Daren White | How AI Saved a Teacher 3 Hours in 6 Minutes

Welcome to the Digitize Fully Charged Podcast, where we energise listeners, spark inspiration, and top-up your tech-game. In this episode of the Digitize Fully Charged Podcast, hosts Niall and Pam sit down with their good friend and award-winning educator, Daren White! If you’re passionate about the intersection of tech and teaching, Daren is a name you need on your radar. With over 25 years in the classroom and 15+ years in senior leadership, he currently supports as the Academic Technologies Lead for a prominent UK Multi-Academy Trust. Daren has dedicated his career to a clear mission: blending sound pedagogy seamlessly with technology to remove learning barriers for every student. As a certified Canva Trainer and Google Champion, Daren travels the UK and international stage delivering energetic keynotes, practical workshops, and high-impact coaching. His contributions to digital innovation in education have earned major industry recognition—including a spot on the 2021 #EdTech50 list, the Skills Development Champion Award at the 2023 Edufuturists Awards, and a Silver Award for Digital Innovator of the Year at the 2023 National Teaching Awards. On top of all that, he’s the author of the hit book, What’s Their Why?: Exploring Motivation and Engagement in Learning. Hit play to hear Daren, Niall, and Pam dive deep into practical EdTech strategies and the future of digital learning!

Chapters 📚

00:00 – Welcome to the Digitize Fully Charged podcast

00:43 – Meet Patrick Hickey: Surviving a 107,000-Word PhD

03:55 – Lived Experience: Prosthetics and Teacher Identity

05:14 – Overcoming Invisible Disability Challenges in Schools

07:24 – Psychological Tricks to Finish the Journey

10:18 – Confessions of a Former "Non-Techy" Teacher

12:07 – The Golden Rule: Don't Use Tech for Tech's Sake

13:38 – Pandemic Pivot to the Google Inclusive Trainer Journey

16:44 – True Inclusion: Making Difference Completely Invisible

18:17 – The Stigma of Separate Assistive Technology Budgets