After BETT 2009 there was plenty of healthy discussion about the ways that TeachMeet could reach beyond the Apex Room which we have resided for the last few years. Could Teachmeet Takeover be one of the answers?

I have been organising the TeachMeet event for the Friday night (please sign up on the wiki) and as part of that, have been in touch with lots of generous sponsors willing to offer their support  for the event. One thing I can report is that there is a general enthusiasm from these sponsors to do more for the teaching community at the event. To provide something beyond the usual food, drink and wifi. If you have any good ideas please let us know?

One of these sponsors who has helped progress the idea of TeachMeet Takeover is Chris Ratcliffe (@chrisrat) from Scholastic – who kindly offered some time on their stand during the show. After a talk with Stuart Ridout my co-conspirator for #TMBETT2010, I decided to test the water on Twitter and see what sort of response we get from other teachers and vendors. That was first thing this morning, currently we have these companies expressing an interest in offering time on their stand:

I am yet to confirm things with these 6 but it is great that they are willing to back the idea when it was just in it’s infancy this morning.

So what is TeachMeet Takeover?

  • Short time slots of 30 minutes or less on vendor stands throughout the course of the show.
  • Teachers taking over – no affiliation to the vendor or obligation to help sell their products.
  • Education professionals talking about FREE ideas.
  • Informal presentations of good, quality ideas that you don’t need to pay for.
  • Vendors sign up for time on a wiki.
  • Educators put their name down in a time slot to talk on the wiki.

This is my simple outline but I want it to evolve with the help of the wider community, so please let me know what you think and any ideas you have.

>> If you are a company with a stand at BETT 2010 and you think you would like to offer us some time then just leave a comment or get in touch with me and head over to the wiki and pencil in some times. I suppose the only thing that a #TMtakeover needs is people to talk to. Saying that internet access and projector facilities would help things along. I look forward to seeing more signup.

>> If you are an educator or teacher attending BETT 2010 and think you have a simple idea to share then take a look at the wiki, find a slot that has been filled by a vendor and pop your name down. No real need for a formal presentation -although some visuals or demo of the tool will be useful, just make sure you know your stuff and the idea is FREE. Watch out though, there may be some more Takeover guidelines coming soon!

In my opinion this is a good opportunity for the Teachmeet community to share it’s various expertise beyond the usual crowds. Let me know what you think and also how we can develop this idea even further to make the most of the offers that have already been made.

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