I’m in Year 5 and this was my second time visiting Bett, and I think it might be one of the coolest places ever. There were loads of new gadgets, games, and learning tools to try out, and everything made school feel like it could be a massive adventure.
SMART Board & Lumio – Lessons made in under a minute
First, I tried a SMART Board that was using software called Lumio, and it was honestly amazing. Mark from SMART showed us how he could make a whole lesson in less than a minute using Lumio’s AI tools. He typed in an idea about the science behind Formula One cars, and the lesson suddenly appeared with activities, things to drag around, and videos built in. It was because Lumio can make full interactive lessons from a simple prompt, which must save teachers loads of time!
What I liked most was that the board wasn’t just for the teacher. More than one of us could use it at the same time, so me and my sister worked together to move things around and helped each other. It felt more like teamwork than normal schoolwork.
There were also quick activities the teacher could start with one click, like polls or little quizzes, which made the lesson feel fast and fun. The whole thing made me wish we had a SMART Board with Lumio in our classroom, because then we could work together instead of on our own. It made learning feel more like playing, but I was properly learning at the same time.
Minecraft Education – Soane’s portals to the past
Next, I tried the brand-new Minecraft Education world called Soane’s portals to the past. When the demo started, I appeared right outside Sir John Soane’s Museum in London, and straight away I met Fan – Sir John Soane’s dog, who became my guide.
Fan ran around showing me important things, but sometimes he sprinted off so fast that it became a fun challenge just trying to keep up with him! I had to follow him through corridors, past displays, and towards special artefacts that worked like magical portals.
Each artefact took me to a different ancient world:
- Ancient Egypt
- Ancient Greece
- Ancient Rome
You could choose which civilisation to visit first, which made it feel like a proper adventure game.
In the Ancient Egypt area, I had to paint the pillars using the right colours. It felt like solving a puzzle, and I didn’t realise how bright and bold Egyptian buildings were until I tried copying the patterns myself.
In the Greek and Roman sections, I learned about different types of columns by putting the pieces in the correct order. I didn’t need a teacher to explain it, the game made me notice the differences just by building them. It made history feel hands on and exciting rather than something you just read in a book.
It didn’t feel like a lesson at all. It felt like time travel, problem solving, exploring, and creating all at once.
Canva – art printed on a real bag!
Another thing I loved was the Canva design station. I created a picture of an alien driving a Formula One car, something I’d never be able to draw by hand. It was so easy to add colours, shapes, words and special effects.
Then they printed my design onto a real bag! I gave it to my big sister and she loved it. I felt really proud because it looked like something you’d buy in a shop.
Did you know that Canva is free for all teachers!
What I loved most about Bett is that nearly everything I tried made learning feel fun, interactive, and like something you want to do. All the technology showed how lessons can be more like games, full of teamwork, creativity, and exploring.
I think every teacher should visit Bett because you get loads of brilliant ideas for using technology in new ways.
If you’re interested in any of the education solutions mentioned in Billy’s review, visit our education home page. Or if you’d like to see how these technologies work in action, check out our Edukos Trust case study, or our other education case studies.
