Click here to view the embedded video.

BETT was especially rewarding on two levels. Firstly, it allowed us to engage face-to-face with a great many end users. We were able to discuss our business, receive feedback and gather lots of new ideas. We really enjoyed talking to you all. Secondly, it was a great opportunity for us to meet suppliers who share our passion for developing innovative solutions to the issues faced daily by schools. We spoke with many creative people expressing ideas and exhibiting tools we wish we had thought of ourselves!

We particularly enjoyed meeting the Firefly team, who were also exhibiting for the first time. Firefly helps schools develop and maintain their websites, wikis and intranets through a very smart in-line content management system. We are really keen to see whether their Firefly.NET Content Management System can help some of the schools that we work with and save them time in developing and maintaining their websites.

We were also impressed with the new Creston classroom kit. We’ve been looking for a good value kit that is reasonable quality for times when budgets are really tight. The Creston kit is the first we’ve seen to come close to our own installation in terms of staff ease of use and equipment management as well as reducing our time to install (and therefore our cost to clients).

See you next year for BETT 2011…

In November of last year EduGeek reached the 20,000 user milestone, which according to the site’s creator Chris Byers means they should have “pretty much have every single UK secondary on board, and a large chunk of the primarys”. The site is fast “becoming one of the most popular tech sites in the world” with many US schools and districts joining up.

In recognition of EduGeek’s important role in the education sector RTS have begun sponsoring the service. We hope that sponsorship such as ours will help many others benefit from the advice and support of the EduGeek community.

We are launching our partnership at this week’s BETT show, where both companies will be engaging with the community face-to-face. Although this is our first year exhibiting at the show it will be the fourth time Chris has operated EduGeek’s Technical Help Point. “In addition to helping visitors match their technical needs with exhibitors at BETT and answering their technical questions, we will also have a wide range of information and best practices for technical support staff, such as Green IT and Virtualisation”.

Find out how the partnership between EduGeek and RTS can help solve technical issues within your school. Visit the Technical Help Point (stand G89) and RTS Technology Solutions (stand W45).

Budget constraints and the push for operational efficiently means 21st Century schools need to communicate more effectively than ever. Gradwell and RTS allow schools to get the most from available resources by providing flexible and cost beneficial VoIP technology, making school administration and pastoral care much easier than was previously possible. Gradwell will be demonstrating their award-winning VoIP service at BETT and explaining how features such as number portability and call management make it so attractive to schools.

The partnership between RTS Technology Solutions and Gradwell began in 2008, allowing RTS to introduce the benefits enjoyed by millions of Gradwell business customers to the education sector. Their close relationship ensures that customers always enjoy the most up-to-date technology coupled with industry-leading onsite implementation and support.

We are excited that Gradwell is bringing its expertise to BETT. Their industry-leading products and proven customer service provision have huge potential for the education sector. We have already seen how well Gradwell VoIP works in education environments – together we are well positioned to scale-up solutions to local education authorities (LEAs) and school collegiates.

Discover how Gradwell VoIP technology benefits schools. Visit the RTS Technology Solutions stand, W45.

As you may know we are exhibiting at the BETT show in January next year (http://www.rts-tech.co.uk/2009/09/01/were-off-to-bett/). We are lucky enough to be supported by our friends from Acousti Products. www.acoustiproducts.com

Acousti provide industry-leading noise reduction solutions, helping to remove server and other IT equipment noise from schools.

We have been using Acousti’s products for years and are keen to demonstrate their effectiveness to a wider audience at BETT. The cabinets we’ll be showcasing are incredibly effective in education environments where students can have their concentration adversely affected or be distracted by the noise of IT equipment.

The clever design of the racks allows equipment to be placed directly in classrooms without disturbing staff and students or negatively impacting the longevity of the hardware.

Acousti will be joining us for Thursday and Friday of the exhibition, on-hand to demonstrate how Quiet Racks can improve learning environments in your school. Don’t worry if you’re attending on Wednesday or Saturday though, the racks will still be there and as certified Acousti resellers RTS have attended the necessary training sessions to talk knowledgeably about the whole Acousti range.

Come see RTS Technology Solutions and Acousti Products at BETT and discover why we’re proud that our stand will be the quietest at the show!