Introduction

Here are the aspects of Bett2019 that appeal to me. I hope my suggestions prove useful to you. There is tons to see and hear at the Bett show this year — even more so than usual I think. Here are the things I’ve earmarked for myself, based on the assumption that by next week I will either have mastered the technique of being in several places at once, or somehow acquired a team of ten people.

Basic Information:

www.bettshow.com

Excel centre

What to do/where to go

Download the EdTech Checklist.
Attend ViewSonic FB Live https://www.facebook.com/events/1136845223149364/, and claim a free one year subscription to myViewBoard, a cloud platform that helps you prepare present, and participate in class.
Visit Bett futures
This is not new, but most of the companies to be found in it will be. This is the area where ed tch start-ups -- often a single entrepreneur or even a teacher with a dream -- may be found. The products are often innovative, sometimes quirky, and always interesting.
Visit The Escape Room
This year you’ll be able to experience being in an immersive room without the pressures of someone trying to sell you something. It involves solving puzzles to work through a series of Crystal Maze experiences.
Late closing
Not all teachers can get time off school to attend, but those who work locally may be able to get along to the evening sessions this year. These run from 6pm to 7:30pm, and consist of an event with, one hopes, networking opportunities.
Peer-to-peer connect
On the subject of networking, there is going to be an area where people can connect up for conversations. I suggested something like this nearly seven years ago, because it has been run very successfully at the ISTE conference in America. It could be one of the best aspects of the show if it helps you make useful contacts.
Download the brand new app
The app for this year’s Bett has been beefed up. According to the blurb, it is powered by AI to make recommendations for who to meet with, based on your usage of the app over time. The usefulness of that remains to be seen, but managing seminars is now much easier and, very usefully, you can gather up all the information you’ve amassed, such as seminars attended, suppliers visited and notes you’ve made, into a ready-made report that you can send forward on to your colleagues and headteacher.
There is more to say, but sadly we don’t have the space, so look at the Bett information page for further information.
At last: a downloadable agenda! https://www.bettshow.com/__media/Files-(PDFs,-Word-docs,-floorplan,-etc.)/Master-2018-Agenda-9Jan.pdf

My Personal Highlights

Bett Arena

23/01/2019 | 10:30–10:45 2018 Bett Innovation Index: emerging trends in EdTech
23/01/2019 | 10:45–11:00 Official opening of Bett 2019
23/01/2019 | 13:30–14:00 Education policy: too precious to be left to the politicians
23/01/2019 | 17:15–17:30 Shaping future minds: problem solving with open source technology
24/01/2019 | 13:30–14:00 Empowering your students to become critical consumers of the news
24/01/2019 | 15:00–15:30 Making technology work for schools, lessons from EDUCATE
24/01/2019 | 16:45–17:15 An author’s perspective: making writing exciting!
25/01/2019 | 15:00–15:45 Inspection, safety and security online
25/01/2019 | 17:00–17:15 Why we should be teaching our children to be hackers

Schools Theatre

The only session that appeals to me is this one:

25/01/2019 | 15:30–16:00 Fake News: How can technology help separate fact from fiction?

Post-16 Theatre

23/01/2019 | 10:15–10:45 Space: the next frontier in education
I think the ideas from this could be applied lower down in the school.
24/01/2019 | 14:00–14:30 From education to employment with BBC Bitesize
25/01/2019 | 11:00–11:30 Redefining student success through STEAM and the element of play
26/01/2019 | 10:30–11:30 Sleep and wellbeing: GCSE’s
26/01/2019 | 12:30–13:30 Mastering the art of retention: GCSE’s

Solutions Den 1

23/01/2019 | 15:40–16:00 Putting impact at the heart of your edtech procurement
25/01/2019 | 11:00–11:20 Implementing Technology is Easy – Said No-One Ever

Solutions Den 2

23/01/2019 | 12:20–12:40 Digital skills: K-12 curriculum transformation on a country scale
25/01/2019 | 11:00–11:20 Simple Solutions to Teacher CPD with Bloomsbury Education