OUR DNA
We are educators at heart, too
And like you, we are deeply invested in the future of young minds.
We want to develop the potential of young people in schools – so they can grow to be the future-ready innovator they are destined to be. We believe that a maker education is one of the best platforms to develop an inquisitive love for learning and build the confidence to solve problems that matter.
Founded in Singapore, we blend proven pedagogies with emerging technology to impact teachers and students from around the world with high quality teaching and learning.
Our vision is to transform today’s educators into edum8kers, so that every child can have access to a thriving future.
WHY WORK WITH US?
We are active
makers ourselves
We believe in what we teach and are deeply entrenched within the maker community.
Besides training edum8kers, each of us is also engaged in our very own community projects that involve the concepts of "making" - defining problems, conceptualising solutions and implementing resolutions. We apply our lessons in real-life, proving the effectiveness of maker-based strategies and solutions.
We combine a global outlook with a local focus
Our team has more than 50 years of classroom and training experience combined in the US, India and Singapore, with diverse backgrounds in teacher development, education policy, technology, and more.
We set up Singapore’s first makerspace in 2011, and have since worked with pioneering schools in the region to start up and sustain maker programs. We have lent our expertise to national education boards and multinational corporations, to integrate maker education into national curricula and develop maker competencies in educators.
To date, we have impacted 10k+ teachers across 30+ countries.
We empower
educators
We believe that the key to creating a successful and sustainable maker programme in your school, is having teachers who are trained to deliver these programmes with natural fluency. This is where our expertise lies.
Rather than create a reliance on our services, we want to help you build your own team of edum8kers to spark a maker culture in your school and inspire young minds with a high-quality maker education.
MEET THE TEAM
Veerappan Swaminathan
CEO & Chief Futurist
Veerappan is a pioneer of the Maker Movement in Singapore, and is a well-regarded futurist and sustainability thought leader. He has a keen interest in addressing sustainability challenges using systems thinking, community development and technology – which contributes to his desire to promote a maker education across the country. Veerappan is also an INK and YSEALI fellow, and part of the Lotus-NUS funding panel.
Lee Pin Qi
COO & Chief Learning Officer
Pin Qi is a social entrepreneur in the design thinking and empathy sector. A professional who wears multiple hats, Pin Qi is also a certified EQ practitioner, a YSEALI professional fellow and a global facilitator and changemaker at ChangemakerXchange. She believes that partnering like-minded educators is the best way to create equitable, high-quality education for every child.
Melissa Law
Senior Manager
Melissa is a content creator for the Acquire & Inspire stage of the AI4Y curriculum, and a content developer for IMDA’s Digital Maker program. She has also developed technology projects for forest management (gamifying social interactions) and created an “escape room” that teaches electronics concepts to youth.
See Rui Yin
STEM Programme Manager
Rui Yin is an experienced educator in developing and implementing school educational tech-based programs. She is well-versed in employing innovative learning approaches and is passionate about working with educators and students to help them reach their full potential.
Scott Campbell
Director of U.S. Operations
Global Programme Manager, Intel® Skills for Innovation
Scott Campbell is a master educator who has been a classroom teacher, school principal and educational consultant. He has dedicated himself to improving learning for teachers and students throughout his 24 years career in education. Additionally, Scott is an adjunct faculty member at Penn State University responsible for supervising student teachers.
Krystle Lau
Global Programme Manager, Intel® Skills for Innovation
Krystle is a program manager with 7 years of teaching experience in lecture and classroom environments in Singapore government schools. As an education program manager, Krystle believes in the continued integration of technology and education to drive learning objectives, with a focus on student-centric strategies.
Jimmy Teo
Global Technical Manager, Intel® Skills for Innovation
As an ex-educator, Jimmy believes in developing students holistically, with the focus on character building and their ability to have an enduring understanding of science and the real world. He believes in the provision of the maker-centered learning environments where students develop diverse skills and ways of thinking through multi-disciplinary experiences that align the content of learning with hands-on application.
Sharwari Kulkarni
Content Manager
Sharwari has a diverse experience of 7 years ranging from programs design and management at makerspaces, managing national level education programs in India, developing technology education programs curriculums and educating teachers on EdTech and STEAM education. Sharwari is responsible for content creation and building a curriculum team in India at edm8ker.
Terence Tan
Product Manager
Terence is a former educator who was previously involved in the long-term planning of Singapore’s higher education sector involving ~100k students. He has also been seconded to teach in in primary and secondary schools. Terence believes that schools looking to improve student outcomes should first prioritise removing the obstacles that their teachers face, so that they can focus on what they do best: teach.