An insight into future technology

Taking place at London’s ExCel from 25-28 January 2017, Bett 2017 will have a fresh focus on game changers within education – those people, products and organisations creating an impact.

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.

Taking place at ExCel London from 25‑28 January 2017, Bett 2017 will have a fresh focus on game changers within education – those people, products and organisations creating an impact on the way we teach and learn across the world. With a history spanning over three decades, Bett is known for bringing together everyone with a passion for improving the future through education and showcasing the very best the global education marketplace has to offer.

Bett Arena
The Bett Arena offers visitors sessions that mix practical advice, insight, inspiration and tools. The area was developed to showcase the individuals and products that are creating an impact in education. For 2017, alongside speakers such as Heston Blumenthal, Sir David Carter and Elspeth Finch, expect the return of Sir Ken Robinson, exploding science, provocative open discussion, 3D printed school dinners, collaboration with thought leaders and visionaries and world exclusive tech launches. Join 1,000 global educators in the Arena for a passionate, open, knowledgeable and playful look at how, together, everyone can create a better future through education.

Bett attracts more than 30,000 educators from across the world each year who come to see the latest and most innovative learning resources and to learn from the various seminars.

Bett Futures
Bett Futures, a platform designed to nurture emerging edtech start-up companies, is returning to Bett following a successful launch at the show in 2015 and impressive growth in 2016. This year, the aim of Bett Futures is to showcase budding businesses that promise to be game changers in education and it will run in association with the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) and the Times Educational Supplement (TES), along with other partners.

The area celebrates brave thinking, innovative pedagogy, new products and education game changers. It was designed as a unique, global platform for emerging learning solutions that will provoke discussion and debate, inspiring attendees with practical ideas on how to improve their own educational practice.

The learner-led app Studytracks is just one of the technologies that will be showcased at the BETT Futures platform. It makes GCSE, AS and A-Level exam preparation enjoyable and effective by merging 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.

Higher Education Leaders Summit
New for Bett 2017, the Higher Education Leaders Summit has been developed to address some of the most significant challenges currently facing senior leaders across higher education. Developed specifically for higher education leaders, this summit provides a valuable opportunity to hear about and discuss the latest legislation updates, pedagogy and leadership strategies. The summit will offer the opportunity to learn from Higher Education peers from the UK and abroad, sharing practical insights into the teaching and learning experience at universities across the world.

The summit will cover important topics such as: the Teaching Excellence Framework; learning analytics and how to use them effectively in higher education; traditional assessment methods and their suitability with modern pedagogy; and the evolution of learning spaces within the digital landscape and how we can ensure student safety online.

Learn Live seminars
Practitioner-led ‘Learn Live’ seminars and workshops covering primary, secondary, higher education, special educational needs (SEN), further education and skills, will address key issues in contemporary education. These varied sessions will provide useful insight into the latest research, practices and policies affecting education worldwide. With leading speakers from across all walks of the education sector, these sessions are designed to provide practical teaching techniques that educators can take away and 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.

Innovative technology
Other innovative technology on show at the Learn Live area include CENTURY Tech’s innovative and forward‑thinking platform. It 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 growing emphasis on school leadership will be addressed in the School Leaders Summit, which will explore the most significant challenges facing senior leadership teams and how they can be tackled. This summit will also provide an opportunity for school business managers and senior leaders to network and collaborate to come up with forward-thinking solutions to improve school leadership.

Expanded for Bett 2017, the School Leaders Summit is separated into two streams. The first stream will focus on challenges, innovation and the future of education, probing into some of the biggest challenges facing senior school leaders. The second stream will address the practical and business challenges of leadership in education, making it the ideal session for school business managers and other members of senior leadership teams.

Topics that will be covered include developing school business management skills; managing the process of academy conversion; and how to source top talent in challenging times.

STEAM Village
Following its success in 2016, the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) Village will play host to a number of organisations supporting learning in the STEAM subjects. The Bett STEAM Village is an interactive space for teachers and students to learn through exploration and play, allowing visitors to try out STEAM solutions and products while considering how they can be assimilated into the classroom to enhance education. Experts will be on hand to guide visitors through key STEAM topics, teaching methods, and new and emerging technologies.

A platform for educators, specialists and STEAM enthusiasts, the STEAM Village will host a series of panel discussions, dynamic sessions and live demonstrations, and present the latest initiatives, projects and approaches that are shaping STEAM education. Discussions will address key issues such as why we’re now talking about STEAM as opposed to STEM, how a STEAM approach can be integrated into teachers’ everyday practice, how to fill the digital skills gap with a STEAM approach, and bridging the gap between education and industry.

The Bett Awards
Considered by many as the most esteemed accolade in the industry, the Bett Awards provide a showcase of resources and companies that seek to provide educators with the information, ideas and inspiration that are fundamental to the learning process.

The Bett Awards are a celebration of the inspiring creativity and innovation that can be found throughout technology for education. The awards form an integral part of Bett each year, the world’s leading showcase of education technology solutions. The winners are seen to have excelled in ICT provision and support for nurseries, schools, colleges and special schools alike with a clear focus on what works in the classroom.The 2017 award winners will be revealed at Tobacco Quay in London on 25 January.

Bett is free to attend but to save time, pre‑show registration is recommended, see the website for details.

Further information
www.bettshow.com