EdTech Talks EdTech Talks

David is a research and teaching academic with specialisation in the mechanics of advanced composite materials and biological tissue; Course convenor, educational technology developer and lecturer for a large foundational first and second year mechanics course. He specialises in the continuum and computational mechanics of advanced structural materials such as carbon fibre reinforced plastics and biological tissue. He has worked as research fellow at the University of Nottingham UK, been research associate in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (UNSW) ranked 13th in the world, and is now a Senior Lecturer in the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at UNSW Sydney. David has worked in applying his models for Boeing Research and Technology, the Composites CRC of Australia, and collegiate researchers around the world. He has pioneered the development and implementation of new technologies into his teaching practice and is a recipient of the UNSW Awards for Teaching Excellence. He is the course convenor and lecturer for the largest foundational first and second year engineering subjects (Engineering Mechanics and the Mechanics of Solids), teaching over 1,000 students each year. You can follow David on Twitter @DrKellermann

Gary has over 10 years’ experience in education and training - having previously worked in Further Education, the charity sector and public sector as part of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. Gary is passionate about learning technology, and how embracing a digital approach can open a world of possibilities with regards to the delivery and assessment of education across all levels. Gary prides himself on being able to communicate between IT specialists and those on the front line. Having not come from an IT background himself, he understands the frustrations people can have with using technology and aims to engage everyone from experts to novices. Gary currently works for University Academy 92 as their Senior Learning Technologist, and has been a lead for the embedment of Microsoft Teams across the organisation. You can connect with Gary via LinkedIn

Elaine has worked for over 10 years in teaching, delivering ICT qualifications and training in Further Education, Higher Education, Community learning and apprenticeships. She now works as a Senior Learning Technologist in the Innovate department at the Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education and the associated campuses. Her role not only involves supporting the 400+ academic staff to implement technology solutions into the classroom, but also involves supporting the wider business support staff to fully integrate the Office 365 technologies into their work processes. As an MIE Expert and active member of the Microsoft Educator Community, Elaine drives the adoption of learning technologies throughout the TEC Partnership and provides Microsoft Office Specialist training and support for staff development. Dedicated and passionate, Elaine recognises the growing need for digital capabilities within teaching and believes that with the right support, technology can create better learning experiences for our learners. You can follow Elaine on Twitter @ElaineTopham

Arran classes himself as one in 4% of the population, who are severely dyslexic adults. When Arran was aged 9, he was diagnosed with dyslexia. He uses the metaphor that dyslexia is like going to the dentist - well that’s how it was for him, all the way until he was 14. This was the age when he realised that dyslexia is a difference, not a disadvantage. During Arran’s working life he has worked in many industries, including: youth work, retail, business, and the not-for-profit sector. Arran has worked within the dyslexia sector for over 15 years. He is chairman of the Leicestershire Dyslexia Association, and previously worked and volunteered for the British Dyslexia Association in varied roles. Arran has spoken at many large conferences and events across the UK, and more recently spoke at a national conference in India. Despite being severely dyslexic, Arran uses technology to support his needs - and without it, he would not be doing what he is today. You can follow Arran on Twitter @ArranDyslexia

Jamil is the founder of Wakelet - a content curation platform. He’s passionate about helping people organize information so they can tell better stories, communicate ideas and share their perspectives in a more powerful and meaningful way. He’s on the board of The Manchester International Festival (MIF), as well as being an advisor to a number of start-ups in the U.K. Prior to starting Wakelet, Jamil was an executive at Airbus. It was his love for aviation that inspired the name “Wakelet”, after the wake that an aircraft creates in the sky. Jamil is currently focused on providing the growing Wakelet community with the best possible curation platform - helping educators, students,  professionals, organizations and businesses organize their online  content in new and creative ways. You can follow Jamil on Twitter @J4Jammy 

James is the Head of Community at Wakelet. He supports the community of educators, students, athletes, organisations, and many others daily - to get the most out of Wakelet. You can follow James on Twitter @JDBbiz

Amanda is a social work academic in the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work, at Queen's University Belfast. She is interested in the intersection of social work and digital technologies and is particularly well known for development of creative teaching methodologies, and experiential approaches in social work education. One of these methods is Social Work Book Group - a synchronous and asynchronous teaching method, that uses fiction to explore the human condition. @SWBookGroup (https://wke.lt/w/s/yhxNQ) began with just three students in UCLan library. and now has a following of over 6,500 thousand. Social Work Virtual Pal is another of Dr Taylor-Beswick’s innovations - where she and a colleague in America have essentially digitized the original 'Pen pal' method. You can find out more about it on the Social Work Virtual Pal website or on the @SWVirtualPalTwitter feed. Dr Taylor-Beswick has recently advised on the BASW/SCIE Digital Capabilities for Social Work Project 2020 in England and has a few EdTech awards to her name: JISC50 2016; UK GOV Women Tech Leader 2018; EdTech50 2020. Her most recent study 'examined the contribution of social work education to the digital professionalism of students in readiness to practice'. You can follow Amanda on Twitter @AMLTaylor66