MANAGING ICT


As part of SecEd’s final preview for the BETT


2011 Show, Ray Barker considers where visitors this year can find valuable CPD opportunities


B


ETT IS not just viewed as an exhibition, but as a place to learn and gather advice. CPD is an important route to keeping informed and maintaining educational excellence, and thousands of educators use the show to soak up invaluable advice


from the very best in education.


The seminars BETT 2011 features five seminar theatres, each hosting a range of relevant CPD-accredited sessions. Themes include SEN, training and development, management, curriculum and assessment, and innovation. For 2011, seminars will run from Wednesday to


Friday (January 12 to 14) other than for the SEN seminars which will run for the duration of the show. On Saturday, January 15, there will be a new format


entitled Open House @ BETT. For the first time, meeting spaces and audio-visual facilities are being offered free- of-charge to not-for-profit subject associations, teachers’ associations, organisations and networks. Some examples of sessions during the show


include one for visitors intrigued by the idea of using Second Life as a distance learning platform for CPD opportunities. Following successful experiences with the use of Second Life as a distance learning platform, Nick Speller and Carol Rainbow, both from the curriculum ICT team at Oxfordshire County Council’s Raising Achievement Service will be taking visitors on their journey which involved delivering e-safety, and CPD courses for teachers throughout the world as well


CPD at BETT


as hosting virtual meetings for Oxfordshire teachers (Wednesday, January 12 at 15:45). Another session will be hosted by Leo Gilbert,


vice principal of the Harris Academy Merton who will look at how the quality of teaching and learning in lessons at the academy has improved dramatically over the past three years, due largely to its programme of lesson observations. This workshop will look at how to lead such


a programme and how to use the information it generates to drive real, sustainable improvements in students’ progress (Thursday, January 13 at 15:45).


The conference


Despite the current changes in education funding, technology and its application continues to develop in schools across the UK. The use of ICT in education in the UK leads the way globally. To this end, BETT has launched two new co-located conferences aimed at education leaders. BETT International takes place on Tuesday and


Wednesday, January 11 and 12, and gathers policy- makers and influencers from across the globe. Participants will be engaged in two days of debate around the creation of highly effective education policies and systems. UK Education Leaders @ BETT is a second


conference which will gather the UK’s leading educators and policy influencers, offering a timely opportunity to reflect on the many changes ushered in by the change of government. This conference takes place on Thursday and Friday (January 13 and 14) and consists of Question Time-style debates, engaging high profile individuals to reflect and discuss the future of UK education. Also under consideration are the effects of the


Academies Act and initiatives such as the free schools programme. Discussions will review the consequences of the cancellation of many Building Schools for the Future (BSF) projects, the new context for future learning spaces, and the closure of agencies such as Becta and the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency. Christine Blower, general secretary of the National


Union of Teachers, was one of the first names confirmed on the panel and will be going head-to-head with Toby Young, associate editor of the Spectator, who is busy creating a free school in west London. Other confirmed panellists include Frank Green,


chief executive of the Leigh Academies Trust, Mike Welsh, national president of the National Association of Head Teachers, and Stephen Heppell, CEO of Heppell.net and emeritus professor at Anglia Ruskin University.


The exhibitors


Many of the 700 exhibitors showing the latest technology in education solutions at BETT will be running seminars and demonstrations. Visitors can explain their specific personal queries to gain clarification of particular issues and learn new ways of using the resources to meet their requirements. Visitors can get assistance and advice from


the Information Point in the Grand Hall which is being run by the British Educational Suppliers’ Association (BESA). You can also pick up a copy of the BESA book, which lists all 300-plus BESA members, consisting of educational suppliers of every kind who adhere to a stringent code of practice.


SecEd


• Ray Barker is the director of the British Educational Suppliers’ Association.


Further information


BETT 2011 runs at London’s Olympia from Wednesday, January 12 to Saturday, January 15. For more on the show, the seminar programme and exhibitors, visit www.bettshow.com For a programme of discussions for both the related


conferences, visit www.bettinternational.com and www.bettukleaders.com


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SecEd • January 6 2011


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