10 | EVENT REVIEW: BETT 2014 | NEWS AND CURRENT AF FAIRS To watch a video click here...
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ABOVE: The 2014 event attracted around 36,000 visitors BELOW: Johnny Ball
Rebecca Paddick took a trip to the ExCel London, where this year's Bet show celebrated its 30th anniversary
T
he UK’s biggest education and learning technology event opened its doors for another year in January.
Bet 2014 had more content than ever before, with a
jam-packed Arena programme, three CPD-accredited summits, six Learn Live theatres and a whole host of networking and fringe activity. Speaking at the show, Dominic Savage, director
general of the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), said the four-day event and awards evening “brings the industry together”. “We try to keep the show expanding in-line with the
growth of industry, so I think it is inevitable that the show will be even bigger next year,” he added. Savage also mentioned that Bet’s growing
international presence played an important part this year. “The show aims to be reflective of the global move of education technology. Inviting the international companies along gives them and the UK-based firms a chance to talk all things industry.” This year, the edtech industry’s leaders, including more than 700 exhibitors, came together to showcase their latest products and discuss key themes making waves throughout our sector, and top of this year’s agenda was the impending computing curriculum.
Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove opened the show on Wednesday. In his keynote
speech he said the curriculum, which will be taught in UK primary schools from September this year, was built “from the botom up” by academics because government departments would not be able to keep up with the rapid pace of technology. He added: “Nothing has a shorter life span than the
cuting edge. How can departments regulate policy if they can’t keep up with such speed?” Sir Bob Geldof made an appearance on the first
day of the show. Best known for the 1985 Live Aid and 2005 Live 8 concerts, and as a rock star with the Boomtown Rats, Sir Bob also co-founded Groupcall, a communications and data solutions company in 2001. Speaking from the Groupcall stand, Sir Bob discussed the dangers of living and working in a digital world. “People talk about inequality in terms of income but there is a far more dangerous inequality for the future, and that is technology. If nations don’t have the knowledge and the technical capacity for innovation then they lose their edge.” See my full interview with Bob on the Education Technology website. The summits and seminars at BETT are always a big
draw, and this year’s line-up was no exception. The Technology in Higher Education Summit
created a space for HE professionals involved in IT provision to share ideas, future-gaze and streamline technology decision-making. Experts within HE and their counterparts in the corporate world provided insight into technology delivery on a budget and managing user expectations. Not only did this year’s Bet bring the education
community together, but it also unveiled the latest and best learning technology transforming education in the UK and beyond.
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