EdTech Talks

Gary has over 10 years’ experience in education and training - having previously worked in Further Education, the charity sector and public sector as part of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. Gary is passionate about learning technology, and how embracing a digital approach can open a world of possibilities with regards to the delivery and assessment of education across all levels. Gary prides himself on being able to communicate between IT specialists and those on the front line. Having not come from an IT background himself, he understands the frustrations people can have with using technology and aims to engage everyone from experts to novices. Gary currently works for University Academy 92 as their Senior Learning Technologist, and has been a lead for the embedment of Microsoft Teams across the organisation. You can connect with Gary via LinkedIn

Elaine has worked for over 10 years in teaching, delivering ICT qualifications and training in Further Education, Higher Education, Community learning and apprenticeships. She now works as a Senior Learning Technologist in the Innovate department at the Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education and the associated campuses. Her role not only involves supporting the 400+ academic staff to implement technology solutions into the classroom, but also involves supporting the wider business support staff to fully integrate the Office 365 technologies into their work processes. As an MIE Expert and active member of the Microsoft Educator Community, Elaine drives the adoption of learning technologies throughout the TEC Partnership and provides Microsoft Office Specialist training and support for staff development. Dedicated and passionate, Elaine recognises the growing need for digital capabilities within teaching and believes that with the right support, technology can create better learning experiences for our learners. You can follow Elaine on Twitter @ElaineTopham

Arran classes himself as one in 4% of the population, who are severely dyslexic adults. When Arran was aged 9, he was diagnosed with dyslexia. He uses the metaphor that dyslexia is like going to the dentist - well that’s how it was for him, all the way until he was 14. This was the age when he realised that dyslexia is a difference, not a disadvantage. During Arran’s working life he has worked in many industries, including: youth work, retail, business, and the not-for-profit sector. Arran has worked within the dyslexia sector for over 15 years. He is chairman of the Leicestershire Dyslexia Association, and previously worked and volunteered for the British Dyslexia Association in varied roles. Arran has spoken at many large conferences and events across the UK, and more recently spoke at a national conference in India. Despite being severely dyslexic, Arran uses technology to support his needs - and without it, he would not be doing what he is today. You can follow Arran on Twitter @ArranDyslexia

Jamil is the founder of Wakelet - a content curation platform. He’s passionate about helping people organize information so they can tell better stories, communicate ideas and share their perspectives in a more powerful and meaningful way. He’s on the board of The Manchester International Festival (MIF), as well as being an advisor to a number of start-ups in the U.K. Prior to starting Wakelet, Jamil was an executive at Airbus. It was his love for aviation that inspired the name “Wakelet”, after the wake that an aircraft creates in the sky. Jamil is currently focused on providing the growing Wakelet community with the best possible curation platform - helping educators, students,  professionals, organizations and businesses organize their online  content in new and creative ways. You can follow Jamil on Twitter @J4Jammy 

James is the Head of Community at Wakelet. He supports the community of educators, students, athletes, organisations, and many others daily - to get the most out of Wakelet. You can follow James on Twitter @JDBbiz

Amanda is a social work academic in the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work, at Queen's University Belfast. She is interested in the intersection of social work and digital technologies and is particularly well known for development of creative teaching methodologies, and experiential approaches in social work education. One of these methods is Social Work Book Group - a synchronous and asynchronous teaching method, that uses fiction to explore the human condition. @SWBookGroup (https://wke.lt/w/s/yhxNQ) began with just three students in UCLan library. and now has a following of over 6,500 thousand. Social Work Virtual Pal is another of Dr Taylor-Beswick’s innovations - where she and a colleague in America have essentially digitized the original 'Pen pal' method. You can find out more about it on the Social Work Virtual Pal website or on the @SWVirtualPalTwitter feed. Dr Taylor-Beswick has recently advised on the BASW/SCIE Digital Capabilities for Social Work Project 2020 in England and has a few EdTech awards to her name: JISC50 2016; UK GOV Women Tech Leader 2018; EdTech50 2020. Her most recent study 'examined the contribution of social work education to the digital professionalism of students in readiness to practice'. You can follow Amanda on Twitter @AMLTaylor66

An inspirational advocate of innovation in teaching and learning, Esam has created a hugely successful learning model. Committed to developing confident, independent learners, his vision and attention to detail make a powerful combination. Through the establishment of City of Westminster College’s digital strategy, Esam has pioneered ways for others to adopt technology to help students, using a blended-learning approach. He is viewed by colleagues as a thought leader, who understands the skills needed for the 21st Century and who makes the complexities of digital learning simple. He has become a national influencer and a nationally recognised leader in technology for education. Colleagues say: “Esam is the go-to for all things digital with a wealth of experience, currency, and a healthy dose of common sense. Esam makes the complexities of digital learning simple, and he understands the teacher that needs this!” He was nominated Pearson's Digital Innovator of the Year in 2019, and recently recognised as one of the stars of the UK’s EdTech sector in the EdTech 50. You can follow Esam on Twitter @soslearning

Becky’s current role is Director of Content and Professional Learning for insight2execution, a Microsoft Global Training Partner and vendor based in Redmond, Washington. She works as a project manager for content development for worldwide edtech companies, as well as managing i2e’s professional learning specialists, training engagements, and implementation planning for systemic change with major school systems around the United States. She focuses her own professional growth on learning new things and expanding her practices by holding a position as Director of Amazing Things with a games-based learning startup, Phygital Labs, and by actively engaging with the educator community for tools she loves - as a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, Minecraft Global Mentor, Flipgrid Student Voice Global Ambassador, and champion for OneNote, Wakelet,  Peardeck, Genially, Buncee, ScreenBeam, and Novel Effect. You can follow Becky on Twitter @BeckyKeene

Colette is a Senior Tutor in Computing for Learning, Teaching, and Assessment at Blackpool & The Fylde College. Colette is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and an Associate Member of the Association for Learning Technology (ALT) and the British Computer Society. More recently, Colette has achieved certification as a Microsoft Innovator (Educator, Expert and Trainer). Colette has presented at multiple conferences, both national and international including EduLearn, Higher Education Academy STEM, and the Association of Colleges conference. Colette has a Masters in Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL), where she explored the interaction of technology and pedagogic practice in the context of advanced research. She is now extending this study towards a PhD in Technology Enhanced Learning and E- research with Lancaster University. Colette is keen to enhance the student experience and share her practice with the wider community. She wants to encourage and empower educators to be creative, curious, collaborators - to allow them to unlock their potential and develop a growth mindset. You can follow Colette on Twitter @ColetteMazzola

Steven is a Google Trainer and Innovator. He is the Head of Independent Learning for Leeds City College and the FE colleges in the Luminate Education Group (Including Harrogate and Keighley) - a post which he has held since August 2018. Prior to this, Steven was the Technology Enhanced Learning manager for Leeds City College, and prior to this has 12 years experience in teaching sport and PE. One of Steven’s current role’s focus, is to increase staff and learners' use of technology and their digital capabilities - this being no mean feat with over 1000 staff and 20000 learners at the colleges. Steven is a chair of governors at a primary school, and before this was a governor at a secondary school in Leeds. Steven has worked as a standards verifier for Awarding bodies (Pearson as well as others) for many years. He is co-host of the Edufuturists podcast as well as a director for the company. You can follow Steven on Twitter @hope_steven

Daniel is a digital learning specialist, who began his learning technology career at a further education (FE) college. He proactively researches, evaluates and reflects on the effective use of information learning technology (ILT) and eLearning design in learning, teaching and assessment and he specialises in analysing pedagogy to digital technology. Daniel has been a Certified Member of the Association for Learning Technology (ALT) since 2013 and won the ALT Learning Technologist of the Year award 2016. He holds a Technology Enhanced Learning MSc and is a qualified teacher, assessor and lead internal verifier and is the author of "Learning Technology: A Handbook for FE Teachers and Assessors". Daniel frequently posts on his professional and personal blog, which includes his experiences of learning technology and eLearning practices, ideas and challenges with learning. You can follow Daniel on Twitter @_Daniel_Scott

Phil and Chris are educators, passionate about the impact that digital solutions can have on teaching, learning and working. Listen in, as they share practical advice around common challenges in education. The show features its hosts in conversation with friends and fellow educators from across the sector. Expect quick tips and recommendations, as well as plenty of light-hearted chat! You can follow the podcast on Twitter @EdTech_Talks