Louisa Hunter
Portfolio Director, BETT
Emma Vandore
Head of Content, BETT
How we rethink education to increase the efficiency of learning can improve outcomes, expand opportunities and make education more accessible to every student.
Before Covid-19, conversations about the changing future of education were already underway. In the case of massive open online courses (MOOCs), for example, the technology was ready, and the excitement was palpable; but it took the pandemic to overcome resistance and see schools, colleges and universities having to move online.
Reshaping learning in the classroom
This massive global experiment led educational institutions to rethink their entire approach to teaching and explore how technology like smart devices, virtual classrooms and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms could not just enable — but enhance the learning experience.
Similarly, at Bett, not being able to bring the global education community together physically forced us to rethink our purpose and find new ways to connect online. We’ve always been a forum for sharing ideas on how technology can help schools and higher education establishments improve educational outcomes; and through the 365 community we built, those conversations can now carry on all year round.
Technology offers a myriad of opportunities to track student progress in real time and deliver learning more efficiently and flexibly.
Selecting the right technology for your school
Technology offers a myriad of opportunities to track student progress in real time and deliver learning more efficiently and flexibly. For example, assessments can be tailored according to individual student needs and then analysed to identify specific areas for improvement.
Teachers are not technology experts. Every school, university and college must consider all the resources at their fingertips and weigh up the cost of each solution against the value it will add to the classroom. However, this is no easy task.
Bett has created tools and resources to help educators find the right solution for their learners’ needs, including its new tech-enabled Connect @ Bett meeting programme which empowers them to do so in a fraction of the time. The conference will deliver over 100+ hours of continuing professional development (CPD) accredited opportunities to ensure users are maximising their use of technology.
Taking a community approach
As a community, we’ve also learnt the drawbacks when all learning goes online. To rebuild and thrive in a post-Covid economy, we need both in-person and virtual experience while training and upskilling teachers to ensure they feel confident using the tech purposefully.
Not only do we have a Covid-related learning gap to bridge, but budget cuts, strikes and the cost of living crisis mean innovation and collaboration are needed more than ever.
