[Andrew Field]

Are you going to the BETT show this year? Weather permitting I hope to be able to go on Wednesday (also attending the Adobe evening event for the first time) and Friday when I'm delivering a 'best practice' presentation on the Adobe stand at 1-1.30pm about "Using Flash to enliven the ICT curriculum".

Neale-Wade is also involved in delivering a seminar on STARS - the excellent online reporting software that we've started using this year. The seminar takes place in the 'Software Zone' on Wednesday 13 January.

With the Neale-Wade BSF 'final bidder' decision made I'm also looking for as many ideas to ensure the Building Schools for the Future provision continues to be as cutting edge as we've been promised.

I hope BETT will be particularly interesting this year. I didn't attend last year but have done for quite a few of the previous years. I hope the current ecnonmic climate will focus companies on real educational provision, focusing on the value for money aspects rather than attempting to flog off unexciting pseudo-educational materials or resources. It will be interesting to see how the exhibition is pitched. From what I picked up last year there was a much greater focus on effective practice, making use of ICT tools and resources for educational benefit - I hope this is the case this year too.

BETT Show 2010

.... However, not a great start - I saw a few seminars which actually look quite good - especially some of the Building Schools for the Future ones and the Creative Computing with Open Source. Yet each one costs at least £7.50 to attend and most seem to cost £15.00. I guess the have to cover the costs somehow, but that seems a bit grim.

[goneunderground]

I'm going on the Saturday for the day - I have never been before and I am both looking forward to it but also a bit daunted by what people have said - the magnitude of it - knowing where to go and what to see etc. I am not going to any seminars deliberately because I just want the freedom of time to wander around - I got my badge and booklet today so will plan a route from there Going to the VLE places of course and the Open Source cafe -but any other suggestions willingly accepted - and I hope they give out freebies! Hoping to meet some twitter people who might be there too that day. As for you Andrew -we really must try and meet in the real world in 2010 after communicating regularly for years now

[Nick Dennis]

I am going on the Friday and will be there all day and all evening! Why not just charge a flat entry fee if you have to charge at all? Hopefully will catch you this year Mr Field!

[dcraggs]

Nick Dennis, on 08 January 2010 - 12:36 AM, said:

I am going on the Friday and will be there all day and all evening! Why not just charge a flat entry fee if you have to charge at all? Hopefully will catch you this year Mr Field!

Going on Saturday too. Will be interesting to see what is on offer - on the market for new IWB's for 3 school sites from Primary through to Post 16 (15), so no doubt will be found hanging around near IWB suppliers listening to usual sales pitches. Wish I could make week days..seminars always seem more interesting. Looking to see if Sharepoint / Msoft have as big a presence as last year.

Will dig up my twitter id and PM it to you Underground... did try to see if SSAT would let me choose a different school to visit so that I could visit you guys was hoping to contact you.. but looks like I won't be able to..

Hope all are well - sorry not been on lately.. been a little busy. Just in the process of moving Moodle from Apache onto IIS/ms sql 2005.. will be interesting

Dave

[goneunderground]

dcraggs, on 14 January 2010 - 08:16 PM, said:

Going on Saturday too.
Will dig up my twitter id and PM it to you Underground...

Yes -do that - am hoping on Saturday alongside seeing interesting stands and getting the last remaining freebies to meet up with people I know virtually.

[Andrew Field]

Not really had a chance to feedback anything about BETT this year aside from a few tweets. Quite ironic that within the British Educational Technology & Trade show that you can rarely get a decent data connection at all on O2 - and they've even got a stand there

In short, I went to the show both on Wednesday and Friday - found different things on different days. Nothing outstandingly new in terms of technology, but lots of examples of how technology is 'firming up'. Many improved displays, tweaked software and plenty of games-based teaching materials (not necessarily learning). Well worth going to the show to gather ideas and suggestions. I was pleased to see less in your face 'hard-sell' but some stands had perhaps gone a bit too far the other way - not willing to even explain about their offerings.

The teacher run sessions are now established as a high point - the vibe from TeachMeet sessions illustrates the enthusiasm and keeness for good ICT in schools. The 'take-over' sessions are, I think, perhaps the most significant development, because here you have those teachers who are in the know actually talking to those who might not be. That said, those able to attend the evening sessions seem to have particularly enjoyed them. Work done by Leon Cych (and others) to digitize and record the evening sessions has been fantastic. That will make the sessions even more worthwhile and I look forward to catching up on the highlights. I was disappointed to have to leave the Wednesday TedX sessions before any real speakers and had to get home this evening before TeachMeet took place.

I'll try to post in more detail later / tomorrow.