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The Auckland-based company, Touchable Earth, has been honoured with a prestigious Kids Judge Bett Award, recognised as a part of the world's largest EdTech event, Bett UK, held in London.
The accolade was presented on stage by students from the UK who participated in Kids Judge Bett, allowing the young tech enthusiasts to select their favourite innovations on display. This year's event saw celebrated poet and children's author Michael Rosen join the students on stage to announce the highly anticipated victors.
Bett UK 2024, hosted across three days (24-26 January) at London's ExCeL Centre, was a grand gathering of 30,000 stakeholders, including education decision-makers, 600 innovative EdTech and resource solution providers, along with 400 speakers.
Touchable Earth, founded in 2012, was honoured with the Best Global Citizenship and Geography Resource Award, received on stage from students of Hallsville Primary School in London. The company became the first to formally launch an app wherein kids teach kids about the world. Compiled of short instructional videos filmed by school-aged children, the programme promotes tolerance for gender, culture and identity.
The Kids Judge Bett 2024 comprised sixty children aged between 7-13 years from across the UK, representing 14 schools. These children, accompanied by parents and teachers, spent a day riffling through a shortlisted hundreds of EdTech exhibitors displaying a diverse range of gadgets and software solutions.
Kids Judge Bett, established in 2016, was the brainchild of Katy Potts, Computing and Online Safety Lead for Schools at Islington Council. The event was organised in partnership with the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA). Potts believes the event plays a crucial role in accentuating the voices of pupils and understanding technology's incredible potential.
Katy Potts expressed her delight, saying, "Huge congratulations to Touchable Earth on being named a winner of Kids Judge Bett. To receive a seal of approval from the very children you seek to help is the ultimate recognition. Kids Judge Bett puts children at the heart of EdTech - because who better to judge learning resources than the children themselves?"
Emma Vandore, Head of Content at Bett, echoed Potts' sentiment. She congratulated Touchable Earth on their achievement and thanked all the participating companies and schools. Vandore stressed that the event's core aim is to showcase the transformative impact technology can have on young learners. Seeing the students' curiosity as they toured the exhibition floor reaffirms Bett's mission to empower schools with innovative resources that can make a significant difference in classroom learning.
Bett UK 2024 also introduced new programmes, such as TableTalks and Tech User Labs, utilising Bett's ground-breaking technology platform to enable educators to collaborate with peers and experts. It placed a greater emphasis on inclusive education, professional development opportunities for teachers, and even delved deeper into AI's impact on education. The next generation of EdTech innovators includes Poland's Photon Entertainment, America's Play Piper, Croatia's Smart Sense and Circuit Mess, Turkey's Ben Makers, and Britain's Time Capsule Education, amongst several others.
