Now that the tinsel is packed away from Christmas and the New Year resolution diets are in full flow, it can only mean one thing: BETT 2016 is upon us!
For the Microsoft education team, the BETT Show is a special time of the year. The show offers the whole team a chance to meet with our broader community, provide a stage to our Showcase Schools and MIEEs to share their stories/best practice and connect with the many Microsoft partners exhibiting at the show. We can't wait!
With BETT 2016 being our biggest ever, we just wanted to take this opportunity to share an update on what we are doing at the event.
To kick things off, while we've always had a big presence at the show, for the first time, Microsoft is a Worldwide BETT Partner. So, what does that mean? Well, with an even closer affiliation, we'll be working hand-in-hand with the lovely folks at i2i to share and celebrate new ways of thinking, working and educating. Pretty cool!
In terms of the show itself, Microsoft will be participating in a wide range of activities (both on the show floor and across a number of featured events), all designed to deliver big change and transformation in learning. In addition, the show will feature inspiring speakers and education experts who will share their insights across a range of keynote speeches and seminars. You are not going to want to miss these!
A full overview of the Microsoft activities at BETT are as follows:
For all BETT Attendees
BETT Show
This year's BETT show features a host of speakers who are making a significant impact on global education. Attendees will hear from groundbreaking educator Sugata Mitra and from Khan Academy's Salman Khan. They'll also hear from experts on getting girls involved in STEM, using mobile technologies to support students with disabilities, and even using holograms in education.
Microsoft will be presenting a range of exciting sessions, from "1:1 with Surface at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" and "Minecraft in Education," to our own Anthony Salcito's "Long Live Learning", an overview of the ways technology is enabling new methods of teaching and learning.
Furthermore, we are debuting our Microsoft Partner Village this year at the show (Stand C300), which will see 13 Microsoft Partners join us alongside the core Microsoft booth to share their solutions across a range of focus areas. Make sure you pop over and say hi!
Within the Learn Live Theatre on the booth, Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts and Showcase School leaders will be presenting sessions on OneNote Class Notebooks, using business intelligence to improve decision-making, "Inspiring a New Generation of Tech Pioneers," and more.
Full schedule is shown below (Sessions are 20 minutes in length):
Wednesday - Friday
- 10.30am - 11.00am - Paint a picture with your data - how Power BI can help supercharge your decision making in school and across a Trust - Matthew Woodruff, Whitehaven Academy
- 11am - 11.30am - BBC micro: bit: Inspiring a new generation of tech pioneers - Kevin Sait, MIEE
- 11.30am - 12.00pm - Levelling the playing field in education with Windows 10 and Surface - Alan Crawford, Shireland Collegiate Academy
- 12.00pm - 12.30pm - 1:1 with Surface at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry - Jacqueline Russell, Microsoft, and Sarah Hicks, Student Ambassador
- 12.30pm - 1.00pm - Minecraft in Education - Michelle Dauphiny, Exec Producer, and Stephen Reid, Educator
- 1.00pm - 1.30pm - OneNote: Class Notebooks to save time and collaborate with students - Ari Schorr, Microsoft, and Natalie Lochhead, MIEE
- 1.30pm - 2.00pm - Making learning come to life with Office 365 - Paul Edge, Ribblesdale High School, and Lindsay Bayne, Microsoft
- 2.00pm - 2.30pm - Paint a picture with your data - how Power BI can help supercharge your decision making in school and across a Trust - Matthew Woodruff, Whitehaven Academy
- 2.30pm - 3.00pm - BBC micro: bit: Inspiring a new generation of tech pioneers - Kevin Sait, MIEE
- 3.00pm - 3.30pm - Levelling the playing field in education with Windows 10 and Surface - Alan Crawford, Shireland Collegiate Academy
- 3.30pm - 4.00pm - 1:1 with Surface at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry - Jacqueline Russell, Microsoft, and Sarah Hicks, Student Ambassador
- 4.00pm - 4.30pm - Minecraft in Education - Michelle Dauphiny, Exec Producer, and Stephen Reid, Educator
- 4.30pm - 5.00pm - OneNote: Class Notebooks to save time and collaborate with students - Ari Schorr, Microsoft, and Natalie Lochhead, MIEE
- 5.00pm - 5.30pm - Making learning come to life with Office 365 - Paul Edge, Ribblesdale High School, and Lindsay Bayne, Microsoft
Saturday
- 10.30am - 11.00am - Minecraft in Education - Michelle Dauphiny, Exec Producer, and Stephen Reid, Educator
- 11.00am - 11.30am - BBC micro: bit: Inspiring a new generation of tech pioneers - Kevin Sait, MIEE
- 11.30am - 12.00pm - 1:1 with Surface at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry - Jacqueline Russell, Microsoft, and Sarah Hicks, Student Ambassador
- 12.00pm - 12.30pm - Paint a picture with your data - how Power BI can help supercharge your decision making in school and across a Trust - Matthew Woodruff, Whitehaven Academy
- 12.30pm - 1.00pm - OneNote: Class Notebooks to save time and collaborate with students - Ari Schorr, Microsoft, and Natalie Lochhead, MIEE
- 1.00pm - 1.30pm - Making learning come to life with Office 365 - Paul Edge, Ribblesdale High School, and Lindsay Bayne, Microsoft
- 1.30pm - 2.00pm - 1:1 with Surface at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry - Jacqueline Russell, Microsoft, and Sarah Hicks, Student Ambassador
- 2.00pm - 2.30pm - Picking the Perfect PC for your Pedagogy! - Marlowe Daily, WW OEM Hardware Marketing Lead, Microsoft
- 2.30pm - 3.00pm - OneNote: Class Notebooks to save time and collaborate with students - Ari Schorr, Microsoft, and Natalie Lochhead, MIEE
- 3.00pm - 3.30pm - BBC micro: bit: Inspiring a new generation of tech pioneers - Kevin Sait, MIEE
In addition to the great content above, this year, we will be offering an opportunity for teachers, students and others to take a Microsoft Certification Exam. Certifications offered include Microsoft Office Specialist, Microsoft Certified Educator, and Microsoft Technology Associate. These are being held within the Microsoft Gallery Suites and are sure to be extremely popular. Get there early to grab your spot!
Lastly, our popular Showcase Classroom from previous BETT shows will once again be a key part of our overall booth experience. Check out the classroom on the stand for Minecraft workshops, sessions on OneNote, Sway, BBC micro:bit and more. All of these sessions are delivered by educators and will give you loads of practical tips and inspiration to take back to the classroom. Should be fun!
Full schedule below:
Wednesday - Friday
- 10.15am - Minecraft
- 11.00am - OneNote – Collaborative use in the classroom including OneNote Class Notebook
- 11.30am - What's new in Office 365
- 12.00pm - Sway: Easy web-based, interactive document and presentation creation
- 12.30pm - BBC micro:bit
- 1.00pm - Discover Windows 10: Top 5 new features to help transform your classroom
- 1.30pm - Minecraft
- 2.15pm - OneNote – Collaborative use in the classroom including OneNote Class Notebook
- 2.45pm - What's new in Office 365
- 3.15pm - Sway: Easy web-based, interactive document and presentation creation
- 3.45pm - BBC micro:bit
- 4.15pm - Discover Windows 10: Top 5 new features to help transform your classroom
- 4.45pm - Minecraft
Saturday
- 10.15am - Minecraft
- 11.00am - OneNote – Collaborative use in the classroom including OneNote Class Notebook
- 11.30am - What's new in Office 365
- 12.00pm - Sway: Easy web-based, interactive document and presentation creation
- 12.30pm - BBC micro:bit
- 1.00pm - Discover Windows 10: Top 5 new features to help transform your classroom
- 1.30pm - Minecraft
- 2.15pm - OneNote – Collaborative use in the classroom including OneNote Class Notebook
- 2.45pm - What's new in Office 365
- 3.15pm - Sway: Easy web-based, interactive document and presentation creation
For Education Leaders
Education World Forum
This internationally recognised ministerial forum brings together delegates from more than 90 countries to address economic and educational challenges, share experiences, and establish a cooperative, future-proof approach to education.
Microsoft Technology Showcase
The Education Technology Showcase will provide attendees with the opportunity to meet with peers and Microsoft technologists for networking, Q&A and conversations about technology plans in Education in their countries and establishments.
Education Leaders Briefing
Microsoft is providing a platform for global and regional leaders to discuss and design evidence-based strategies for effective education transformation. This workshop will feature discussions on holistic education reform in a digital era and for collaborative problem-solving.
If you plan to attend BETT, we hope to see you at the Microsoft booth (stand number E310/Partner Village C300), and at the many other events we're sponsoring. If you can't attend, follow us on Twitter for all the updates, analysis and valuable insights we'll be sharing with the entire Microsoft Educator community.
Looking forward to an amazing BETT 2016!