Who Moved My Cheese? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

That is one of the messages I have taken away from Pelecon Conference in Plymouth this year. I cannot remember which speaker first presented it in one of their slides but it was a message that was repeated a number of times during the conference.

You may wonder what this has to do with education technology …. perhaps I’ll get to that later because I am very much writing this post on the fly, almost as a stream of consciousness. It almost certain that what has made this message stick in my mind is the situation I find myself in at this very moment … I am without a job. I have just finished one contract and do not yet have another one lined up.

This situation is not new to me. Since leaving full time teaching in 2003, there have been several periods during which I have found myself not working, mostly short but on at least one occasion, long. I would say that it is a hazard which many contract workers face and, to date, I have not found an easy and consistently workable solution to the problem.

I have tried networking, which is not something that comes naturally to an introvert such as myself. I will not deny that networking is a good approach, several openings I have found have come about as a result of meeting someone or knowing someone rather than sending reply to a job advertisement. Networking, though, seems to work better when there are jobs around. When many of your colleagues are similarly out of work, then it becomes more difficult to find opportunities through your network.

In my time as a contractor, I have explored and expanded into different fields, from teaching, to training, online learning and even project management, each centred around technology. Nowadays, the worlds of education technology are constrained and restrained by financial factors (i.e. there’s a recession!) So, it seems, that each avenue of exploration comes up against the same blocks… lack of money to pay for people.

I am minded, at this moment, of a short book I read several years back called “Who Moved My Cheese”. It was a simple little book which conveyed the message that if you cannot earn from what you have been doing , then change what you are doing. To many people stick to what they are doing even while the returns are diminishing or even non extant.

Combine the message of “Who Moved My Cheese” with the message “If you Don’t Have a Job, Invent One”; it would seem that the path ahead becomes a lot clearer … it is time for me to invent a new job for myself.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

But what should this new invented job be? and perhaps more to the point, how can I persuade/convince other people that they need to take me on in this role?

Well that, for now, is the situation I am facing. I feel my next step is to go through some personal brainstorming and seek to define such a role. If anything comes from it, I’ll let you know.

Related articles

• Technology, Education and Brains Team Up at Startup Weekend
• Let’s Stop Teaching Young People to “Find” Jobs That Don’t Exist
• Who moved my cheese?

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Along with many other people, it would seem, I find myself reflecting upon the BETT show of 2013. Okay, so I often do this, so what makes this year’s show different?

Change of venue.

Well the most obvious difference was that the show was held at a new venue; for the first time, the show was held at the excel centre in london’s docklands in the east end of London rather than at Olympia, it’s traditional home in the west end of London.

Was the change of venue a success?

For me, the location was more difficult to get to than Olympia but it did afford me the exciting opportunity to ride on the cable car over the Thames, so I mustn’t complain. Having seen, though, how the London Underground struggled to cope with the crowds going to Olympia, I am not convinced the DLR light railway can cope effectively with the potential crowds.

It was immediately evident upon entering, that the excel arena is smaller than Olympia and that this year’s show was also smaller than usual. Now I will admit that I do not know if the change of venue, itself, meant the show had to be smaller or if the fewer number of exhibitors meant the smaller venue was necessary. All in all, it was markedly clear that the show was smaller and that any companies were absent from this year’s show.

Size and location already considered, was the venue suitable?

Well, the venue is certainly newer and cleaner than Olympia, however, it was also quite anonymous and lacked the character of the old Olympia buildings. I heard or overheard many negative comments about the building, ‘it lacks character or heart’, ‘it is just a glorified shed’, ‘it has no natural light’, ‘it’s difficult to find your bearings’…. However, it was certainly cleaner than Olympia and there did seem to be more food concessions available within the location.

So, for me, the jury is ‘still out’ with regard to the location. Perhaps next year, the organisers could consider taking over more of the possible display space and making the show larger again (I think they used only half the potential space this year).

But what of the show itself?

It did seem that the show had a shift of focus this year. The centre of the activity appeared to be the ‘arena’ and numerous ‘learn live’ areas, in which a wide range of presentations were delivered to the attending audience. I do feel sure that this shift in focus did, and would continue to, attract more visitors to the show. I believe the show broke its attendance figures for last year and this ‘professional development’ aspect was possibly a reason for this.

However, whilst I wholeheartedly applaud the cpd events staged by the show, we do have to remember that this is a trade or commercial show. It is the exhibitors who pay for the show, it is free for teachers to attend, if exhibitors feel they are being squeezed out and not getting the visitors or ‘foot-fall’ they need, then the show risks them pulling out and potentially making the whole show unsustainable. However if in future years the cpd aspects draw greater numbers visitors then maybe the show could remain or even become more attractive to exhibitors. I am sure that the organisers realise that thy are treating a fine line in this and I am sure it is difficult to maintain the right balance. Nevertheless, the organisers are to be congratulated for the wide range of talks, workshops etc which were evident at this years show.

And the international aspect?

Over the last few years, there would seem to have been a growing international interest in BETT with increasing numbers of visitors and exhibitors coming from other countries within Europe. On the 1 day that I attended, I saw no evidence of this this year. Obviously I cannot speak for other days but I would hate to thin that the international appeal of BETT has been lost because of the change of venue, change of date or any their factor.

The inevitable question, was there anything new on display?

To my mind, no. The year seems to have been a consolidation year. There was on display the usual products and services from established suppliers, there were several products which appeared to be improvements or consolidations on what were displayed last year. There were a few new products but these were mostly based on ideas we have all seen before. There did not seem to be any, to my eye, completely new ideas, products or services being offered this year. In fact, I was surprised that one product was not more prominent, 3d printing. This I feel holds a lot of potential for education but seemed to be largely absent from main displays at the show.

The future?

Far be it for me to suggest paths for the future of BETT, it was noticeable that the organisers were using the change of venue as an opportunity to try new ideas, such as the more prominent cpd activities and the areas for technology at work and, I believe, FE. However, this might start putting them more in direct conflict with the Learning Technologies show held at about the same time of year. I also feel that the organisers have a big challenge ahead of them, the traditional displays of hardware and software may have a declining role in edtech for the future and the increasing use of personal devices call for more emphasis upon apps to support learning. The challenge here is; how do you display apps and persuade producers that displaying them at BETT is worth their while and investment? With apps being aimed more at individual learners than at institutions, the next challenge to BETT organisers is how do they make the show more relevant to learners.

And on that point I shall end this reflection on BETT 2013 and look forward to BETT 2014..

Related articles

• BETT 2013 – the good, the bad and the … (dougdickinson.co.uk)
• Parkin picks gems for Stone’s BETT 2013 display (agent4change.net)
• My visit to Bett 2013 (smartypots.wordpress.com)
• Teaching Schools’ ICT outfit makes its BETT debut (agent4change.net)
• Bett 2013 (tyncan.wordpress.com)

Hopefully the BETT Show, usually just know as BETT, needs no introduction but for anyone not familiar with the Exhibition, suffice it to say that it is the longest running and prime exhibition in UK and Europe in the field of Education Technology. It is an exhibition which has grown in size year upon year and has often been used as a showcase for new technologies and new ideas. It is not just an exhibition but also a series of seminars or workshops and a social gathering for edtech professionals.

In my time, I have attended most of the annual BETT shows and have found them useful in several ways. As a teacher and an ICT co-ordinator, it was not always easy/possible to get the time off school to attend the show, so I had to travel at my own expense on a Saturday. This was frustrating, not just because I had to dig into my own pocket but also because many people and activities were taking place on the other days and I felt I was missing out.

So for anyone else who is having difficulty getting time out of school to attend this year’s BETT, I have tried to put together this post on reasons why BETT can help your school, maybe you can use this to help persuade your Head or Budget holder to allow you to attend?

Exhibition

The heart of the BETT show is the exhibition arena(s). Here you will see a whole gamut of firms, big and small, exhibiting their latest products and services. Touring the exhibitors can help your school in three ways;

• 1)      Purchasing. If you know you want to make purchases of new technology, touring the exhibition will enable you to meet and compare companies and products side by side. If this is what you want to do, I’d suggest you plan your visit, identify what products, services and companies you want to visit and map out your day accordingly. Maybe, you could even visit the stands and make an appointment to meet representatives at particular times. You might also get the chance to see similar companies or products you had not heard of before. By all means also use the opportunity to make appointments for companies to visit you at school after the show, this will give you time to reflect and feedback to colleagues, rather than make quick decisions while at the show. The key here is to use the show to help inform you purchasing decisions.

• 2)      Relationships. If you are not in the process of making purchases, it cannot do any harm to build up relationships with suppliers and companies. Make a point of visiting the stands of companies/suppliers you already use and meet people from them. It always helps to have a name and a human face to speak to when dealing with companies, so make yourself known as a customer and try to create a contact at the company whom you can deal with later. Should you see new products/services which interest you while at the show, do make contact with the company showing them. Let them know you are interested or would like to know more and take their contact details. Contact them after the show to remind them of your interest and, if appropriate, arrange further contact/meetings with them. The key here is to build up and maintain your relationship with people and suppliers who may be able to help and support your school now or in the future.

• 3)      Technology. It is difficult to get away from it, BETT is about educational technology; about showing it, about selling it and about using it. Sometimes you might just see a new piece of kit or an entirely new technology which makes you think, ‘that looks jolly interesting, I wonder how I can use it in school.’ I do strongly advise not buying directly at the show, even if you are offered a heavily discounted price, but do make a note of, a physical one not a mental one, of the new technology and who is offering it. When back at school, talk about it with colleagues, discuss how you might use it, put together a possible project proposal and, if you can get the ‘go ahead’, contact the company to let them know of your interest. The key here is to use the kit of show to generate new learning possibilities for your school.

Seminars and Workshops

Alongside the exhibitions, BETT provides visitors with the opportunity to attend an array of seminars and workshops being run by leading practitioners. Many visitors have found these to be of more use than the exhibition itself, especially if their school feels it has enough ‘kit’ and is looking to making better or more use of it. Some visitors see the seminar programme as a means of providing themselves with effective and cheap CPD which can be included in their performance assessment. In previous years, there would seem to have been an increasing emphasis upon the seminar programme at BETT. This year’s BETT, 2013, seems to follow that trend by placing great emphasis upon the programme, topics and speakers available. It also seems that, for the first time, the seminars are free to attend (in previous years there was a registration fee and booking service). So even if you are not interested in attending BETT for the showcase of exhibitors, there is sure to be something in the seminars for you. It has been my experience that the seminar sessions can help schools in three ways;

• 4)      New Ideas. Some of the seminars may present new ideas for using education technology. Of course, not all of these will be relevant to you or your school but, equally, some may be. You could find it worth your time attending at least one of these and then taking the idea(s) presented back to your school and sharing with colleagues. The Key here is to use BETT seminars to provide new ideas for using existing technology or new technology in school.

• 5)      Experiences of Others. Some of the seminars will be given by people sharing their experiences of using particular technologies or working with particular subjects or particular groups of learners. This affords visitors the opportunity to gain knowledge and to compare their own experiences with those of colleagues in other establishments. I can also provide visitors with an opportunity to make contact with new colleagues and new ideas which can help strengthen teaching in their school. The key here is the sharing of experiences of using technology in education.

•  6)      Insights. Okay, there’s a little bit of overlap with the previous point above but some of the seminars as well as being accounts of peoples’ experiences will also give an account of what they’ve learned from that experience, not just the process and the implementation but also the effects of their work. These ‘insights’ can often be of greatest value to a school, especially in helping to determine whether or not to implement a particular technology or particular approach to teaching. These ‘insights’ can help a visitor establish potential ‘goals’ and purposes for new projects and technology implementations. The key here is to use other people’s experiences and findings to support and justify your own work.

Colleagues

The BETT show provides a fantastic opportunity to physically meet your colleagues involved in the edtech field. Some of whom you may know by name or by reputation, some of whom you may have met via social networks. BETT provides an opportunity to meet face to face, either by design (i.e. by agreeing to meet up) or by accident (simply by bumping into them … both physically and metaphorically; it can get very crowded at BETT!). Three ways this can help your school may be;

• 7)      Networking. BETT is great for extending your network of colleagues. The more extensive your network is, the better it may be able to support your work should you need a helping hand. Most teachers realise the benefit of the support shared among colleagues when it comes to solving problems and sharing ideas. However, many teachers often work in isolation, social networking and physical networking can help overcome the feeling of isolation in your work. Attending BETT can be a great way of extending your professional network. The key is to use BETT to meet people, new people and those you already know, to extend your professional network.

• 8)      Foreign Links. Although the B in BETT stand for British, in recent years BETT has established itself as the leading exhibition of its type across Europe and beyond. The result is that increasingly more and more visitors are attending from other countries. BETT gives visitors the opportunity to meet colleagues from across the world, to establish links with individuals, companies and schools abroad. This could not only strengthen and widen your own network but may also be of use in creating contact with foreign schools and students for your own school. The key is to use BETT as a possible means to start international contacts

• 9)      New Ideas. Ideas are not just generated by seeing new items of tech on display, they are not just generated by attending seminars, they are also generated and shared by meeting your colleagues. The key is to use the colleagues you meet at BETT to generate and share new ideas which you can implement back at school.

BETT Fringe

I’m not sure if the BETT organisers will like me mentioning this but there are also various fringe events which happen at BETT. These are unofficial events often organised by attendees themselves specifically for the benefit of other attendees. In previous years, these fringe events have included teachmeets, takeovers, Collaborate for Change and TEDx events. I’m not sure what events are being organised for BETT 2013, perhaps people could add them in the comments, but do look out for them as these can be of immense value.

• 10)   Teachmeet. Teachmeets are a fantastic opportunity for teachers to get up and briefly present to attendees how they have been using some aspect of education technology. It is a platform for sharing and disseminating ideas and practice among colleagues. If you’ve never attended a teachmeet, then the teachmeet at BETT is a great place to start. The key here is the sharing of ideas, experience and practice among colleagues.

• 11)   Takeovers. In recent years, some exhibitors have allowe3d teachers and students to ‘takeover’ their stand for brief presentations. This allows practitioners and their learners to demonstrate to visitors how they have been using technology in their school. It is a great way of sharing, particularly the work of learners. The key here is to use BETT to see how other learners have utilised education technology

• 12)   Pub Lunches/evening meals. BETT can get very hectic and crowded, so it can be a great relief at times to get away from the hustle and bustle to meet with colleagues over a drink and a bite. The Key here is to relax, enjoy and get to know colleagues a bit better.

So there you are, 12 ways from my experience in which attending BETT can help improve schools and benefit you as a teacher. If you are attending BETT this year, do enjoy it, I hope these tips may help and I hope perhaps to meet you there. If you still are having trouble justifying your attendance at BETT this year, maybe you can use these points to help your case.

Links to Fringe Events

(Thanks to Ian Addison for these)

Tips for Beginners – Some useful tips if you haven’t been to BETT before

Teachmeet Takeover - Share ideas throughout the show!

Kidsmeet Takeover - Children presenting throughout the BETT Show

Teachmeet (Friday evening) – Come and share ideas! (first you’ll need a ticket!)

Teachmeet Helpers - Can you help with a few tasks on the day?

If you want to arrange to meet colleagues, this online spreadsheet could help;

Are you going to BETT? – Fill in this spreadsheet and see who else is going on the same day as you.

Related articles

• Pedagogy, Technology and the Search for Inspiration (dougwoods.co.uk)
• Doga flies flag for schools and business at BETT 2013 (agent4change.net)
• Spoilt for CPD choice with Learn Live at BETT 2013 (agent4change.net)
• Teachmeet Takeover at Bett 2013 (whiteboardblog.co.uk)
• BETT : The Changing use of Technology in Schools (chrisleach78.wordpress.com)
• Parkin picks gems for Stone’s BETT 2013 display (agent4change.net)
• Will 2013 see a Continued Decline in Education Technology? (dougwoods.co.uk)
• Caroline’s journey from ‘Yes Minister’ to BETT 2013 (agent4change.net)

I have often argued that pedagogy and technology should be seen together, planned together and used together, that technology is an asset and a means, not just an add-on. It is with these two things in mind that I usually travel to conferences and exhibitions, such as the BETT show in London. I go to seek new ideas and inspiration. Sometimes, I find these in exhibits, sometimes I find them in the talks and lectures, and sometimes I find them just by talking to colleagues I meet. Occasionally, I do not find inspiration or ideas at the show or conference but I still go with hope of doing so.

At the time of writing this, I am not sure if I shall be able to attend this year’s BETT show, which is a pity because this year, 2013, would seem to mark a new stage in the show’s history as it moves for the first time to the Excel centre in London. I can recall attending early BETT shows at the Barbican and have frequently attended since then. If I do go, then I shall again be looking for inspiration but even if I don’t attend then I hope other people there will find inspiration and share what they find.

I have often argued

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• Parkin picks gems for Stone’s BETT 2013 display (agent4change.net)
• Pedagogy before technology (ashleytan.wordpress.com)
• Online learning: pedagogy, technology and opening up higher education (guardian.co.uk)
• Innovating Pedagogy 2012 (designedforlearning.wordpress.com)

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I found this statement on a BYOD Readiness assessment for schools, it struck me as being a pretty strange thing to state especially on a document geared for BYOD. To my mind, it seems to negate the concept of BYOD and suggest that real computers (by which I guess they mean Desktops or Laptops) form the key to Educational Technology. This also seems strange to me as devices such as ipads and android tablets are being purchased and used as replacements for laptops and, thereby, would seem to be contrary to the above statement. If mobile devices are seen as a supplement, then BYOD becomes an additional programme, or burden? to edtech in schools, which could further negate the cost benefits of potential BYOD initiatives.

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While striking me as being odd, I wonder what other people feel?

Related articles

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• BYOD In Practice (wordofpie.com)
• To BYOD, Or Not To BYOD (blogs.sap.com)
• BYOD Policies Need Implementation, Enforcement (eweek.com)
• Technologies to watch 2013: The cloud will make BYOD a non-issue – eventually (computerworld.co.nz)
• Here’s how BYOD turns into a monster [infographic] (intomobile.com)
• Yes to ‘Bring Your Own Device’ – but maybe not yet (agent4change.net)
• Infuse Learning – A BYOD Student Assessment Tool (whiteboardblog.co.uk)
• Why It’s Time To Start BYOD In Your School (dougwoods.co.uk)

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It’s the start of a new year and it is traditional at this time to look back over the previous year and also to look forward to the coming year and try to predict what will happen in the months ahead. Well, here you are, this is my post on what I think will happen during 2013 in the arena of education technology.

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Looking back at 2012, I think they have been two trends which have emerged and which will continue to develop in 2013. These trends are BYOD and the flipped classroom, both of which would seem to have developed into a bandwagon during the past year and, yes, I think they will continue in the coming year. But ( am I allowed to start a sentence with but?) I think during 2013 the enthusiasm will be tempered by experience and that we shall see more people reporting on their findings as they try to implement one or both of these. My worry would be that the potential benefits of either approach could be lost as people focus on the practical barriers to implementation.

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So what else will become ‘big’ in 2013? I do think 3d printing will continue to develop but I think we will need to look beyond one more year before it becomes established in education. My hot tip ( please question my record in betting before following this though ) is that the ‘Internet of things‘ will become the next big thing, again I don’t see it becoming established within the year but I do feel interest in it will grow.

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What about ‘cloud computing? Well I still wonder whether this will truly come to education. So far cloud computing has failed, in my eyes, to live up to its promise. So far we have seen cloud storage , remote access, sharing and syncing across devices via the cloud but we have seen very little yet of real cloud computing. By real cloud computing I mean the ability to operate programs or services remotely via any device connected to the Internet. We may be beginning to see this with Microsoft’s office 365 and with Google docs but, in education, we need more than just ‘office’ apps to offer learners. The key in true cloud computing is not just in the range and versatility of services offered but also in their device agnosticism, which will enable a learner to access and use services from any device of their choosing ( and not always the most sophisticated or expensive ones) .

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Sadly, during 2012, we have seen more and more rivalries develop to dent the spirit of collaboration. Viz Apple v Samsung, Google v Microsoft, Amazon v Apple, Twitter v Instagram, Twitter v LinkedIn, Twitter v Facebook etc. etc., sadly, I do not seen any end to these coming in 2013 and I feel this can only been to the detriment of the end user.

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There is a further trend which we have seen develop in previous years and which I feel we need to question. That is the trend toward paying for software and services via subscription. Almost invariably, these subscriptions have been charged based upon the size of a school and, even then, often grouped into ‘bands’ which make it prohibitive for small schools. Obviously, there is a commercial implication in providing services to schools via subscription and companies involved are often in the ‘middle’ and having to meet charges for hosting and access levied by their suppliers or providers. Nevertheless, to date most subscriptions would appear to work in favour of companies and against schools. I won’t go into all the arguments the but I have already argued elsewhere that subscriptions should be more flexible and based upon actual user numbers rather than school size. Hopefully, though I am pessimistic, companies will start to be respond to this need during 2013, it would be something I’d urge visitors to BETT 2013 to check out.

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2012 has continued to be a divisive year in some ways, with the divisions between proponents of ‘computing at school’ and proponents of ‘ICT’. However, I do feel and sincerely hope that the coming year will see a reuniting of all edtech ‘camps’ and give us the opportunity to build rather than split ourselves further. After all, it is my opinion that technology in education is a very wide field and that technology has many roles to play in education, the divisions we have seen in 2012 are largely, I believe, a reflection of that breadth.

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So, do I feel that 2013 will see a continued decline in education technology?

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No.

Related articles

• The State of Educational Technologies (dougwoods.co.uk)
• Cloud Computing and Big Data in 2013: What’s Coming Next? (sys-con.com)
• New Pub: Educational Technology as a Subversive Activity (matthewkr.com)
• Teacher predictions: what will 2013 bring for education? (guardian.co.uk)

Or How Education Technology is Vital for Some Learners

Today I read an article which presented two ideas that had me thinking. First of all, the article suggested that what we learn nowadays has a shorter ‘shelf-life’ than we might expect and, second, that learning in classrooms should be less about disseminating information and more about aggregating. In this article, I’d like to consider the first of these ideas, that our learning has a shorter shelf life and also, if true, the consequences of that for learners.

Related articles

• 10 characteristics of authentic learning (steve-wheeler.blogspot.com)
• Skills for Learning 2.0 (steve-wheeler.blogspot.com)
• Teaching Is Only One Way to Learning (dougwoods.co.uk)
• Thinkging Differently About Learning: Next Steps Checklist (langwitches.org)
• Professional Learning in the Digital Age – A Review (freetech4teachers.com)