On the 20th of January, eight Digital Leaders from Oundle School went to visit BETT 2016.
Formerly known as the British Educational Training and Technology Show, BETT is an annual showcase for the latest in educational technology, held in the ExCel Centre in London.
Nikita Belenkov (15) commented, “A lot of well-known multinational companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Dell, Google, and Intel, present their state-of-the-art products, some of which seem to be shoe-horned into the education market rather than being built for purpose. Microsoft’s brand new 84” touch screen with built-in computer was an impressive example of this, quoted at circa £18,000!
Our mission was to find the most interesting and potentially useful software or hardware that would add value to learning at Oundle School – not an easy task. We had a lot to choose from. The most interesting products were often presented by smaller companies, for example, the revision app Gojimo.”
Each Digital Leader has been charged with writing a one-sheet report on a product they discovered at the exhibition. Some of the companies that the School is already working with also presented their new features including iBoss, iSAMS, Firefly and Parents Reception Booking system. This year BETT opened a new part of the exhibition called BETT Futures, designed to promote 30 educational start-ups and bring them to a wider audience. A number of interesting speakers were presenting their thoughts on the use of IT in education, tincluding Mr. Salman Khan, the founder of Khan Academy, and Dr Ellen Stofan, the chief