Educators are at the Heart of Change

Museum educators have long been at the heart of institutional change driving the shift toward more open, reflective, and audience-centered museums . Digital innovation is no different . In this episode, cultural producer Holiday Donaldson explores why learning professionals are a critical voice in creating meaningful digital experiences.  Holiday discusses why asking "the obivous" questions is an essential superpower for audience advocacy , and how creating space for low-stakes R&D allows educators to continue leading the way . This episode was recorded in collaboration with the Group for Education in Museums (GEM) at their annual conference in Bletchley Park, England where the theme was Learning is Digital? Learn more about professional learning opportunities through GEM.

Shannen Johnson, Engagement Manager at the Group for Education in Museums (GEM), explores how learning teams are wrestling with complex topics like AI and environmental sustainability, upskilling and burnout, all while emphasizing how educators can navigate these changes while remaining true to their institutions' missions, collection, and audiences. This episode was recorded in collaboration with the Group for Education in Museums (GEM) at their annual conference in Bletchley Park, England where the theme was Learning is Digital? Learn more about professional learning opportunities through GEM: https://gem.org.uk/S

Chris Unitt, founder of One Further, sits down to explore the realities of digital disruption, the value of fast, low-stakes prototyping, and the rise of "vibe coding." Most importantly, Chris breaks down why museum educators possess critical skill sets needed to be the true digital innovators of the cultural sector. This episode was recorded in collaboration with the Group for Education in Museums (GEM) at their annual conference in Bletchley Park, England where the theme was Learning is Digital? Learn more about professional learning opportunities through GEM. Learn more about One Further.  

Aron Ambrosiani, curator of digital collections at the Swedish Museum of Architecture and Design and PhD candidate, takes one headline — "Swedish museums experience drop in visits, but record digital reach" — and unpacks what it really means. The numbers are big: 130% increase on Wikimedia platforms, 23% increase in website visits, and 10 % increase on Instagram. But Aron digs beneath the surface to ask the harder questions: what counts as a visit? What are we actually measuring? And does digital reach translate into something museums can act on? From the surprising ways museum collections come alive on Wikipedia to a student project that turns digital publishing into deep learning, this conversation challenges us to think more critically — and more creatively — about what digital engagement really means. Read the article here.  

Sarah Van Haastert, Global Director of Strategic Partnerships at AVI-SPL offers a beautifully layered take on digital learning in museums. As she puts it, digital learning is both "a drop and the ocean": a small spark of curiosity that surprises visitors in the gallery, and the vast infrastructure behind the scenes that makes it all possible. In a place where visitors come to be social, learn, and connect with stories, digital becomes a catalyst — delivering moments of delight that stay with people long after a visit. This conversation digs into what it really takes to make those moments happen, from the essential foundations to the magic of a visitors experience.  We also explore:  Sustainability and Infrastructure What Museums Mean When They Say "Personalization" Learning From Other Industries The Vendor Trust Gap

Chris Evans, founder of the design consulting firm Drummin Hands, designs in-gallery digital experiences across museums, national parks, and cultural institutions. With a background rooted in interpretation and storytelling, Chris believes the best technology is invisible. Or, as he puts it, the "magic happening in the background." He shares how he helps organizations of all sizes start with the story first, choose the right tools to tell it, and create digital moments that visitors can't get anywhere else.

Pauliina Kinanen, Training Specialist, with the Finnish Museums Association pulls back the curtain on what digital learning looks like when the average number of staff in a Finnish museum is nine. These small teams are finding big ways to innovate by trusting the power of their own stories, building the right partnerships, and experimenting with digital tools on their own terms. This conversation is a reminder that you don't need a massive team or budget to create meaningful digital learning experiences, you just need confidence, curiosity, and good collaborators. Learn more about the Finnish Museums Association.

Zeina Dghaim, Training and Excellence Manager at the Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi, knows what it takes to build digital learning experiences from the ground up. From advising on a fully digital museum for the Bahamas to shaping visitor experiences at one of the newest cultural institutions in the world, Zeina has a clear message for the sector: trust yourselves.  She challenges museums to stop approaching digital from a deficit mindset and start leading with imagination, creativity, and confidence in their own stories. Her unlikely sources of inspiration? The fashion and culinary industries where vision comes first and barriers come second. This conversation is a reminder that museums already know how to create extraordinary experiences. They just need to believe it.  

Frits Polman, CEO and founder of Guide-ID, is the first guest this season to go deep on how AI is reshaping the digital learning experience in museums. His platform uses AI to generate audio content tailored to each visitor's language and learning level making personalized engagement possible for museums of any size and budget. But Frits also makes a compelling case for why audio itself matters more than ever: in a world designed to pull visitors toward their screens, audio lets them keep their eyes on the art and their phones in their pockets. This conversation explores what happens when AI and audio come together to put the story and the visitor first.

Katya Provornaya from the Group for Education in Museums (GEM) shares how museum educators across the United Kingdom are the driving force behind making digital tools actually work for audiences — from rural schools and home-educated children to underrepresented communities. She discusses how GEM is leading sector-wide research and upskilling efforts, and why the most intentional digital learning strategies start not with technology, but with the people designing the experiences. Learn more about Group for Education in Museums .