Showing posts with label BETT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BETT. Show all posts

Thursday, January 09, 2020

#Bett20 , #Bett2020 , #Bettshow2020 Welcome to the roaring twenties !



Here we go again .

I am heading down to #BETT20 early on the Wednesday morning for some pre-meetings and then the usual busy schedule in and around the conference.

I'm expecting to catch up with Google , Microsoft , Fujitsu , Click-View among many others. 
I'll be around until Friday afternoon.

I can't claim to have been every #BETT but I've attended since last century  Reflections over last few years here and some guides for #BETT newbies. 

My diary is pretty full, but  if  you have something unique and engaging aimed at any part of the assessment , e-portfolio space, digital skills for vocational teaching staff landscape  or you have some genuinely open learning or you are looking for meaningful partnerships with a school , college or vocational learning space either in Scotland or internationally,  then I would be interested in talking to you. 

The College I am working in currently offers a great space to launch new ideas and systems in to the Scottish vocational sector and has a strong international reach. 

I am easy to get hold of - just tweet something to @joecar and I'll respond. You can find out about me and my institution  here or get me through the new BETT app  , it has improved over the years. 

I am looking forward to meeting friends old and new and, above all,  being inspired. 

Saturday, January 27, 2018

That's #BETT18 #BETT2018 #BETTShow #Bettshow18


Joe Wilson cc Leon Cych @eyebeams

That the delegates , exhibitors and conference organisers never seem to be quite able to agree on a unifying hashtag probably sums up the UK's biggest Educational Technology gathering . There is at once something for everyone and always that feeling that the really interesting , paradigm shifting piece of the jigsaw is tantalisingly missing , perhaps it is a virtual piece or in some other augmented reality ( no shortage of augmented and virtual reality in the show)

This year for once the meeting app worked well but the wifi I'm told was abysmal as usual.

If there was a unifying theme among the polished rabble of  hawkers , vendors , sideshows and keynote speakers this year,  it's probably the theme of 'Industry 4.0 '  This sits well with our mission to transform learning at City of Glasgow College through Citylearning4.0

It is a great privilege to get to gatherings like this and with that I think comes an obligation to share! 
I wonder what those I spotted from Education Scotland and SQA thought of this year's show.

Day One 

The usual running order and , as is often the case at BETT,  a new Education and Skills Minister. They appear to be upgraded every two years , like phones , but rarely come with new features.  The change of guard often comes in a new year reshuffle which can make it a tough gig for the incoming minister . While Anne Milton set out the stall
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/anne-milton-speech-at-bett-show-2018 many folks knew that there was a more ambitious vision that had been prepared for her predecessor. I hope some of these ideas around digital literacy for all  arrive later in the year. It does present a more unifying vision than you find in other parts of UK . Also in this sphere it was  interesting that a new coding institute was announced not at BETT but at World Economic Forum  https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-announces-20-million-institute-of-coding in same week.

I had my usual schedule of meetings with those I think have the tools and ideas to move learning on . Here is a quick summary of what I was having a look at.

Unio by Harness
https://uniobyharness.com/ 
Already used by growing number of schools across globe, I can see the attraction in schools space.
I think some of this capacity already in side GLOW for schools in Scotland.

Lucas Nuelle
https://www.lucas-nuelle.com/
When someone says 'these are the training systems used inside the German apprenticeship system', you need to have a look. Highly developed and finished training systems for most kinds of engineering . The sort of kit that many Colleges and Universities need for training learners for both the practical and theoretical elements of industrial learning. Yes, some of this can be virtualised now, but nothing beats setting up and working with real equipment.

ITSI
https://www.it.si/
From South Africa now a global player. A provider of digital text books along with a layer for note taking , additional support materials and assessment. Pushing into the school space. The College and University sector with virtual learning environments make assumptions around how digital texts are used in their own systems - interesting to see new models to encourage better embedding of digital texts coming from the school sector.

Magic Software Inc
https://www.magicsw.com/ 
A super Indian company working out at the cutting edge and delivering content and learning solutions for publishers and large global corporations. A great example of the small world we now live in when it comes to accessing and harnessing innovation from anywhere in the world.

Techcamp / Invent Ed
https://www.techcamp.org.ukhttps://www.invent-ed.uk/
Interesting to see this summer camp model emerging in England . Wasn't there to explore that. They have developed lots of simple robots , circuit boards and bots that they use as part of these technical summer schools and are now marketing these too. There are lots of robots and circuit boards about at BETT this year. At least you know these models have been tried and tested through the techcamps.

Frog Education
https://www.frogeducation.com/
This was a select gathering of Scottish Schools folk to have a look at a simple way of comparing learners materials against national standards . Something you might think that primary and secondary schools would have at the heart of their learning infrastructure. I am sure we will be hearing more about this innovative system over next year.

INTCAS
https://www.intcas.com
An early evening meeting with the innovative team behind Intcas, who are well on the way to developing a system that will change the face of international student recruitment and worth tuning into. A superb system for verifying and tracking international learners, it will become invaluable to institutions, learners , their parents and sponsors - through the ingenious use of social media and the harnessing of big data.


Day Two 

Starts with a quick dip into a session on Education and Industry4.0 chaired ably as ever by Bob Harrison with input from the new College of High Speed Rail  . I think there is now a pretty standard slide deck doing the rounds on what Industry4.0  it is delivered well ,  but also some invaluable insights around how the new College will be using virtual and augmented reality in teaching and assessment.

We also hear how well funded all of this is . I think I would have preferred to hear that this was being delivered and funded by a set of pre-existing colleges. But all credit to new college for its vision. I think a trip to see it in action will be a must for many Colleges across the UK.

Annoto
https://www.annoto.net/
A layer ( this is becoming a recurrent theme) that helps teachers and learners make more effective use of video resources no matter what format they are in. The tool can be embedded into any VLE. Interesting and parallels with some other systems I am aware of . Also captures learners interaction with content for learner and for institutional analysis.

Microsoft
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/education
They have a house this year at BETT - maybe they are betting their house on another successful year in Education and learning ? .  As always a lot of good things happening, if anything it reminded me I am overdue a sit down with Andy Nagle and the team in Scotland - they have a big part to play in raising learner and teacher digital literacy . I'm glad to see less minecraft this year and a sharper focus on digital literacy for teachers and learners.

Canvas by Instructure
https://www.canvasvle.co.uk/
If you have spotted some of my postings over the last year - you know I am a Canvas fan. It is just so learner friendly and now adopted by both Stirling University and Glasgow School of Art . There will be some more conversations with Canvas over the next few months and I expect other Scottish Colleges will join in too.

Blended Learning Consortium
http://www.blc-fe.org/
Grabbed some lunch with Peter from the BLC . Is it the best model ?  - I'm not sure - but it works for many Colleges across the UK and I know we are going to enjoy the benefits of becoming a member.

Google Education
https://plus.google.com/communities/103577237113072846685
I've used the link to the Scottish Google Educators Group. There is lots on the open web about Google for Education - there was one announcement around a paid for enterprise edition which I think some universities and training organisations will probably be interested in.

This was biggest gathering I've seen for a while of Scottish school learning technology folk at BETT for any offering, even free drink . The excitement was palpable and Google Apps for Education are excellent.  We will get all of this embedded in our own College's delivery. All learners really need to know their way around microsoft and google products. They should also be shown around a range of open source tools.

Fujitsu Education
http://www.fujitsu.com/uk/solutions/industry/education/
A pleasant dinner with the team from Fujitsu and their partners Intel , Netapp and more,  who are driving out an ambitious learning programme supporting learners and teachers - we look forward to supporting the programmes roll out in Scotland.

Day Three 

Like to Be
https://www.liketobe.org/
Well any excuse to catch up with Steve Wheeler . But the system is worth a look - linking employers to school learners at every stage and doing the important bits that careers guidance still falls very short on. While English and Welsh systems are different I've promised them an introduction to Skills Development Scotland.

Bonadrone
https://www.bonadrone.com/en/
This I think is innovative,  a drone that you print using a 3-D printer , build and at same time  build and create a controller and comes with all the associated teaching and learning materials. A small inside version and a very large drone for flying outside. Looks great for engaging learners of all ages in STEM



ReadSpeaker
https://www.readspeaker.com/
A really nice team and a very welcome cup of tea . I liked what I saw but I do wonder how the authentic voices they use will fair in a world of increasing artificial intelligence and automated voices.

Ollie Bray
http://olliebray.typepad.com/
He is so innovative and fast moving he is not keeping his blog up to date - lunch and a quick chat around both the movement and inertia in Scottish Education.

London CLC and Education Development Trust
https://londonclc.org.uk/
A quick chat about impact CLC and more broadly how the Education Development Trust has supported school transformation and teacher development in England . There is so much that could be learned here by Scottish system. See comment above about inertia.

Nisai Academy
https://www.nisai.com/
A flying visit to say hello to Dhruv and team  - and disbelief that Scottish system is still using peripatetic teachers to visit learners who can't make it to school - when  the learner could be part of an online class with a teacher and classmates everyday - see inertia ;-)

Texthelp
https://www.texthelp.com
Free for teachers still a superb tool grabbed a quick refresher course as I headed for the door

Northern Ireland Stand
https://www.investni.com/bett.html
I'll not rehash arguments I've made in previous years about why Scottish Education needs a stand at BETT . On one stand public education agencies and private companies that support learning in Northern Ireland



Surely one of these years SDS , SQA , SFC , Education Scotland and some of the upcoming learner companies in Scotland might get together ( maybe some Colleges)
Nice to be told I was doing a great job selling Scottish Education by my Northern Irish Colleagues as I ran for the airport.

Someone noted that Department for Education had a large stand - but it did not feature on the BETT Event map ! . The largest stand in the arena this year appeared to be that of CAPITA - shows how much money you can make 'delivering' services to the public education sector in UK.


That's it, quick shout out too to Tony Freedman, Charlie Love,  Lee Ballantyne , Malcolm Payton  and many others I met as I flew around the exhibition area to meetings and a wave to the  NoTosh team who were about too

You've got to move fast at BETT



I headed north just before Teachmeet Bett - looked good - but could not hang around longer.
















Monday, January 30, 2017

So that was #Bett2017 #Bett17

So That was #Bett2017

So That was #Bett2017

A Quick Review of #BETT2017 Exhibition and Conference

  1. Two days mainly of meetings but I spent the rest of the time prowling around the stands and dipping in and out of the keynotes when I could. I think #BETT is in some respects getting better. I really liked the small companies and start-ups sections at one end of the main hall and the digital makers section at the other end of the hall. It is good too that the sessions for School Leaders , HE Leaders , Special Educational Needs etc are now in conference pods in the main hall rather than being hidden away up the stairs. Good too to see much more opennes from UKTI and DTI in having an export strand with some excellent speakers in the main arena.
  2. The programme/document/catalogue the BETT Guide is a great improvement too making it easy to find both relevant sessions and the stands you are interested in.
  3. On the bill were speakers from ALT Maren Deepwell , JISC as well as some well known names and faces from the cutting edge of learning technology - good to see Steve Wheeler among many others . As usual I met the usual disparate band of Scots on the make and some others overcome by the sheer scale of BETT. I've said this in past there should be a better formalised approach to Scottish education engaging with BETT. Quick wave to Colin Maxwell doing his usual stuff on Adobe stand , the Highland schools folk talking up the great work they are doing with Google Apps and Chrome Books , Ewan McIntosh and Ian Stuart of NoTosh delivering ideation sessions to School Leaders and Ollie Bray supporting Intel's work in Education space. It was good too to spot some local authority and College folk doing the rounds - had a good chat with Clyde College team and spotted Fife College . Hilary Weir from SQA was on the prowl but didn't see anyone from Education Scotland this year. Good too to see Mirandnet, Niace and ALT folks sharing a stand.
  4. I usually start by getting a fix on the direction of travel in England by tuning into the Education Minister's Keynote at the opening of BETT. This year Justine Greening did not turn up - she was too busy sorting out a schools funding crisis. A real pity as the delegates would really have benefited from some more of a strategic direction from government. It seems like some of her predecessors she may be technologically agnostic when it comes to learning. The system really needs more leadership here. Would be interesting to know what was presented at the pre BETT Conference the Education World Forum open to ministerial delegations only.
  5. However Robert Halfon the Skills Minister made some significant contributions on the Friday of the conference. tying in developments in this space to the English government's industrial strategy and the skills and educational reforms that are underway - this with a particular focus on digital literacy for all including those entering and in the workplace. In that space a new service for finding work placements was launched workfinder.com/ Also worth watching a new European Funded UCL project educatelondon.wordpress.com/ with NESTA and some of the usual suspects involved but looking to drive out more educational technology start-ups based on sound educational research. Watch this space I think.
  6. I'll do a quick review of the bits that jumped out at me . Remember I am interested in things that are vocational in the main. I'll include a list of links at the end.
  7. If there were themes this year that kept jumping out ( indeed they were dancing around on a lot of stands) Robotics and people tripping over each other wearing virtual reality headsets (psst! want to buy a class set? ) - and lots of electronics and STEM kits . I have to confess I am still not sure about Arduino Boards , the BBC Microbit or indeed the Raspberry Pi and all the gadgets that go with these. If they are used in a planned way within the curriculum I can see how they could be brilliant additions to many classrooms and could push on learning - but I can see too that they could easily become - programming exercises in futility - or an expensive box of wires that sit at the back of the classroom only to be brought out on special occasions . One gadget the Pi-Top really confused me, it allows you to build a computer around your Raspberry Pi and in fairness it looks really good - but I do wonder if it would be cheaper and more productive to show learners how to build their own computer out of standard components? There are so many components and kits you can buy that solve real world challenges - why not more of this - I could write a big list - but what about getting learners to make sure their school is served by the right number of mobile hotspots - or figuring out a way to give everyone a reliable device with at least a good browser on it etc.
  8. I like practical things but showing me how a circuit board can be turned into a controller that can make a robot dance would not have engaged me at any age. I like dancing and I don't need a dancing robot. The bits I liked related to how some of these tools can integrate with the internet of things or could utilise Bluetooth and be controlled or communicate with things in the real world like an app on my phone or showing me how the learning the programming of one of the above is applicable to solving real world problems. Make it control a 3D printer that gives me something I need.
  9. The usual suspects had big stands in the middle of the arena .
  10. Google with separate stands for Education , for Apps , for selling ChromeBooks and I think most exciting of all the Google Expeditions stuff . Most exciting as you can make your own Google Expedition. - This should feature in every College induction programme. I've got to say lots of folk still have not got the wonderful collaborative learning opportunities that come with both Google Apps and or the Microsoft Education Suite of tools.
  11. Microsoft in some ways taking a more innovative approach with a partner village of lots of suppliers who have integrated with Microsoft365 and other tools - but all with a massive push around Microsoft Surface devices for Education. While the conference was underway there was an announcement that Microsoft is to make a free offering available to all in the public sector and improve their offering around digital literacy I am sure many Colleges will be interested in this.
  12. Adobe - doing all the usual good stuff - running practical workshops around getting the best out of Adobe products in education. I have a soft spot for Adobe - yes the software is dear but it is what is used in industry and sessions focus on the skills around making well designed artifacts that are as relevant to the real world as to the world of education.
  13. Then there was a big chunk in the middle that always fills me with fear and dread - endless takes on digital whiteboards - I know they have their place - How many more school walls still don't have one ? but there has got to be more effective ways of selling these things. Lots of school focused Management Information Systems , Curriculum Tracking and Reporting Systems ( how many of these does the system actually need ?) - all with hooks around using big data and learning analytics, but many of them look a bit halfbaked. Also and a reflection on the fragmented English Schools market is , a range of providers of Educational broadband packaged up in some cases with a range of filtering and other services. This area along with virtual learning environment or learning management systems section is where schools badly need some better government guidance and a lead or they stand a very good chance of being thoroughly fleeced by some suppliers. In this space honorable mentions in dispatches to Frog Learning and Firefly who seem to be steadily building up a schools following and to Canvas Learning who are steadily winning business in the College and University sectors.
  14. There was more than ever this year a whole tranche of international stands from countries around the globe and I hope they won the business they were clearly looking for. A special mention in dispatches for the Norwegian stand - of all the international stands I found some products that were immediately of interest. In Kahoot and Inspera
  15. The keynotes could have done with that ministerial lead that was missing from the opening of the conference - without that it becomes a love in , a cosy fireside chat in some respects, if you are among the institutions or individuals that think you have made wise investments and have teachers and learners who are engaged actively in digital learning - you give off an air of smugness during these addresses.
  16. If like many folks you are still overcome by all of this stuff then the challenges that Sir Ken Robinson , Tony Robinson and even the ever cheerful Stephen Heppel throws out, just fill education leaders with panic and a litany of excuses around a lack of finances and better still a lack of school , regional or national leadership. I missed Heston-Bluementhal and it could have been a cracking session, but I'm just not sure what a celebrity chef could bring to the global education debate.
  17. Sorry to miss teachmeet17 Bett and catch up with Doug Belshaw, Bryan Mathers and many other colleagues but Friday night in London is still just a bridge too far for this Scottish teacher.
  18. What were the gaps for me - 1. As there is less money in the system, there really needs to be some clearer direction around even basic things like the place of STEM in the curriculum - surely there is a limit to the number of well intentioned charities or others introducing different arrays of programming languages for teachers and learners. 2 The whole digital literacy debate across schools , colleges and into the workplace needs to be pulled together into something that really serves learning , life and work - there is not enough evidence of a coordinated approach to this. 3. BYOD is the future for most institutions and learners but still not high enough on radars - perhaps as it is easier to sell whole school lap-top or tablet systems. 4. No-one really talking about managing content - that is learning content and sharing of learning materials that is beyond of course the TES offering that gives teachers a platform to sell their learning materials - is this really the way forward? some more talk about Open Educational Resources would have been good. 5. It was good to see github.com/ at the conference better still would be some workshops to show teachers how to use it. 6. And finally and most significantly while on the exhibition floor you can find some great on-line services delivering via webconferencing or through more traditional asynchronous on-line courses there was no real conversation around how massive open on-line courses or the wealth of other courses that are there could be harnessed for staff development or to provide a richer learning experience for school learners.
  19. Finally as promised a list at the end of some things that I think are worthy of further exploration - some of these you will already know about - but caught my eye again.
  20. Blended Learning Essentials 30,000+ users largely from across the UK can't be wrong or are really desperate to find out how to bring digital practices into their teaching an excellent programme that should be formally recognised as a component of CPD for FE staff and more - perhaps GTC recognition in Scotland. It is free
  21. bksb.co.uk/ BKSB Support functional skills development in literacy , numeracy and ICT in English Schools and Colleges - including diagnostic assessment and the creation of an individual learning plan.
  22. Blended Learning Consortium Peter Kilcoyne did a session and still a good £5K investment for a College looking for a raft of relevant on-line learning content
  23. Loopd.Life A closed social network for schools , colleges and employers etc - I've seen a few of these - Dundee and Angus College on client list - wonder what the learners think ?
  24. Bulb.App The best e-portfolio ever for learners if you read the blurb but will have its uses and has a free account for teachers and learners to try out.
  25. Meetoo A live polling tool for use in classroom and free for up to 100 learners
  26. Soundtrap - for musical collaboration when you need a closed platform - for schools - but fun and open for everyone else.
  27. Global Vocational Skills - Lots of content at a price for vocational learning with plugin for Moodle and Canvas
  28. Kortext - A platform to manage and create e-books for those that need this service
  29. Sketchfab Three D design modeling and sharing - I can see lots of applications for this.
  30. Supermemo Flash cards and tests that focus on repetition and testing some good free ones and opportunity for a price to make your own or buy other sets
  31. Spellodrome Really for primary learners but takes spelling development to a new level - games, badges all that stuff.
  32. Teacherin - a growing service a way to recruit supply teachers - but not an agency so teachers get paid properly and offers some free on-line CPD for teachers too . Some fresh thinking not in Scotland yet
  33. Educake Science Another tool in the formative assessment space - aimed at sciences and matched in main to A level and GCSE syllabus - a space that SQA should be looking at with commercial partners ! or in its own right with a freemium tool
  34. Just2Easy Really a suite of tools for primary teachers to create content and manage assessment
  35. C-Pen Exam Reader - Puts learner in charge and means that learners with special needs don't need a reader if they can control the C-Pen
  36. School Cloud In that space of room bookings , asset management and organising parents evenings that schools always find hard and best of all made in Scotland
  37. Pobble A writing tool for primary learners to support big writing and integrated with Microsoft365 - I think this is something that clever people running Glow in Scotland should have a look at - if only for the ideas behind this
  38. Komodo - I am not sure about this - looks good to a grown up but my primary age maths scholars might like something more exciting
  39. Tute - A superb on-line teaching service that delivers on-line classes in most subjects and employs real teachers to deliver remote learning - what Scholar in Scotland should be looking at and what could fill the gap in many schools when there is not the specialist teacher available in that school or where there are too few learners to make a subject viable in a school or where for whatever reason a learner cannot attend school.

Monday, January 18, 2016

#Bett16 #Bett2016 Not At Bett don't despair - A Survival Guide for following #BETT Week





It is really a great privilege  to get in and around the largest educational technology conference in the world. I hope folks who are in and around the conference appreciate that and make the most of social media to share their experience of the event.

But you can now engage with it from your mobile device - wherever you are.

Here is a quick survival guide for those who can't make the conference in person this year but want to follow what is happening through twitter or by other means

The main conference hashtag is #BETT2016 . There are a range of tools that will let you monitor the twitter feed and filter out the sales patter.  Filtering out the sales patter is what you need to do too  if you are there in person.

It is worth having a look at the sections of the programme you are interested in http://www.bettshow.com/

The three strands I have an interest in are the  FE and Skills , Technology in Higher Education, and Leadership in Education .

The buzz starts before BETT with the Education World Forum #EWF2016 for policy makers and ministerial teams http://www.theewf.org/  . This conference usually runs on Monday , Tuesday and Wednesday with Wednesday being the day the internatonal policy delegates are brought over to the BETT Conference.

The EWF can be a bit of an advertorial for the English education and skills system -which often masquerades at this international event as the "UK Education and Skills system"  - so great to see that this year Angela Constance the Scottish Minister for Education has a speaking slot http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Scottish-education-on-the-world-stage-2164.aspx .

There won't be a lot of tweets from #EWF2016 but worth watching out for links to the keynote's presentations.  https://twitter.com/hashtag/ewf2016

On day one the Education World Forum ,  Education Fast Forward held a session for the global delegates on literacy challenges around the world.

You can find tweets and links from this morning's debate  and you can find a recording of the debate here http://www.effdebate.org/eff16/

Over the course of this week I am looking forward to seeing some updates on JISC work around FE and Skills and the work that has been done to date by the FELTAG Coalition Group http://feltag.org.uk/feltag-coalition/


Wed
Look out for English Minister for Education Address to delegates.
Watch out who wins the #Bettawards in the evening - often a reasonable indicator of interesting work.

Thursday
Usually day that vendors like Microsoft and others get to show off something new and make announcements.

Friday
Teachmeet - can be worth a follow - though Teachmeet Bett is on an epic scale
http://teachmeet.pbworks.com/w/page/103885843/TMBett16  #tmbett16

Around Bett time worth following - some of these folks - I will come back and add some more

https://twitter.com/innovativeteach
https://twitter.com/bobharrisonset
https://twitter.com/eyebeams





Thursday, January 22, 2015

#BETT2015 Reflections on Day One



In between meetings I've walked about half the floor space will do rest by to tomorrow 

Feature of last few years lots of stands with the technology to manage class sets of tablets .  Lots of stands with systems for teaching primary learners programming many of them based on building and moving robots around and some them controlled by apps that you can use on your phone or mobile device .

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

#bett2015 Nicky Morgan ministerial address

#bett2015 Nicky Morgan 






On education reforms in England all about restoring faith in school qualifications and breaking up the closed shop of the old educational establishment by giving learners and parents more choice.  We have have now broken the mould .  < hoping they haven't lost it > 

Then to problems infrastructure and skills problems in schools . 
English government now has world leading computing curriculum for primary and secondary schools . Teachers might not have skills to deliver this .  Through the computing at schools programme local computing master teachers can help primary teachers develop the skills.  The department for education allocating additional 3 million pounds to match fund new materials coming from range of private sector firms .
In addition will continue to provide grants of up to 25K for teachers who want to becoming computing teachers .

Accountability we have analogue system in a digital age ..parents and pupils need more data . Destination data will appear in league tables , Tax data will be used to evaluate career and qualification choices . Systems will be put in place to do real time monitoring around things like learners maths skills .

Report from Steven Heppell's group mentioned ..published today - see graphic above
Full Text here https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_4FnLyL2BFvMjBOVFY4ZnhRVTA/view

Quickly scanning app for marking learners work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-KEk6w9o-U 
Not sure if scanning sheets like this is future or just embedding old bad assessment practices

Rising Stars supporting primary teachers with learning materials and software and just sold a package of this to Vietnam

The full text of speech is now available here https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/nicky-morgan-speaks-at-the-2015-bett-show




#bett2015 Will be same old chat about new things ?


Bob Geldof kicks off #bett2015 he is a great advert for learners who fail in formal schooling system but I am sure too he went to quite a posh school in Dublin. Does that mean he had less far to fall ? still a great bloke and all uplifting stuff 

I am here on a fresh mission, this year as the new chief executive of the College Development Network. 

I am looking  at all things #etag .  Last year the English Education minister set some hugely ambitious targets for delivery of online further education in England 10% this year and 70% by 2017 driven by funding policies .  Is it actually happening ?  and is it happening in both a sustainable < I'd argue open educational resources way > and more importantly a learner centred way ? 

In addition continuing conversations with Microsoft , Google , Adobe , Smart Technologies and many more old partners and friends. 

Catching up too with small Scottish contingent that come south to engage with the massive industry that sits around educational technology. See previous year's posts we still can't all join up . 

I've still some spaces in my diary . If you have some compelling hardware , software , cloud service or content for further education colleges and Scottish learners tweet out to @joecar and I'll catch up with you .  Happy to help too if you want to find out how to engage with the Scottish Education system which is unique in UK .

Wherever you are from have a great #bett2015 and don't buy any of the sales folks bullshit look for the things that will make a difference to your learners .

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

#Bett2014 #Bett14 Day Three




Starting to get exhibition area crazy and to this point I have only been criss crossing the space for meetings but  I had a wander around finally.

Lots of on-line toll gated learning content , lots of international stands,  more I think than in past years  , but while I enjoyed watching some sessions on practise nothing really jumping out . This more about things I see over year - for many there may have been some new stuff.

 A lot of stands have all kinds of ways to lock down , store securely , charge, manage apps across class sets of tablets or laptops . I know these things are expensive assets but I am still not sure why we are not thinking of keeping these in learners hands more. I think we're missing the point somewhere here.

Also a fixation on capturing and analysing big data. It seems the natural adjunct to on-line evidence and assessment and perhaps heralds the way for more diagnostic and learner directed assessment.  I worry that a lot of this collection  is for its own sake .  Just because it can generate lots of data does not mean something has any impact at all on learning.

Think special mention to a Scottish company earning plaudits around world for their flexible filtering system for schools . Though I like my learning unfiltered ! I do appreciate need for this in primary schools http://bloxx.com

This Brazillian company looks really interesting http://www.competir.com/index_en.html check out the English version of the site - with 5 million users . Philosphy and technology all look very sound .

One thing and I guess it will be backed up by their financials Microsoft with new range of devices,
windows 8  getting better and  365 for education  really seem to have stepped up to the mark .

Managed to miss Skills Minister Matthew Hancock's speech which deserves a read ..already impressed by the work of FELTAG in England ..looks too more will come of this with Stephen Heppell at the head of things  https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/matthew-hancock-speech-on-education-technology-at-bett-show  . I think some of this shows that the spin doctors picked up the reaction to Michael Gove's opening address - perhaps this was the antidote.

Had a great lunch time meeting with Greg Butler and hope we can get Scotland to join the Collaborative Assessment Alliance

Final round of meetings with some customers , Jim Fanning of Education Scotland and some folks who had picked up conversation on twitter

Hear too that a few Scottish local authorities have been spotted doing the rounds ..
Another case I think for having some Scottish stand or a more formal gathering,  it would have been great to reflect on some more of these things with peers and share notes.

Know too there were a few more folks I could and should have said hello to. Sorry never enough time.

Then run for the airport  .

New venue is great , wifi worked , spotlight sessions excellent ..few I caught between meetings.

#Bett14 #Bett2014 Day Two



Seems strange to be almost queuing up to get in at 10am -

Meeting with Microsoft  partners - we are not doing all and getting all we could out of Partners in Learning , Kodu Cup , Global Forum and making the best use of the few innovative educator experts we have in Scotland. Was great to catch up with Stuart Ball on a high from winning BETT Award for Kodu Game Lab in UK . Hope we have now mapped out how to push this along . He gave me a few new contacts in Microsoft UK to help with this

Then meeting with Alison Drever  from Education Scotland so much happening and enormous potential in computing area. It is great that there is once more Education Scotland expert practitioner in this space and a real willingness to pull our collective assets together

Then in quick succession met Ollie Bray , Doug Belshaw and Jaye Richards - all presenting at #Bett2014
( Gosh do you only meet people with Blogs at Bett?)

Headed then back to Westminster for twilight session on new models of assessment with Collaborative Assessment Alliance . Some great ideas and met some old friends .

A lot of discussion around how technology is being used in different ways for assessment.
The technology for  pretty individualised assessment is already with us  but so much has to change around mind sets .  Some great examples of peer assessment around things like e-portfolios.

Finally met up with some pioneers of virtual worlds and online simulations and realising at this point I had skipped lunch had a late dinner in Covent Garden ,  picked  up some great business ideas too.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

#BETT14 #BETT2014 Day One

There is a curious juxtaposition this year . Opposite BETT is an exhibition by companies selling fairground equipment and gaming machines to lure in young people and inside BETT....

Was an illuminating day Mr Gove rightly talked up the strengths in the UK education system and some of the companies  doing a lot of exporting .  One that was new to me was https://www.littlebridge.com// now with over 5 million global English learners .

I took a lot of notes about what he then said about ICT in the classroom and the new English computing curriculum - it did not square with the  debates I have been following and I think this TES piece probably captures this better than I could express as an outsider.  Still I am interested in harnessing and harvesting any resources that come out of this for computing teachers in Scotland . He did mention open education as the way ahead but then used as his example MOOCs aimed at school pupils notably the Raspberry PI OCR partnership putting GCSE materials on-line http://www.cambridgegcsecomputing.org/   
Highlighted too that Cambridge University are about to launch a transitional maths mooc for school pupils heading towards Maths or Engineering at University.

I then contributed to a lively debate with peers on the Miranda Net Programme http://www.mirandanet.ac.uk/researchexchange/mirandamods/programme-january-22nd/  It is running all throughout BETT and worth finding and popping in . A view from the audience here  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7WAmvFiQk4
I think it shows that higher education folks are still not sure how to react to open learning - I think they still hope it is a passing fad rather than something that allows them simply to reach more learners and help them.
Donald Clarke probably stole the show .

Next I was another talking head being interviewed for the European Open Education Challenge http://ec.europa.eu/education/news/2014/20140122_en.htm . Seed funding for start ups in and around learning . I was asked "The how is learning , assessment and certification going to change over the next few years question" .  Look foreword to seeing this and seeing if I made any sense

Ended day with meetings with some of our long term commercial partners and quick hellos to Microsoft and some other folks I'll be meeting later in week. Spotted too a few well known Scotsmen on the make  but acting independently.  We really should have Scottish stand at Bett see Korea have one this year. Had a chance to mourn passing of BECTA with some old colleagues - certainly feels that schools could do with more independent advice on IT procurements - lot of very slick sales people here. Not even sure who is capturing good practice on classroom use of new things down here - but perhaps that is just passe - as a thousand flowers bloom.

You can see why role of membership organisations like http://www.naace.co.uk/  and  http://www.alt.ac.uk/ and ofcourse http://www.mirandanet.ac.uk/ are important places for folks to share .. but can't help thinking there should be a bit more leadership here. Would help the exporters too.

Now frazzled - glad I was not at #Bettawards this year but looking forward to finding out who won what.




Saturday, January 18, 2014

#BETT14 Here we go again !



I am heading down to BETT14 on Tuesday afternoon for some pre-meetings and then the usual busy diary of meetings in and around the conference.  Staying back in familiar territory near Gloucester Road Underground this year,  after last year's foray to Greenwich, so hope to be able to network longer without worrying about missing the last light rail train across the water.  Reflections last few years here http://www.joewilsons.net/search/label/BETT 

I can't claim to have been at this event for last 30 years but I've attended since the mid 1990's

My diary is pretty full but  - If  you have something unique and engaging aimed at any part of the assessment , e-portfolio space or you have some genuinely open learning or you are looking for meaningful partnerships with school , college or vocational learning space either in Scotland or internationally then I would be interested in talking to you.  I am easy to get hold of - just tweet something to @joecar and I'll respond.

Scottish Education really is very unique and very distinct to what is on offer in the school , college and vocational space in England.  Remember if you have attended the The World Education Forum http://www.ewf2014.org/  you may have been persuaded that we only do things in one way in the UK . In fact the Scottish Education tradition has been distinct for centuries.
I am not even sure if there will be a Scottish voice at this pre-Bett  Forum this year ?

My ambition of having a joint agency Scottish stand at Bett still has still to come to fruition - maybe one day.

When I arrive I'll share notes with colleagues who will have been down hearing about a major global learning project we have been tracking for the last three years New Pedagogies for Deep Learning: A Global Partnership https://npdllearningforum.eventday.com/ .On Thursday afternoon/evening  I am attending the related strand on new modes of assessment. I am hoping that we and Education Scotland can plug into this project and a relevant juncture.

Around conference I am meeting usual suspects from Microsoft , Google and other global vendors . It is remarkable change that over last 12 or so years many of the big global vendors tend to be in and around the event but no longer take stands - I think this just reflects changing business models - the resellers fill the gap and the stands are no longer just about the technology but how the technology is deployed in classrooms.
Great too the folks now talking about how it is done are teachers who really use the technology with their learners.

I'll be dipping in and out of the various strands of the conference programme too


  • School Leaders Summit
  • Workplace Learning Summit
  • Technology in Higher Education Summit


  • Here is a snap shot

    Wednesday morning I'll catch the ministerial address and then vendor meetings and then speaking at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mirandamod-moocs-for-international-cpd-tickets-9490017899 Talking about potential of harnessing massive open on-line courses for staff development incorporation into school and college classrooms - and probably a bit more too

    Picking up some meetings in afternoon with some business partners.

    Thursday morning meeting with vendor partners and in afternoon meeting some companies with new models for on-line assessment - then picking up New Pedagogies Conference . Meeting some folks who are into gamification and virtual worlds for assessment in evening.

    Friday - Morning to explore exhibition area and catch some of the presentations - business lunch and catching up with James Fanning of Education Scotland before running back to Airport .

    My top tip - you will hear a lot of self centred crap from those who have not spent a lot of time in front of real learners - if you work in Education policy - please do not feel inadequate in front of lots of expensive glossy technology .

    If  you really work in school , college or work based learning - then challenge these policy makers , tekkies and pseudo education leaders to deliver things that help the learners in front of you. Think ahead too what will help learners over next 3-5 years.

    A learner without access to a browser and wifi - is at an educational disadvantage.

    Have a mind open enough to see what you can do to change things for your learners .. but be street wise enough not to buy the latest gizmo with a fifty year lease back and a maintenance licence that will mortgage their future.