Informative talks, productive discussions and the latest in IT for education
We were delighted to welcome so many teachers and school business managers to the AMEX stadium in Brighton for our roadshow last week. The event was a great success, with partners from across the country joining us and several experts in the field of IT for education delivering some thought-provoking talks.
The key theme of the event was security; as well as partners sharing products and services designed to protect schools, academies and MATs from cyber-threats and protect their data, delegates heard several thought-provoking talks on the topic. DC Peter Chaffey from the police cyber-crime SEROCU highlighted the key threats to schools and methods to avert hackers, including identifying phishing and the threat of ransomware. DC Chaffey also highlighted that only 20% of professionals receive cyber security training despite the significant threat, so we were glad to help provide much-needed training in this important area. This talk was followed by cyber-security expert for ESET Jake Moore who highlighted the importance of protecting personal data and how easy it can be to become vulnerable to security breaches. There were also some solutions presented, including ESET’s ‘Secure Our Schools’ initiative which provides incentives and rebates to schools that share ESET security services with stakeholders including pupils, parents and governors to provide integrated protection.
We were delighted to welcome Simon Finch to the Roadshow to deliver an impactful talk about both the opportunities and threats that social media can present to young people. One of the key elements of his talk was acknowledging that it may not be possible to avoid the impact of social media, but a better understanding and education can help protect children and young people from the worst of the dangers. Social media as a classroom resource also featured in the talk from Julian Wood, a teacher who uses social media as well as online tools such as google earth to support learning and online tools that allow pupils to explore their creativity.
As well as many informative talks, the event also provided a chance for providers to meet with teachers and school business managers and there were busy stands throughout the day and many productive discussions held during the breaks. CleverTouch provided some free training on how to make use of all the features on their interactive white board screens and we were delighted that Inventry provided the event with a live demonstration of their sign in and visitor management system by providing delegate badges for the day.
The day concluded with the popular raffle and thanks to donations from our many generous suppliers, we had a great range of prizes on offer including vouchers, free training, bottles of wine and a pair of premiership tickets donated by JSPC. We’d like to thank all the delegates for making it such a great event and to all our partners who supported the event.