BETT proved to be 4 fantastic days to remember!
Repeating last years' attendance at BETT (a conference for the global community for education technology) , Su spent 2 of the 4 days supporting the wonderful guys at Zu3D, whilst the remaining 2 days were spent with Ohbot! who were newcomers last year, but have really found their feet (hmm for a body-less robot that might be a little insensitive) and proved very popular at BETT selling out on the 2nd day! Each day was punctuated by an 11:30 presentation over at the EXA Communications stand in support of their EXA Education arm. There was barely a moment to stop, but it was a truly fantastic few days and a little networking got squeezed in too!
Zu3D's stand was as colourful and exciting as ever, but even busier! Time was focussed mainly on the launch of the new Zu3D M for PC, which brings the software more in line with the iPad version of the software, for a more seamless transition, with more additions. One of the aspects that we love about Zu3D is their open-mindedness and how much effort goes into further developing their product. Our favourite two additions to the software itself are the addition of pivot points to added images and the wonderful Zu3D Remote Camera App, which allows for easy transfer of images from iPad to PC over the wifi. The pivot point addition provides a fantastic method for including images and GIFs in films and making them look like they are really there. Check out 'Not a Stick' in the Zu3D Gallery for an example of how that has been used. In the clip you will see that when the stick becomes a sword, it moves with the boy's hand, appearing as if he is holding the sword! See how many more times you can spot where this tool has been used.
On Wednesday and Saturday, Su accompanied Ohbot in the BETT Futures area. As the previous BETT exhibition marked the launch of Ohbot, a visit to this year's BETT proved to be a celebration, as they marked their 1 year milestone. Ohbot had launched their second crowdfunded campaign through December to further develop their robotic head, and so this was an opportunity to showcase not only the new and improved Ohbot, but MegaBot and HUGE version of Ohbot 2. MegaBot proved to be a crowd-puller and a talking point, and Ohbot's stand was barely free of prospective customers wanting to find out more about this peppy little bot.
Daily presentations on the amazingly creative EXA Communications stand also went very well. If you were at BETT, we're sure you will recall the beach huts and bar, with the surfboards and Hawaiian shirts! Whilst Su didn't dress for the beach the atmosphere certainly felt chilled in front of the Campervan screen! The presentations delivered covered two main topics, how Technology Events can impact the teaching of Computing and combining technology to make the most of it across the curriculum. Both proved popular with happy snappers recording aspects of the presentations on various devices!
A well-earned rest followed, and we can't wait to see what the next BETT exhibition brings!