Location:Â Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
Dates:Â October 2-3, 2024
Last week, I had the privilege of attending Bett Asia 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, an event that brought together educational leaders, policymakers, and tech companies to discuss the evolving landscape of education, especially in Southeast Asia. Hosted at the stunning Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the two-day event was not just insightful but incredibly well-organised.
This article presents an overview of this event and my personal experience.
During the event, I attended several discussions and panels, where I took extensive notes and compiled them into a comprehensive event summary. It includes key themes, highlights, and important takeaways from the sessions. If you’re looking for the best overview of the event and the discussions, I highly recommend reading this summary!
Subscribe now to instantly access this resource and unlock exclusive tools to enhance your music teaching!
Day 1: A Focus on Leadership and AI in Education
The first day kicked off with a vibrant traditional opening dance, immediately setting a dynamic tone. Throughout the day and the whole event, the theme was clear: “Driving Positive Change Through Technological Advancement and AI.” Southeast Asian countries played a prominent role in sharing their experiences and perspectives on how AI is reshaping education in their regions.
Leadership Summit
One of the standout moments was the Leadership Summit, where various speakers, including representatives from Malaysia, Cambodia, and Indonesia, took the stage. Dr. Anindito Aditomo, from Indonesiaâs Ministry of Education, highlighted an AI-powered platform designed to support teachers with curriculum content. With over 4.2 million users, this platform curates 400,000 submissions per monthâan incredible example of how AI can streamline and enhance educational content delivery. It was really interesting to hear this high level of AI application being built and use by so many teachers in Indonesia.
What stood out to me was the way AI is already making strides in reducing administrative burdens on teachers. Microsoft and Google also had a significant presence, with Microsoft showcasing how AI is saving teachersâ time, enabling personalised learning, and improving operational efficiencies. The concept of AI literacy for students, mentioned by Microsoft’s Larry Nelson, resonated deeply with me, especially in how we can better prepare students for an AI-driven world.
Exhibition Area: Tech Products on Display
The exhibition area was bustling with activity. Major players like Quizizz and Canva showcased innovative tools to enhance education. Byond Asiaâs hyper-realistic holograms were by far the most futuristic product on display. Seeing these products in action was inspiring, and itâs clear that technology companies, big and small, are pushing the boundaries of how we teach and learn.
I was introduced to Canva for Education, a special product from Canva that allows schools to create free premium accounts accessible to all teachers. Iâm excited to implement this at my school, as many teachers (myself included) are already using Canva extensively for teaching content creation. This will be a great way to enhance our resources and make content creation even easier!
Personal Impressions
The event was well-organised, with plenty of spaces for panel discussions and presentations across different themes, from leadership in education to classroom innovation. The food, of course, deserves a mentionâNasi Lemak was a highlight! The weather added an interesting touch tooâsunny and pleasant in the morning, but by afternoon, Kuala Lumpur lived up to its tropical reputation with heavy rain and thunderstorms, making it all part of the experience.
Â
Day 2: A Deeper Dive into Practical AI Solutions
The second day featured a series of engaging discussions that dove deeper into practical AI implementations. One of the most striking sessions was Professor Mushtak Al-Atabiâs talk about the changing job market. He discussed how AI is poised to reshape not just education but the workforce itself, predicting that millions of jobs could change by 2030. His focus on emotional, cognitive, and physical skills as the key pillars of future careers resonated strongly with me.
Innovations for Inclusive Education
In another inspiring session, Dr. Mohd Azlis Sani explored how AI is being used to support students with disabilities. From AI-assisted learning for the blind to tools that aid hearing-impaired students, itâs clear that AI holds great promise for making education more accessible and inclusive.
Googleâs approach to elevating educators through AI-powered tools was also enlightening. Their Gemini VIDS tool is aimed at personalising learning and ensuring equity in education, while Google’s GIGA initiative in Japan, which provides one device per student, shows how important it is to ensure access to technology for all students.
Final Takeaways
Bett Asia 2024 was packed with useful insights from Southeast Asian countries, whose educational challenges are being met with innovative solutions. I walked away with a deeper understanding of how AI can be used not just for teaching, but also to enhance critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solvingâskills that are vital for preparing students for an ever-evolving global economy.
Iâm excited to incorporate many of these ideas into my own teaching and the upcoming professional development workshop in my school, where Iâll be sharing these insights and helping fellow educators to stay updated with the latest trends in EdTech and AI.
Subscribe now to instantly access this resource and unlock exclusive tools to enhance your music teaching!
