Visiting #BettUK2026 #Bett2026 #tmBett26 #teachmeet20

It's that time again and I'm packing bags this weekend for a series of meetings in London while in and around #BettUK2026 #Bett2026

• Monday I am with OECD Exploring Effective Uses of Generative AI in Education.
• Tuesday I am with 1Edtech Why AI in Learning Needs Standards: Shared Context, Shared Trust.
• Wednesday I am @Bett - if you are down from Scotland please sign up for Scottish Clan gathering at 2pm . Many thanks to Smart Technologies for facilitating this - click logo for signup 

• Thursday I am @Bett and attending Bett Teachmeet which is also a celebration of 20 years of teachmeets  - Click Logo for signup - you don't have to present you can just come along. 

• Friday - I am trying to keep free for a general prowl around the exhibition area.

Over days at Bett I will catch up with latest developments from Microsoft , Google and the other big players and attend sessions around digital transformation in further and higher education.  I'm not presenting this year. 

If you are about and fancy a chat about UK educational market place then please get in touch. I am looking forward to catching up with old friends and new.

You can catch up with my previous BETT adventures here. 

As ever, I will summarise any useful leads here and I will bring opportunities back to relevant colleagues in colleges and Scottish education. 

A look back at 2025

It's been a busy 2025. I keep pinching myself . I am so lucky to have escaped the trenches of 9-5 and I am so enjoying the move back to interesting consultancy work. I did a bit of a reflective piece at one year out mark.

Mindful too that my freedom gives me scope and responsibility to flag up many of the challenges still facing great colleagues in Scottish College landscape - still under siege. There are a few more folks who have escaped and know exactly what is happening would be great to see them chipping in to discussions too rather than simply watching the sector being stifled.

I started 2025 with a post about sectoral challenges - I think things have got worse over the past year. I also framed my resolutions for year - which mostly I've achieved.

Quite a year. Started 2025 in a new TQER role at QAA and it's been busy since ,#bett25 , supporting open badges ( new book chapter about to arrive ) - keynoting at #oer25, visiting schools across Calgary and Edmonton for the #ScotlandEducationSummit, and co-chairing #ALTC25 in Glasgow and hosting many international visitors and supporting Royal Society of Arts in Glasgow.

Some highlights that mattered:

The #oer25 keynote was a real privilege - had a great day exploring the intersection of Open Education and AI. Open education is so much more than free resources - it's about systems, approaches, and making practice sustainable. Slides with extras here: https://lnkd.in/eASCiSqp

The week in Canada with SMART Technologies was amazing - super to spend time with innovative Scottish education colleagues visiting schools and building connections between our systems. Report here: https://lnkd.in/emiwjpCW

Refreshingly joined up - Edinburgh University's openly licensed AI advice for Scottish teachers, co-created with multiple national agencies. This is what good collaboration looks like: https://lnkd.in/eMNcYgCY

Co-chairing #ALTC25 in October was a real pleasure - fantastic to have the learning technology clans gathering in Glasgow for the first time: https://lnkd.in/eYNTsP9d and a privilege to launch #AmplifyFE impact report https://lnkd.in/ePuBWn86

Supported RSA in Glasgow helping with both a Civic Reception at Glasgow City
Chambers and a fun event at newly refurbished Citizens Theatre.

Found time for some great travel adventures to Morocco, Italy, France and Jordan.

Enjoying popping in and out of London to see our daughter too and we had a great family wedding in Leeds. 

What struck me across 2025: we're adopting AI faster than we're adopting open licences. Still a long journey in Scotland to achieve a place where Open Educational Practice is standard. But there's momentum - and the new Scottish Govt Digital Strategy gives room for optimism.

Grateful to everyone who engaged in conversations this year - at conferences, online, and over coffee in Glasgow. Love to all !

Looking forward to continuing the push in 2026. If your institution is experimenting with open badges or local LLMs I'd love to hear about it.

I'll be around #Bett26 and heading down for a pre conference session with 1EdTech - If you are in London let me know and we can catch up.

This year I am looking forward to joining in 20th anniversary celebration of #Teachmeet #Teachmeet26 on the Thursday evening. You can sign up and run a session here https://lnkd.in/e6YRAiM5

If you are Scottish based and not coming down for #Bett check out City of Glasgow College's Learning and Teaching Conference - open to all https://lnkd.in/e-W3ArfT . Great to see a former Cardonald College student keynoting.

As always you can follow my journey on my blog https://lnkd.in/eDP_bMsu
I've some more big news to come.

Next a post on what I'm looking forward too in 2026

#openscot #OpenEducation #OER #AIinEducation #ALTC25