Alan Cameron, Education Officer and project manager, Effective Learning & Teaching through Video Conferencing

4 rurally isolated primary schools have been engaged in a 2-year programme with 30 primary pupils receiving weekly lessons via video conferencing from an instrumental tutor on brass instruments. The project has been greatly enhanced through partnership working with the London Symphony Orchestra. Rod Franks (Principal Trumpet, LSO) has given additional lessons via video-link direct from the St Luke’s Centre, London to the remote schools. This session will look at how the quality of learning and teaching exceeded Headteachers’ expectations.

Ewan McIntosh, Learning and Teaching Scotland, We’re adopting! A strategy for adopting social media in education

Using blogs, wikis, podcasts, social bookmarking and other social software seems an obvious advantage to those already using these tools in the classroom. But how can administrators and community leaders get their own learning communities to see the light? Ewan and colleagues in East Lothian, Scotland, have used grounded business strategies and a passion for experimentation to successfully integrate new technologies and teaching into their schools. In this session, find out what they are doing, how they are doing it and talk through your concerns, opportunities and challenges.

Keri Facer, Futurelab, Space to Think: Preparing for Long Term Educational Futures

This presentation will provide an overview of findings from a programme of work currently being conducted by Futurelab into the future role of education in the context of technological, social and global change. It will provide a summary of the latest forecasts and predictions from scientists, industry and non governmental organisations. It will identify key issues facing educators in planning for the future. The presentation will also offer a set of tools for education leaders and innovators to use to create ‘space to think’ for planning BSF programmes or transforming curriculum, pedagogy and home-school relations.

Educational Debate 3, Saturday 12:15

What technology changes have best reflected the changing pedagogical landscape in recent years?

Educational Debate 2, Thursday 12:15

What are the key leadership challenges facing educators at a time of technological and social advancement?

Education Debate 1, Wednesday 14:00

What three changes in the approach to teaching and learning are required to raise attainment through ICT?

Educational Debates

Educational debates
For the first time at BETT, a number of debates will offer visitors the opportunity to engage with some of the key agencies involved with ICT educational practice.

Each of the debates below will involve key players from the leading educational agencies outlining their own thoughts about the topics under debate. Through the use of interactive voting systems, the audience will be able to share their own views on these questions and facilitate the discussion process.

Wednesday 14:00, What three changes in the approach to teaching and learning are required to raise attainment through ICT?

Thursday 12:15, What are the key leadership challenges facing educators at a time of technological and social advancement?

Saturday 12:15, What technology changes have best reflected the changing pedagogical landscape in recent years?

Mick Waters, QCA, Primary learning - a curriculum looking forward

Mick Waters, Director, Curriculum Division, QCA will deliver this keynote address.

Primary schools are thinking hard about how to make the curriculum work for their children. Many have recognised that the school can drive the learning, making the curriculum do its job.This session will offer some ways forward, looking at aspects of ICT, and provide examples of progress being made across the country.

Partnerships for Schools

Tim Byles, Partnerships for Schools, Friday 12:15, will also provide an up to date view on the Building Schools of the Future programme.

Becta keynote address, Niel McLean, Personalising learning in a connected world

The debate about personalising learning asks challenging questions. To what extent is it possible or desirable to meet individual learners' needs? If we want to open up real possibilities to personalise what is learnt, how it is learnt, where it is learnt, when it is learnt, how learning is supported, and how it is recognised, do we have the tools for the job? If new technology offers us the tools, what does that mean for the role of the teacher and the school? This session considers the challenges and opportunities for personalising learning in a connected world.

Tony Richardson, Becta, Delivering the e-strategy for education

This session will be led by Tony Richardson, Executive Director, Strategy and Policy, Becta.

This session will set out Becta’s view about what the e-strategy is aiming to achieve in order to extend, enhance and enrich learning and to empower learners. It will be put in the national context of the evidence we have of the impact of the Harnessing Technology Strategy on the quality of learning, learner motivation and engagement and the evidence of impact on achievement. It will outline the future development of the strategy – in the context of a more demand-led system. This will ensure the needs and demands of learners, parents/carers and employers drive the way 21st century technology is harnessed to create a much more personalised system for all.

Mick Waters, QCA, Designing a new secondary curriculum

Mick Waters from the QCA, Thursday 10:45, will indicate how the revised secondary curriculum is a real oppurtunity for schools to look again at the design of the learning experience they offer their pupils.Many schools are already underway with reformatting the way they engage with young people and this session will explore the impact.The ICT implications will be illustrated and possibilities offered.

DCSF Keynotes, Doug Brown, Wednesday, Ralph Tabberer, Thursday

The DCSF will present two keynotes one by Doug Brown, Wednesday 15:30, the other by Ralph Tabberer, Thursday 13:45, highlighting the latest government thinking on particular issues related to ICT within education.

BESA keynote, Disruptive mobile learning

The BESA keynote address will be delivered by Professor Mike Sharples, Professor of Learning Sciences and Director of the Learning Sciences Research Institute, who will talk about how children are starting to bring the rich but disruptive activities of social networked learning into classrooms through mobile networked devices. Mike will draw on some of his studies (e.g. providing students with 'personal learning organisers' and the new 'PI: Personal Inquiry' project) and also work from other countries on enriching and orchestrating learning through mobile technology. There are important challenges - e.g. how to link formal and informal learning, how to cope with the disruption of personal technology in schools, and how to design mobile technology for learning that isn't just a 'teacher in a small box'.

Ministerial Keynote, Wednesday 9 January

The Ministerial keynote address will take place at 11:00 on Wednesday 9 January which will outline many of the ICT related educational priorities the government has.

The BETT 2008 CPD programme

For School Leaders, Local Authority Advisers, Policy Makers and International visitors the CPD programme at BETT 2008 provides a broad range of keynotes delivered by some of the key players in education.