R.I.S.E. highlights at Bett 2025
Oh my goodness, what a week I had at Bett UK 2025 last week – and it was made all the better by the chance to see some of our incredible R.I.S.E. community in person!
What the Bett?
For those who don’t know, Bett Global is the biggest EdTech exhibition in the world, holding two shows a year – one in the UK (which took place 22nd-24th January) and one in Brazil (which will take place 28th April – 1st May). The show has an exhibition hall, alongside many talks, workshops, panels and roundtable discussions, and is known as a great meet-up point for those in the education sector.
R.I.S.E. at Bett
Alongside, R.I.S.E. team members Al Kingsley and Mark Anderson, I was exhibiting with the NetSupport team all week and had the privilege of catching up with some of our wonderful authors in person (and, hopefully, encouraging some other great people across the sector to consider writing for us)!
Catching up
I absolutely loved catching up with Hari Neocleous, Kate Sturdy, Caroline Allams, Lucy and Jonathan Coy and Nic Ponsford. It is always so nice to have the time to talk with these wonderful authors face to face and, of course, to grab a selfie! I also had the pleasure of meeting Manjit Sareen in person for the first time! While online connections are great, there’s something to be said about an in-person connection – it just can’t be beaten. I loved speaking with all our authors about all things edu, R.I.S.E. and just what they had been up to of late, how they were doing etc.
(Left to right) Jodie Lopez, Nic Ponsford, Kat Cauchi, Emma Darcy and Gary Henderson.
Caroline Allams and Kat Cauchi
Jonathan Coy, Lucy Coy, Kat Cauchi, Al Kingsley and Mark Anderson (Left to right)
Kate Sturdy and Kat Cauchi
Hari Neocleous and Kat Cauchi
Kat Cauchi and Manjit Sareen
Gaining insights
I was honoured to be asked by another one of our brilliant authors, Emma Darcy, if one of her students at Denbigh High School could interview me as part of their Women in Tech and AI project for International Women’s Day. She asked lots of insightful questions about my experiences in the tech industry and what needs to change. I was really impressed by her interviewing skills, too! Plus, I had the opportunity to interview two of Emma’s students about positive climate action and why sustainability matters. I was amazed by their confidence and enthusiasm and learnt loads from them!
I also had a brilliant discussion with Aileen Wallace for the ‘Insights with NetSupport’ podcast about her journey from a ‘tech sceptic’ to an ‘AI advocate’. She shared some great insights into the mistakes she made along the way, what she has learnt from them and her top tips for taking that first step with AI in the classroom.
Kat interviewing Denbigh High School students.
Kat Cauchi and Aileen Wallace
Kat Cauchi, Jez Belas and Mark Anderson (Left to right).
Wellbeing waffle
Every Wednesday, youHQ shares a Wednesday Wellbeing Waffle video and so, when I saw Jez Belas on the Wednesday of Bett, he asked me to share just that: a little wellbeing waffle. I talked about my dislike of ‘New Year, New Me’ and how I think we can frame that a little more healthily. Looking forward to seeing the video when it’s out!
Connection and collaboration
These were my key words at Bett – alongside curiosity. For me, Bett is all about making connections and building your community, collaborating with the education community for best shared practice, and being curious about what’s out there in the EdTech world.
It was truly great to have some of the R.I.S.E. community being part of this!
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