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.