As we bid goodbye to a successful BETT 2011, let’s take a look back at some of the highlights of this year’s event. BETT 2011 rewarded the near 30,000 visitors with the ability to not only see, touch and test the latest offerings for technology in education, but also united educators worldwide to provide inspiration and guidance needed to address future challenges.

What visitors experienced

Something that could not be missed this year was the exciting ‘Visual Learning’ central feature, led by Professor Stephen Heppell and sponsored by Impleo. In light of the current economic climate, the feature focused on learning for less and how technology can improve learning through visual stimuli. Visitors were able to witness demonstrations of these new technologies from students at Lampton School in Hounslow, which centred around themes such as transition, revision and girls in science.

The Demonstration Zone at BETT provided the opportunity to receive an in depth, hands-on illustration of a product or service, and see how it could be used in practice. Sessions led by company leaders, specialists and developers allowed them to share their expert knowledge of their products with the enthusiastic visitors.

The Future Learning Spaces feature at BETT 2011 was a uniquely valuable area in light of the funding cuts and the introduction of Academies and Free Schools. Those looking to create a truly modern learning space with a limited budget were able to articulate their new requirements, and see demonstrations of the products and services which have been developed to meet the new challenges. The series of specialised seminars offered visitors the chance to get to the heart of issues concerning investment and development in learning environments today.

What visitors saw
The almost 700 exhibitors at BETT 2011 showcased technologies at the forefront of their field, with many utilising BETT as a platform to unveil the latest offerings to educators.

Visitors looking to improve upon school communication were able to explore the very latest in school, college, university and parent/pupil-integrated mobile communications at the Concept4 stand. Through the launch of the Content4 CMS, app and website programme, education institutes can be prepared for new technological and digital changes in the market place. Content can be fully branded in line with an establishment’s corporate identity or integrated with overall communications programmes, including dairies, newsletters and website content. Through the use of media platforms that parents and pupil’s are familiar with, it ensures that messages get heard. 

Nedap Education launched the GRONOS LIFE system, to remove the need for registration periods, assist in the accounting of people in the event of an emergency and locating individuals or assets instantly. This platform allows educators to both manage and measure truancy but also provide a fully automated system for locating people in the event of fire or evacuation. Co-ordinates of education buildings can be entered into the system and student location will be displayed to within a quarter of a metre of those co-ordinates, enabling effective controls over single and split sites. Student attendance is recorded automatically with this system, meaning that both manual registration and the presentation of a card or finger become a thing of the past, saving valuable teacher time across every lesson.

Heather Ryall, The Vyne Community School, comments: “It has been inspiring to see how technology can be used in the classroom to further education, and the exhibitors here at BETT have proven to be very friendly and informative”

What visitors learnt

As ever, the renowned seminar programme at BETT 2011 offered visitors valuable, accredited continuing professional development (CPD) certified opportunities. A full schedule of seminars was categorised in to five main themes to allow visitors to maximise their visit: management, training and development, curriculum and assessment, innovation and special education needs (SEN).

This year BETT also played host to the first Open House @ BETT sessions. Hosting not-for-profit subject and teacher associations and organisations, this new programme of seminars enabled visitors to find inspiration and innovation in highly interactive formats.

The new BETT co-located conferences, BETT International and UK Education Leaders @ BETT, provided valuable opportunities for robust debate, discussion and reflection at the event. Tim Loughton, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Children and Families, gave the opening address at UK Education Leaders @ BETT, speaking about the future of education in the UK. Mr Loughton focused on the significant role that technology plays in education and stated that the Government will continue to support leaders and educators, offering the freedom to make their own procurement decisions. He noted that “the time has come to place technology at the absolute centre of our aspirations for a world-class education sector”.

BETT returns from 11 to 14 January 2012. For those who cannot wait that long, visit the UK’s biggest education resources event, the Education Show, at the NEC Birmingham (17 to 19 March 2011) where the BETT Zone will showcase some of the ICT highlights from BETT 2011. For more details, visit www.education-show.com. For a comprehensive directory for educational suppliers, visit the BETT website, www.bettshow.com