Bett 2008 !

Coming to the end of January and it's amazing how many things can come flashing at you in one go. There has simply been so much that I have had to sit down and try tomake sense of it all (much like this awfully composed sentence).

Bett.

Let's start with that shall we?

Sarsen Software (which I have been working on for a while now) pulled out all the stops and set up a stall in the famed 'Bett Education Show 2008: what a thrill that was, I tell you !

Having got up early, my wife drove me to Didcot station where I boarded the train to London. This was only the second time I'd ever been to the city (or any city at that) on my own and I was slightly nervous. However, the trip went well and I managed to tuck into my tome-like edition of Don-Quixote to take my mind off Sarsen and the stall. Within 30 pages of the book (which, by the way, is possibly one of the best books ever written) I had arrived at Paddington and pretending I knew where I was heading, I somehow managed to find the tube and head towards Earl's Court.

From there I managed to get off at the Olympia and it was here that familiarity crept in and I realised that I had been to this building a few times before. Bett is a fantastic educational show that hosts a range of software and hardware right across the educational highway. With my 'nip through the back entrance 'cos I'm with Sarsen' badge, I manged to get in early and try and find our stall inside the huge, huge arena.

Needle in a haystack doesn't cover it ! There were too many things for me to see: it was like a teacher's educational candy store where all the sweets were free: well, on trial anyway. The big guns were there: RM, Dell, Microsoft, 2-Simple, Smart-Boards, Promethean...just to name a few. There were stalls with touch-screen mini-laptops, stalls that were colourful and eye-catching, innovative ideas on every corner and then.....

Woah !

There it was.....Sarsen software ! A little, dark den upstairs, with people hovering outside, looking in at what I'd been working on with the team. There were cardboard cut-outs of the characters and a huge Whiteboard showing off the application. There was a huge screen with me on it - filmed teaching the kids - there were my kids from class on video....

It was all a tad overwhelming.

For the last few years I had come here bemoaning the fact that so much of the software in schools was appalling and now, here was our little baby: proud and bright ! It was a strange, strange feeling indeed.

I didn't get much time to greet any of the gang as I was hauled in and helped with selling the product: this was a great experience and a far flung role from teaching ! However, as I stood and chatted to many teachers who came to look at the software I had the confident feeling that 'yes' this was a good, no a fabulous piece of software that really was exciting and different and fun and easy-to-use and I'm sure I brought this enthusiasm across to all those I met - since it was all graced with sincerity.

After a while, Niki managed to get a break and I went for a walk with him around Bett: this also was a strange experience as we'd been here only a year ago together - talking about the future and all its possibilities......
He spoke to me about what had gone in Bett during the week and I was so so happy for him about how ecstatic he was. I was happy because he'd worked so hard, as had all the team: and they'd reached this wonderful point where they could show off all their work to thousands of people who wanted to see it and be a part of it.

After a few hours, I decided to hop on the train back and get back to some work (I did say that a teacher's work is never done!), but I couldn't help feeding off Niki's enthusiasm and still, today, I am very excited about the path that Sarsen is starting to go down....

Interesting times indeed.