Pedagodzilla on Tour

This is a series of chats Mark had on Day Two of the RIDL HE conference. He spoke to closing keynote speaker Mia Ridge, VR and digital forensics people Philip Anderson and Craig Clark, PhD candidate and escape room practitioner extraordinaire Rachelle Rawlinson, the real and fictional personae of Peter Bryant, Donna Lanclos and Lawrie… Continue reading RIDL HE Conference Day 2

Here is a compilation of the seven interviews with eight people Mark conducted with participants at the Research in Digital Learning Conference at Northumbria University today (3rd September 2025) https://hosting2.northumbria.ac.uk/ridlhe/ People chatting were Nashwa Ismail, Andrew Middleton, Jane Secker, Chris Morrison, Neil Dixon, Aisla Ingham, Alex Moseley and Susannah Quinsee

In the last of our five episodes (but first to be recorded) Mark talks to Mary Robson, who is the Senior Creative Facilitator in the Institute for Medical Humanities at Durham University and this year’s keynote speaker. Mark and Mary chat about her role and about how creative facilitation can help researchers gather better data… Continue reading PGR Keynote: Creative Facilitation with Mary Robson

In this episode Mark chats with a Post-Graduate Research student – Katherine. Katherine is investigating students’ literacy and how this relates to different factors. It’s a fascinating topic and also is an insight into the experience of being a Post-Graduate Researcher at Durham. Transcript on the link below

In the third of our podcasts from the PGR conference at Durham, the multi-talented Sarah Dodds, Digital Learning Advisor at the Durham Centre for Academic Development, talks to Mark about her crafting workshops and how she uses quilt-making and other techniques for data physicalisation and how embodying data can personalise and add emotional meaning to… Continue reading Crafting and zining for PGRS

And in the second of our coverage of Durham’s PGR Development conference Mark talked to Chidinma Okorie who is also a Senior Academic Development Manager in the Durham Centre for Academic Development. Her remit is implementing the PROSPER programme at Durham. OK Mark did say it’s the third one in the intro, they’re not being… Continue reading How to PROSPER at the PGR Conference

This year we’re not at Playful Learning – but Mark did make it to a conference organised by the other Whitton – Pete. Pete Whitton is a Senior Academic Development Manager in the Durham Centre for Academic Development where he leads the Researcher Development Programme. Each year the programme hosts the Durham University’s Post-Graduate Researcher… Continue reading Durham PGR Development Conference

In this episode of Pedagodzilla, we’re coming to you live (well, sort of) from the final day of the Playful Learning Conference 2024! We’re Mike Collins, senior learning designer at the Open University, joined by Lynn Pilkington, Alex Mosley, and Elliot Spaeth for a lively discussion about all things playful in learning and teaching. We… Continue reading Playful Learning past, present and submitting abstracts in the future

In this episode from the LDS Link event at the OU Library, we chat with STEM learning designer Paul Astles. Paul takes us through his love of Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, how the film adaptation measures up, and the dark, twisty lessons it offers about identity and perspective. And it doesn’t stop there—Paul brings… Continue reading LDS Linking at The Open University Library – You do not talk about Fight Club, but you do talk about Happy Feet

More from our miniseries at the LDS Link Event in October 2024. In this one, Mark takes up the reins as host while Mike scampers off to eat a very underwhelming sandwich. Mark’s joined by long time friend of the show, Natasha Huckle, who shares her thoughts on The Little Prince, compassion, and Yuval Noah… Continue reading LDS Linking at The Open University Library – The Little Prince and Nexus

Who likes on tour minis? WE LIKE ON TOUR MINIS. We set up our cosy little podcast booth at the Open University library for the LDS Link event – replete with a health and safety nightmare of tangled and trailing wires and trip hazards. Fabulous. In this episode Mike is joined by James Davies, fan… Continue reading LDS Linking at the Open University Library – East of Eden, and Travels with Charlie

It’s another of our LDS Link event minis! We’re cosily ensconced in the larverly Open University Library, with members of one of the days highlights, the AI panel! Mike is joined by Mirjam Hauck, Aisling Third and Michel Wermelinger, where we chat AI in education, how it might not result in a dystopian techmare, and… Continue reading LDS Linking at the Open University Library – The AI Panel, The Power of Geography, and Nightwatch

It’s another of our LDS Link event minis, where we set up a cosy little booth in the Open University Library, and nabbed passers by to talk about books we love, and how we learn from books. In this episode Mike is joined by the fabulous Daphne Chang and Steve Stiles. Again, you might hear… Continue reading LDS Linking at the OU Library – Lord of the flies, and Frankenstein

It’s another of our on-tour minis at the Open University Library, for the LDS Link event! In this episode we’re joined by the event’s keynote speaker, Kieron Bryan – an OU student with an amazing experience of life changing learning. You can find Kieron via his socials at: https://www.instagram.com/themountainofdreamsproject/

It’s some more on-tour minis! Join us at the Open University LDS Link event, where we’ve ensconced ourselves in the much beloved OU library to talk about books, and how we can learn about them. In this episode, Mike is joined by his fabulous colleagues Mark Williams and Eleanor Moore. It’s the start of the… Continue reading LDS Linking at the OU Library – All the light we cannot see, and Jane Eyre

Back in May, to launch our lovely new book we bimbled down to Aberystwyth for a few days to visit our fab friend Mary Jacob, meet some of the fab students and edu-professionals there, and have a couple of days of pedagogic podcasting. You may have already heard the live show over on our main… Continue reading Takeover special – The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth: How does Aberystwyth shape teaching learning and research?

It’s day 3 of the conference! Well not anymore, it’s now about 4.30am after day 3 of the conference – but Simon, the newest member of the zilla family did an absolutely stonking job of getting the edit ready to go out before midnight. Mike, the man with the publishing button…fell asleep… So, join us… Continue reading Pedagodzilla at Playful Learning 2024 Day 3 Coverage and wrap-up, ft. roving reporter Kiu Sum

Our Playful Learning Conference coverage of day 2. Plus! Emma Bearman! Tina Burton! Jane Secker! And the three members of the Pedagodzilla team reflect on what they have seen with their own eyes. What more could you want?

It’s before midnight so it’s still technically day 1 coverage! Join us, and the fabulous Playful Platypus Kacaaaw! In coverage, reflections and takeaways from Day 1 of the Playful Learning Conference.

When is something so late that it becomes almost timely? When you record a ‘conference first timers’ special with the esteemed Puiyin Wong and then don’t actually get around to editing it until just before next years conference. So this has turned from a little reflective piece on Playful Learning 2023, into a little primer… Continue reading Playful Learning First timers ft. Puiyin Wong

In the last of our miniseries on fabulous formative failure Dr Clare Timmins shares her experience of trying to bring innovative tools into teaching, the frustrating transience of digital stuff, and why making stuff with your handy mitts will never truly go out of fashion. This was recorded as part of our miniseries at Playful… Continue reading Dr Clare Timmins on fabulous formative failure, and The Forbidden Twine

Kai De Villiers, games expert (https://24bitgames.com https://ltraczy.itch.io/disaster-ethics) and award winning intermediate cosplayer shares her experiences of events, of learning to put failure in perspective and understanding student agency in bathroom breaks.This was recorded as part of our miniseries on fabulous formative failures at Playful Learning 2023. Yes we know it’s 2024 and the new conference… Continue reading Kai De Villiers on fabulous formative failure and the relief of learning ‘people don’t really give a shit’

Jim Thompson (UCLan) talks to Mike about his framework for pedagogical games design and also joins us in our miniseries on Piss Poor Teaching and fabulous formative failure. Jim’s framework is rad. We don’t have a link to it though. Jim give us a link!

Chris Morrison (Bodleian Library), Jana Oehlke (Swansea University) and Jane Secker (City University) talk to Mark about piss poor teaching, and why you need to keep your Zoom links private.

Fernando Rosell Aguilar (Arden University) talks to Mark about some (Certificate 15) examples of pisspoor teaching, and adding colour to the naughty bits of art.

At another of our Fabulous Formative Failure minis we’re joined by Andy Walsh, resident playful librarian as he discusses the eldritch horror of doing stuff with other people.

Nic Whitton (Northumbria University) talks to Mike and Mark about her fabulous formative failure, and how a good shock to the system can discourage a liver thumping binge.

Mike is joined by Roger Saunders, Associate Professor at DMU Leicester to discuss being a performer podcaster, fabulous formative failure – and why board game design is a trickly wee beastie. Also the first time you do something, do it badly. Words to live by.

Matt Wood (Northumbria University) talks to Mike about fabulous formative failure, and the switch from academic to tech professional.

Episode 2 of our very late miniseries recorded at the Playful Learning 2023 conference, where we discuss what we can learn from Fabulous Formative Failures, and the Danish movement of Pissedårlig undervisning, or Piss Poor Teaching. Alistair Aitcheson (Alistair Aitcheson) and Laura Mitchell (York University) have a second go at recording their experiences of a… Continue reading Fabulous formative failure with Alistair Aitcheson and Laura Mitchell at Playful Learning 2023

It’s the first in our very, very late miniseries recorded at the Playful Learning 2023 conference! Nic Whitton (Northumbria University) talks to Mike about general principles of failure and playful learning – revving us up for our miniseries on Fabulous Formative Failures, and the Danish movement of Pissedårlig undervisning, or Piss Poor Teaching. This is… Continue reading Playful Learning 2023 – Introducing fabulous formative failure with Professor Nic Whitton

It’s over, and it’s been an absolute belter of a conference. Join us for an explosive opener from write-the-theme-tune sing-the-theme-tune, join our our headliners for the day, and finally Mark Mike and Nic sit down to reflect on the conference, and start mulling plans for next year.

It’s another very scrappily pulled together daily update, hastily yanked from the RodeCaster on to Mike’s laptop, clumsily mushed together and then chucked out in to internet land. In it, we’re joined by Alex Mosely and Rosie Jones (Playful Learning Organisers) and Giskin Day the headline act to talk about her keynote, how everyone’s doing… Continue reading Playful Learning 2023 Day 2 Recap

Bam! It’s Playful Learning 2023! We’ve all had too much wine (well, Mike has), and we’re giving you an unedited flavour of the conference in three chunks! A quick intro from Mike and Mark, we’re then joined by headline act Lara Ratnaraja, and then tailed off with a look back at day 1 with Pen… Continue reading Playful Learning 2023 Day 1 Recap

It’s time for another conference-in-a-pod! A shrunk down flavour of the whole Remixplay 5: Secret Agents of Change conference, January 2023 – Coventry. It’s a conference for mega-educators who use playful practice to engage and build communities, and to then set that community loose on projects of monumental societal change. You’ll hear chunks of the… Continue reading Remixplay 5 2023: Conference-in-a-pod!

Moar minis! Gosh crikey but we got a lot of great stuff at Playful Learning 2022! In this mini, we’re joined by Scott Wilson Senior Data and Analytics Dev at JISC, discussing the phenomenal difficulty of Elden Ring, the joy of innuendo and Across this series, we’re looking at answering the questions:

Should we rename this podcast ‘the playful learning mini podcast’? Maybe. But in the meantime – here’s another slamming chat from playful learning 2022, this time with Assistant Professor at the Centre for Global Learning (GLEA) of Coventry University, Luca Morini! We chat gamification, eco terrorists with PTSD, and the jealousy that erupts around floppy… Continue reading Luca Morini, Final Fantasy 7 and floppy hats – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

It’s a cheeky double, where we speak with Head of School of Digital Education Liz Ellis, and Programme Manager at the Open University, Alice Gallagher! It’s ostensibly about the intersect between games and practice, but we also end up having a lovely chat about all sorts of games, and how knackered we all were three… Continue reading Liz Ellis, Alice Gallagher and terraforming foxes – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

In this slightly unusual one, Mike decides to ambush a passer by shortly after setting up his gear – and has a lovely chat with an attendee from a totally different conference: Revered Lindsay Southern! Lindsay is a teacher herself, and we talk Dobble, making connections – and how there’s a cool two player variant… Continue reading Reverend Lindsay Southern, Dobble and Connections –

Scratchy voiced hosts Mark and Mike are joined by Teacher Fellow at De Montfort University and Lego enthusiast Julia Reeve! We chat playfulness compared to play, mindfulness and flow. Listening back to this I realised Julia has a really relaxing voice, so make yourself a nice cup of tea, nab a biccy and give yourself… Continue reading Julia Reeve, Lego and Flow – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

It’s time for another smashing chat about games and edu-practice, this time with the fab Dr Pen Holland, York’s secret biology mathematician, discussing the brilliantly brutal game Catastrophic, and the brain toaster of Red-7. As with the whole series, we’re looking at answer the questions: Pen gives some slamming advice on how to design an… Continue reading Pen Holland and Catastrophically good game design – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

This is like an advent calendar of podcasts, but in November! Ho ho ho! Andy Walsh, editor for the Journal of Play in Adulthood and Rachelle O’Brien, Senior Learning Designer at DCAD, join us in another of our Playful Learning minis to talk about ‘We didn’t playtest this at all’ and Sonic the Hedgehog. Across… Continue reading Andy Walsh and Rachelle O’Brien on the fabulousness of playfulness – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

It’s another Playful Learning mini, this time joined by the fab Claire Timmins, senior teaching fellow at the University of Strathclyde – where we talk about mandibles, Minecraft, Articulate and Mike and Mark’s embarrassingly poor knowledge of the physiology of speech reproduction. As with the whole series, we’re looking at answer the questions: Also our… Continue reading Claire Timmins, Minecraft and articulate mandibles – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

In this games and practice mini, recorded at Playful Learning 2022, Mike is joined by Daisy Abbott – Researcher and research developer in (amongst other things) games based learning, and creator of the authentically cruel ‘How to fail your research degree’. We’ll be looking to answer the question: What games are the UK’s top education… Continue reading Daisy Abbott, Galaxy Trucker and How to fail your research degree – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

It’s another playful learning mini, where we’re joined by Dr Laura Mitchell, lecturer in management at the University of York, answering the question: What games are the UK’s top education professionals passionate about? Do they see an intersect between what attracts them to those games, and how they approach their day to day practice? Laura… Continue reading Dr Laura Mitchell, Werewolf and LARP- PGZ@PL games and practice mini

We’re joined by Dave White, head of Head of Digital Education and Academic Practice at University of Arts London, and President of ALT, answering the questions: What games are the UK’s top education professionals passionate about? Do they see an intersect between what attracts them to those games, and how they approach their day to… Continue reading Dave White and Return of the Obra Dinn – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

We’re joined by co-chair of Playful Learning and Head of Anglia Learning and Teaching at Anglia Ruskin University Alex Mosely in another is our series of conversations with the UK’s top education professionals, looking to answer two questions: What games are the UK’s top education professionals passionate about? Do they see an intersect between what… Continue reading Alex Moseley and Carcassonne – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

Cor Playful Learning 2022 was a while back wasn’t it? We’re on our third Prime Minister since then! While at the conference, we recorded a series of short conversations with other attendees (and one passer by) looking to answer two questions: What games are the UK’s top education professionals passionate about? Do they see an… Continue reading Prof Nicola Whitton and Monkey Island – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

Mike here! I’ve edited together a choice selection of the 8 hours or so of material we recorded alongside a few of my reflections to produce this conference-in-a-pod, an audio scrapbook / selection box of my experience at Playful Learning 2022. I’ve written an accompanying blog post for the Open University Learning Design Team Blog,… Continue reading Playful Learning 2022: Conference-in-a-pod

Recording something quick and scrappy while the conference wraps up around us! An edited version of this will appear in due course, but if you’d mad hungry for the flavour of the conference then here it be. Mildly processed to make it listenable, but uncut. All of this was recorded on a tiny wee Zoom… Continue reading Playful Learning 2022 Day 3: Mike and Mark’s reflections, Sylvester Arnab’s keynote and the closing ceremony