The need for schools to prepare for 21st century learning was top of the agenda at this year's BETT conference.

本年度英国教育技术展的首要任务是让学校为21世纪的学习做好准备。

They must embrace mobile technologies, games, podcasts播客 and social networking, according to leading educationalist Professor Stephen Heppell.

Schools should also break away from traditional classroom and curriculum课程 models, he argued.

The gap between those schools embracing technology and those not is getting bigger, he said.

Prof Heppell was speaking to delegates at BETT, the world's biggest educational technology show.

Technology revolution

Meanwhile the UK's minister for Schools and Families Vernon Coaker reiterated重申 the government's commitment to putting technology at the heart of the school curriculum.

"Teachers need access to innovative²创新的 services. We must prepare pupils for the future workplace," said Mr Coaker.

"Cutting edge technology is the cornerstone基础，地基 of our reforms," he added.

The UK's Building Schools for the Future programme will see every state secondary school in England rebuilt or remodelled³ over the next 15 - 20 years.

But in that timeframe there could be a big divide between schools, thinks Professor Heppell.

"There is a gap between the schools that are doing pioneering stuff and those simply doing a shiny version of 19th century teaching," he said.

Cells and bells

Much of the debate in the conference centred around how technology can be seamlessly无缝地 integrated into the curriculum.

For Professor Heppell, who advises governments around the world about technology policies, the answer is both radical⁴ and simple.

He thinks schools need to move away from what he terms "cells and bells".

"We have to get away from the 35 minute timetable blocks. We need to reconfigure重新配置 schools for a week of immersion⁵沉浸，陷入 in numeracy and dress the school for a learning production," he said.

"We need much longer blocks of time and to allow children to be in charge of their learning," he added.

One of the ways to do this is to integrate the tools that children are using in their lives outside of the classroom.