search.noResults

search.searching

note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
BETT 2018 REVIEW


The best bits at Bett: What’s to come in edtech? A


ttracting around 34,000 visitors over four days, Bett is the first annual temperature check for edtech and education in general, and this year’s Bett was no exception. In fact, with the launch of a three-year study, the event offered a state of the nation style examination of technology in education. The Innovation Index was the result of large scale independent research. Findings included a lack of institutional support for edtech; Of 1,026 educators surveyed, 88 per cent agreed that education technology enables innovation in pedagogy and has improved the quality of education in their sector. But with 42 per cent suggesting their institution is reluctant to invest, and 47 per cent stating the IT infrastructure inhibits adoption of more education technology, the results show there is a danger of schools investing in important tech but falling at the last hurdle; supporting implementation. It will be interesting to see what next year’s results are…


So what was at Bett? An overriding theme for this year’s Bett was


preparing students for a digital future. Virtual and augmented reality were more evident this year, and AI was built into a few different solutions. But Bett isn’t just about the futuristic tech that schools might not be in the right place for yet. While there are still many proponents of tech in the classroom, it’s becoming clear that we’ve moved on from the tech versus traditional methods debate. It’s not a binary choice for the more experienced schools, it’s about its appropriate use, whether that’s in the hands of the teacher or student or whether it’s tech in the development process.


A good example of this was Mrs Wordsmith; a fascinating product that illustrates the 10,000 words necessary for academic success. The use of machine learning to identify the words from a plethora of sources, and the work with professors and experts to make sure that the final list of words is spot on, is a great example of the appropriate use of technology; research on that scale simply wouldn’t be feasible without machine learning. The information is presented in cards, gorgeously illustrated (by the man behind Madagascar) in a way that makes the information really stick. First launched for the parental market,


it was when teachers who’d bought the product for their kids started to demand a classroom version that the company launched into education, developing a portfolio of free resources with schools’ input to round out the offering.


With the same theme, ITSI, a company that began in South Africa and expanded into the UK last year, showed its 21st Century answer to the textbook at Bett. Its Educator Console brings together electronic resources via an ebooks platform and a range of tools that allow teachers to add and augment the content they teach. The emphasis on balancing technology with traditional learning was evident in a pleasing way. Another example but in a totally different area was Kamibot. Launched with a Kickstarter campaign, the company offers programmable, paper-craft robots that allow kids to get hands on with programming, while getting creative with crafting. A lovely example of tech and hands-on creativity.


Also focusing on hands-on creativity, LEGO Education’s new Maker activities encourage pupils to use their imaginations and imagination to solve open-ended tasks through hands-on play


26 www.education-today.co.uk


February 2018


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48