#218 – What Matters in Edtech: Inclusion, Neurodiversity and SEND
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Welcome to the latest episode of the GLOBAL edition of our What Matters in Edtech Series, our podcast collaboration with Bett. This podcast series is all about the things that matter in education, and how and when tech might help.
You can follow the conversation using #Edtechpod and #Bett2021. A big shout out to Bett for supporting the series, and to FormAssembly for supporting this episode.
So, what’s in this episode?
In this episode, we are looking at SEND and neurodiversity, specifically;
- Personal stories and frustrations
- Hopes for change across policy, technology, and education
- And, resources and tools for all listeners to help increase accessibility
This episode provides a lot of food for thought thanks to our guests, who give such personal and professional insights on this topic. For a go-to list of edtech for SEND and neurodiversity, listen back to episode 170 from the first edition of our What Matters in Edtech series, which works well in parallel to this episode.
Please do send in your highlights in the comments below, via our social channels @podcastedtech or record a quick free voicemail via speakpipe.
The Edtech Podcast Team
People
Nicole Ponsford, Co-CEO and Founder of The Global Equality Collective, Regional Lead for Edtech Demonstrator Schools and Fellow of the RSA for Inclusion | Twitter: @NicolePonsford
Nicole is a mum of 3 and an award-winning digital education specialist.
Nic has taught new technologies in the education sector (from Early Years to adults) since the start of the century. Her work today is based on supporting educational settings to become inclusive and digitally literate. She was awarded a place on the #EdTech50 (2018 as one of the leading pioneers in the UK EdTech sector) and is one of this year’s judges. She is now RL for the Edtech Demonstrator Programme for schools and colleges and has been awarded a Fellowship of the RSA due to her activism for gender equality.
Nic believes that technology is the equaliser for us all – in the media, in education, in business and at home. Read more about Nicole over on her website here.
Elizabeth Wright, Paralympic Medalist, Editor of Disability Review Magazine and Conscious Being, Speaker, Writer, Disability Consultant | Twitter: @esioul
A writer, speaker, and activist, Elizabeth brings forth all of her life experience to challenge people around disability, diversity, and inclusion. Born with limb difference, Elizabeth was raised by parents who taught her how to fight for equality and opportunity. They also taught her to work hard for her dreams.
A Paralympic Medalist for Australia, Elizabeth competed at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games. The Paralympics taught her how to be resilient and tenacious, no matter the obstacle she faces.
For the past ten years, Elizabeth has been a lauded keynote speaker in schools, organisations, and businesses. She writes weekly on Medium and is also the founder and editor of the Medium publication Conscious Being – a publication for disabled women by disabled women. Conscious Being is a platform from which disabled women can talk about their lived experience and challenge disability stereotypes and narratives. Read more about Elizabeth on her website.
Sophie Bailey is the Founder and Presenter of The Edtech Podcast | Twitter: @podcastedtech
Sophie is the founder of the iTunes new and noteworthy, The Edtech Podcast. The mission of The Edtech Podcast is to improve the dialogue between ‘ed’ and ‘tech’ for better innovation, through storytelling. The podcast is downloaded from over 145 countries with the UK, US & Aus in the top 3. Sophie has spoken and moderated at a variety of events including SXSW EDU, Yidan Education Prize, ASU GSV Summit, and the Next Billion Edtech Summit. She is an industry mentor and advisor, including to the UCL Knowledge Lab initiative EDUCATE, a Reimagine Education, GESA Awards, Bett Awards and XPrize Adult Literacy judge, and previous Edtech50 and Edtech Digest winner.
Sophie is passionate about lifelong and everyday learning. If she’s not interviewing a University Vice-Chancellor, Edtech Investor, School Leader, or StartUp about education innovation, she’s engrossed in Teach Your Monster to Read or wrestling her lockdown baby. A keen cyclist, she has recently relocated to West Devon which she considers the English version of the Pyrenees. She is very lucky to work with a distributed team on The Edtech Podcast.
Quotes from this week’s episode
References from this week’s episode
- The Edtech Podcast episode #170 – SEND and Inclusion – past episode link
- The What Matters in Edtech Series – link to all episodes in the series
- Nicole Ponsford – LinkedIn
- Nicole Ponsford – Twitter
- Nicole Ponsford – Website
- Elizabeth Wright – Website
- Elizabeth Wright – Twitter
- Elizabeth Wright – LinkedIn
- GEC – Website
- GEC – Twitter
- GEC The Collective – Website page
- GEC The App – Website link
- EdTech Demonstrator Programme – Website
- EdTech Demonstrator Programme – Twitter
- Accessible Tech Thursdays – Website
- The EdTech 50 Yearbook 2020 – PDF link
- Disability Review Magazine – Website
- Disability Review Magazine – Twitter
- Elizabeth Wright: What Is Disability – Article
- Conscious Being – Website (Medium)
- Conscious Being Podcast – Soundcloud
- We Can Access – Website
- We Can Access – Twitter
- DisabilityEd UK – Website
- DisabilityEd UK – Twitter
- Neil Beck – Twitter
- TechAbility Standards: a route-map to excellence in assistive technology – article by Neil Beck
- Userway – Twitter
- Adally – Website
- Equalweb – Website
- Avtec – Twitter
- Max Access – Website
- AccessiBe – Twitter
Thank you to FormAssembly for supporting this episode
This episode of The EdTech Podcast is sponsored by FormAssembly, the leading web form builder and data collection platform for colleges and universities.
With its drag-and-drop interface, robust integrations, and high standards of security and compliance, FormAssembly helps hundreds of customers in the higher education industry streamline data collection processes for students, staff, and alumni. For more information about FormAssembly, visit formassembly.com/edtech.
Thanks also to Bett for supporting the What Matters in Edtech GLOBAL series
The “What Matters in Edtech Global” Series is produced by The Edtech Podcast and supported by Bett.
Bett is the global meeting place for the education community. A trusted brand with more than 30 years of heritage, the Bett series promotes the discovery of knowledge and technology to enhance lifelong learning. The Bett series attracts over 60,000 educators, leaders and practitioners alongside more than 1,255+ technology providers from around the globe. For more information go to https://www.bettshow.com/bett-global-series
Tell us where you are listening in from
We’d love to hear about innovative technology or approaches you are developing or using in adult education. Leave your stories in the comments below. Alternatively, record a quick free voicemail via speakpipe for inclusion in the next episode. Finally, you can post your thoughts or follow-on links via twitter @podcastedtech or via The Edtech Podcast Facebook page.