And the winners are...
Considered the highest accolade in the industry, the Bett Awards, now in their 17th year, bring together developers, distributors and educational practitioners each year to recognise, reward and celebrate ICT excellence in the education sector.
Early Years Digital Content Day Two Productions – The Traditional Storyteller Apps
Primary Digital Content Rising Stars – Switched on Computing
Secondary Digital Content Soundbitelearning UK Ltd – GCSEPod
Best Whole Course Curriculum Content 3P Learning – Mathletics
ICT Tools for Learning and Teaching – web-based SMART Technologies – SMART amp™
ICT Tools for Learning and Teaching – non-web based
Digital Collections and Resource Banks Encyclopaedia Britannica – Britannica School
ICT Special Educational Needs Solutions SOUND FOR LIFE – Forbrain
Digital Devices zSpace, Inc. – zSpace Virtual Reality Science Lab
ICT Leadership and Management Solutions South West Grid for Learning – BOOST
ICT Company of the Year – Less than £1m turnover Sonocent Ltd
ICT Company of the Year – Between £1m and £10m turnover Frog Education
ICT Company of the Year – Over £10m turnover Promethean
ICT Exporter of the Year LearnPad
ICT Services and Support Toshiba
Free Digital Content/Open Educational Resources Just2easy – J2Code
International Digital Resource 3P Learning – Mathletics
Educational Apps Red Jumper Studio – Book Creator
Bett Exhibition Stand of the Year Exa Education
Innovation in ICT Airhead Education
Outstanding Achievement in ICT Education The Rt Hon Charles Clarke
12 | EVENT REVIEW: BET T 2015 | PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL S
Education, Liz Sproat. She unveiled Google Play for Education – an extension of the Google Play store that allows teachers to find student-friendly apps. She also talked about Google Classroom – the free suite of productivity tools including Gmail, Drive and Docs, designed to help teachers create and collect assignments paperlessly. During her speech in the Bet
arena, Liz said: “The education system needs to move to one which is more personalised, it needs to move away from something that only happens in the classroom and reflect the fact that people are learning in all different environments – anywhere, anytime. It must move from something which is top-down, in which the teacher imparts all the knowledge, to one in which students can embark on their own learning journeys. A system from which learning is isolated to one which is collaborative.” Other speakers this year ranged from
visionaries such as Sir Ken Robinson, outlining his view that many countries are pushing reforms in the wrong direction, to practical sessions for the day-to-day by people such as Robert Mullins, co-founder, Raspberry Pi and Bill Liao, co-founder of CoderDojo, who discussed the state of computer science a year on from Michael Gove’s announcement of an overhaul of ICT teaching in schools.
Successful Futures Outside of the arena and tucked away in a corner of the show floor was one of the most exciting areas of the event. Bet Futures, new for 2015, played host to 30 edtech start-ups with their own solutions to today's classroom challenges. It's exciting to think that these small organisations could grow to become our large tech companies of the future.
Global scale The show’s ever-increasing global appeal was reflected in its international visitors. Education professionals from 127 countries atended this year’s event, compared with 112 in 2014. Bet 2015 saw 6% more visitors come
through the ExCel entrance than it did 12 months ago. It continues to provide education professionals from all over the world with a space to meet, network and share ideas about ways in which we can enhance teaching and learning through the very best edtech. ET
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Shaun Marklew, Director, Clevertouch
This year’s BETT was all about the education app and the software that enables it. There were a plethora of new and exciting app developers at BETT this year, all creating tools to aid teachers and appeal to pupils. Over the next few years many apps will become integral to the learning experience of Generation Z and entrench in their memories – much like the Peter and Jane Ladybird books or Jean-Paul et Claudette. With 70% of schools now incorporating
personal and front-of-class interactive touchscreens in the classroom, the future of education is ‘all about the app’. Bright, colourful, high-resolution activities and games that are linked to the curriculum from creative app developers such as Edoki and Daydream work in harmony with teacher and pupil devices, enabling greater collaboration in the classroom.
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Simon Hawke, Assistant Head and ICT Coordinator at Grafton Primary School in Dagenham
The biggest change that I noticed at BETT 2015 compared to the previous two shows was the shift towards interactive classroom technology. Two years ago there were only two or three different companies exhibiting front-of-class touchscreens amidst a sea of projector-based screens. This year the tide touchscreens, which come with their own software and in some cases, in-built operating systems. The rise of iPads and tablets was
also evident this year. I think tablet manufacturers have only recently begun to understand how they can be used in the classroom setting effectively. Software and app developers are devising new and exciting ways to enhance children's learning experiences in line with the curriculum and across the interactive devices that are increasingly being used in schools. Because society relies so heavily on
instant connectivity these days, we have a responsibility to prepare children for the future and ensure that they have the necessary skills to join a digital workforce when the time comes.
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