Experiment with the latest technology at Bett

Each year tens of thousands of people from across the world travel to Bett to experiment with the latest technology, hear from inspirational experts, and meet peers from all over the world.

Trying to innovate and evolve your teaching in line with ever-changing policy demands is hard for us all, so each year tens of thousands of people from across the world travel to Bett to experiment with the latest technology, hear from inspirational figures and experts in the industry, and meet peers from all over the world.

Bett is now in its 33rd year, and comes after a year of significant change within the education sector. Academisation, governance, selective schooling, teacher retention and the outcome of the EU referendum – Bett 2017 will provide an arena for open and informed discussions about these pivotal areas of education, and many more. This will ensure that attendees leave Bett equipped with the knowledge and insight needed to play a part in shaping the future of education worldwide.

2017’s show takes place at London’s ExCel on 25-28 January. It focuses on game changers: the individuals, events or products which result in a significant shift in how people behave and discover what is possible. With seminars, product showcases and demonstrations from a long list of the education industry’s game changers, combined with every educator’s own passion and can-do attitude, Bett 2017 aims to help visitors make their mark.

We’ve picked out some of the key things to look out for.

Futures returns
Bett Futures is back, in association with the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), offering visitors the chance to meet the innovative start‑ups driving forward the next generation of learning; the little companies with the biggest ideas. Introduced back in 2015, Futures celebrates brave thinking, innovative new products and education game changers, with 50 of the very best start-ups bursting onto the education scene; here are just a few of them.

Studytracks is a learner-led app that makes GCSE, AS and A-Level exam preparation enjoyable and effective. Studytracks merges music with curriculum-based study materials, so that when students listen to the music, information becomes embedded in their memory – just like song lyrics – which can then be easily be recalled in an exam.

Drumroll HQ will be showcasing E.A.K. (Erase all Kittens), a unique web-based platform game designed to teach students real coding languages and engage more girls by using a highly gamified and story-driven approach. E.A.K. helps students to build up their personal learning and thinking skills, and allows teachers to become facilitators of independent learning.

The Bett Futures seminar theatre will feature a programme of sessions designed to provoke debate and inspire visitors with practical ideas on how they can continue to transform teaching. Key themes include showcasing sessions from emerging edtech startups, effects of developing technologies on student-teacher relationships; stepping back to ‘re-imagine’ the curriculum; and working together to tackle online safety challenges: parent, teacher and student perspectives

Bett Arena
The Bett Arena will once again take centre stage, with a programme of headline names taking on the big topics in education at the heart of the show floor. Visitors are guaranteed to leave the Arena with practical advice, insight, inspiration, tools and the realisation that they can have a meaningful impact on the sector.

In 2017 it will play host to inspirational speakers such as Sir Ken Robinson, who returns following his popular Bett Arena session at Bett 2015; Pi-Top, the build it yourself RaspberryPi Laptop creators; learning games provider, Lightneer; the Ministry of Science; the Finnish-based global research project, HundrED; F1 in Schools; and digital leadership visionary, Eric Sheninger.

The STEAM Revolution
A large proportion of the jobs that schools are preparing their students for potentially don’t even exist yet. Bett’s STEAM Village (for science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) is a platform for educators, specialists and enthusiasts to join the STEAM revolution and identify those skills that students will inevitably need.

Through a series of panel discussions, dynamic sessions and live demonstrations, the STEAM Village will present the latest initiatives, projects and approaches that are shaping STEAM in schools. Key themes will include why STEAM and not STEM? Top tips to help teachers integrate a STEAM approach into their everyday practice; using a STEAM approach to fill the digital skills gap; and bridging the gap between education and industry.

Learn Live continues
The series of practitioner-led Learn Live seminars and workshops will continue, addressing the key issues in contemporary education and providing useful insight into the latest research, practices and policies affecting education worldwide. Visitors will come away from these sessions with innovative teaching techniques that they can easily implement in their own classrooms.

The show floor is once again set to be exciting, colourful and filled with innovative technologies; here are just a few examples of the exhibitors visitors can expect to see.

MINTclass is a secure online platform providing teachers with a range of features and modules, including its renowned digital seating planner, helping to save time and reduce workloads. New and updated modules include attendance recording, behaviour management, parent reports, markbooks, performance management and a staff calendar system.

Based in the heart of Silicon Valley, ROBOTERRA is the developer of creative robotic products, designed to stimulate creativity and cultivate the next generation of STEAM talents. ROBOTERRA’s robotics kits and software are designed to inspire creativity and motivate students to learn about science, while providing a foundation for tech-driven careers.

Multi-media learning
CENTURY Tech’s innovative and forward‑thinking platform is a unique blend of cognitive neuroscience, big data, and artificial intelligence (AI). Students access multimedia learning material through the platform and at the end complete a short, informal assessment. The artificially intelligent algorithms are able to adapt each individual student’s learner path, so the more the student uses the platform, the more CENTURY understands their learning needs.  

Integrex will showcase its cutting-edge interactive and touchscreen systems, including interactive floors, which are ideal for any special educational needs learning environment to stimulate children’s responses, cognitive understanding and recognition abilities. Products include VisiLift, VisiLift+,SENse and immersive rooms.

With strict mapping and rigorous quality assurance, GCSEPod has created over 4,000 audio-visual pods, covering more than 20 subjects. Endorsed by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), it facilitates intervention, impacts rates of progress and delivers on expectations and accountability. GCSEPod is a true core resource for mobile learning and revision and can be used on any device, inside or outside of school, and on or offline.

SchooliP is an online software platform that supports leaders and managers to improve teacher effectiveness through streamlining performance management, professional development and improvement planning. The software promotes teacher effectiveness by understanding the information leaders need to make managing staff performance an efficient and effective process.

OpenCampus is a solution for education management, built upon ‘Open Adoption’ technology. It provides an individual web‑based education portal with features for learning management, mobile app integrations and OpenCampus’ ‘build what you need technology’ – a concept that allows users to design features exactly as they want them. Online applications, classroom and course management, scheduling, evaluations, assignments, rewarding, e-learning, student billing, and communication tools are just some examples of the 300 plus features available with OpenCampus.

School leaders summit
The School Leaders Summit is one of the centre pieces at Bett, aimed at addressing some of the most significant challenges currently facing senior leadership teams.

This highly popular feature has been expanded for 2017 to incorporate two separate streams.

Stream 1 is focused on challenges, innovation and future gazing, aiming to probe into some of the biggest challenges facing senior leaders.

Stream 2 is addressing the practical and business challenges of leadership in education – this stream is the ideal forum for school business managers and other members of senior leadership teams.

Networking is a central aspect of the summit, with a dedicated break out area and numerous opportunities to network, expand knowledge and unite senior educators to address some of the greatest challenges facing education in 2017.

Key themes addressed in the programme include developing school business management skills; developing future leaders; academies – managing the process of conversion; the recruitment crisis – how to source top talent in challenging times; utilising data to make informed decisions; and navigating a challenging educational landscape and flourishing.

Higher education leaders summit
The Higher Education Leaders Summit has been developed for 2017 to address some of the most significant challenges currently facing senior leaders across higher education.

Hear from your peers as they provide insight into legislation updates, technology enhancing student attainment, pedagogy, and strategies.

Recent changes in this sector have given rise to difficult questions, and this programme is designed to equip the audience with the skills required to flourish in a rapidly changing landscape.

The summit offers the opportunity to learn from leading higher education institutions in the UK and abroad, as well as gain practical insights into improving student experience and learning outcomes.

Further information
www.bettshow.com