Unlocking learning through the gamification of education and play

Austin Earl

Programme Manager, Central Government, techUK

Austin joined techUK’s Central Government team in March 2024 to launch a workstream within Education and EdTech.

With a career spanning technology, policy, media, events and comms, Austin has worked with technology communities, as well as policy leaders and practitioners in Education, Central and Local Government and the NHS.

Cutting his teeth working for Skills Matter, London’s developer community hub, Austin then moved to GovNet Communications where he launched Blockchain Live and the Cyber Security and Data Protection Summit. For the last 3 years he has worked with leaders in Education across the state and independent schools sectors, from primary up to higher education, with a strong research interest in technology and education management.

: www.techuk.org
: @https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-spencer-earl/

Shahneila Saeed

Head of Education & Programme Director, Digital Schoolhouse, UKIE - The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment

Responsible for leading and developing the Digital Schoolhouse Powered by PlayStation programme as well as wider education outreach work for Ukie. Previously funded by the Mayor of London, the programme now operates in over 30 schools across the U.K and continues to grow. By drawing in links and support from the Creative Industries and Universities, we aim to develop and deliver innovative and inspirational cross-curricular computing lessons to visiting primary school pupils and their teachers. Computing is lots of fun, for both the pupils and the teachers! By tapping into the power of play we can help develop students creativity and plug the growing digital skills gap in the industry.

Skilled in Coaching, Computer Science, Educational Technology, Public Speaking, Mentoring and Writing. Author of "How to Raise a Tech Genius: Without spending any money" and "Hacking the Curriculum: Creative Computing and the Power of Play".

 

 

: https://ukie.org.uk/news/meet-the-ukie-team-shahneila-saeed
: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahneilasaeed/?origin

Dr Sara De Freitas

Honorary Research Fellow, Birkbeck, University of London

Sara de Freitas is an entrepreneurial educator, specialising in the innovative use of digital technologies and online education. Over the last twenty-five years following from a PhD in information science, and first role at Birkbeck College, University of London, Sara has become recognised as an expert in digital education, holding Professorships in immersive environments, digital education, and digital technologies (in 8 universities), authoring Education in Computer Generated Environments, producing over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers and 40 book projects. Building on this work, Sara has held Directorial and Executive roles in Higher Education, including Director of Research and Pro/Deputy Vice Chancellor in 4 universities in the UK and Australia. Sara has held roles in industry including as a Company Director in an AIM-listed PLC company delivering full online education. As a consultant, Sara has worked with a wide range of governments, universities, and businesses, to help shape their institutional and sectoral research, strategy, policy, and business practices, including the design and procurement of digital online services, completing over 100 Technical, Policy & Strategy reports. She is currently Governor at Sunderland University, holds visiting Professorships at the Open University and South Wales, and is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of London. Her awards include: Fellowships of the Royal Society of Arts, Business Excellence Institute and is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Guy Pollard

Consultant, Arcadia Consulting

No bio provided

: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guy-pollard-38022b50?o
: @arcadia_change

Bradley Woodward

Managing Director and Co-founder, RiVR (Reality in Virtual Reality Limited)

Bradley is the Managing Director and Co-Founder of Reality in Virtual Reality Limited (RiVR), an English company established in 2017. With a diverse background spanning 10 years as a Police Detective, 20 years as a Business Leader, experience as a trainer of trainers in Financial Services, 15 years as a qualified drama teacher, and qualifications as a hypnotherapist and hypnoanalyst, Bradley brings a unique skill set to the virtual and augmented reality field. He believes his varied expertise has positioned him well to create immersive experiences that accelerate knowledge retention.

Over the past eight years, RiVR has become a global leader in high-quality, cutting-edge training solutions. The company delivers content, software, and comprehensive hardware technology to clients across all continents, establishing itself as a respected name in the immersive training industry.