BETT Review
150 schools to encourage understanding of how to use technology, gaming and programming tools to foster key skills such as literacy and numeracy as well as more advance Computer Science capabilities.
Gareth Ritter, Music teacher at Willows High School in Cardiff commented: “My pupils, like so many, play on consoles until the late hours of the morning. In gaming, when they fail a level they don’t give up, they are determined to succeed. It’s this determination we need to bring into the classroom. Working with other teachers across the UK through Microsoft’s Partners in Learning programme has meant I’ve been able to introduce gaming principles as part of everyday music lessons. Using these tools has had an unbelievable impact on my learners and their ambition to do well.”
Microsoft’s ‘Learning Suite’, a set of applications designed specifically for education is now available free of charge to teachers and students as part of the company’s three year programme to improve academic attainment and help build a ‘Brighter Britain’. Steve Beswick commented, “Learning Suite incorporates a huge number of tools which teachers – and students – can use to make the curriculum more exciting. All available for free, software such as Kodu Game Lab introduces programming to younger children for the first time, allowing them to create their own world, while teaching aids such as ‘Mouse Mischief’ promote structured learning in the classroom. We wanted to make all these tools as accessible as possible which is why we’ve introduced them as a Learning Suite.”
Dr. Thomas Lim, Director of the Media Development Agency Singapore said: “As a trade platform for serious games, this year’s BETT has certainly met our expectations. We were delighted to receive a lot of interest in our Singapore-made games for young children, particularly from British schools. For example, following BETT, Moomba Music - a Singapore- created music programme that teaches creativity and builds character in young children - will now be used by schools in the Midlands and London. This type of success shows that UK schools are committed to investing in innovative ways to engage children in learning, including collaborating with external organisations, to stay on top of their game.”
Collaborative learning Global education technology company, Promethean unveiled the ActivTable for public preview at BETT 2012. The new technology shakes up the classroom environment by providing a dynamic and interactive learning experience. ActivTable inspires users to take an active role in their own learning and that of their friends by driving student engagement, participation and creativity.
The ActivTable is aimed towards primary school and special educational needs learners. At 46 inches, the screen provides one of the largest interactive surface areas on the market and allows up to six students to use it at any one time, with ample room for them to work together. The interactive nature of the ActivTable encourages inclusion and collaborative skills such as problem solving, group work, critical thinking and consensus decision making.
February 2012
With web browser capabilities, individual tool libraries and support for numerous applications and activities, the ActivTable is simple to set up and intuitive to use. Teachers can also create tailor made activities in order to meet core curriculum learning objectives. The ActivTable integrates easily with Promethean and third party resources, content and solutions, including interactive whiteboards.
Speaking at the show, Paul Berry, Chief Marketing Officer, Promethean said: “In a departure from previous years, visitors to BETT Show 2012 can rediscover Promethean and see how it has grown beyond being solely an interactive whiteboard company. Promethean’s solutions address the biggest issues concerning educators and schools at the moment; classroom productivity, data driven decision making, assessment for learning and collaborative learning and use integrated technologies to improve teaching and learning.” The Samsung SUR40, an Interactive Table in conjunction with Microsoft Surface software, took centre stage on its stand at the show. The interactive display features PixelSense technology, which gives LCD panels the power to see without the use of cameras. Its thin, large display recognises fingers and hands placed on the screen enabling people to share, collaborate and explore together. The SDP-860 Visualiser, an efficient and attention grabbing way to present objects, specimens and documents to classrooms or lecture halls of any size was also on display alongside other innovative products including the Samsung Series 2, Series 4 and Series 9 notebooks and the new 700T Slate PC. The 700T Slate PC features the Windows 7 operating system so users can enjoy the same high productivity and familiar interface as a normal PC, but with a wide variety of input methods. It’s quick and easy to create and manage your own content on the Slate, such as pictures and videos, and it includes a wireless keyboard, digitizer pen, touch screen interface and slate PC dock, for maximum convenience and enhanced productivity.
The Series 5 Chromebook – said to be the world’s first Chrome OS notebook was also on
display as part of Samsung’s virtualised computing rage. By moving everything to the cloud, it eliminates any concerns about security and data loss. For example, with nothing stored directly on the Series 5, malicious spyware, trojans and viruses are a thing of the past. If the notebook is ever broken or lost, all of your files are saved online.
Graham Long, Vice President of IT, Samsung UK explains: “Samsung is leading the market in cloud displays, and with its broad range of products for the education sector will open up virtualised learning for classrooms all over the UK.”
Assistive technology
Sight and Sound Technology, a leading UK provider of hardware and software solutions for visually impaired and blind users, as well as users with learning and reading difficulties, showcased the latest cutting-edge assistive technology at BETT 2012.
Commenting on its place at the show, Glenn Tookey, CEO of Sight and Sound Technology, said: “BETT is well known for its long standing tradition of showcasing the best available assistive technologies to the public. Our reputation has been built on the same approach, working with customers to take advantage of technology to provide the right solutions and support. Keeping up with the fast pace of technology development is always a challenge, but we continue to build our Master Distribution relationships ensuring that we are able to offer choice, best of breed products and great support to our customers.”
Just about anyone can improve their writing using WordQ from Assistive Solutions. Designed for struggling writers, within minutes it enables students to find and fix their own mistakes. WordQ makes smart word suggestions with every letter they type. It learns the words they prefer and offers them quicker. See and hear examples for homonyms like ‘their’ or ‘there’ and add variety by selecting from words with the same meaning. Commenting on BETT, MD David Baxter Williams said, “It’s not just our customers we meet here, but the entire industry.”
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