The Education Innovators Podcast

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
 

Clayton Whittle - A Call to Action

Clayton Whittle holds a Ph.D. in Learning Design from Penn State University, demonstrating a deep understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects of learning. His research has a particular emphasis on serious games design and interactive learning for persuasive messaging. He is committed to environmental education, climate action, and outdoor learning. His passion is not just a personal interest but a driving force in shaping educational strategies for a sustainable future.
 
Clayton has 10 years in classroom teaching experiences supplemented with invaluable time as a learning design consultant. His interest in games and learning began with exploring games as ethical analysis devices in 2010. He continued his work at Dankook University, where he designed and developed DELRE, a digital role-playing game that replaced the textbook for introductory language classes.
 
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:
 
Clayton Whittle
https://www.linkedin.com/in/claytonwhittle/
 
“Empowering Voices with Gamified Climate Action”
https://youtu.be/QO-zcwfvtKE
 
Valheim Early Access Launch Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mHRJ1KFe20&t=88s&ab_channel=CoffeeStainStudios
 
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
 
Sasha Barab – Transformational Play
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPty548FCQU&t=147s&ab_channel=AmericanEducationalResearchAssociation
 
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
 
Imagine Earth – Game by Serious Bros
https://www.imagineearth.info/
 
“Manifest” by Andrew Bird
 
International Game Developers Association – Climate - Special Interest Group
https://igda.org/sigs/climate/
 
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
 

Edmund Lim - Singapore’s Education System

Edmund Lim is the Vice President involved in Strategic Partnerships at ClassIn.  He was previously the Asia Pacific Executive Director of University Partnerships at ThriveDX, a global cyber education company.
Edmund was a Senior Vice President of a Singapore company involved in the establishment and management of international schools in Asia. He has also provided consultancy for international schools, EdTech companies, overseas ministries of education and organisations such as the World Bank.
Edmund has experience as a group academic director of 5 international school campuses in Thailand. He also worked as the education director in one of the world’s largest aquariums. He was a former principal and vice-principal in primary and secondary schools in Singapore. In addition to conducting professional development courses for educators, he has taught in the National Institute of Education, the Gifted Education Programme and various schools. He is a founding council member and former treasurer of the World Association of Lesson Studies.
In this episode we explore the evolution of Singapore’s highly successful public education system over the last several decades and Edmund, who has been right there in the trenches, shares incredible insights into the wisdom and commitment shown by the government to promote innovation in education.
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:
 
Edmund Lim
https://www.linkedin.com/in/edmund-lim-wk-192b41a9/
 
ClassIn
https://www.classin.com/
 
Singapore’s EdTech Master Plan
https://www.moe.gov.sg/education-in-sg/educational-technology-journey/edtech-masterplan
 
We Wish You a Merry Christmas Instrumental
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vdXR_igALU&ab_channel=PuddingTV-NurseryRhymes
 
Jingle Bell Rock Instrumental Jazz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0hhl5XT11c&ab_channel=genyinalamp
 
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
 

John Hii - XR Learning Experiences

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 episode features John Hii, who joined me on stage at the EDUtech Asia 2023 conference in Singapore for our panel discussion on learning in the metaverse.
 
John Hii is a lecturer in Multimedia Design & XR Consultant, Swinburne University (Sarawak Campus), Malaysia. He actively participates in developing XR content and collaborates with educators and industry professionals. John is a distinguished influencer for Microsoft, leading the development of Mixed Reality content for Hololens. He also provides training for Google (GEG) and Apple technologies (Apple Certified). John holds a Mbot certification as a Professional Technologist and is a mentor for FutureLab, SDEC, and Forest Interactive Foundation.
 
John is a Committee Member of the Game Development Council of Malaysia, which reports to the Academic Development Management Division of the Ministry of Education.
 
Links:
 
John Hii
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ts-john-hii-7a9654118/
 
Swinburne University
http://www.swinburne.edu.my/
 
Soul of Borneo: the Music of Uyau Morris
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO7RfV4KZU0&ab_channel=NathanMyers
 
Sabah Traditional Music
https://youtu.be/LrWF3YPJXJU
 
Don’t Cast Me Away by ATOM EAST
https://youtu.be/HOjiSTmBPWM
 
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
 

Bonus Episode - EDUtech Asia Commentary

The Education Innovators Podcast is a normally a 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 episode is compilation of soundbites from conversations Eric had with attendees at the EDUtech Asia conference in Singapore November 8 & 9, 2023.  Eric was there to moderate a panel on learning in the metaverse.  He setup his microphones in the exhibitor hall and stopped random people on the floor to ask them what they had seen at the conference that caught their attention and was potentially a game changer.
With over 9,000 attendees and over 250 speakers, the perspectives were diverse and yet, also touched on some very common themes.
 
Links:
EDUtech_Asia Conference
https://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/edutech-asia/index.stm
 
EdTech Month Hong Kong
https://www.edtechmonth.hk
 
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
 

Ivy Shi - The Future of Corporate L&D

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.
 
Ivy Shi is an instructional designer and an e-learning expert, championing digital learning transformation and the integration of AI in work and learning environments.
She holds a Master's degree in IT in Education. Ivy taught e-learning strategies and management at the University of Hong Kong. She currently hosts the Edtech HK community and spearheads the AI Experience in educational conferences. She is also the founder of Learnmonade, an e-learning service provider that serves international corporations, including Li & Fung, a Hong Kong-based supply chain and logistics company with over $10b USD annual revenue and The GAP, clothing and accessories retailer.
 
In this episode, which is the second part of my 2-part conversation with Ivy Shi, we get practical. I want to know how you can develop relevant and useful L&D content fast and cheap and Ivy has answers.
 
Links:
 
Ivy Shi
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivyshi1/
 
Learnmonade:
https://learnmonade.com/
 
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
 

Ivy Shi - Instructional Design with AI

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.
 
Ivy Shi is an instructional designer and an e-learning expert, championing digital learning transformation and the integration of AI in work and learning environments.
She holds a Master's degree in IT in Education. Ivy taught e-learning strategies and management at the University of Hong Kong. She currently hosts the Edtech HK community and spearheads the AI Experience in educational conferences. She is also the founder of Learnmonade, an e-learning service provider that serves international corporations, including Li & Fung, a Hong Kong-based supply chain and logistics company with over $10b USD annual revenue and The GAP, clothing and accessories retailer.
 
Our conversation is candid and casual, as we talk about how Ivy became such an expert in Instructional Design and e-learning. Ivy has a wealth of experience and wisdom she is willing to share, including practical advice to improve the effectiveness of corporate learning and development programs and content.
 
Links:
Ivy Shi
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivyshi1/
 
Learnmonade:
https://learnmonade.com/
 
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
 

Serena Sacks-Mandel Part 2 - Changing the World

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 part 2 of a 2-part conversation with Serena Sacks-Mandel who is the Global Chief Technology Officer for Education at Microsoft. Prior to joining Microsoft, she was the Chief Information Officer at two unique, technically advanced large public-school districts where she enabled student centric teaching and learning which resulted in significant improvements in student outcomes. Prior to pivoting to Education, Serena led technology innovation teams at IBM, Walt Disney World, and Harcourt, Inc and provided management consulting support for many other organizations. Ms. Sacks-Mandel has won numerous state, national, and global awards for her leadership, vision, technical excellence, and her commitment to supporting women in technology.
 
Links:
 
Serena Sacks-Mandel:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/serena-sacks-mandel/
 
Microsoft Education
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education
 
Microsoft Learn
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/
 
Serena referenced the following 2 startups as examples of excellence in using AI to improve student outcomes:
LessonLoop - Real time learner engagement analytics and professional learning software to improve instruction and student learning
 
Nuture – Next-generation feedback and assessment
 
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