The Edtech Podcast
Imagine a child sitting in the corner of the classroom, written off as 'average' or even disruptive, yet harbouring a remarkable, untouched spark of curiosity within. Morgan Whitfield, educator and author of Gifted, invites us to delve into this poignant reality, where the label of 'gifted' often serves as an exclusionary wall that stifles potential, rather than a bridge to achievement . Through heart-stirring real-life stories, this episode challenges us to stop viewing education as an exclusive competition for a select few and start embracing every child with high, compassionate...
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If you’ve ever felt that education is changing faster than the systems meant to support you, this podcast gives you a clearer and more human way to understand that shift. You’ll explore how inclusion, data literacy, AI and school culture can be viewed through a lens that actually reflects real lived experiences. In this episode you join Dr Nicole Ponsford, a former teacher turned researcher and founder of a platform built on more than twenty six thousand voices from schools around the world. Her work challenges long standing assumptions about data, belonging and leadership in ways that...
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What if the universities of the future had no walls, no lecture halls, and no stressful exams? In this episode, Philippa Wraithmell speaks with James Newby(President & CEO, NMITE – New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering, UK) and Dr Thomas Funke (Founding President, Tomorrow University, Germany). They explore how higher education is evolving, moving away from rigid traditional systems towards models of learning that are more human, challenge-based, and aligned with the future of work. From hands-on learning and mission-driven education to the development of emotional...
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This episode explores the science of long-term memory and “time-sequenced learning”, a neuroscience-based instructional approach that helps students retain knowledge deeply and efficiently. Simon explains how the technique was inspired by research showing that firing synapses in a particular sequence chemically strengthens memory — “tattooing” information into the brain. This method, initially tested in schools and later scaled digitally, can compress weeks of traditional instruction into an hour while improving retention and confidence. He and Philippa discuss: The neuroscience...
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In this episode, host Philippa Wraithmell is joined by Hugh Viney, Founder and CEO of Minerva Virtual Academy, to explore how one online school is redefining what learning can look like. What started during lockdown as a response to students thriving outside traditional classrooms has become one of the UK’s fastest-growing accredited online schools. Hugh shares the journey from concept to community, a story shaped by mentorship, wellbeing, and flexibility. Together, Philippa and Hugh discuss how Minerva supports students who struggled in mainstream education, why connection and belonging are...
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This episode of The EdTech Podcast features Abdul Chohan, VP of Learning at Showbie, former chemistry teacher, and international education advisor, in conversation with Philippa Wraithmell. Abdul reflects on his experiences working with schools across India since 2012, tracing the country’s journey from traditional, exam-centered classrooms to innovative, learner-centered environments. He discusses the nation’s growing focus on skills development, employability, and teacher empowerment, alongside striking examples of resourceful EdTech use in both urban and rural contexts. From schools...
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This episode features Sidney Sutton, Digital Learning Lead at Oberoi International School, Mumbai, in conversation with Philippa Wraithmell. Together, they discuss the transformation of education and EdTech across India over the past decade. Sidney reflects on the country's deep cultural respect for education, the growth of collaborative teaching communities, and the infrastructure foundations required to make technology integration sustainable. He outlines India’s emerging role in AI and homegrown EdTech innovation, as well as how schools are approaching ethical AI, digital citizenship,...
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This episode features Hema Mandanna, history teacher and administrator at Mallya Aditi International School, Bangalore, in conversation with host Philippa Wraithmell. Hema reflects on her 27-year teaching journey and the evolution of education technology in India’s tech capital. The discussion covers key themes of teacher autonomy, professional development, and the integration of iPads and accessibility tools that transformed learning for students with diverse needs. Hema recounts how early adoption of EdTech positioned her school to handle challenges such as remote learning and inclusivity,...
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In this special episode, Philippa Wraithmell is joined by the Digital Futures Group — Gemma Williams, Daren White, Emma Darcy, Gary Henderson, James Garnett, Jonny Wathen (and a shoutout to Abid Patel!) — a collective of leading UK and European educators and edtech voices redefining what meaningful digital transformation looks like. Together, they ask the big questions: Are we truly innovating, or just dressing up old systems in new tech? Do frameworks from the DfE, EU, and OECD genuinely help schools, or add to the noise? Is EdTech narrowing or widening the equity gap? And what...
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Welcome back to a new season of The EdTech Podcast! Our founder, Sophie Bailey, is thrilled to be back, sharing what she’s been up to over the past few years and introducing our brand-new host, Philippa Wraithmell.
info_outlineThe fifth and final episode in the Evidence-Based EdTech miniseries produced by Professor Rose Luckin's EDUCATE Ventures Research, exploring education, research, AI and EdTech, and hosted on The Edtech Podcast
The Evidence-Based EdTech miniseries connects, combines, and highlights leading expertise and opinion from the worlds of EdTech, AI, Research, and Education, helping teachers, learners, and technology developers get to grips with ethical learning tools led by the evidence.
In our previous episode, Rose was in conversation with representatives from Make (Good) Trouble, Feminist Internet, and Soundwaves Foundation, an organisation pursuing technology to assist with deaf or hearing-impaired students in the classroom. We asked a number of questions that centred around what inclusive technology looks like to each of the guests in the room, given that they had and worked with unique perspectives, and what their thoughts were around user agency and why it was so vital EdTech developers be mindful of this in the creation of their products. Our last question was on what we should demand of technology that it cater to people from diverse backgrounds. Was it data, the context, access, that allowed tech to help those from diverse backgrounds?
In this episode, we’d like to extend these same thoughts on DEI and ethics outward, beyond the borders of the UK.
We'll be asking:
- Are international education ecosystems implementing their diversity, equity and inclusion any differently from that of the UK? What could be learned from them that EdTech developers and educationalists can adopt and use in the UK?
- From an international perspective, is the technology developed in the first world, but exported to the third, sensitive to the context of its use or too prescriptive? And as an additional point, has the third world reshaped its attitudes towards diversity and ethics in technology in line with what it believes the first world will find desirable or employable?
- There’s rumour of national and international standards for good evidence in EdTech coming out of some countries, with presumably varying emphasis placed on adherence to these standards by different governments and regulatory bodies. What is our guest's opinion on how robust they think regulation needs to be where EdTech evidence is concerned, and how strictly do they think such standards should be enforced when developing and using EdTech?
Our guest this week is Jane Mann, Managing Director for Cambridge Partnership for Education.
With over two decades of experience in the education sector, as Managing Director of the Cambridge Partnership for Education Jane is now focused on working with ministries of education, government agencies, NGOs, donor agencies and educational organisations to advocate for, design and implement effective programmes of education transformation. The Cambridge Partnership for Education works across the globe in curriculum and assessment design and development, creation of teaching and learning resources, professional development, stakeholder engagement and English language learning and skills.
Thank you to Cambridge Partnership for Education for sponsoring this episode, and for supporting the Evidence-Based EdTech series on the EdTech Podcast.