Our Head of Education, Julia Clouter shares her highlights from this year’s Bett Show.

Teachers, SENCos, Leaders, did you go to BETT 2020?

My guess is that you didn’t—and if you did, it took some tough negotiation to get there. Paying attention to the potential landscape of learning shaped by EdTech is a joy ride and a reality check. By sidestepping shows like BETT, at London Excel, we are failing Generation Z. We are also failing the teachers who will lay the foundations for the emerging world of accessibility, connectivity and equality. It’s time to stop failing and start engaging.

This year I was a BETT newbie. It was easy to be overwhelmed by this giant show full of free seminars and opportunities to engage with thought leaders. Teacher hat on, I made a list of everything I wanted to see and do and everyone I wanted to meet. Did I achieve everything? No, I didn’t. I became lost in the sensory explosion. Was it valuable? Absolutely. Did I make new friends, discover new innovations? Yes I did! Was this an experience that I will draw upon to envision the future potential of educational provision? Yes, with expansive positivity! Thank goodness I didn’t stick to my list; I would have missed the magic.

So what did I achieve that was not on the list?

My biggest ‘wow moment’ was gained from dissecting a frog in Virtual Reality (VR). My starting point, before engaging with the learning, was to pick up the frog and throw it across the laboratory. Not because I didn’t like the frog, I just wanted to see what would happen. As a teacher of students with conduct disorders, I have received lots of ideas on how to de-construct learning environments, and push learning opportunities to the limit. I wanted to know, would the program cope with my behaviour? It did, it simply re-set. I stopped messing around and engaged in the learning. With no peer or teacher reaction to fuel my behaviour, I just progressed through the lesson with absorption and curiosity in my own time. I picked up and used a range of tools to dissect and remove the frogs’ organs then spun them in the air in front of me. Holding up a magnifying glass, I could see more detail, and read the labels and notes to further my understanding. The holographic teacher calmly continued the lesson and no frogs were harmed. This experience has totally challenged how I feel about immersive learning. Now, I can see how learners with challenging behaviours and special needs and disabilities could fully engage in experiences beyond their boundaries. Before the virtual frog, I thought of VR as a gaming tool. Now I see enrichment standards where you participate in, rather than view, science.

VictoryVR & VR Frog Dissection: Ribbit-ing Discoveries: Watch on YouTube.

Other eye-opening experiences

I watched in awe as a gigantic bee buzzed around me in a 360-degree immersive classroom while it was showing and telling me about biodiverse habitats. I helped to design and code a handheld arcade game in the Microsoft classroom and discovered Google Build Partners’ accessibility tools that will effortlessly increase inclusive learning opportunities. I poured a pint, just using the power of my concentration! (Via a headband that turned feedback from my brainwaves into an output.)

There were so many great seminars too! My list did not include the role of women in developing EdTech learning opportunities, or recognising dyslexia as a skill set for the future, but I am so glad that I seized the moment and allowed myself to have unplanned opportunities and see unplanned talks. Bett is about seizing the moment, sharing conversations, sparking up new interests and re-orientation. Around every corner are thinkers, thought leaders, designers, educators and specialists.

Teachers don’t escape from schools for a number of reasons. Designated Safeguarding Leads become so valuable that they never escape being ‘on call’. SENCo’s are so busy keeping the boat afloat that they don’t look up to expand their horizons. Teachers are often locked in to school led Continuous Professional Development (CPD) packages because the budget is being parked on ‘Big Projects’ and filtered into ‘Must Have’ essentials. My advice is STOP, and re-calibrate. Even if you can’t afford a class pack of pencils you can afford to have your knowledge and experience widened and your sense of wonder re-booted.

Next year, the show will be opening late. I hope that trapped teachers will come and share the experience. It’s free, it is inspirational, and if you have never been, then you should go. Bett represents the best of innovations. It celebrates success and it opens doors. It is preparation for the future of learning and provides sustenance for teachers looking for specific solutions to learning and teaching opportunities.

Now I have been to BETT, I want you to go too!

Julia Clouter x

If you enjoyed this, you’ll love “Scanning Pens named Bett’s Company of the Year 2020”