BETT Review
honoured with an Outstanding Achievement in ICT for Education Award for his “exceptional journalism and recognition for the need for discussion”.
He was given a standing ovation from the audience of more than 600 international educators and members of the UK’s ICT education software and hardware industry, as he picked up his award at the annual prestigious BETT Awards held at London’s Hilton Hotel. Dominic Savage director general of the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) said: “Merlin John has been a passionate opinion holder in our profession and is very clear about the need for schools to invest in technology. This man is not afraid to challenge the accepted status quo.”
BETT award winners celebrate T
he winners of the 14th annual prestigious BETT Awards 2012 were announced on the first day of BETT, the world’s largest technology in education show, at the BETT Awards gala dinner held at London Hilton, Park Lane. Organised and managed by Emap and BESA (The British Educational Suppliers Association), the annual BETT Awards aims to recognise, reward and celebrate ICT excellence within the education sector by honouring outstanding resources and learning solutions developed by educational suppliers. Entries to the BETT Awards are judged by over 50 education professionals to ensure a fair and meticulous process. Debbie French, exhibition director at Emap said: “We are very pleased to congratulate all winners in each of the categories of the 2012 BETT Awards. With so many outstanding entries this year, winning a BETT Award is truly a mark of excellence in ICT. Educators can be assured that each of the winners has produced engaging resources that respond to the needs of the education system to improve learning outcomes.”
A showcase for the UK
Ray Barker, director of BESA added: “As BETT has become the international showcase for what the UK can offer the world in educational ICT, it is important to recognise the value of the BETT Awards as a robust, criteria-led, quality mechanism for promoting the best technological solutions that really work in classrooms. The BETT Awards are now the standard by which the UK and international education industry can recognise and reward valuable and innovative resources.”
Northgate Managed Services, leading provider of IT services to the education sector, is celebrating having scooped ‘ICT Company of the Year - over £3million turnover’ at the 2012 BETT Awards. The award recognises Northgate’s outstanding provision of ICT services and its contribution to the success of schools which has led to a six to seven percent increase in GCSE results at A*-C within the schools with which it
February 2012 Life in a global society
Oddizzi also celebrated winning the ‘Primary Digital Content’ award at the 2012 BETT Awards. Oddizzi is a captivating and engaging new cross curricular teaching resource designed to bring the world to life for Early Years Foundation stage, KS 1 and KS 2 pupils. The BETT Awards form an integral part of the annual BETT show and celebrate the creativity and innovation that can be found in technology for education. The winners are chosen on the basis of excellence in ICT provision and support for nurseries, schools, Academies, colleges and special schools alike, with a clear focus on what works in the classroom.
Commenting on her company’s success, Jenny Cooke, founder of Oddizzi said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have been awarded winner in the Primary Digital Content category in the 2012 BETT Awards. We passionately believe that the development of children’s knowledge and understanding of the world is crucial to preparing children for life in a global society and it’s great that this has been recognised.” The judges, including key government agencies, teachers and local authority representatives, commented “This is a cost- effective solution to explore global issues and develop geographical skills. It has many excellent features that bring together relevant and up-to- date information, games, live newsfeeds and high-quality graphics to support classroom teaching and pupils’ independent research.” Education journalist Merlin John, who founded the former TES Online magazine and now runs his own website,
Agent4Change.net, was
works. It also recognises Northgate’s commitment to building solid partnerships, provision of first class customer service, significant investment in staff training and development and improving the employability and education opportunities for young people. This success is reflected in the company’s strong financial performance and dynamic growth of 13% in revenue in the education sector.
“For someone who learnt to read and write on a slate in Black Lane Primary School in Wales, how could I not be fascinated in seeing the slate go digital?”, asked Merlin John after the presentation. “And writing about how teachers are enriching and changing children’s lives by innovative use of technology is an absolute pleasure. Being recognised for that by my peers at BETT, the most vibrant technology show in the world has to be the icing on the cake. But you know what they say in this game - ‘Never start taking your own press releases too seriously!”
Increasing communication ParentMail, creators of a leading electronic parental communication and payment service for schools, won the ‘ICT Leadership and Management Solutions’ award.
ParentMail is today used by over 5,000 schools to communicate more than 10 million messages to 3.5 million parents a month. Its web-based system allows schools to send email or text messages to parents, collect online payments for trips and dinner money, sell items through a school shop, and communicate pupil absence, as well as much more. Autumn 2011 saw the launch of the £1.5 million, next-generation ParentMail 2 and innovative ParentMail smart phone app that allows parents to manage their children’s busy schedules on the go. Geoff Jones, marketing director, ParentMail commented; “Research has shown that our system can save schools thousands of pounds a year in the cost of telephone calls, letters and postage.”
Lawrence Royston, Managing Director of ICT Company of the Year – £1million to £3million turnover, Groupcall Limited, said “For over a decade, Groupcall has worked hard to affirm its position as an industry specialist and market leader in providing communication and data solutions to the UK and international schools. We have listened to our customers - teachers, schools and parents - and developed and enhanced our products in line with their needs and a rapidly advancing technology driven world. Our initial aim was to improve general and emergency communication between a school and its parents; we have achieved this as well as improving parental engagement and lowering school costs. To receive any BETT award is an honour, but to be awarded the ICT Company of the Year title is a testament to work we have put into all of our products. We are so proud, honoured and thrilled with the announcement.”
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