Game to Learn at BETT 2012.

Game to Learn exhibited for the first time at the BETT show earlier this month at the Olympia Exhibition Centre in London. 

The BETT show is the world’s leading event for educational technology where education professionals can evaluate and purchase a comprehensive range of ICT products and services.

The exhibition began on Wednesday 11^th of January and lasted until Saturday 14^th. It was anticipated that around 80,000 delegates attended the event, with a large number being international visitors. With it being our first year at such a large event, there was great excitement about how the exhibition would unfold.

We met many interesting people from all around the world, including education authorities from Ghana, Israel and Russia. The international need for the educational software was staggering and our belief in Gamification has been further reinforced by the feedback we received. From a young age children are becoming interested in games and without doubt there is an opportunity to use games to develop their learning for a wide range of subjects.

The BETT conference gave us a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate our new Game to Learn Ipad App as well as MyDoodle Game, an early release version of our Build a Game software.

MyDoodle Game enables young children to use their imagination to tell stories by building their own game (now available on iTunes and PC). Both of our demonstrations were well received and some interesting questions were raised. We were given a number of new requirements for our next release including foreign language and problem solving elements.

BETT provided us with the chance to meet exhibitors who share a similar vision to ourselves of using innovative software to engage young children and promote learning. A highlight was our meeting with Titus from Ingenio, a company based in Singapore. Ingenio provide a software called Moomba that teaches music to pupils aged 4-7.

The delegates and exhibitors we met emphasised just how much technology and innovation such as Gamification can have such a profound impact on learning. We are taking these positive messages forward with us as we look excitedly on what will be a big year for Game to Learn.

We were also invited to workshops and listened to discussions on various topics including new techniques to improve the performance of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. A particular focus was placed on the benefits of mobile technologies such as Ipads in the classroom. The most inspiring workshop was hosted by Achievement for All, a UK charity which supports schools to improve the aspirations, access and achievement of learners and young people. The workshop discussed the recent Achievement for All initiative in 450 schools which was shown to have had a profound impact on the outcomes of pupils with Special Education Needs and Disabilities.

If you were there at BETT we hope you enjoyed the show as much as we did. We look forward to BETT 2013! Watch this space for more exciting developments…

You can visit the Game to learn website at http://www.gametolearn.net and ‘Like’ the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/gametolearn for more information!

Games technology in the classroom – Game to Learn.

The digital world has changed the way primary school children learn and understand the subjects they are learning in school. 

E-Learning and Gamification paves the way how children’s understanding develops because of learning alternatives offered through digital technologies.

These digital technologies open up a wealth of possibilities in education and learning, and as children work in that environment their learning develops, and thanks to these new technologies they can often learn concepts that are normally well beyond their age because they are exposed to them regularly and in different ways.

Traditional numeracy and literacy programmes are still critical to the school curriculum but new digital technologies are able to build on these with realistic problem solving tasks and interactive games which are powerful tools for children of all levels, including those with special education needs. 

Children and pupils who have been uncomfortable with tricky subjects in the past have also found it motivating to learn in a new, fun and rewarding setting.

Research has shown that complementing traditional classroom learning with digital technologies increases children’s motivation and risk taking, and they are motivated to explore problems in new and challenging ways.

Game to Learn, an online primary school resource has helped to restructure the classroom experience, the way teachers teach, the way pupils learn, and how their learning is monitored and assessed.

Over the last decade more and more parents and carers of children with learning difficulties are seeking online activities and games to help their children better learn.

Of course, it is important to know your children are learning and communicating in a safe environment, and Game to Learn ensures just that.    

E-Learning and Gamification is an excellent way to enhance the classroom and learning experience whilst being reactive to learners needs, and saving money. 

The software, which is compliant with the UK National Curriculum; provides an educational resource which is easy to keep up to date with, and can be delivered in a quick and efficient manner to all pupils.

Throughout the development, planning and trialling of Game to Learn, it has been proven that online learning offers a range of benefits in a fast-paced working environment, and that the virtual classroom can provide a useful resource to access information quickly and at the point of need.

Game to Learn is the new generation of e-learning using gaming, simulation and video, as well as animation, and has allowed for more complex issues to be explored in a fun and interactive way.

The system will be fully operational in 2012, but in the meantime you can visit the website at http://www.gametolearn.net or ‘Like’ the Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/gametolearn

And make your start in the future of learning!