Pre-BETT thoughts
BETT tomorrow - what am I hoping to find?
In terms of hardware, I’m not expecting anything particularly exciting but I would like to see some of the existing technologies at more managable prices. I’d like to see a resaonably priced short-throw projector to avoid the cables or need for permanent projector fixtures. I’d like to see a moble device that I can use as a diary, send and receive emails, browse the internet, with a decent screen, able to fit into my shirt pocket and affordable.
In terms of software, I’m not really sure that there’s anything particular I’m hoping to find. There are still a number of technologies which are not intuitive to use - Flash being the one that springs to mind. I know that 6 year olds can create blockbusting movies with Flash but every time I’ve thought of getting to grips with it, it has felt too geeky. So something to help me master Flash would be welcome. I find it hard to get excited about software nowadays because the impact of software on kids is more determined by the way it’s used than the quality of the software.
In terms of seminars, there seems to be less variety than can be found at SETT and far too much which focuses on specific aspects of the English curriculum. There’s one on WEB 2.0 technologies which I’ll try to attend if I can get a ticket. (I’m not prepared to pay the extortionate pre-booking fees.)
So far all this sounds a bit negative so why am I bothering to go to BETT if there’s not a lot that I want to see? Well, the joy of BETT is that there are always surprises. You find a piece of software which does something really well or hear about innovative uses of ICT in the classroom. There’s always some interesting ideas to take back to schools.
So this year I’m going with a fairly open mind, with nothing in particular to search for but hoping to be surprised.
Interesting comparison you make with SETT, and I would have to agree with you on the English curriculum aspects. One of my goals this BETT is to try and gauge what impact WEB 2.0 is having on both people and the technologies. If you have a minute to spare at the show, it would be great to discuss. I will be on stand N64, Cascade, University of Hull. If not feel free to comment on our wiki http://cascade2bett.wikispaces.com/
This BETT07 tag of Ewans seems to be working well.
If you want a great phone that does all that and more I can recommend the MDA Vario I have from T-Mobile. It only costs 8.50 on top of their standard call package (£20-ish) and I get 2GB upload/download per month. You can blog from it, too, so we might even so more from Andy in Aberdeen!
There you go - one more reason to stay up North.
Hi Andy,
Thanks for posting about this, I’ve not found another Scottish perspective.
I am surprised at the lack of web2.0 as it was hard to escape at SETT;-)
Hi Andy - as part of my project with LTS for the next 18 months, I’ll be putting together a site with captivate tutorials to explain Flash from the ground up in bitesized chunks - it will have plenty of examples to work through and adapt for differing needs. I’ll post links to this once I get it underway. Hope this helps?