BETT 2011 - Closing thoughts

[Dos_Box]

After a marathon 10 day stay in London I finally left the smoke and returned home to Lancashire totally exhausted on Tuesday. Since then I've been getting my head back together, and forming my thoughts about this years BETT show. In many way, it was almost identical to last years. No new technologies to speak of (although 3D printing has come on a bit!), a good attendance level and a stange atmosphere due to cuts and the vauge threat of redundencies in the air. I suppose the lack of new tech was a given seeing as the CES show has these sewn up, and we should see the trickle down of new slates and handheld devices at BETT 2012. The other (surprising) thing was the amount of vacant stands in the two main halls and missing (large) companies who usually attend but did not for some reason this year. Still, from conversations I had with other MD's throughout the show, interest in purchasing was hight throughout the sow, mainly fuelled by schools realising that soon they are to be masters of their own destiny and rumours about the possible end of RBC's in the coming years were rife causing many a visitor to the EduGeek stand to enquire about what it is they would need, and where they could find it.
Also popular was pointing schools in the direction of Serifs stand as the line 'We want Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Illustrator, but we don''t want to pay Adobe pricing' was very popular as belts were tightened.
But for me, it was the growing realisation that BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology; to steal Ken Royals phrase) or dirty networks as Tony likes to call them, is going to be an increasing and very impotant part of school networks in the coming years. As long as your resources are cloud based then coupled with a decent managed wireless setup there won't be too many issues, but it is coming and as much as we like to bitch about things here, my suggestion is for you to get planning fir it if you already have not done so.
Anyway, I can't wait for next years BETT as it got pretty lonly having almost the only Slate in the show and I want to see the rest of them.

[Domino]

A is going to be an increasing and very impotant part of school networks in the coming years.

Strangely apt typo there....

[SimpleSi]

it was the growing realisation that BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology; to steal Ken Royals phrase) or dirty networks as Tony likes to call them, is going to be an increasing and very impotant part of school networks in the coming years.

I'm already there - you can't get dirtyer networks than mine

On a serious note though - I think that embracing pupil's mobiles/tablets/pads and utilising them for admin type use such as eregistration or teaching and learning as say classroom voting devices could be very useful

Si

[GREED]

Innovation of individuals leading schools with the foresight to use emerging and popular technologies...