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70 | www.teachwire.net BE T T PRE V I EW Celebrating 40 years As Bett heads into its fifth decade, we look at some of the highlights of the world’s biggest edtech show... Table talks Learn from other educators and grow your personal learning network. Bringing together individuals from schools, universities and governments based on chosen topics of interest, TableTalks is the opportunity of the year to connect and collaborate with your peers. Connect @Bett Transforming the way that our community connects and collaborates, you’ll meet new people, discover new organisations and forge meaningful connections that result in positive changes for you, your organisation, and your learners. Tech User Labs Learn directly fromworld leading experts, with specialised tutorials and working groups designed to help you get the most out of your tech. Tech User Labs is an unrivalled opportunity not to be missed! CPD-accredited content Planning your CPD credits for 2025? Tick it off your list early when you register for Bett UK 2025, with our free CPD accredited programme, hosting over 100+ hours of quality, CPD accredited content for you to choose from. With six stages, 300+ speakers and thrilling keynotes from some of the biggest names in education, there’s no CPD opportunity quite like it. The best part? All our content is free for educators. Find out more about the Bett UK 2025 agenda at uk.bettshow.com OUR PRACTICAL DIGITAL STRATEGY Focusing on the basics, but with a premium twist, has made all the difference for our littlest learners, says Zaitoon Bukhari Youmight think that when planning the implementation of technology in the classroom, it’s the more complex operations that are the hardest to teach. But frommy experience, it’s the little learners who are trickiest to cater for. Many class teachers aren’t technology specialists, and so helping them adapt the devices and software they use with younger children can be a difficult process. In our primary schools, we’ve introduced one-to-one Chromebooks for pupils, and one of the things our younger learners have most trouble with is using the keyboard to type their logins, etc. Therefore, we have introduced ‘kiosk mode’. This has been a real gamechanger. It means pupils have controlled access to the various edtech platforms that the teachers approve. With the use of the touchscreen function, learners are able to navigate the platformmuch like they would on a smartphone. We have also introduced a QR code login, which allows the children to scan a code instead of typing their login details. This has enabled a smoother start to the beginning of activities. Once teachers started seeing how easy it was for the children to adapt to the Chromebooks using kioskmode and QR logins, I think there was much less anxiety. Pupils also have access to a whole host of accessibility tools, so for example, teachers can rely on these tools to provide learners with opportunities to gain independence, allowing TAs in the classroom to focus on specific one-to-one support. Teachers and TAs might upload an instructional video, for example, allowing the learners to hear the information in their own space without an adult having to repeat it back to them. And children don’t need to have an accessibility need to use these tools; if they find themuseful, they’re there. The key takeaway for us in implementing a practical digital strategy is to use the technology and platforms that enhance the learning experience of our students. Of course it’s tempting to be drawn into flashy tech, but mymain piece of advice would be to focus on premiumversions of the basic tools – you’ll get muchmore bang for your buck. Zaitoon is director of digital learning at Achievement Through Collaboration Multi-Academy Trust. See her discussion on best practice at 16:30 on 22 Jan at Teaching & Learning . RECOMMENDS Protection & representation NAHT represents over 50,000 serving school leaders in early years, primary, secondary and special schools, making it the largest trade union exclusively for school leaders in the UK. NAHT is democratically run, and supports its members through offering unparalleled protection and representation, using its voice at the highest levels of government to influence policy for the benefit of leaders and learners everywhere. Alongside its members, NAHTworks to create a better education system for both educationalists and students alike. Find NAHT in the Bett Hall at stand SS50. See naht.org.uk for more details. Educational innovation Explore the future of learning with Dell Technologies at Bett 2025, where cutting-edge technologymeets educational innovation (stands ND10 and NJ80 ). Visitors will have opportunities to get hands-on with the latest laptops, monitors, and devices – each rigorously tested to meet the demands of modern classrooms. You’ll also find an Esports Showdown, alongside Expert Insights fromDell and Intel specialists regarding AI, Windows 11, cybersecurity andmore.