Behind the Mic: The Story of Talking D&T 2024

In this reflective end-of-year episode, I take stock of Talking D&T's journey through 2024 and share plans for the future. With 52 episodes published this year - including 27 interviews spanning two major series, PATT40 and Shaping D&T - it's been my most prolific year yet, reaching listeners through nearly 8,000 downloads.

I reflect on how the podcast has evolved from its origins as a way to make design and technology research more accessible to teachers, into a platform for, what I hope is, meaningful dialogue about D&T education. The conversations this year have ranged from classroom experiences to curriculum development, featuring voices from across the D&T community - from undergraduate students to international colleagues.

A golden thread throughout has been the value of teacher-led research and curriculum development, highlighted through our Redesigning D&T project interviews. The podcast has also opened up important discussions about the future of D&T education, bringing policy-level conversations directly to practitioners through the Shaping D&T series.

For those interested in supporting the podcast's continued development, I discuss the various ways to engage, from subscribing to sharing feedback. This collaborative approach helps ensure the podcast remains an independent voice for the D&T community while covering its modest running costs.

As we look toward 2025, how might you contribute to these ongoing conversations about D&T education? What topics would you like to explore in future episodes?

Acknowledgement:
Some of the supplementary content for this podcast episode was crafted with the assistance of Claude, an AI language model developed by Anthropic. While the core content is based on the actual conversation and my editorial direction, Claude helped in refining and structuring information to best serve listeners. This collaborative approach allows me to provide you with concise, informative, and engaging content to complement each episode.

Chapters

• 0:06 Reflecting on Design and Technology Podcast
• 10:14 Funding and Future Plans for Podcast

Transcript

Alison Hardy: 0:06

you're listening to the talking dnt podcast. I'm dr allison hardy, a writer, researcher and advocate of design and technology education. In each episode, I share views, news and opinions about dnt. As I record this, it's the 24th of November and I've decided that this is going to be my last episode for 2024. I've got two more episodes that I've just set up tonight to go out and then I'm going on holiday, so I think it's a good time to take a pause.

Alison Hardy: 0:42

So I thought in this episode I'd take an opportunity to reflect on this year in terms of the podcast and some of the things that I've done and being involved in. It's not a hey, hey, look at me, aren't I great? But it's really an opportunity to share what's happened with the podcast and how it's changed this year Some of the plans for 2025 and when I say plans, they're ideas, and when I say ideas, I've had them for a couple of years, so I need to get my game into action and get this sorted. But anyway, it's a kind of a take stock and maybe you might hold me to account, and it's also an opportunity to say thank you to the people who've been on the podcast and thank you to those of you who support the podcast, either financially or through your feedback that you give me, which does encourage me. So in 2024, I've published 52 episodes. That is the most I've ever published in a year. Last year it was 19,. In 22 it was 25, 21, 30, 2020, pretty prolific in 2020 with 47, but it was a lockdown, kind of what else was I going to do apart from talk on the podcast and 2019? When I started I did 11. So the fact that I've kind of thought at points during the year I need a break from podcast. When I look and I think I've done 52 episodes and 27 of those have been interviews I kind of have to take a little bit of a step back and go wow, because I kind of do the podcast on top of my day job, although it's sort of become part of my day job and I'll explain more about that in a moment. So 27 interviews and I've had a real privilege of talking to a whole range of people. I've done two series this year. I've never done things really as a series before, apart from when I first started and I was building up my confidence when I did them with contributors to the fourth edition of the Learning to Teach, design and Technology book. I've done these two podcast series Pat 40 and Shaping D&T.

Alison Hardy: 2:47

The first one came about as a result of the Pat 40 conference that happened in Liverpool in 2023. And those of you who know will have known that I was meant to attend. I was part of the editorial board but unfortunately, five days beforehand I decided to go trampolining with my brother's children and ruptured my Achilles, which made up. I was housebound. So the beginning of 2024 meant that I was still wearing a boot, still housebound. So that led me into the PAP 40 podcast series because I couldn't attend the conference but I wanted to hear people's reactions.

Alison Hardy: 3:20

So I enjoyed interviewing primarily teachers, and that was a deliberate choice. Who'd been to the conference to say? What did you enjoy? What did you gain the most out? Tell me about a paper, because people who know me well will know that I'm really passionate about making research accessible for teachers and for teachers to actually not just access it and use it, but also to create research. But back when I did the fourth edition of the Learning to Teach, design and Technology book, you know when I started that I added a new chapter to the book and the excellent and amazing Stephanie Atkinson did. The final chapter of the book was about enabling teachers to engage with, use and create research, and that's really where one of my passions about design and technology lies. It was kind of fitting that I started the year by doing that and engaging with teachers.

Alison Hardy: 4:10

The second series, shaping Design and Technology, which has actually went on for far longer than I expected it to do, came about as a result of me being co-opted onto a group with the Design Council that was trying to put together a policy paper about design education, and I met some amazing people and had opportunities to have fantastic conversations, and what I thought would be good, though, was to bring those people's voices, views and opinions to the podcast audience, so that led to what started off about 10 episodes and became 26 episodes in fact, and that has been really insightful for me to talk to different people and a whole range of different people, from undergraduate students, lecturers at universities and design and technology teachers, people involved in national organisations, international colleagues about what they see design and technology as being about, and I also did some subscription only episodes along the way, did some subscription only episodes along the way. I also started this year doing subscriptions, and I've had kind of consistently anything between 10 and 14 people subscribing. Now that might not sound a lot, but what that does mean is that it actually helps support and fund the podcast, and I'm going to come on to that when I talk a little bit about how the podcast works for me. So of those 52 episodes, 27 were interviews. Four of them were with two people at the same time, so I was talking with two people. Oh no, five of them were. I've just remembered a fifth I'd only ever done one before that and which is actually still continues to be the most popular episode which is the one that I did about empathetic design with Dave Borser and James Bleach. So that's always a challenge when you're interviewing more than one person, because it's like trying to juggle and you're doing it online and trying to give people space, so that that's always really interesting. And one of those was the first time that I'd actually ever interviewed and people who worked in a company that support uh design and technology, and that was Kevin and Becky from Kitronic.

Alison Hardy: 6:21

Yeah, 18 of the episodes were subscriptions. I do kind of make a loose promise that if you subscribe, that if I put a one out on a Tuesday, you'll get a subscription on a Thursday kind of doesn't always work, but thank you very much to those of you who have stuck with me and have joined as subscribers along the way. It does really make a difference and it does help me kind of keep going. But also the emails that I get from people telling me what they've enjoyed, what they've listened to, that means such a lot, because I do sit here predominantly on my own doing this, and when I say predominantly, I do occasionally have the rather vocal assistance of Kip, my dog, who appears in the background, but that tends to be when he's telling me to stop talking, as you might be sometimes. So 52 episodes as of tonight. I've had 7,999 downloads in 2024 and that's always really encouraging. So let's be pragmatic here.

Alison Hardy: 7:17

In 2025, I'm putting in an application to be a professor at Nottingham Trent University. I became an associate professor in 2022 and I explained very clearly then that I was doing it for several reasons that I think we need professors and associate professors and readers in the field of design and technology to give the subject credibility. We don't have any who are currently in employment in terms of those that are now retired, and I do have the pleasure of continuing to work with them. So that's a bit of a shout out to Eddie Norman, kay Stables, richard Kimball. But there are professors around who I've worked with, who don't necessarily work completely in design and technology, like David Spendlove, who do challenge me and I do have an ambition to become a professor, pragmatically because it gives recognition for the work that I do. So when I look at the stats, all of those stats help me in applying for professor to kind of show my reach and that is useful and it does keep me encouraged for professor to kind of show my reach and that is useful and it does keep me encouraged. But, like I said, it is those conversations I have and it is a real blessing to have all those conversations.

Alison Hardy: 8:19

I've had this year with some absolutely amazing people. You know I've had conversations with people about why they're making decisions like they do in their classrooms, about some of the challenges they've had. I've had lovely conversations with people like Millie, who was a student at NTU coming to the end of her product design degree, about what she's planning on doing next. I've had Amanda and Kieran on the podcast who I love working with. Unfortunately Andy Halliwell wasn't available at the time, but I've really enjoyed working with those and I hope to continue to do that in 2025 on our redesigning D&T project. As usual, mattcclain's been on. Unfortunately, sarah didn't make it this year, but I'm sure I'll twist around and get her on next year, but it's just such a real blessing. The podcast has opened so many doors for me to have these conversations with people.

Alison Hardy: 9:05

I started doing this back in 2019 and I started thinking about it in 2016 as I finish off my doctorate, which I submitted in 2017, because I wanted to be able to get research out to design and technology teachers. I was just finishing my doctorate about the value of design and technology education and what people said, and I thought I want this to get out to teachers. I want teachers to hear this, whether they agree or disagree with me. That's absolutely fine, but I thought I can write all the journal articles I like in the world, but teachers aren't going to read it, and that's who I want to work with. Is is design and technology teachers. To empower you to do what you do and to do it really well. To disagree or agree with me, to be challenged about what you think, to have your assumptions challenged or your beliefs and values and the way you are in design and technology reaffirmed. By listening to me or to the conversations I have with people, you may have had your eyes opened up to different books, different readings, different bits of research, different ways of thinking about the subject, and that for me is an absolute joy and that's what keeps me motivated. I love getting the feedback.

Alison Hardy: 10:14

It is all hard work doing this. I once worked out that if I do interview somebody on the podcast, by the time I've had the idea, email them, set up the recording done, the recording edited, asked for permission to print it, to publish it, published it and then that's where Charlotte, who does some virtual PA work for me, comes in, starts to set up the social media posts and such and then feeding it into the newsletter. If I do an interview somewhere, that can take up to six hours of time, and generally I do quite a lot of that outside my full time job time, and generally I do quite a lot of that outside my full-time job and that's how I started the podcast and I was funding it through my consultancy work that I did outside Nottingham Trent and because of the joy it gives me, I'm kind of quite comfortable with doing that. But as time's gone on and I've got into other things at work, the podcast has kind of become part of my day job, nottingham Trent, and nobody funds it or has any say or control over what I talk about. I've tried to keep this as a self-funded or at least not-for-profit activity because I want to keep it independent and I also want to have it as a space where I can talk and say what I think without having to have it approved or checked by anybody else. And let's face it, those of you who know me will know that I do like to give my opinion. So to cut to the chase about how much this actually costs me, it costs me just over £100 a month to do the podcast. A lot of the time I do that through additional consultancy and so, for example, next year I'm doing some work up at Leeds for a day and that's towards the fund of the podcast.

Alison Hardy: 11:48

But those people who subscribe that $4 a month helps pay for the subscription. I also have some patrons who support me. They don't get an awful lot in return and for that I do appreciate them continuing. Occasionally people buy me a cup of coffee K-O-F-I to say thank you, and I appreciate that too. The subscription episodes are only available to those people who subscribe, and when you subscribe, you only get to hear those that are published after you subscribe. So what I now do is I put the subscription episodes on my Patreon website where, if you're not a patron, well, you can listen to them by paying a fee, or if you're a patron to a particular level, then actually you get all of those for free.

Alison Hardy: 12:27

So I try to keep as much as I do free, because I don't want to put limits on what people can access and again, that's not because I think I'm great, but that's more about that. You know, things are difficult for people and I want people to be able to access stuff and I want to keep it free. But I've had to be pragmatic along the way. So for those of you who subscribe and are patrons, I just want to say thank you very much. It does ease the burden of having to do extra consultancy work outside of Nottingham Trent University. The university don't support this, but they do actually support me in enabling me to record podcasts during the day, particularly when I'm interviewing people, and that's what I am grateful for. But I also do use the podcast, understandably, because I do like where I work to talk about where I work. So that brings me full circle really to thinking about 2025.

Alison Hardy: 13:15

We're planning a redesigning D&T series of podcast episodes we're kind of toying with. Do we put that as a separate podcast or do we do it as part of the Talking D&T? And that's the work that Andy Halliwell, amanda Mason and Kieran Ellis have been leading on. And Kieran and I spoke at the big D&T meet big shout out to Kate Finlay there and her team for organising the big D&T meet in Norwich this year. We talked about the project. There's been some challenges this term not challenges, but more things that people in the team should be focusing on. So we've kind of slowed down a bit. I kind of say it's a slow research project but we're going to bring it back up to speed in 25 and do some podcasts about that. Or rather, actually those three are doing it and I'm just going to put them on the podcast somewhere.

Alison Hardy: 13:56

And then I've had a plan for a couple of years to do a series about pedagogy in D&T and it's going to be a little bit of a tongue-in-cheek so it might not be with the same tone that I normally do talking D&T so. So again, I might do that as a separate podcast series so those people who listen to that one can see a different side and that one. We will actually be thinking about how we can take the transcripts and put that into a book so that the material is available that people have to pay for. So again, that helps with the running costs so I can run the podcast. Well, this has gone on quite a lot longer than I expected. I made some rough notes and I've just kept talking. So thank you very much for taking the time to listen. If you have feedback, if you have comments, if what I've done has made any difference to what you think or what you do, then please do let me know, selfishly and pragmatically, that'll help me with my prof application. But really the bigger picture is that it does keep me going, because sometimes sitting here and talking and thinking and planning podcasts and doing the podcasts, it can be a little bit lonely. So your emails, your messages really do make a difference and I do hope in some way that you listening to the podcast has helped you reflect and think about what you do in your practice and help you do things differently, even if that means you disagree with me. Thanks for listening. Have a good Christmas and a happy new year for 2025. But, knowing me, I'll probably decide to drop in another podcast episode before the end of the year. Thanks for listening.

Alison Hardy: 15:29

I'm Dr Alison Hardy and you've been listening to the Talking D&T podcast. If you enjoyed the podcast, then do subscribe, on whatever platform you use, and do consider leaving a review, as it does help others find the podcast. I do the podcast because I want to support the D&T community in developing their practice, so please do share the podcast with your D&T community. If you want to respond to something I've talked about or have an idea for a future episode, then either leave me a voice memo via Speakpipe or drop me an email. You can find details about me, the podcast and how to connect with me on my website, dralisonhardycom. Also, if you want to support the podcast financially, you can become a patron. Links to Speakpipe, patreon and my website are in the show notes. Thanks for listening.