Education Business

After 26 shows over 26 years, BETT 2010 and its 700 exhibitors pulled out all the stops to showcase how schools are using the latest technological advances to inspire learners to both UK and international visitors. New technology has helped schools and teachers move forward with new learning techniques, whilst providing the tools to make personalised learning a more realistic goal in the UK. Technology has a big part to play in the future of education, as it now does in many other parts of our lives. Many would agree that one of the greatest outcomes of events like BETT is seeing how passionate people are about revolutionising education, and how many great ideas are being shared across industry.
    
Take for example the judging of the recent Education Resource Awards. Each year, around 30 practitioners and educationalists get together to test, evaluate and reward the best teaching resources to be released into the UK market over the last year, both non-ICT and ICT based. Over two days, the judges huddle around piles of newly released products to evaluate how they will make teachers’ lives easier in the classroom, how they can help schools to run more effectively, and how they can help learners to achieve. It is one of my favourite events in education, as it reminds me how much both educators and educational suppliers really care about what they do, and how many innovative ideas are being developed within the sector. With it, we are able to witness the new technologies being used in classrooms, and hear back from those schools that are putting them to good use.

The future of education
New technology is just the start of some of the changes facing our schools. The UK education system has seen huge developments, with the roll out over the last few years of capital renewal programmes like Building Schools for the Future (BSF) and the Primary Capital Programme (PCP), and frequent curriculum changes. With £45 billion and £7 billion earmarked respectively for the renewal or rebuild of secondary and primary schools, technology is a vital part of bringing the UK’s schools up to speed with other sectors. With the first wave of BSF projects beginning in 2004, ICT funding continues to receive a high level of capital funding – around £1,675 per pupil place. Partnerships for Schools, the government body overseeing school capital programmes, is ensuring that BSF will see buildings designed to maximise the use of ICT, and incentives put in place to develop the use of ICT in teaching and learning. In most instances, a managed service is put in place to provide good value in terms of procurement, management, maintenance and refreshing ICT within the facility.
    
One of the key aims for the use of new technologies in BSF and PCP schools is to facilitate personalised learning, provide access to a range of learning materials and implement infrastructure that is easy to use. Technology changes enough as it is, and one of the most common complaints, and not just by teachers, is the constant need to keep up with new developments. Partnerships for Schools envisage ICT as “becoming the fifth utility: something we take for granted in the same way as water, gas and electricity and telephony”.
    
Given the role technology now plays in education through renewal programmes like these, and in the new curriculums at all levels of education, suppliers have been producing an array of ICT solutions for schools to explore all facets of teaching and learning. ICT has also been written into each new curriculum rolled out into schools, from the Early Years Foundation Stage, new primary and secondary curriculums through to the 14-19 Reform and new Diplomas.
    
Now, with ring fenced funding coming to an end, schools are free to allocate budgetary spending to areas they feel need the most attention. However, money has been made available for ICT expenditure through the Harnessing Technology grant for new resources such as parental engagement tools, broadband, content or new hardware.
    
We could fill this entire magazine looking at the changes and developments in new technologies for education. Resources for all areas of education, from classroom use to school management support are frequently being reviewed, revised and perfected to meet the needs of modern schools. Here is a look at some of the new technologies to hit the market.

Audio visual makes its mark
Whether or not it is a case of the business world influencing the education sector, there has been further development recently in the use of audio visual equipment in schools.
    
In the world of science, Project Faraday is a special DCSF project to create exemplar laboratories in 12 schools to inspire those involved in school renewal projects around the country, such as BSF and new academies. ScienceScope, involved in Project Faraday for the Kings School in Peterborough, has worked closely with the school and other organisations to produce a concept laboratory and support rooms along with a custom ICT/resource suite, using the latest technological resources available to aid the teaching of science subjects. Some of the new technology introduced into these facilities included solar and wind turbines, seismometer, weather station energy monitoring system and display technology. Using available display materials, including a two projector system and digital notice board and large display area, students’ work could be integrated into the teaching and learning. Teachers can control images, videos and posters displayed in the classroom to support lessons.
    
Many schools are starting to use AV equipment as a communication tool – St Matthew Academy is one. Assistant head teacher David Cregan says: “We use plasma screens in the board room, dining room, foyer and staff room. The ones in the foyer and dining room are used as notice boards where we display achievements of the school, theme of the week news and celebration of rewards. We also use it for directions for visitors if something is happening in the evening, for example, ‘Please go through to the boardroom for refreshments’.”
    
A number of BSF schools have begun to use video conferencing equipment, as have colleges and secondary schools delivering Diplomas. It has also been particularly helpful for accessibility for learners in distance education, those that have been excluded, or those not able to come to classes.
    
Some schools have also explored the use of video conferencing to connect with other schools both within their LA or perhaps even abroad. This has been used successfully in schools through PSHE subjects to learn about the world around them, and to introduce elements of globalisation into the curriculum by speaking to students from schools in different countries.

Avatar in the classroom?
New resources that received a lot of attention at BETT 2010 this year were those that implemented 3D. Films like Avatar and Up have made 3D popular once again, and I’m sure you’ve heard the news that companies like Sony and Toshiba are launching their own 3D televisions onto the market this year. Now, educational suppliers are also looking at how 3D technology can advance teaching and learning, particularly in the world of science, design and technology.
    
Texas Instruments DLP products showcased the first 3D ready classroom projector at BETT 2010, which aims to deliver interactive learning across various topics ranging from science to art. The company wants to see how 3D can be used to help learners ‘see’ concepts more clearly and help improve understanding of difficult content and subject matter.

Meanwhile at BETT, SMART demonstrated mixed reality with a prototype SMART Document Camera 2.0. SMART was seeking customer feedback on the capabilities of mixed reality using the SMART Document Camera to explore the pedagogical benefits of 3D content and mixed reality in classrooms.

The subject of the role of new technology in the classroom is no longer debatable, and the time has come to embrace developments and see how they can help support learning; like going to see the latest 3D cinema release, all we can do now is sit back and enjoy the ride.

For more information
Web: www.besa.org.uk