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Exertis has announced two business


manager appoint-


ments within its Exertis Pro AV division. David Scott has been recruit- ed to head up and drive the accessories business and Carl Swather- idge will be responsible for the projec- tion business. Ian Neale, Exertis Pro AV solutions, general man- ager said: “I am delighted to be welcom- ing both Da- vid and Carl to our expand- ing business following our recent inte- gration with Stampede. With our in-


creasing number of brands, we have a great opportunity to grow our business with our AV specialists and IT resellers, helping them to provide end to end solutions in a wide variety of vertical markets for their


customers. David and Carl have a great deal of experience in the AV market and will be able to make an immediate impact with both our ven- dors and custom- ers.”


David Scott (left) will manage Exertis’ Pro AV Solutions range of AV accessories. Carl Swatheridge will be responsible for the projection business.


Scott will man- age Exer- tis’ Pro AV Solutions range of AV acces- sories – mounts, brackets and sup- ports from l e a d i n g vendors. He joins from Tech Data’ s Maverick division where, for the last


two years, he was a business manager for a host of interac- tive flat panel vendors. Prior to that he spent almost eight years in two spells at Steljes as a product manager.


Scott said “Exertis has estab-


BETT 2019 Report BETT 2019:


With somewhat less to see at this year’s BETT, there was more time for in-depth discussion. A conversation with Ali Hay- ward, head of UKI and ANZ markets at Promethean, underlined the confidence and enthusiasm flowing through Pro- methean these days, following the in- vestment by Net Dragon Websoft and a significant up turn in market share, due in part to some spectacular project wins, including the Moscow Schools Project which has seen the vendor ship 20,00 panels in phase 1 alone. Promethean is optimistic about phases 2 and 3, and hopeful about subsequent projects in neighbouring countries. With its presence divided between an impressive booth on the show floor fea- turing current solutions and some sug- gestions for future directions presented to an invited audience in the Platinum Suite, Promethean gave Bett visitors both insights and experiences to help guide and enhance the implementation of ef- fective strategies which directly support curriculum delivery and help raise stan- dards. In previewing the next generation of its award-winning and market-leading ActivPanel solutions, Promethean also underlined its commitment to the future. The new ActivPanel ‘Elements’ Series will give schools increased flexibility and con- trol to align technology investment with budget and ICT strategy. Incorporating enhanced Vellum Writing Technology and access to a choice of ActivInspire and cloud-based ClassFlow software programmes as standard, the ActivPanel Elements Series continues Promethean’s commitment to delivering future-proofed


lished itself as a leading AV distributor and it’s an exciting time to be joining the compa- ny. We have a huge opportu- nity to develop and drive the AV attach category as we look to provide a one stop shop to channel partners for our wide range of display brands. I am very much looking forward to pushing our offering forward in support of this.”


Swatheridge becomes busi- ness manager for Exertis Pro AV Solutions responsible for its projection category, work- ing with a number of leading brands. He joins from Tech Data where he spent over six years as a category manager for peripherals and monitors. Previously, he has worked as a demand planner for three years for a food supply chain company and a publishing group. “I’m hugely excited to be joining Exertis and am looking forward to working with the AV and sales teams to help grow the projector business. Exer- tis has a fantastic AV portfolio and a great group of special- ists that can help resellers to make the most of an opportu- nity by deploying a complete solution,” said Swatheridge.


when less is more!


A number of the regular education iFPD brands were missing from the show at BETT 2019, leaving the way pretty much clear for market leaders Clevertouch and Promethean. Clear that is, if you don’t count panel builders Benq, Vestel, ViewSonic and Vivitek making a play for a slice of the global education market.


products for education.


“Educators come to Bett looking to learn about getting the most out of edtech today – but also a vision for the future. By previewing the ActivPanel Elements Series, we’re able to show how our solu- tions will be evolving in line with teacher feedback and at the same time give our existing customers confidence that to- day’s investments will meet their needs for a long time to come,” explained Ian Curtis, Head of EMEA and Asia Pacific Markets, Promethean. Throughout the four-day show, Promet- hean used #ClassroomStory to encourage educators to share their best teaching memories and experiences which have shaped a love for learning: “For some time now, education headlines have been dominated by the negative impact of budget cuts, teacher workload and ris- ing stress levels in the sector. We want to buck this trend by sharing the positivity and passion which makes teaching such a powerful vocation. Educators nurture students who will become the leaders of tomorrow and we need to recognise and celebrate the work that they do – even more so in the face of the challenges we hear so much about,” continued Ian. Everyone who shared their #Classroom- Story on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at Bett was be automatically entered into a competition, with the most popular post being awarded a Promethean ActivPan- el. On the showfoor, a rolling seminar programme led by UK teachers, interna- tional educators and guest speakers will showcase practical ideas which leverage the potential of edtech to deliver lessons


P18 AV News February 2019


on a wide range of curriculum subjects for both primary and secondary. From STEM and geography, literature and online safety through to feedback and assessment, the seminar sessions will demonstrate best practice approaches for lesson delivery using the ActivPanel. Over in the Platinum Suite, Bett del- egates will be presented with a vision of how technology in the classroom could look in years to come. This prod- uct conceptualisation ran alongside a programme of thought leadership pre- sentations which examine topics such as ‘AI, Identity and the Future of Learn- ing’, ‘Game-based Learning’ and ‘The Learning Mind’. Presented by Promet- hean Education Strategist, Dr John Col- lick, these thought-provoking sessions were designed to stimulate discussion and debate around the evolving role of technology, both in education and soci- ety as a whole.


Grandmaster


Unsurprisingly, there was a distinctly Russian feel to Promethean’s Suite presence. Following the pilot of a chess-based educational initiative in Russia, Promethean invited Grand- master Sergey Karjakin, and a Russian maths teacher, to Bett 2019 to deliver a programme of activity which provides insights into the learning benefits of teaching chess in the classroom. After undertaking academic studies that demonstrated learning chess could help to improve student achievement, Moscow Education Department has introduced weekly chess lessons as a mandatory part of the primary curricu- lum. To support schools in integrating chess teaching into the classroom us- ing technology, Promethean piloted the ‘Grandmaster Challenge,’ which gave all schools in Russia the opportunity to showcase creative ways of teaching chess with Promethean solutions. Commenting on why Promethean launched the chess initiative,


Ian


Curtis said: “We’re much more than a technology company. We are heavily invested in education and supporting


Nureva has announced the ap- pointment of Susan Jickling as its director, international sales, and Adrian Doughty as its


director,


North American sales. The cre- ation of these two roles reflects the company’s growing profile in the global visual collaboration and au- dio-conferencing markets and the sales opportunity this represents. Susan has 25 years of experi- ence in sales and channel man- agement that aligns well with the company’s goals and strategies for 2019 and beyond. Adrian has a strong channel background, having worked at a major North American VAR for 14 years. Susan


and Adrian will work with Nureva’s channel to deepen their knowl- edge of and commitment to Nure- va products and dramatically in- crease sales. Together, Susan and Adrian bring the key experience and perspective that Nureva needs to drive strong growth and expand market penetration globally. “I’m very excited for the oppor- tunity to work with the channel to drive new revenue with Nureva visual collaboration solutions and audio-conferencing systems,” said Susan. “I have always been pas- sionate about helping customers identify how solutions can solve their business problems, and I’m


thrilled to be able to do that with Nureva and its products.” “Since joining Nureva four years ago, I have met with peo- ple all over the world who are looking for better ways to work together, and I’ve been fortu- nate to help take three break- through products to market that do just that,” said Adrian. “I am honoured to take on this new role and look forward to contributing to the company’s growing success.” “We are pleased to have two strong, experienced sales pro- fessionals leading the com- pany’s North American and international teams,” said Nan- cy Knowlton, Nureva’s CEO. “Adrian is a strong contributor and the consummate sales per- son, valued and recognized for his abilities by the team and the channel. Susan has already gotten deep into Nureva prod- ucts, the market and selling proposition,


Nureva has announced the ap- pointment of Susan Jickling as its director, international sales, and Adrian Doughty as its director, North American sales.


teachers to develop lifelong learners. In today’s world, technology plays an increas- ingly prominent role in teaching and learn- ing, just as it does in students’ home lives. In light of this, we wanted to encourage teachers to explore approaches which use modern technologies alongside traditional methods of chess teaching – the objective being to better engage students in learning to play chess.”


Having emerged as the winner of Promet-


hean’s Grandmaster Challenge, Bakhova Alfusya Borisovna, maths teacher at Sec- ondary School No 6, Nartkala in the Kab- ardino-Balkarian Republic, delivered daily presentations on Stand B98 which shared her innovative approach to chess teach- ing with technology. Presenting alongside Sergey Karjakin, who holds the record as the world’s youngest ever Grandmaster, Al- fusya provided insights into making chess engaging for even the youngest of students, while Sergey discussed why he believes the game has an important role to play in de- veloping children’s mathematical, critical thinking, and social skills.


As a guest judge and ambassador of the Promethean Grandmaster Challenge, Sergey commented: “I learned to play chess at the age of 5 and went on to become the world’s youngest Grandmaster at just 12, so I speak from experience when I say it is a game that can be taught from a very young age – and one which provides so many benefits from an educational perspective. Unfortunately, chess is not perceived as a ‘trendy’ game, and that is a perception that we need to change, because it has the potential to help students to naturally develop much needed skills for future em- ployment.”


With over 30 years’ experience in the teaching profession, Alfusya prepared the Promethean Grandmaster Challenge nom- ination with her 11-year old pupils: “While chess teaching is not part of the curriculum in our own region, I recognise the value that the game can play in helping students to become much more well-rounded learners. At Bett, I will be sharing the lesson I pre- pared which fostered problem solving in small groups and ignited excitement that spread to other subjects.”


Promethean is a global education com-


pany that improves learning productivity by developing, integrating, and imple- menting innovative 21st-century learning environments. At Promethean, our goal is to reimagine and reinvent educational technologies that engage and empower the classroom, and we do it all for the love of learning. Promethean’s main headquarters is located in Seattle, Wash. Promethean is a member of the Net Dragon Websoft Hold- ings Limited (HKSE: 0777) group of com- panies. For more information, please visit PrometheanWorld.com.


Complete Classroom


Meanwhile, at the other end of the venue, Clevertouch celebrated its 10th anniver- sary with the launch of ‘The Complete Classroom' solution at BETT; an all-in-one teaching ecosystem that gives teachers ev- erything they need to enact a digital trans- formation within their own classrooms, creating a 21st century learning environ- ment. First to market in 2009, Clevertouch disrupted the marketplace by launching a pioneering interactive touchscreen dis- play, designed specifically for teachers. It


was an instant hit and is now the in- cumbent front-of-class technology in schools around the world and remains the leading interactive touchscreen in education in the UK. For the past 12-months, the Clever- touch development team has been fo- cused on researching and creating the “perfect” teaching environment. Clev- ertouch technology continues to lead the market because of its responsive, agile user-led development strategy. Shaun Marklew, Chief Technologist at Clevertouch said: "One of the over-rid- ing principles of Clevertouch is that we keep our ear to the ground. We listen to the people using our screens, we actively encourage their feedback, and then we act upon it. We know our competitors are constantly chasing at our heels, which means we must get it right. This is how we consistently stay ahead. It's no longer all about the screen," explains Marklew. "It's now about ensuring teachers have the tools they need at their fingertips in the classroom, so they can easily create dynamic, immersive digital


learning


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