The Edtech Podcast

The mission of The Edtech Podcast is to improve the dialogue between ‘ed’ and ‘tech’ through storytelling, for better innovation and impact. Hosted by Rose Luckin, Professor of Learner-Centred Design at UCL and Founder and CEO of EDUCATE Ventures Research, using AI to measure the unmeasurable in education. The Edtech Podcast audience consists of education leaders from around the world, plus startups, learning and development specialists, bluechips, investors, Government and media. The Edtech Podcast is downloaded 2000+ each week from 145 countries in total, with UK, US & Australia the top 3 downloading countries. Podcast series have included Future Tech for Education, Education 4.0, and The Voctech Podcast, Learning Continued, Evidence-Based EdTech, and the upcoming AI in Ed: Our Data-Driven Future series on AI. Send your qs and comments to @PodcastEdtech, @knowlgdillusion, [email protected], [email protected], or https://theedtechpodcast.com/, https://www.educateventures.com, or leave a voicemail for the show at https://www.speakpipe.com/theedtechpodcast

#277 - AI from a Global Perspective 04/02/2024

#276 - AI, Metacognition, and Neuroscience 03/06/2024

#276 - AI, Metacognition, and Neuroscience What's in this episode? Continuing our new 5-episode miniseries on AI in education with the second episode on AI's relationship to neuroscience and metacognition, host Professor Rose Luckin is joined by Dr Steve Fleming, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL, UK, and Jessica Schultz, Academic & Curriculum Director at the San Roberto International School in Monterrey, Mexico. This episode and our series are generously sponsored by Metacognition, neuroscience and AI aren’t just buzzwords but areas of intense research and innovation that will help learners in ways that until now have been unavailable to the vast majority of people. The technologies and approaches that study in these domains unlocks, however, must not be siloed or made inaccessible to public understanding. Real work must be done to bring these areas together and we are tremendously excited that this podcast will present a great opportunity to showcase what inroads have been made, where, why, and how. Guests: Dr Steve Fleming, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, Jessica Schultz, Academic & Curriculum Director, Talking points and questions include: Neuroscience and AI are well-respected fields with a massive amount of research underpinning their investigation and practices, but they are also two very shiny buzzwords that the public likely only understands in the abstract (and the words may even be misapplied to things that aren't based in neuroscience or AI). Can you tell our listeners what they are, how they intersect with one another, and what benefits their crossover can provide in the realms of skills and knowledge? Can we use one field, AI, or Neuroscience, to talk about the other, to better 'sell' the idea of the other field of study, and in this way, drastically raise the bar of what is possible to detect, uncover and assess, in education, using these domains? In practical terms, how do we use AI and neuroscience to measure what might be considered 'unmeasurable' in learning? What data is required, what expertise in the team, or in a partner organisation, can be leveraged, who can be responsible for doing this in an educational or training institution? What data or competencies or human resource do they need access to? Sponsorship Thank you so much to this series' sponsor: , the world’s leading premium international schools organisation. They make every moment of your child’s education count. Their strong academic foundations combine world-class teaching and curricula with cutting-edge technology and facilities, to create learning experiences like no other. Inside and outside of the classroom, Nord Anglia Education inspires their students to achieve more than they ever thought possible. "Along with great academic results, a Nord Anglia education means having the confidence, resilience and creativity to succeed at whatever you choose to do or be in life." - Dr Elise Ecoff, Chief Education Officer, Nord Anglia Education /episode/index/show/theedtechpodcast/id/30255273

#275 - Preparing Young People for their Future with AI 02/21/2024

#275 - Preparing Young People for their Future with AI What's in this episode? Delighted to launch this new 5-episode miniseries on AI in education, sponsored by , host Professor Rose Luckin kicks things off for the Edtech Podcast by examining how we keep education as the centre of gravity for AI. AI has exploded in the public consciousness with innovative large language models writing our correspondence and helping with our essays, and sophisticated images, music, impersonations and video generated on-demand from prompts. Whilst big companies proclaim what this technology can achieve and how it will affect work, life, play and learning, the consumer and user on the ground and in our schools likely has little idea how it works or why, and it seems like a lot of loud voices are telling us only half the story. What's the truth behind AI's power? How do we know it works, and what are we using to measure its successes or failures? What are our young people getting out of the interaction with this sophisticated, scaled technology, and who can we trust to inject some integrity into the discourse? We're thrilled to have three guests in the Zoom studio with Rose this week: Dr Paul LeBlanc, President, Dr Kate Erricker, Assistant Director of Curriculum, Julie Henry, Talking points and questions include: We often ask of technology in the classroom 'does it work'? But when it comes to AI, preparing people to work, live, and play with it will be more than just whether or not it does what the developers want it to. We need to start educating those same people HOW it works, because that will not only protect us as consumers out in the world, as owners of our own data, but help build a more responsible and 'intelligent' society that is learning all of the time, and better able to support those who need it most. So if we want that 'intelligence infrastructure', how do we build it? What examples of AI in education have we got so far, what areas have been penetrated and has anything radically changed for the better? Can assessment, grading, wellbeing, personalisation, tutoring, be improved with AI enhancements, and is there the structural will for this to happen in schools? The ‘white noise’ surrounding AI discourse: we know the conversation is being dominated by larger-than-life personalities and championed by global companies who have their own technologies and interests that they're trying to glamourise and market. What pushbacks, what reputable sources of information, layman's explanations, experts and opinions should we be listening to to get the real skinny on AI, especially for education? Sponsorship Thank you so much to this series' sponsor: , the world’s leading premium international schools organisation. They make every moment of your child’s education count. Their strong academic foundations combine world-class teaching and curricula with cutting-edge technology and facilities, to create learning experiences like no other. Inside and outside of the classroom, Nord Anglia Education inspires their students to achieve more than they ever thought possible. "Along with great academic results, a Nord Anglia education means having the confidence, resilience and creativity to succeed at whatever you choose to do or be in life." - Dr Elise Ecoff, Chief Education Officer, Nord Anglia Education /episode/index/show/theedtechpodcast/id/30047403

#274 - Managing Your School's Digital Transformation 12/06/2023

#274 - Managing Your School's Digital Transformation Digital Transformation! Digital Strategy! Professional Education! What do they mean, and how do we implement them in a school? In today's episode we’re very lucky to have on three wonderful guests who operate at the intersection of educational practice and the leveraging of technology for a better learning experience. They are: James Symons, CEO, LocknCharge Katie Novak, Education Strategist, Smart Technologies Associate Professor Jane Hunter, School of International Studies and Education, University of Technology, Sydney Each of these guests has a long history of working within the education space, from engineering and installing the hardware and catering to the evolving demands of schools, to leveraging the technology as a communal bridge between parents, teachers and students, and finally to researching and understanding the added value such technologies provide for teachers and learners and how they might successfully incorporate their use into daily practice. Talking points and questions include: The evolving demands of the classroom – what futureproofing and future planning exists in each of your spaces to accommodate new trends and developments? For those catering to the hardware, does the school or college determine what you make, or are they, and the ways their teachers and learners perform, conditioned by you? What space is there for reciprocity between the EdTech maker and the EdTech user? Teacher professional education – how important is this? Surely a learning tool lives and dies by the amount of training and ‘after-sales support’ is provided to practitioners? What is the extent of the refusal by a teacher or department to adopt the technology and how is this overcome? Is it just waving statistics about time-saving and cost-saving in their faces or is there a form of trust that must be engendered? Digital strategy – this means different things to different stakeholders. What are the commonalities that should be agreed upon for successful rollout of technology? Obviously contextual factors are key to each school, but what are the non-negotiables? And with regard to developments like generative AI and other future trends we can’t even predict yet, what kinds of guardrails need to be in place with teachers, leaders, and the developers of the tech to ensure ongoing supportive relationships with stakeholders. What foundations should be in place to support digital transformation no matter the bumps in the road ahead? Material discussed in today's episode includes: Jane Hunter: Smart Technology: /episode/index/show/theedtechpodcast/id/28953923

#273 - How to stay in Love with Science 10/25/2023

#272 - Is Attention the Currency of Learning? 09/14/2023

#272 - Is Attention the Currency of Learning? Rose hosts Daisy Christodoulou, Director of Education at No More Marking in the EdTech Podcast Zoom studio this week, discussing AI regulation, evidence and effectiveness, and student outcomes in AI assessment, and what we think the future of AI-powered education might look like, and why! In late March of this year, Professor Rose Luckin and Daisy Christodoulou spoke at the UK parliament’s Governance of Artificial Intelligence oral evidence session for education, and the discussion that took place was passionate and exciting. A link to the video of the session is below in the Show Notes if you’d like to watch it yourself, but a lot of ground was covered, yet not as much as they wished! The interest in AI and its governance is very intense at the moment. The UK government had published a white paper setting out their proposed approach to the governance of AI and the indication from the paper was that rather than give responsibility for AI governance to a single new AI regulator, it intended to empower existing regulators, and that there were several that existed in the education sector already. Other points raised during the session included the idea of teaching a degree of scepticism in the public’s understanding of AI, meaning that the public should not believe everything that something like ChatGPT, a large language model, returns, for instance, when queried. Concerns about the speed of AI development were raised, there were questions on safeguarding, ethics, transparency, explainability, access to the technology, autonomy, adaptivity and more. In today’s episode, we’d like to revisit those thoughts on AI regulation, evidence and effectiveness, student outcomes in AI assessment, and what we think the future of AI-powered education might look like and why… Talking points and questions include: Quality of evidence for improved student outcomes using AI The value of assessment: how, when, why, and in what form More discussion around the future of education with AI’s inclusion, and what we can do now Material discussed in today’s episode includes: – PDF transcript as well as link to the video on the first page , EVR’s newest publication featuring insights, trends and developments in the world of AI Ed /episode/index/show/theedtechpodcast/id/28032837

#271 - Cutting Through the Noise on AI in Education 08/25/2023

#270 - Understanding Our Pedagogical Beliefs: From EdTech to PedTech 07/20/2023

#269 - Creating the Conditions for Success 06/21/2023

#269 - Creating the Conditions for Success The 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 for sponsoring this episode, and for supporting the Evidence-Based EdTech series on the EdTech Podcast. /episode/index/show/theedtechpodcast/id/27225069

#268 - How to Prove Your EdTech Works 05/23/2023

#267 - What Does a College Degree Mean to a Returning Adult Student? (EdSurge on The Edtech Podcast (Second Acts Series, Episode 3)) 05/05/2023

#266 - Making EdTech More Inclusive 04/26/2023

#265 - Internet Safety for Children 04/11/2023

#264 - Understanding EdTech Buyers 03/10/2023

#263 - What Does Digital Transformation Look Like? 02/21/2023

#262 - Using AI in Higher Education 02/21/2023

#261 - Has ChatGPT Done Education a Favour? 02/06/2023

#260 - Oak National Academy and 'Click-and-Pick' Curriculums 01/29/2023

#259 - Outside Thinking, Innovation & Learning 01/28/2023

#258 - EdSurge on The Edtech Podcast (Second Acts Series, Episode 2) 01/09/2023

#257 - Deep Skills in the Age of the Portfolio Career 01/09/2023

#256 - EdTech Toys for the Holiday Season 12/16/2022

#256 - EdTech Toys for the Holiday Season Welcome to this Christmas/Seasonal bonus episode examining evidence-based EdTech in toys for children and young people. Featuring two hosts from the EDUCATE Ventures Research team, founder Rose Luckin and former headteacher and Chief Education Advisor Karine George, this seasonal special looks at a number of EdTech must-have toys and the questions that should be asked of them by any parent and carer looking to spend their money wisely. Toys are tools of play, and the educational toy market is booming. Below you can find our list of questions to ask of the technology. Head to our for details of the toys/models in question to help you hunt down the best deals across the holiday season and whenever you are thinking about EdTech across the rest of the year. The Questions User Agency – one of the potential advantages technology brings is the potential for a child to gain some agency – to be in charge. What does this tech do to enable agency? Versatility – is the toy versatile to meet specific needs? For example, if the child has problems with fine motor skills then small controllers or keyboards may not be the best option? If they are visually impaired, they may need text to speech or a connected refreshable braille display. Ensure the games are age appropriate Value for Money – will you need to buy additional accessories? Are there subscription costs? How durable is the toy? Evidence – what evidence exists to say this toy works or has value, and are you convinced by it? Long-Term Engagement – will this toy or device live past a honeymoon period? Safety/Ethics – does this toy connect to the internet? If it can then two issues need to be addressed: what can the child access through this device, and what information about the child is being tracked or recorded and how is this being used? Tell us where you are listening in from We’d love to hear your thoughts. Record a quick free voicemail via for inclusion in the next episode. Or you can post your thoughts or follow-on links via Twitter or via The Edtech Podcast or Instagram. /episode/index/show/theedtechpodcast/id/25347963

#255 - Evidence in EdTech 12/09/2022

#254 - Why the 9 to 5 is limiting our ability to learn and grow 12/07/2022

#253 - (LIVE) Supporting hidden learner communities through human-centred design 11/18/2022

#252 - EdSurge on The Edtech Podcast (Second Acts Series, Episode 1) 11/06/2022

#251 - Skills development in the gig economy, flexible, and freelance space 10/20/2022

#250 – NeuroDiversity in Education and Entrepreneurship 09/09/2022

#249 - BONUS EPISODE How Can Technology Enhance Collaborative Learning? 09/09/2022

#248 – Scaling Learning with Laura Warnier of GoStudent 08/25/2022

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