The Education Innovators Podcast

Ben Edmonds - InventorClub

Ben Edmonds is an inventor and entrepreneur with a 20 year career in product design and innovation. Ben is now teaching kids design engineering and problem solving through what he describes as his greatest ever invention – the #InventorClub, which offers both in person workshops and online programs for kids 7 – 16 years old.
 
The premise of the inventors club is simple – give kids a problem and let them solve it. They provide a variety of materials and tools and then supervise them as they come up with creative solutions.
 
Ben recently quit Dyson, where he worked in new product innovation for 10 years, to focus on his own business. He is getting ready to launch a line of flat packed furniture and his inventors club for kids continues to grow.
 
The Education Innovators Podcast is a weekly conversation between Eric Byron and guests from all aspects of education around the world. We look for innovative ideas and practical examples of things happening in schools and learning environments that are of interest to teachers, corporate trainers, school administrators, EdTech providers, students, parents, and anyone else interested in education.
 
Links:
 
Ben Edmonds
https://www.linkedin.com/in/innovationben/
 
InventorClub
https://innovationben.com/teaching/inventor-club/
 
The Education Innovators Podcast Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551034804742
 
This podcast is produced entirely by Eric Byron.
You can contact Eric at eric@edinnovationpod.com

Nolan Bushnell and Dr Leah Hanes - ExoDexa

Nolan Bushnell, the “Father of Video Games”, created the Pong game and founded Atari. An electrical engineer by trade, he was inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame and the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame and was named one of Newsweek’s “50 Men Who Changed America”. He has started more than 20 companies, including the Chuck E Cheese’s Pizza Time Theater franchise, and is also known for hiring Steve Jobs.
 
Dr Leah Hanes PhD is the CEO of Two Bit Circus Foundation and co-author of “Shaping the Future of Education – The ExoDexa manifesto” with Nolan. Two Bit Circus Foundation creates learning experiences to inspire entrepreneurship, encourage young inventors, and instill environmental stewardship.  Beginning her career in Toronto, Leah produced and hosted an award-winning television series profiling woman in non-traditional roles. This led her to Los Angeles, where she appeared on-camera conducting interviews and hosting a variety of programs covering environmental issues, business and politics. She eventually segued into other areas of the entertainment industry, notably as the President of a boutique talent agency representing Academy Award-winning cinematographers, editors and production designers.
 
The Education Innovators Podcast is a weekly conversation between Eric Byron and guests from all aspects of education around the world. We look for innovative ideas and practical examples of things happening in schools and learning environments that are of interest to teachers, corporate trainers, school administrators, EdTech providers, students, parents, and anyone else interested in education.
 
Links:
 
Nolan Bushnell
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nolan_Bushnell
 
Dr Leah Hanes
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-hanes-ph-d-6792995/
 
ExoDexa
https://exodexa.com/
 
“Shaping the Future of Education: The ExoDexa Manifesto”
https://www.amazon.com/Future-Education-ExoDexa-Manifesto/dp/B0B1W3JC9J
 
The Education Innovators Podcast Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551034804742
 
The Education Innovators Podcast YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru4kYugzLerU1S8mQu2Jo2-jX6H_3kd3
 
This podcast is produced entirely by Eric Byron.
You can contact Eric at eric@edinnovationpod.com

Paul Darvasi - Serious Play

Paul Darvasi, PhD, is a game developer, educator, speaker, and writer who works at the intersection of games, culture, and learning. He is the CEO and co-founder of Gold Bug Interactive, the Executive Director of the Serious Play Conference, and is a founding member of the PlayLab at the University of Toronto, where he lectures on social media and education, and games and learning. He is a passionate advocate of serious games, digital games for learning, media and digital literacy, design thinking, experiential learning, virtual simulations, and locative experiences. His experiments with game design have included large-scale ARGs, activating institutional archives, interrogating online surveillance, addressing climate change issues, and supporting humanitarian activity. Paul writes for a variety of publications about progressive and innovative education models, and his research explores how commercial video games can be leveraged for teaching and learning. 
 
He wrote a widely circulated white paper for UNESCO about how digital games can support peace education and conflict resolution, and helped global youth develop games to prevent violent extremism in the Digital Games for Peace initiative run by UNCCT, UNESCO, and UNAOC. Paul is a frequently invited keynote speaker and panelist, who has lectured and presented at conferences and universities around the world. He has shared his expertise with the US Department of Education, UNESCO, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), Epic Games, US presidential libraries, foundry10, Consumers International, iThrive, and Connected Camps, among others. His work has been featured on PBS, NPR, CBC, the Huffington Post, Polygon, Killscreen, Gamasutra, Sterne, Endgadget, Edsurge, Edutopia, and MindShift. 
 
The Education Innovators Podcast is a weekly conversation between Eric Byron and guests from all aspects of education around the world. We look for innovative ideas and practical examples of things happening in schools and learning environments that are of interest to teachers, corporate trainers, school administrators, EdTech providers, students, parents, and anyone else interested in education.
 
Links:
 
Paul Darvasi PhD
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-darvasi-ph-d-431688126/
 
Serious Play Conference
https://seriousplayconf.com/
paul@seriousplayconf.com
 
The Play Lab
OISE | University of Toronto
paul.darvasi@utoronto.ca
 
Gold Bug Interactive
https://www.goldbuginteractive.com/
 
Twine
https://twinery.org/
 
“A Theory of Fun” by Ralph Koster
https://www.amazon.com/Theory-Game-Design-Raph-Koster/dp/1449363210
 
“Situational Game Design” by Brian Upton
https://www.routledge.com/Situational-Game-Design/Upton/p/book/9781138031814
 
“Video Games and Learning: Teaching and Participatory Culture in the Digital Age” by Kurt Squire
https://www.amazon.com/Video-Games-Learning-Participatory-Education-Connections/dp/0807751987
 
“What Video Games have to Teach us about Learning and Literacy” by James Paul Gee
https://www.amazon.com/Video-Games-Learning-Literacy-Second/dp/1403984530
 
Gone Home
https://gonehome.com/
 
What Remains of Edith Finch
https://edithfinch.com/
 
The Education Innovators Podcast Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551034804742
 
The Education Innovators Podcast YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru4kYugzLerU1S8mQu2Jo2-jX6H_3kd3
 
This podcast is produced entirely by Eric Byron.
You can contact Eric at eric@edinnovationpod.com
 

Barbara Tsui - Montessori Slow Disruption

Barbara Tsui is a mother of two boys, aged 11 and 16. She studied many different ways to raise her children before the first boy was born, but most of the ways didn't work as planned, so she thought she was a mother who failed, until she found the Montessori teaching and learning approach.  She enrolled her children and then she pursued Montessori teacher training and practicum in Beijing and Singapore beginning 2009. She founded Rainbow Tree Children Education in 2016, which has provided parent workshops to over 500 parents and they offer playgroups to 0-6 years old children. Barbara has also conducted teacher training for kindergartens in HK and assisted in teacher training in China. She believes that when we nurture children with love, respect and trust, the children will blossom beyond adults' expectations.
 
Qualifications:
AMS 0-3 Infant and Toddler teacher credential
CMI 3-6 Early Childhood teacher credential
Pikler Institute certificates: “Respectful Care and the Relationship with Adult”, “The Autonomous Play Activities”, “Free Motor Movement”, “In Peace with Oneself – In peace with Others, the beginning of social learning”
Non-violent Communication and mindfulness trainer.
 
In this episode we take a close look at the Montessori principles and how their use in schools has slowly expanded over the past nearly 100 years. An education disruption happening in slow motion. Does an idea have to be new to be innovative? I think that when we look at an old idea in a new context or with new perspective it can be very innovative.
 
The Education Innovators Podcast is a weekly conversation between Eric Byron and guests from all aspects of education around the world. We look for innovative ideas and practical examples of things happening in schools and learning environments that are of interest to teachers, corporate trainers, school administrators, EdTech providers, students, parents, and anyone else interested in education.
 
Links:
 
Rainbow Tree Children Education
https://rainbowtreehk.com/
 
AMI – Association Montessori Internationale
https://montessori-nw.org/about-montessori-education
 
Jeff Bezos philanthropic support for new Montessori schools
https://www.livingmontessori.com/jeff-bezos-philanthropic-support-for-new-montessori-schools/
 
The Education Innovators Podcast Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551034804742
 
The Education Innovators Podcast on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru4kYugzLerU1S8mQu2Jo2-jX6H_3kd3
 
This podcast is produced entirely by Eric Byron.
You can contact Eric at eric@edinnovationpod.com
 

Laurie Forcier - Meaningful Technology Use

This episode is an insightful conversation with Laurie Forcier, recorded shortly after she attended the Bett Conference in London. Laurie is a thought leader in EdTech with over 25 years of experience in education. She shares insights from the conference and her personal take on current trends and the impact of AI on the future of education.
 
Currently an ISTE Consultant, Laurie Forcier, also works with EDT Partners and Educate Ventures Research. She holds a Master in Higher Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she worked for 10 years. Laurie also worked for Pearson for almost 7 years, and was the Director, Global Thought Leadership, focusing on the future of education, skills and work, and how technology, including AI, can augment learning and teaching. Laurie was also the Chief Global Content Officer for Learnit, a 70k-strong education leader’s network focused on change.
 
The Education Innovators Podcast is a weekly conversation between Eric Byron and guests from all aspects of education around the world. We look for innovative ideas and practical examples of things happening in schools and learning environments that are of interest to teachers, corporate trainers, school administrators, EdTech providers, students, parents, and anyone else interested in education.
 
Links:
 
Laurie Forcier
https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurieforcier/
 
ISTE
https://iste.org/
 
Bett
https://www.bettshow.com/
 
4 Biggest EdTech Trends in 2024
https://www.bettshow.com/bett-articles/4-biggest-edtech-trends-2024
 
The Education Innovators Podcast Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551034804742
 
The Education Innovators Podcast YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru4kYugzLerU1S8mQu2Jo2-jX6H_3kd3
 
This podcast is produced entirely by Eric Byron.
You can contact Eric at eric@edinnovationpod.com
 

Vince Siu - Press Start Academy

Vince Siu is the Founder and CEO of Press Start Academy, a Hong Kong-based education start-up that designs award-winning educational games and game-based academic curricula for ages 6 and above.
He enjoys thinking about gamification, 21st-century skills, design thinking, and generative AI and the future of education, and has spoken and conducted workshops for 1,000+ educators and school leaders in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, and the United States.
For his work in education, Vince has been recognized as an Asia-Pacific Leader by the Obama Foundation, a Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum, and a Gen.T Leader of Tomorrow by Tatler Asia.
The Education Innovators Podcast is a weekly conversation between Eric Byron and guests from all aspects of education around the world. We look for innovative ideas and practical examples of things happening in schools and learning environments that are of interest to teachers, corporate trainers, school administrators, EdTech providers, students, parents, and anyone else interested in education.
 
Links:
Vince Siu
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincentsiu/
 
Press Start Academy
https://www.pressstartacademy.com/en/
 
Obama Foundation – Asia Pacific Leaders 2022
https://www.obama.org/programs/leaders/asia-pacific/2022/vincent-siu/
 
The Education Innovators Podcast Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551034804742
 
The Education Innovators Podcast YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru4kYugzLerU1S8mQu2Jo2-jX6H_3kd3
 
This podcast is produced entirely by Eric Byron.
You can contact Eric at eric@edinnovationpod.com
 

Colleen Kelley - Kids' Chemical Solutions

Colleen Kelley, Ph.D. is the Creator and Founder of Kids’ Chemical Solutions
(www.kidschemicalsolutions.com) which is a comic-book based curriculum for students of all
ages. Dr. Kelley has demonstrated the ability to teach 4th grade students college level chemistry using storytelling through her comic books.
Colleen’s achievements are so impressive and innovative that a documentary done about her work received an Emmy. I’ve linked the video below. Please watch it. It is incredibly inspiring.
There is a significant challenge with many aspiring medical school students not being able to continue to medical school because they can’t pass the required undergraduate chemistry course. In this podcast episode, Colleen describes her efforts to address this issue and how she has developed her characters and stories over about 25 years of teaching chemistry at the University of Arizona.
The Education Innovators Podcast is a weekly conversation between Eric Byron and guests from all aspects of education around the world. We look for innovative ideas and practical examples of things happening in schools and learning environments that are of interest to teachers, corporate trainers, school administrators, EdTech providers, students, parents, and anyone else interested in education.
 
Links:
Colleen Kelley Ph.D.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleen-kelley-ph-d-049aa91ab/
 
Kid’s Chemical Solutions
https://kidschemicalsolutions.com/
 
Emmy winning documentary about Kid’s Chemical Solutions comic books:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDmkJzcm4Pc&ab_channel=AZPM
 
The Education Innovators Podcast Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551034804742
 
This podcast is produced entirely by Eric Byron.
You can contact Eric at eric@edinnovationpod.com

The HiVE

The Education Innovators Podcast is a weekly conversation between Eric Byron and guests from all aspects of education around the world. We look for innovative ideas and practical examples of things happening in schools and learning environments that are of interest to teachers, corporate trainers, school administrators, EdTech providers, students, parents, and anyone else interested in education.
This is a special episode to kick off Season Two. I’m joined by a panel of 4 members of the faculty from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to talk about the Hybrid Immersive Virtual Environment (HiVE) that they built on campus. It is a revolutionary and ground breaking innovation in education and they share some amazing stories of how this full-sized classroom, converted into a completely immersive virtual environment with X-Reality, can be used to created engaging and unique learning experiences.
This episode is so impactful that is also being published through the Startup Grind global community and the video of the panel discussion will be available on YouTube under their channel.
 
Links:
Shara Lee
https://www.polyu.edu.hk/en/hti/people/academic-staff/dr-lee-shara-wy/
 
Dr Kai Pan Mark
https://www.polyu.edu.hk/en/edc/about-edc/people/dr-kai-pan-mark/
 
Dr Jack K. H. Chung
https://www.polyu.edu.hk/en/ic/people/engineering-staff/bcs_jackychung/
 
Dr Rodney Chu
https://www.polyu.edu.hk/apss/people/academic-staff/dr-chu-wai-chi-rodney/
 
HiVE Introduction Video
https://youtu.be/xG27bKIfTZA
 
CAVE – Cave Automatic Virtual Environment
https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/CAVE-Cave-Automatic-Virtual-Environment
 
PolyU Team’s Immersive Learning Project wins silver at the QS Reimagine Education Awards
https://www.polyu.edu.hk/publications/excelximpact/en/issue/202401/education/polyu-team-s-immersive-learning-project-wins-silver-at-qs-reimagine-education-awards
 
The Education Innovators Podcast Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551034804742
 
This podcast is produced entirely by Eric Byron.
You can contact Eric at eric@edinnovationpod.com
 

Season Two Trailer

Welcome to Season Two of the Education Innovators Podcast. I’m Eric Byron and it is my privilege to be able to share stories from some of the most inspiring innovators in education from around the globe. I’m based in Hong Kong, but the show is International. In season one, we had guests from Asia, North America, and Europe and listeners from over 20 countries.
I took a little break during the last couple of months to regroup and line up dynamic guests for Season Two and I believe I have an incredible line up. The season starts with an wonderful panel discussion with a team from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University talking about their Hybrid Immersive Virtual Environment or HiVE that I had the opportunity to experience in person. This is an awesome example of both high-tech innovation and, more importantly, cross discipline, cross department collaboration that is enabling unique learning experiences for students on the campus.
I’ve also got an episode coming with Dr Colleen Kelley, whose work creating comic books that teach chemistry is so impressive a PBS documentary about it won an Emmy. Really, an Emmy! There’s so much more great content coming in this season, like my conversations with Laurie Fortier, a consultant with ISTE, and Vincent Siu, Founder of Press Start Academy.
Yes, there will be some emphasis on serious games or games for learning, but we will also cover other areas of exciting innovations in education. I hope you will subscribe and share and I look forward to meeting more of you online or in person as we work together to bring education into the 21st century.
I’m Eric Byron. Thanks for listening to the Education Innovators Podcast and thanks to all those education innovators out there. You are making a difference!
 
The Education Innovators Podcast Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551034804742
 
This podcast is produced entirely by Eric Byron.
You can contact Eric at eric@edinnovationpod.com
 

Season One Lessons Learned

This is a special episode, another solo edition, where instead of having a guest I’ve taken some time to reflect on what I’ve learned since I started the podcast about 3 months ago.
There are many lessons learned through the conversations I’ve recorded and shared through this podcast. Today I’m going to focus on 5 specific areas that I think are most important and reflect the purpose of doing the podcast. My big take aways from season 1:
 
What it takes to innovate in education
Why we need to innovate in education
Who are the people driving innovation in education
Why change happens so slowly in education
What brings us hope that innovation in education will accelerate
 
Links:
 
Fight Song by Rachel Platten
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo1VInw-SKc&t=203s&ab_channel=SoftRockLegends
 
The Education Innovators Podcast Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551034804742
 
This podcast is produced entirely by Eric Byron.
You can contact Eric at eric@edinnovationpod.com