Inspire a love of learning With school age children spending a significant proportion of their time in the classroom, not surprisingly parents have a vested interest in the quality of their child’s education and school life. Not just that, but with the familiar saying ‘practice makes perfect’ there is an increasing number of resources now available to supplement a child’s learning at home; whether it is provided by the school and made accessible through a virtual learning environment, or purchased by the parents themselves. As a result, education trade shows such as BETT are seeing an increasing number of parents, keen to experience the latest products, services and developments in policy that are affecting their child’s educational outcomes. Our children, now commonly referred to as ‘digital natives’, have grown up in a world surrounded by technology. It is not surprising therefore that due to its power to unleash motivation, ICT is a recognised tool for enhancing the learning experience. With a reputation of over 27 years as the world’s largest technology in education show, BETT provides an opportunity for parents and educators alike to see the 700 or so exhibitors showing a wide range of technology in education solutions. The readers of Flying Start can find out about just a few of the resources on offer relevant to those parents looking to supplement their child’s education. Learning from home 2Simple is showing its latest product PurpleMash, a creative online space for children aged 4 to 11 years. PurpleMash can be accessed both at school and at home providing learners with additional support outside of school hours. With hundreds of activities, programs and tools, PurpleMash supports children across a wide range of topics, developing numerous key skills. Visit 2Simple on stand F59 to see a live demonstration of PurpleMash. Proven to raise results, I am Learning Primary from I-Education is a games based revision and assessment system which engages students, encouraging them to learn both inside and outside of school. The resource supports revision, study, knowledge consolidation, assessment and exam practice with the aim of raising results. I am Learning Primary hosts a wealth of curriculum resources across all subjects at Key Stage 1 and 2, with over 25,000 questions and comprehensive reports to demonstrate pupil progress and support continual improvement. Visitors can find I am Learning Primary on stand Q22. On stand B39 visitors can see Q & D Multimedia’s Busy Things, an award winning online subscription service for early years and SEN pupils. There are over 100 activities alive with sounds, colours, animation and full of quirky characters. Busy Things challenges, intrigues and entertains early learners whatever their aptitudes
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and abilities. Activities support creativity, literacy, problem solving, reasoning and numeracy. Those visiting Nyoyn on stand SN80 can find out about SoundSteps, an interactive sound concept whereby a collection of mats react by means of sound when a child steps, jumps or sits on them. The children can choose which sounds they want to hear or which game they wish to play, for example musical chairs. SoundSteps does more than just offer a range of 'ready-made' games but stimulates children's imagination and creativity. The wide variety of playing activities means that the SoundSteps product can also be used to support the curriculum: language, maths, cooperation, motor skills and musical development. The mats are wireless which means they can easily be used in conjunction with existing playing materials. Innovative show features Of course there are other exciting things happening on the show floor aside from exhibitors. Since the introduction of the Free Schools programme, parents have been provided with another route to be involved with education. The Future Learning Spaces feature is relevant to these individuals; here visitors can meet with suppliers who are involved with these new programmes. Another exciting feature on the show floor is the Visual Learning feature led by leading voice for ICT in education, Prof. Stephen Heppell. Here, students from Lampton School in Hounslow will be holding a video conference on stand with children in India, sharing their experiences of the primary to secondary transition. Other themes include getting more girls interested in science, using ICT to support revision, and games based learning. Parents looking to find out about special educational needs (SEN) provision can make use of the dedicated Special Needs Zone which hosts a range of SEN specific suppliers, in addition to the SEN Information Point where advice can be sought in relation to special educational needs. The information point is hosted by nasen (the UK’s leading association for encompassing all special and additional educational needs) so be assured that the information you receive here is of the highest quality.
............................................... Celebrating its 27th anniversary in 2011, BETT has evolved into the world’s largest technology in education event. With close to 30,000 visitors and around 700 educational exhibitors in 2010 it continues to inspire learning excellence worldwide.
BETT 2011 takes place from 12th - 15th January 2011 at London Olympia and is free to attend. To pre-register (using priority code EMM6) visit www.BETTshow.com. Also find us at www.Facebook.com/BETT2011 or www.Twitter.com/BETT2011
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