BETT 2009 Day 2 - Steven's Perspective

Another full day at BETT. Morning was sepend looking into netbooks (currently trialling a few and will pos findings here soon) and laptop trolleys (a dull job but I think I now have my recommendations for schools in this area sorted in my head - again, more to follow).

Interactive whiteboards? What about interactive tables, floors...

Microsoft Surface in action

The thing that seems to be getting people's juices flowing this year is interactive surfaces. Many exhibitors are showcasing surfaces that can be interacted with - be it in the form of touchable tables or projections that you walk in front of or underneath to trigger the effects.
The tables create fantastic opportunities for collaborative work and interactive activities. It's all a bit blue-sky aspirational at the moment; this was the first public outing for most of these products and you are looking at upwards of £5000 to get your hands on one. But I don't think it will be long before this sort of technology tumbles in price and you start to find them in use in many schools, shops, doctor's waiting rooms, hotels, bars...

A floor projection - move over it to control the game. I even played football on it!

Our new LGfL consultant, Helen, trying outher fingerpainting on Smart's new interactive table.