The Education Innovators Podcast

Zone of Proximal Development – In this episode, Chris Hess, from Pearson, helps connect the dots between training for a triathlon and preparing to take an exam. By targeting the zone of proximal development, he is helping Pearson develop AI tools for education that optimize learning experiences to achieve this state of higher performance.   Chris Hess currently serves as the director of AI product...

Bedales – Head Hand and Heart This episode is about a school with over 130 years of history as a progressive and innovative educational institution. An exclusive school with old world charm and new world perspectives on teaching and learning. I am joined by Will Goldsmith who is the Head of Bedales School in Petersfield England. Founded by John Badley in 1893, it is a private school offering an al...

Phillip Alcock is the founder of AIxPBL, a startup focused on AI-powered project-based learning. He is experienced in STEM/STEAM education, Project-Based Learning (PBL) research and implementation, Game-Based Learning, Sustainability education, AI-enhanced curriculum design, and learner-centric pedagogies.   Phillip publishes a very popular and powerful newsletter on LinkedIn (link below). Phil’s...

Season 3 Trailer This is a quick recap of some highlights from season 2 and a look forward at our aspirations for season 3. The Education Innovators Podcast is a set of conversations 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 teache...

Dr Michelle Ament is an educational pioneer renowned for creating the Learning, Experienced (LXP) model. She leads educational systems to develop Human Intelligence, the essential human-centered skills needed to be career-ready in an AI world. An architect of the groundbreaking approach to teaching and assessing social-emotional wellness with experiential learning through a build, apply and transf...

Romy Alexandra  is a learning experience designer and experiential learning trainer on a mission to humanize learning spaces (in-person, online, and hybrid). She is passionate about designing and delivering transformative learning experiences that integrate experiential learning, psychological safety, emotional intelligence, the neuroscience of learning, and behavior change. Romy brings over a dec...

Joel Birch is a longtime K-12 educator and instructional coach. He is also a Certified Facilitator and Pro Trainer of LEGO Serious Play. He relies on the power of play, stories, and solving problems by thinking with our hands. Joel works with school leaders to help them conduct the big, important conversations that help them to steer their schools towards their preferred vision of the future.   In...

This episode was filmed on location at The Hong Kong Developmental Paediatrics and Child Neurology Centre where I got the chance to meet Moxie the Compassionate Robot and to talk with Dr. Fanny Lam and Dr Cecelia Lam.   Dr Fanny Wai Fan Lam - Specialist in Developmental Behaviour Paediatrics at Blue Sky Precision Medicine   Dr Fanny Wai Fan Lam is a Specialist in Developmental-Behavioural Paediatr...

Hayes Greenfield is founder of Creative Sound Play (CSP), a sound-based, generative learning system for Pre-K, as well as an award-winning jazz musician, notable film composer, and innovative educator. His book, Creative Sound Play for Young Learners (Routledge, Eye on Education Series, 2024), invites educators to use sound-making as collaborative educational play.   Hayes began working as a teach...

Alan Tang believes education can make the world a better place. He is the founder and CEO of CoLab an online program that uses games, discussions and escape rooms to teach kids skills for the modern world. He found his way here through a path that included 6 years in corporate finance in the renewable energy field and spent some time as a chef at some of London’s top restaurants. He has worked wit...

This episode is a book review of Salman Khan’s new book – “Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (And Why That's a Good Thing)”. Sal is the Founder and CEO of Khan Academy, and his book is a brave and visionary look at the impact of generative AI on education. This is a solo episode, no guests, just me sharing my thoughts about the book. The Education Innovators Podcast is a weekly...

This is part 1 of my conversation with Mark DeLoura, who spent almost 2 years as a Senior Advisor on Digital Media at the White House. A great storyteller with amazing insights into the educational games industry and the business of making games. Mark DeLoura is a games and education technology leader, and he believes in their power to transform the world. He has been a game maker, a game leader,...

This is part 2 of my conversation with Mark DeLoura. Mark is a collaborator, a connector of people and teams. In this part we really dive into the challenges of making educational games and how we can bring the right people together. Mark DeLoura is a games and education technology leader, and he believes in their power to transform the world. He has been a game maker, a game leader, and a game ch...

Adam Sparks was an English and Social Studies teacher for 7 years before recently completing his masters in Learning Design and Technology at Stanford. At Stanford, Adam's work focused on formative assessment, peer feedback, and writing instruction. He now works full-time on Short Answer, a gamified K12 writing tool that began as his master's capstone project. Through his work with Short Answer, A...

Alicia Hughes has over 20 years of experience in the world of education. She began her journey as a Middle School Social Studies teacher in Charleston, South Carolina. After leaving the profession for a few years to raise her children, she returned as a High School Social Studies teacher in the virtual education space and from there assumed leadership roles--first as a teacher manager, then Assist...

Jason Gulya is an English professor and Chair of the Artificial Intelligence Council at Berkeley College in New York. He is also an AI consultant and Keynote speaker. A prolific content creator and social media influencer, Jason is vocal about the use of AI in education. He has earned a significant following through his practical and balanced advice. He is both an advocate and a skeptic and we lov...

Maia Wiest studied at the Music University of Berlin where she wrote 2 Music Theatre Shows and managed their production. One of them was produced with artists in and from Havanna, Cuba. After this she relocated to Hong Kong and built her own piano academy for kids using her music learning method. During that time Maia also took on the job at a music publisher to create products (music gift sets) f...

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 l...

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...

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 passion...

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 Sing...

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 wor...

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...

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...

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....