Without intending to replace its in-person event, held every year in May, Bett Educar hosted its first Online Conference on May 12, 13, and 14. Featuring more than 12 hours of content, the event included 9 virtual presentations delivered by 20 renowned speakers. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Bett Educar recognized the disruption caused by social isolation as an opportunity to create another platform for the educational community and to reinvent itself through innovation in order to disseminate knowledge.

Bett Educar - Online Event surpassed 26,000 registered participants, reaching more than 60,000 people on its online platforms via social media alone—with more than 12,000 on Facebook, more than 8,000 on Instagram, and more than 40,000 on YouTube. The event was hosted by technology and communications expert Emilly Fidelix, who also moderated some of the sessions. Other talks were moderated by Bett Educar’s content director, Alice Carraturi, and journalist and director of Porvir, Tatiana Klix. The recorded talks are available on the Bett Educar website and on its online platforms.

For Claudia Valério, director of Bett Educar, the online event arose from the need to continue discussions about education through digital channels, to share knowledge and different points of view in order to inspire. “This virtual event model did not replace our in-person event, but it was a way to continue contributing to the education sector, offering insights relevant to this critical moment as well as analyses for the post-pandemic era.”

For Alice Carraturi, the event exceeded expectations and brought the education sector together in a new, now virtual, forum. “At a time of so much uncertainty, we were able to draw valuable insights, facilitate discussions, and present solutions that can provide guidance to participants. It was a way for us to adapt to new challenges and learnings.”

Rossieli Soares, Bett Educar Ambassador and Secretary of Education for the State of São Paulo, highlighted the shift to various online platforms, which has already been taking place in schools and educational institutions throughout Brazil. “Technology in education will not replace in-person learning, but we need to view it as just another tool, with its own opportunities and challenges.”

By bringing together experts and educational institutions from various regions of Brazil, the Online Conference addressed topics relevant to the current situation of social isolation and the suspension of educational activities throughout the country, and served as yet another meeting point for educators, while maintaining the same high standards of curation as the in-person event.

The purpose of the online event was to raise the key questions facing the education sector in light of the pandemic and to bring together 20 renowned experts, educators, and speakers to address them. Among them were writer Augusto Cury, Luiz Miguel Martins Garcia (President of Undime Nacional), Professor Débora Garofalo, Luiz Roberto Curi (President of the National Education Council—CNE), and Maria Helena Guimarães (PISA Ambassador for Schools in Brazil and CNE Advisor).

Questions were raised, such as how to ensure the continuity of school activities carried out by public authorities. For the president of Undime Nacional, Luiz Miguel Martins Garcia, one of the key issues is the ability to reach students. “First and foremost, we need democratic access to the internet, as well as an understanding that technology will not replace the teacher’s role, but rather serve as an ally so that teachers can continue to be the great conductors of dreams and learning.”

Following the same line of reasoning, Maria Cecilia Amendola da Motta, President of the National Council of Education Secretaries (CONSED), says that to achieve quality education for all, we need connectivity: “Connectivity is a tool that can transform the country’s public education policies, so that we can also work toward equity.”

For educators and the education sector, another important topic that came up in various discussions during the online meeting was teacher training and the changes needed for the post-pandemic era. According to Professor Débora Garofalo, technology manager at the São Paulo State Department of Education and the first Brazilian finalist for the Global Teacher Prize—considered the Nobel Prize of Education—this is a time for learning, especially regarding the need to reinvent teacher training. “Technology cannot be left out of the classroom, as long as it is accompanied by a mastery of active methodologies and new ways of conceiving learning.”

Alexandre Schneider, an educator, former municipal secretary of education for São Paulo, and currently an Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, highlighted the challenges ahead, which also include the emotional well-being of students and teachers, who will be affected by all the setbacks that a pandemic brings. “Everyone must be prepared to build an environment that will be different, and technology will be part of our reality. Teacher training will not focus on how to use digital platforms, but rather on what is essential for designing the classroom, the project, and the teacher’s instructional sequence.”

In addition to content and the curriculum, the post-pandemic era will also bring the need for different ways of organizing students, as well as new habits, attitudes, and models for schools, as reported by Maria Helena Guimarães, PISA Ambassador for Schools in Brazil and Advisor to the CNE. “Schools must carefully plan the return to in-person classes, incorporating health and safety measures—including social distancing, hygiene protocols, mask-wearing, and the use of hand sanitizer—into their plans, while reducing class sizes and assessing the socio-emotional well-being of students, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders in the educational community.”

All content from the three-day Online Conference is available on Bett Educar’s digital channels and on the event’s website: Bett Educar – Online Conference

The next Bett Educar - Online Event will take place on June 23 and 24. The schedule will be announced shortly.