■ New venue: This was the most obvious improvement of Bett this year. The two crammed halls in the west of London have been superseded by one vast aircraft hangar of a space (Excel) in the east of London. Much more room to move around!
■ Tablets everywhere: “Keep taking the tablets” is definitely the buzz phrase. This continues a trend that’s been in evidence for the last couple of years, and which shows no signs of abating.
■ Interactive displays: Again, lots of interactive whiteboard-type products, but not necessarily with the overhead in terms of bulk.
■ Integration: There seemed to be a big emphasis on joining all the dots this year: getting tablets and the classroom interactive displays working together, with more teacher control over the devices being used by the students.
■ New types of spaces: The larger hall meant that a few innovative things could be tried out in terms of how the space was used. A prime example was the Bett Arena, an area that allowed for keynote talks right in the center of things, areas for seminars, and areas where teachers could try stuff out.
