空。現在，她和其他幾萬名面臨同樣處境的學生一樣，腦中有無數疑問：助學金怎麼辦？搬到哪裡去？學分呢？

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The abrupt disruption of the semester caused widespread concern and a feeling of chaos on campuses across the country. Administrators saw spring break as a chance to reset the clock in the battle against the coronavirus. One after the other, like dominoes, they announced they were suspending classes and asking students to pack up and go.

4. abrupt disruption 突然中斷
5. cause widespread concern 引發擔憂的蔓延
6. a feeling of chaos 混亂的感覺
7. across the country 在全國範圍內
8. reset the clock 歸零，重置
9. the battle against…對抗…的戰役
10. dominoes 多米諾骨牌
11. pack up 打包

在全國範圍內，學期被突然打斷，擔憂和一種陷入混亂的感覺在校園裡蔓延。管理者認為，春假是開始抗擊新冠病毒疫情的好時機，於是，如多米諾骨牌一般，他們一個接一個地宣布停課，並讓學生打包離開。

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On Wednesday, the closures continued. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York declared that the state and city university systems would move to distance learning, as did the University of Pennsylvania, several California State campuses, the Claremont Colleges, Iowa State, Georgetown, Pepperdine, Villanova, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Washington University in St. Louis, among others.

12. closure of 關閉
13. move to 移至
14. distance learning* 遠程教學
15. online learning 線上學習

星期三，更多學校關閉。紐約州州長安德魯·M·科莫(Andrew M. Cuomo)宣布，所有州屬、市屬大學都改為遠程教學。採取同樣措施的，還有賓夕法尼亞大學、加利福尼亞州立大學的幾所分校、克萊蒙特學院、愛荷華州立大學、喬治城大學、佩珀代因大學、維拉諾瓦大學、聖母大學、密西根州立大學和聖路易斯華盛頓大學等等。

*In a nutshell, the key difference between online learning and distance learning is geography. Students can be together with an instructor and use online learning, but distance learning implies that students and instructor are separated.

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Infectious disease specialists said that dormitories, with their communal bathrooms as well as dining halls with open buffets, are like cruise ships, with students squeezed together and facing increased risk of infection. Emptying them out, if only partially, is necessary, they said.

16. infectious disease 傳染病
17. dormitory 學生宿舍
18. communal bathrooms 公共浴室
19. open buffet 開放式自助餐
20. face increased risk of infection 面臨感染風險增加

傳染病專家說，學生宿舍裡有公共浴室和提供自助餐的食堂，學生被圈擠在一起，與郵輪一樣面臨高感染風險。他們說，把宿舍清空，即使只是一部分，也是必要的。

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Even those on the way to college in the fall felt the impact on Wednesday, as the SAT exam scheduled for Saturday was canceled in 18 countries and at more than 120 U.S. schools. In many cases, no alternative locations or makeup dates were offered.

21. on the way to 正要
22. feel the impact 感受到影響
23. be scheduled for 被排定於
24. in many cases 很多的例子
25. no alternative 沒有替代方案

即便那些秋季才入學的學生，也在週三感受到了影響。週三，18個國家和超過120所學校取消了原定在週六舉行的SAT測試。很多地方沒有公布替補考點或改期時間。

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Ms. Lockhart-Calpito, 19, is on full financial aid, which includes tuition, room and board. Her parents are self-employed, and she had scraped together airfare home for spring break by working two part-time jobs, as a tutor and as an usher and ticket seller. She is going to stay with a family friend instead of her parents, but she worries about wearing out her welcome.

26. full financial aid 全額助學金
27. tuition 學費
28. room and board 住宿費與餐費
29. usher (n.) 帶位員
30. wear out 消磨

19歲的洛哈特-卡皮托領著全額助學金，包括學費、住宿費和餐費。她父母是個體經營者，她自己勉強湊夠了春假回家的機票，為此她要打兩份零工，一份是家教，一份是領位兼售票員。她打算住在父母的一個朋友家中，而不是住父母那裡，但是她擔心，那家人可能會不太歡迎她。

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“Harvard expects us to go home,” she said on Wednesday. “But home for a lot of us is this campus.” As she went from office to office, officials told her apologetically that they had found out about the orders to shut down normal life on campus at the same time that she had, and so had few answers. Private charities and individuals were responding with offers to provide temporary lodging and financial help, she said.

31. expect someone to 期望某人做某事
32. tell someone apologetically 懷著歉意告知某人
33. find out 發現
34. provide temporary lodging 提供臨時住所

「哈佛希望我們回家，」她在週三說，「但是對我們很多人來說，學校就是家。」她跑了許多辦公室詢問，官員們很抱歉地告訴她，他們是與學生同時收到指令，得知校園的正常生活要被關停的，所以無法回答她的問題。她說有私人慈善機構和個人對此做出回應，向學生提供臨時住處和資金幫助。

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Harvard officials said they were swamped with requests for financial and logistical help and could not take time to talk in detail about the situation. They noted that Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts had declared a public health emergency on Tuesday, and said that the university had been forced to respond in kind. But they said that any students who were on financial aid and had a “demonstrated need” would be taken care of.

35. be swamped with 被…淹沒
36. logistics 後勤；後勤學
37. declare a public health emergency 宣布公共衛生進入緊急狀態
38. respond in kind 以同樣方法（或手段）回應
39. on financial aid 領助學金的
40. a “demonstrative” need 經證實的需求
41. be taken care of 會被照料

哈佛校方表示，他們現在被資金和後勤方面的協助要求淹沒，沒有時間深入談論具體情況。他們提到，麻薩諸塞州州長查理·貝克(Charlie Baker)在週二宣布了公共衛生緊急狀態，學校也被迫要以類似的舉措進行回應。但他們表示，他們會照顧那些依賴助學金並「經證明有需求」的學生。

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The closures also presented challenges for foreign students enrolled at American universities on F visas. They are permitted to take only one course online per term to remain legally in the country; students on M visas for vocational training are normally not allowed to take any classes online.

42. present challenges 呈現了挑戰
43. F visas F簽證*
44. remain legally in the country 合法居留
45. vocational training 職業培訓

學校關閉也為持F簽證在美國大學學習的外國留學生帶來挑戰。要在這個國家合法居留，他們每個學期只允許選一門網課。而持M簽證接受職業培訓的學生，則通常不能選任何網課。

*F visas: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/study/student-visa.html

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Monday issued guidance, saying that it would be “flexible with temporary adaptations” for international students as universities adjust to the crisis. Carissa Cutrell, an agency spokeswoman, said the goal was to ensure that students were “able to continue to make normal progress in a full course of study as required by federal regulations.”

46. be flexible with... 對…保持彈性
47. temporary adaptations 臨時應變
48. adjust to 為…調整
49. ensure that... 確保...
50. make normal progress 做到維持正常進度
51. federal regulations 聯邦規定

週一，移民和海關執法局頒佈指導意見，說在學校調整應對當前危機時，該部門針對外國學生會有「臨時的應變靈活處理」。執法局發言人卡麗莎·卡瑞爾(Carissa Cutrell)說，目的是要確保學生「能夠保持正常的學習進度，以完成聯邦法規所要求的全部課程」。

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Megan Lobo, 18, a freshman at New York University, had her first two online classes on Wednesday, and will soon be moving home to Leonia, N.J. Her two-and-a-half-hour music class, she said, was not conducive to online learning. They used Zoom, the video application. “A lot of the relationships that you form in college are just kind of being around each other,” she said. “Especially for music — meeting people and networking. A lot of people I’ve met in the hallway or in class. Losing those small things can be a setback.”

52. conductive to 對…有利的
53. video application 影片應用程式
54. networking 網路
55. suffer a setback 遭遇挫折

紐約大學18歲的大一學生梅根·洛博(Megan Lobo)在週三上了頭兩節網課，很快將搬回紐澤西利奧尼亞市的家中。她說有一節兩個半小時的音樂課並不適合在線學習。他們用了影片應用Zoom。「在大學裡，很多關係的建立，其實就是大家在一塊兒，」她說，「尤其對於音樂來說——就是要與人見面，建立人際網路。很多人我都是在走廊或課上認識的。沒了這樣的小事是很遺憾的。」

完整報導: https://nyti.ms/3cY9zdw

圖片來源: https://nyti.ms/3d1qPid

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教育時評: http://bit.ly/39ABON9

時事英文大全: http://bit.ly/2WtAqop

昨天台灣大哥大發布訊息，自 2019 年 4 月 1 日起將聘任 AppWorks 創辦合夥人 Jamie 林之晨為總經理，長期關心 AppWorks 的朋友，或許會有些疑惑。其實不是 Jamie 換工作，而是 AppWorks 將與台灣大一起，挑戰一個放大 10 倍的計畫。在此跟大家分享 Jamie 的聲明，有更完整的敘述。

#以下是_Jamie_聲明全文

稍早台灣大哥大發布訊息，自 2019 年 4 月 1 日起將聘任為我為總經理，我的朋友們，以及長期關心我與 AppWorks 的媒體，一定會有許多疑惑，請容我在此統一向大家說明。
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#EnglishBelow 稍早台灣大哥大發布訊息，自 2019 年 4 月 1 日起將聘任為我為總經理，我的朋友們，以及長期關心我與 AppWorks 的媒體，一定會有許多疑惑，請容我在此統一向大家說明。

首先，我不是接下了台灣大總經理的職位，而是接下了整合市值美金 120 億、營收美金 38 億的台灣大與市值美金 36 億、營收美金 25 億的 AppWorks Ecosystem，放大出 10 倍成果的任務。

這得從我的故事說起，如果您還沒聽過的話，我原本已經移民美國，和老婆小孩開心的住在紐約，2008 年，我在美看到 iPhone、Android 相繼問世，Facebook、Twitter 等社群媒體成為主流，意識到軟體的力量將越來越大，而硬體將越來越沒有價值，換言之，台灣的國際經濟地位將受到極大挑戰，因此決定舉家搬遷回台，推動台灣的轉型升級，以免我熱愛的福爾摩沙從世界經濟奇蹟變成失落的遺跡。

這是一個很大的決定，不僅我要放棄自己的美國夢，老婆、小孩都得跟著改變職涯、學涯，因此既然要做，就得發揮最大的 Impact。所以回台之後，我每天思考、決定、努力的，都是最大化我對台灣的貢獻。

因此這些年來我戴了很多帽子，表面看起來沒什麼相關性，但背後都有一個共同的目的，那就是推動台灣的改變。首先，我長期寫網誌、經營 Facebook 等網路社群、在《天下》等期刊寫專欄、出書、演講、接受採訪，心想的是分享新知、新觀念，散播進步需要的養分。

我與夥伴們成立 AppWorks，有系統的幫助年輕人創業，為的是培養千千萬萬帶領台灣前進的下一代生力軍。這也是為什麼 AppWorks 從 2010 年啟動半年一期的創業加速器，至今一直堅持免費提供。目前 AppWorks Accelerator 共畢業的 17 屆、925 位創業者，由他們成立的活躍企業高達 328 家，2018 年產值 760 億，提供 9,500 個工作機會，非常確切的為台灣貢獻一股向上動能。更重要的是，這些創業者們因 AppWorks 而相識相惜，形成一個緊密互助的網路，更是社會的長期資產。

當 AppWorks 在台灣站穩腳步，2014 年我們開始積極走訪東南亞，邀請優秀的東協創業者前來加入，希望透過串連跨國創業者網路，促進台灣的區域化，同時貢獻東協的數位發展。經過 5 年的推動，這個工作也有大幅進展，即將在 3 月進駐 AppWorks 的 33 組 AW#18 團隊，將有高達 19 組來自東南亞，包含他們在內，AppWorks 有 160 家企業在台灣以外的大東南亞市場有據點，形成一個真正區域化的網路。現在，來自台灣、香港、新加坡的 AppWorks 創業者要前往印尼、越南發展，可以很容易的找到 AppWorks 校友帶路，大大降低了區域化的門檻。

除了創業加速器，透過 AppWorks，我們同時努力創造更多台灣改變需要的新典範。以創業投資為例，我們 2012 年成功募集 3.2 億 Fund I，2014 年募得 15 億 Fund II，在 AppWorks 團隊的努力經營下，目前兩支基金的投資績效都是水準以上，其中 Fund II 至今的年化內部報酬率 (IRR) 達 29%，遠高於歐美同期創投基金的 Top Quartile (前四分之一) 指標。透過追求與國際一流基金同等的表現，我們希望促進台灣 LP (創投投資人的簡稱) 更有信心支持本土新興 GP (創投管理公司的簡稱)，進而推動台灣創投業的復甦。

2016 年，我們出資成立 AppWorks School，每 4 個月一期，免費幫助年輕人透過實作學習程式、轉職工程師、加入成長中的數位行業，提升他們的職涯的同時，也為台灣貢獻人才。目前 School 已畢業 106 位學生，其中 85% 成功轉職，第一年起薪中位數達 67 萬。雖然杯水車薪，但我們希望拋磚引玉，刺激台灣教育的現代化，幫助年輕人準備好面對 AI 時代。

此外，AppWorks 雖然仍是中小企業，但受到的關注較多，因此也經常以身作則，為台灣業界示範新時代企業可以有的新思維。除了看齊國際優質創投的薪資獎金水準、年假無上限、自由選擇工作時間地點、新年假期長達三、四週外，我們更在日前啟動交棒計畫，讓年僅 30 歲的 Jessica 劉侊縈、40 歲的 Andy 蔡欣翰升任合夥人，希望激發台灣企業勇敢讓年輕人當家。

私部門之外，有機會推動台灣轉型的公領域活動，我也積極參與。2016 年，我從詹宏志先生手上接下 TiEA (台灣網際網路暨電子商務產業發展協會) 理事長，上任後便努力推動網路電商正名運動，成功說服了櫃買中心創立電子商務分類；2017 年起我開始擔任亞洲·矽谷民諮委共同召集人、數位國家諮詢委員、代表台灣參加每年四次的 ABAC (APEC Business Advisory Council) 會議，2018 年又奉總統之命擔任 APEC Vision Group 代表，與其他 20 會員國派出的先進，一起定義 APEC 未來的 20 年願景。這些雖然都是義務工作，但我都當作正職全力以赴，因為都有機會大大影響台灣的命運，以及在經濟領域的國際能見度。

最後，我去年決定再次舉家，準備遷往雅加達，同樣還是以為台灣貢獻出發。我觀察到 2.6 億人口的印尼正在快速崛起，短短 5 年內從有限的新創活動，到 4 隻本土獨角獸加 3 隻外來獨角獸的蓬勃景況，必須要幫助台灣抓住這個成長機會，但印尼商業生態與台灣大不相同，所以我決定進駐雅加達、深耕當地，希望能因此扮演帶領 AppWorks 新創進入印尼的嚮導，縮短我們與世界第四大國、東南亞第一大國的距離。這麼做得犧牲一些我在台灣的工作，但這些工作多半我的夥伴們可以承接，因此我便毅然開始行動。

講了這麼多，我其實只是希望您能了解，我大老遠從紐約搬回來的目的就是改變台灣，所以這些年來我做決定沒什麼懸念，因為不需要考慮自己的利益，只需要考慮在這個時間點，我做這件事情，是不是最能貢獻台灣。

如此我們便可以回到正題，這次的「台灣大 + AppWorks」專案。

不久前，蔡明忠董事長約我談話，詢問我有沒有興趣接下台灣大總經理的職位，一開始我其實是無法答應的，首先我已經決定搬去印尼，再來我也不確定接這個位子，跟貢獻台灣的關係。回去想了兩整天後，我有了答案，我跟蔡董事長說，必須有四個先決條件：

第一，結合台灣大和 AppWorks，用 AppWorks 生態系去幫助台灣大轉型為科技企業，同時以台灣大為平台去加速 AppWorks 新創的成長，因此創造更多成功的企業，為台灣示範成熟企業如何與新創實際合作；

第二，由 AppWorks 帶路，推動台灣大 + AppWorks 走出台灣，成為一個大東南亞科技集團，為台灣企業的區域化寫下典範，同時也成為能加速 AppWorks 新創區域化的大平台；

第三，以建立一個市值 1,000 億美金 (US$ 100B) 的科技集團為目標，創造第一個由台灣出發、真正達到國際級的非代工企業；

第四，所有因為台灣大 + AppWorks 集團未來的價值成長，公司依規定希望給予我個人的獎勵，要能全數由集團捐為公益使用，且專注在推動台灣的教育改革與電影工業上。

我跟蔡董事長說，如果以這四個目標為前提，那就值得我花 10 到 15 年的生命去推動。這基本上是我的夢幻清單，如果這麼做的話，能為台灣創造的貢獻，比 AppWorks 繼續獨立營運還會巨大許多，想不到蔡董事長毫不猶豫的答應。也因此，我回頭與 AppWorks 的夥伴們溝通，得到大家的支持後，我們決定一起接受這個挑戰。所以開頭我說，我不是接下了台灣大總經理的職位，而是接下了整合台灣大與 AppWorks，放大出 10 倍成果的任務。

當然，這不是一件容易的工作，發展新的商業模式，我或許有 20 年的創業、工作經驗作為後盾，但對於管理電信事業，對於領導一個 7,000 人的大集團，我有太多需要學習的地方，所以，我請蔡董事長務必持續扮演我的 Partner，在這個過程中一起確保電信本業的營運，好讓我們有最大的空間與時間，去爭取新事業的發展，為所有「台灣大 + AppWorks」的 Stakeholders，爭取最佳的長期利益。

未來幾年，將是電信業轉型的關鍵時期，去年 499 之亂加速電信用戶 ARPU (平均每戶營收) 的下滑，消費者換機時間拉長導致手機營收停滯，接下來資本支出是 4G 近 4 倍的 5G 即將到來，更讓電信長達 20 年紅利時代難以延續，AI、IoT、Blockchain、Cloud 等巨型典範轉移接連的到來，進一步逼迫電信業者不能繼續防守。

另一方面，電信業已經建立的品牌、長期客戶關係、大量用戶數據，卻是極有價值，可以更全面應用的資產。透過台灣大 + AppWorks 的結合，目前已經產生 760 億年營收的 AppWorks 的 328 家新創，以及未來將持續培養的更多新興企業，都有機會透過與台灣大的合作加速成長，而台灣大也能因此取得新的營收引擎，創造雙贏的局面。

所以，在可預見的未來，AppWorks 的方向不會改變，我們將持續邀請優秀的創業者加入，透過 AppWorks 原有的能量，以及新增的台灣大平台幫助他們。AppWorks 基金的營運也不會改變，事實上，加入了台灣大的能量，我們有信心能為 LP 們創造更好的財務、策略報酬。我的角色，除了新增台灣大總經理以外，也沒有改變，將持續擔任 AppWorks 的董事長、合夥人，戮力確保台灣大 + AppWorks 的整合能順利成功、長長久久，創造多贏。唯一改變的，大概是我的工作時間將會增加，因此要犧牲與家人的相處，在此先跟偉大的老婆、兩個可愛的兒子道歉，感謝他們對這個決定的支持與諒解。

至於搬遷至雅加達、引導更多 AppWorks 新創進軍印尼的計畫，很遺憾必須暫緩，所幸 AppWorks 的新任合夥人 Jessica (劉侊縈)，已經承諾會扛起這個責任，相信在她的帶領下，AppWorks 的印尼計畫還是能夠大鳴大放、開花結果。

以上，就是針對此次台灣大 + AppWorks 的重大發展，向各位好友、媒體朋友的報告，懇求你們的支持。無論如何，我會持續為貢獻台灣而努力，希望我們這一輩的小孩們長大後，可以和我們一樣，以做台灣人為榮。

最後，預祝 您

新年快樂 諸凡順遂
助君張目 豬滿福保

Earlier today, Taiwan Mobile published an announcement communicating their intention to appoint me as the company’s general manager as of 4/1/2019. I’m sure this announcement may come as a surprise to many of my friends in the startup community, likely leaving you all with ample questions, concerns, and potentially even doubt. Let me take the opportunity to clarify the situation and explain the reasonings behind my decision for everyone.

Firstly, I must clarify that I am not merely taking over as GM of Taiwan Mobile, but taking on the bigger job of integrating Taiwan Mobile, a $12B market cap & $3.8B revenue company, and AppWorks, a $3.6B valuation & $2.5B revenue ecosystem, to amplify our impact by 10x.

But to adequately understand where we’re going, I think it’s important for everyone to know where we’ve come from. This begins with my story—for those of you that haven’t heard it before—which dates back to my time living in New York. It was around 2008 when I saw the launch of iPhone and Android, as well as the advent of Facebook, Twitter, etc, collectively catapulting social media into mainstream use. It was clear that software was increasingly taking over the world while the value of hardware was becoming more and more commoditized. This posed a dire existential threat to Taiwan, whose global economic contributions had been primarily driven by hardware and semiconductor manufacturing. This eventually prompted my resolve to move back to Taiwan and prevent our country from becoming a relic of the past.

This was by no means an easy decision. Not only did I have to give up my American dream, but my wife and child would have to completely uproot their lives, changing jobs and schools. It was a huge sacrifice on their end, so after moving back I dedicated myself to working hard every day to maximize my contribution to Taiwan and exert the greatest impact possible.

I have worn a lot of hats since, and it may seem that there is no correlation on the surface. But, there is indeed a common purpose behind them, which is to promote change in Taiwan. First of all, I have long written posts and columns in online communities such as my own blog, Facebook, and journals like “The Commonwealth Magazine,” while also giving speeches and interviews for a variety of outlets whenever possible. I see these activities as a way to share new knowledge, new ideas, and disseminate the nutrients needed for progress.

I set up AppWorks with my partners to systematically help young people start their own businesses and cultivate the next generation of business leaders that will steer Taiwan forward. That's why AppWorks started its semi-annual startup accelerator in 2010, and has been offering it for free ever since. With the addition of the latest batch AW#17, the AppWorks Ecosystem encompasses 328 active startups and 925 founders, having collectively generated US$ 2.5 billion in revenues and created 9,586 jobs—not an immaterial contribution to Taiwan’s economy needless to say. More importantly, we’ve created a tight-knit community where founders can form lifelong relationships, while seeking advice from both peers and mentors in good times and bad. I see that as a long-term value to society.

Once AppWorks took a firm foothold in Taiwan, we began targeting Southeast Asia in 2014 to invite outstanding ASEAN entrepreneurs to join us. We hope to promote Taiwan's regionalization through a network of international founders, and in turn, facilitate the development of SEA’s digital economy. We've made significant strides these past five years. AW#18 will kick off in March 2019, and consists of 33 teams, 19 of which hailing from countries across SEA and beyond. Spanning our entire ecosystem, AppWorks encompasses 160 companies currently operating in Southeast Asia, forming a truly regional network. Now, AppWorks founders from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore are expanding to Indonesia and Vietnam, and it is easy to find local AppWorks alumni to lead the way, greatly reducing the barriers for international expansion.

In addition to AppWorks Accelerator, we have been working hard to create more examples for a modern Taiwan. Taking venture capital as an example, we successfully raised US$ 11 million for Fund I in 2012 and US$ 50 million for Fund II in 2014. Under the efforts of the AppWorks team, the investment performance of the two funds is currently above the industry average, of which Fund II has achieved an annualized internal rate of return (IRR) of 29%. This is much higher than the top quartile of VCs in both Europe and the United States. By pursuing the same performance as international first-class funds, we hope to encourage Taiwanese LPs (short for venture capital investors) to be more confident in supporting local emerging GPs (short for venture capital management companies) and to promote the recovery and ultimate longevity of Taiwan's VC industry.

In 2016, we created AppWorks School with the aim of helping the younger generation pick up new skill sets, enhance their careers, and join the growing tech industry. The school offers four-month free programs and has now graduated 106 students, 85% of whom have secured jobs as software engineers, with a median starting salary of US$ 21,833. Although our scale is still tiny compared to larger institutes, we hope our efforts have inspired others to promote the modernization of Taiwan’s education system and equip young people with the necessary skills to thrive in the AI ​​era.

In addition, although AppWorks is still a small to medium-sized enterprise, it has received a lot of attention. Therefore, it often leads by example and demonstrates how to apply new thinkings to modern corporate management. In addition to internationally-competitive salaries, our colleagues enjoy flexible working hours and locations, unlimited vacation days, and several weeks off around Chinese New Year. AppWorks also recently launched an internal promotion track, promoting two of our very own staff to partners, Jessica Liu (30) and Andy Tsai (40). We hope that this move will also create a ripple effect across traditional Taiwanese industries, inspiring more local enterprises to put their faith in younger leaders.

Alongside the private sector, I am also actively involved in promoting Taiwan’s transformation through public sector activities. In 2016, I took over as chairman of TiEA (Taiwan Internet and E-Commerce Association) from Mr. Hung-Tze Jan (詹宏志). After taking office, I have worked hard to promote our industry and successfully convinced government cabinet members to create a separate category for e-commerce companies, which didn’t previously exist in Taiwan’s stock market. Since 2017, I have been the co-convenor of the Asia-Silicon Valley Development Agency Advisory Committee, advisor of DIGI+ Taiwan, and the country’s member in ABAC (APEC Business Advisory Council). Most recently in 2018, I was appointed by the President to represent Taiwan in the APEC Vision Group, where 21 member states come together to define APEC's vision for the next 20 years. Although these are all voluntary work, I have treated them as full-time jobs because they produce opportunities that can greatly influence Taiwan’s future.

Finally, last year I was prepared to uproot my family again and move to Jakarta. With a population of 260 million people, I observed that Indonesia was a rapidly emerging economy, producing many areas where Taiwan and Taiwanese companies can contribute. In the span of just five years, Indonesia went from a barren startup landscape to producing four local unicorns and attracting the presence of three international unicorns. Although the opportunities are abundant, Indonesia’s ecosystem was much different from Taiwan’s, creating immense cultural, regulatory, and competitive barriers for Taiwanese companies. I had thus planned on relocating to Jakarta in hopes of better leading AppWorks startups into Indonesia and shortening our distance from the world’s fourth most populous country and GSEA’s biggest economy. I would have had to sacrifice some of my roles and responsibilities in my Taiwan, but I put faith in my partners and co-workers to fill the void.

With all that said, I want you to understand that the underlying mission to change Taiwan has never faltered. With this mission in mind, I’ve never hesitated in making decisions over the years because I’ve never needed to consider my own interests—but only the things I can do at the moment to best contribute to Taiwan and generate the most impact. It’s what prompted my resolution to move back from New York, my intent to move to Jakarta, and now my decision to take on this new opportunity with “Taiwan Mobile + AppWorks.”

Not long ago, the Chairman of Taiwan Mobile Daniel Tsai reached out and asked if I was interested in taking over as General Manager of Taiwan Mobile. At first, I was unable to take his offer because I was getting ready to move to Indonesia and I didn’t know how this would contribute to making Taiwan better. After allowing myself a few days to contemplate, I found an answer. I told Chairman Tsai that I would take on the position, but only if I can pursue these 4 ambitions:

First, leverage the AppWorks ecosystem to help transform Taiwan Mobile into a true technology company. At the same time, leverage Taiwan Mobile as a platform to accelerate the growth of AppWorks startups, thereby creating a successful collaboration template for other Taiwan & SEA large corporations to work with startups.

Second, with AppWorks leading the way, establish Taiwan Mobile + AppWorks into a regional technology group across Greater Southeast Asia, in turn, inspiring other Taiwanese companies to explore Southeast Asia as well as becoming a platform for startups to go regional.

Third, build Taiwan Mobile + AppWorks group to a market cap of US$ 100 billion and create the first non-OEM company that originates from Taiwan and truly reaches a global scale.

Fourth, throughout the process, all the bonuses I am entitled to shall be donated by the group to public welfare, focusing specifically on promoting education reform and the film industry in Taiwan.

I told Chairman Tsai if these are the goals, it’s worth dedicating the next 10 - 15 years of my life to achieve. This is basically my dream list. If I do this, the contribution to Taiwan and the GSEA region as a whole from the combined entity will be much greater than the continued independent operation of AppWorks. Chairman Tsai agreed on these four goals and gave me his promise, but it was still not a decision that I could make on my own--after all building AppWorks into what is it today was not something I did alone. Therefore, I went back to communicate with the AppWorks partners and team, and with everyone's support, we decided to accept this challenge together.

Thus, at the beginning of the post, I said, that I am not only taking over the position of Taiwan Mobile’s GM, but undertaking the task of integrating Taiwan Mobile and AppWorks to amplify our impact by 10x. Of course, developing a completely new business model is not an easy job. I may have 20 years of entrepreneurship and work experience under my belt, but I still have much to learn when it comes to managing a massive telecoms operation with over 7,000 people, most of whom are much more familiar with the industry than me. Therefore, I asked Chairman Tsai to act as my partner through the process to ensure the continued operations of the telecoms unit. This will enable more time and space to develop new businesses, benefiting all “Taiwan Mobile + AppWorks” stakeholders in the long run.

The telecoms industry will likely undergo a crucial transformation in the next few years. Last year’s “NT$499 war” accelerated the decline of telecom subscribers’ ARPU (average revenue per household). Longer replacement periods for smartphones have led to the stagnation of mobile phone revenues and the rollout of 5G will cost four times the capex as 4G. These factors all threaten the industry’s ability to maintain the fluid growth it’s experienced for the past 20 years. Furthermore, the arrival of paradigm shifting technologies such as AI, IoT, Blockchain, and Cloud have put all telecom operators on the defensive.

On the other hand, the telecoms industry has established brands, long-term customer relationships, and a massive amount of user data—all valuable assets that can be better maximized. Through the combination of Taiwan Mobile + AppWorks and the 328 startups that AppWorks has cultivated, all emerging startups will be able to look to the combined platform as a strategic engine for cooperation and growth. This is will also enable Taiwan to develop new sources of value creation--a win-win for both sides.

Therefore, in the foreseeable future, AppWorks will not change direction. We will continue to invite outstanding entrepreneurs to join our accelerator, staying true to the original ethos of AppWorks, while leveraging the new Taiwan Mobile platform to help them. The operation of AppWorks Funds will not change. In fact, with the backing of Taiwan Mobile’s resources, we are confident that we can create better financial and strategic rewards for LPs. My role at AppWorks will not change. I will continue to serve as a partner of AppWorks. I will ensure that the integration of Taiwan Mobile + AppWorks will be a successful, long-lasting win-win situation for all stakeholders involved. The only change is probably that my working hours will increase, effectively cutting into my family time. So first, I must apologize to my great wife and two lovely sons, and thank them for their continued support and understanding of this decision.

As for the plan to move to Jakarta and guide more AppWorks startups to enter Indonesia, regrettably it must be suspended. Fortunately, Jessica Liu, AppWorks’ newest partner, has promised to take up this responsibility. I believe that under her leadership, AppWorks' Indonesia initiative will still be able to make a big splash and develop fruitfully.

Hopefully, this post has provided you with all the relevant details regarding the Taiwan Mobile + AppWorks announcement. To friends and media, I sincerely appreciate your continued support. At any rate, I will continue to work hard to contribute to Taiwan. I hope that the children of our generation will grow up and be proud of being Taiwanese.

Finally, I wish everyone all the best. Have a wonderful and prosperous pig year!