With the theme “Innovation with a Purpose: Education in Dialogue with Social Change, ” the 29th Bett Brasil kicked off this Tuesday (23) in São Paulo. Spanning 44,000 square meters and featuring more than 300 exhibiting brands, Latin America’s largest event for Innovation and Technology in Education runs through Friday (26) at Expo Center Norte in São Paulo, bringing together teachers, administrators, officials, and companies from elementary through higher education. More than 35,000 people are expected to attend the event.

During the opening ceremony, Bett Brasil Director Claudia Valério emphasized the importance of the event for Brazilian education and highlighted the relevance of the chosen theme, demonstrating its applicability both during the fair and in the day-to-day life of the school community.

“Bett Brasil is a time to celebrate all initiatives that support public and private education. And when we realize that we’ve managed to bring the entire community together—schools, teachers, educators, school administrators, and educational solutions—we know just how meaningful our work is and that we’re on the right track. This year’s theme is ‘innovation with purpose’ and ‘education in dialogue with social transformations,’ centered on inclusive, high-quality education that seeks equality and lifelong learning opportunities for all,” he said.

The executive also emphasized that the year-long effort to make Bett Brasil a reality serves an even greater purpose: “The topics presented at the event cut across a variety of other areas, including artificial intelligence, connectivity, and other technologies developed to support Brazilian education. There will be four days of extensive networking, business opportunities, speaking opportunities, and chances to make connections so that everyone can make the most of these days of inspiration and learning and apply the knowledge gained here,” she emphasized.

Students, teachers, the business community, and the government

To kick off the 2024 edition on a high note, Bett Brasil hosted a roundtable discussion with key figures from the world of education. One of the special guests was Professor Francisco Leitão Freitas, who teaches history at the Santa Maria (DF) Detention Center’s Teaching Center for young people serving socio-educational sentences. Leitão Freitas is one of the finalists for the Transformative Educator Award for his RAP (Resocialization, Autonomy, and Empowerment) project, an initiative that uses hip hop as a foundation to stimulate learning.

During the conversation, the professor emphasized that innovation isn’t just about technology—it’s also about finding new ways to teach. “The approach must also be innovative. We face the challenge of understanding and encouraging young people to learn in multiple ways,” he said. During the meeting, Francisco revealed that he, too, had struggled with the school environment when he was younger. “I wasn’t a model student; I failed twice and was away from school for a few years because I didn’t feel welcome—I was very shy. That’s why I stress that educators and schools must make a pact: schools must be welcoming; after all, young people aren’t a problem—they’re a source of potential.”

An inclusive school is also the hope of 14-year-old student Lucas Coelho. He is part of the Bett Youth Project and is in his first year of high school at Lourenço Castanho School in São Paulo, where he is a scholarship recipient.

The Bett Youth Project encourages high school students from public and private schools to explore educational trends and innovations at Bett Brasil. The initiative is a collaboration between Bett Brasil, Instituto Criar, and CESAR School, which provides technical and creative support. At Bett, 24 students will participate in a four-day program that includes visits to exhibitor booths, attendance at lectures, and workshops on creating audiovisual content that reflects their own perceptions of the event. The students will have access to a fully equipped workspace to develop their project.

The son of a public school teacher, Lucas was invited by Bett Brasil to share his vision of what the ideal school would look like. “I believe the ideal school should, first and foremost, be humane and inclusive. It should encourage critical thinking among students, use art and music as tools for learning, and also be participatory, placing the student at the center of the educational discourse,” he said.

The student also spoke about the importance of good teachers and the lasting impact they have on our lives. “I’ll never forget Ms. Teka, who encouraged me to write my poems. Once she read one of my pieces and included it in a test. Afterward, she framed it and gave it to me. It was very rewarding.”

As a participant in the roundtable discussion, Aberson Carvalho—a member of the Fiscal Council of CONSED (National Council of Education Secretaries) and Secretary of State for Education, Culture, and Sports of Acre—emphasized the importance of technology in building a “more ideal” education system.

“The country’s public education system is undergoing a process of transformation. The pandemic has brought challenges that have ushered us into a new era in education—a shift from a conservative academic model, with teachers at the front of the classroom, using blackboards and chalk, to the integration of technology, not only through computer labs, for example, but also through technological devices such as tablets, among other elements that make up this dynamic. All of this demonstrates that technology is integral to the pedagogical relationship and is part of the learning process.”

Another point highlighted by the secretary concerns the perception of and respect for students’ individuality. “Today, when we talk about equity, the major challenge in education is precisely for teachers, schools, and school administrators to view things from the student’s perspective, without the mindset that we are the owners of knowledge, which is passed down from the top.” We need to foster this teaching-learning relationship and not lose sight of the fact that the student is the main protagonist,” he emphasized.

Vera Lucia Cabral, director of Edu-Skilling Microsoft Brazil, spoke about how the democratization of technology is important for us to achieve certain results. She also shared her perspective on what innovation in education means.

“The key to this discussion—and what drives us—is innovation. We come from a very rigid, very formulaic educational model that doesn’t account for differences. Education needs to be human-centered and make use of technology; that’s very important.”

However, Vera emphasized that technology is a tool to help democratize education. “Technology doesn’t create education; it is educators and students who create education. Technology offers resources that significantly amplify this entire wave of innovation we’ve been discussing. And, particularly now that we’re seeing this development in generative artificial intelligence, it’s a very important moment for us to reflect on how these technologies can democratize education and transform it—as well as make it much more equitable and create an education for all that includes everyone.”

Technology

The use of Artificial Intelligence in educational and social contexts was one of the key topics of the first day of Bett Brasil. Fabio Campos, an educator and researcher at New York University (U.S.), and Ivan Claudio Pereira Siqueira, coordinator of the interdisciplinary bachelor’s program in the Humanities at the Federal University of Bahia, discussed how Artificial Intelligence can connect with human intelligence and the best ways to use this technology. The panel was moderated by José Brito, director at Jeduca (Association of Education Journalists).

Fabio Campos opened the discussion by saying that there is a tension between engineering and education that should not exist, referring to the resistance of some institutions to new technologies. “The best way to safely introduce an innovation in schools is to test it first in the teachers’ lounge and then in the classroom. Once that’s done, there are many benefits,” he noted.

The Importance of Knowing How to Ask Questions - During the debate, Ivan Siqueira emphasized the importance of asking well-crafted and thoughtful questions of Artificial Intelligence platforms, so that they are not used merely as simple question-and-answer chatbots. “There is a study in Germany that suggests that using these tools without proper guidance during the early stages of a child’s education can affect their cognitive development. That is why the most important thing in this field is knowing how to ask questions. Asking questions requires thought, analysis, and evaluation.”

As a tip for improving this process, Fabio highlights the use of generative AI for images. “AI-powered image-generation programs are a great resource for helping students refine their questions. When trying to create a scenario, students can gradually enhance their scene with additional elements, which ultimately encourages them to seek out more precise questions.”

The panelists also discussed the need to advance the national education system in light of other developing countries, as well as regulations governing the use of social media and artificial intelligence to improve the mental health of children and adolescents, in addition to greater oversight of accurate and fact-checked information.

Citizenship

Journalist Milton Jung attended Bett Brasil to discuss his latest book, *“We Must Not Remain Silent! We Need to Talk to Our Children About Ethics and Citizenship.”* The book reflects on the importance of intergenerational dialogue, drawing on the journalist’s own experiences as a father and citizen.

Jung emphasized the need for us, as individuals, to interact with people who think and act differently, because only in this way will we achieve development and evolution. “Diversity is a necessity for those who seek creativity. We do not evolve when we are with people who think like us. When no one is willing to listen to others anymore, a void is created, and this is a problem because it hinders development and citizenship,” he said during the panel discussion.

In his book, Jung highlights the importance of challenging four common societal clichés—phrases and arguments frequently used to define or deal with young people. They are: “All teenagers are the same”; “Back in my day…”; “He just needs to study”; and “My child won’t put up with any nonsense.”

According to the author, such statements reflect resistance to change and fail to respect individualism and the needs of others, especially young people. “These are clichés that must be vigorously combated—at home, at school, and in society. “We, as parents, must be better than our parents were to us, just as a teacher cannot teach the same way for 30 years,” he adds, concluding: “If I hold the same opinion I had 40 years ago, it’s a sign that I haven’t evolved at all.”

Managers' Forum: Strategic Perspectives Under Discussion

On the first day of Bett 2024, the Administrators’ Forum—a space at Bett Brasil dedicated to generating ideas and solutions in educational administration—featured a presentation titled “Inclusive Education: Challenges, Rights, and Responsibilities.”

Liliane Garcez, general coordinator for the Structuring of the Inclusive Educational System at the Directorate of Special Education Policies from an Inclusive Perspective (DIPEPI / SECADI / MEC), discussed the work that the Secretariat for Continuing Education, Literacy, Diversity, and Inclusion (Secadi), of the Ministry of Education (MEC), has been doing over the past two years to ensure universal access for students with special needs. “We give absolute priority to early childhood education and focus on those who have never had access to it: quilombolas and indigenous peoples. The system is still very unequal, and we must combat these inequalities while keeping an eye on social transformations,” she commented. 

The other panelist, Luciana Winck Correa, assistant director of education at Colégio Marista João Paulo II in Brasília, emphasized that the panel was essential for sharing diverse perspectives on inclusion. “The idea isn’t to provide ready-made solutions, even though they do exist. Administrators must be convinced and committed to finding the best solutions for inclusion together with teachers. On their own, teachers are unable to make it happen.”

The Administrators’ Forum also addressed the topic “Dynamic Strategies for Engaging Families in School and Their Children’s Learning.” In her remarks, Roberta Bento—an expert on family-school relationships and co-founder of SOS Educação—noted that discussions like those held at the forum are essential. “Especially today, because it is very difficult for schools to face the challenges of educating digital natives on their own. Families are also experiencing these challenges at home. And the path to educating these digital natives so they can handle the challenges they will face lies in a family-school partnership. The solution is for families and schools to work together, hand in hand,” she concluded.

Public Education: New Auditorium at Bett

For the first time, Bett Brasil featured a dedicated auditorium for discussions on public education in Brazil. On the first day of the event, one of the highlights was the presentation titled “Experience and Practice: How Paraná Teaches Computer Science to More Than 530,000 Students.”

A case study on public education in the state of Paraná was presented, which sparked elementary school students’ interest in software programming. The students who participated in the program shared their experiences in a video, explaining how challenging the program was and how it enhanced their interest, critical thinking, and academic performance.

For Roni Miranda, Paraná’s Secretary of Education and one of the panelists, the auditorium dedicated to public education is a Betta initiative that deserves praise. “Today, the majority of students attend public schools, and it is crucial to share what is happening in this field. State and municipal education departments are also becoming involved in this modernization process. The case of Paraná offers a wealth of experience in both work and teaching that is well worth sharing.”

Panelist Thais Pianucci, a psychoanalyst and educator who serves as the general director of the Alura Start platform, commented that “digital literacy is the new form of inclusion.”

Another panel discussion held in the auditorium dedicated to public education addressed the issue of violence in schools, with the theme “Hate-Free Schools: Learn How to Combat Extremism in the Classroom.”

Based on a study conducted by Porvir—an educational content platform—there was a discussion on how to address the growing environment of hate and extremism in recent years, including in the classroom.

The study shows that there is a direct link between extremism and misinformation. Students and the school community are bombarded with misinformation online. Algorithms reinforce users’ online preferences and begin to deliver more and more content that does not expose people to opposing viewpoints.

This environment contributes to the rise of hate and attacks in schools. These phenomena, previously observed only in other countries, have grown exponentially in Brazil in recent years.

The main targets of hate attacks are those perceived as different: women, Black and Indigenous people, and the LGBTQIA+ community.

The panel featured Margareth Alves, a teacher with the Federal District Department of Education for the past 24 years, and Ronney Santos, a teacher in the Sergipe State Public School System and coordinator of the Observa! Fake News Observatory, who shared their experiences raising awareness within the school community on how to confront this hostile environment.

“Fostering respect for diversity and media literacy is one of the focuses of the projects we develop to help students feel welcome,” says Margareth.

Ronney, meanwhile, highlighted the main types of disinformation, based on studies from Harvard University. “I created a fake profile and ended up inside information bubbles where algorithms feed users more and more disinformation, using rhetoric that preys on people’s emotional vulnerabilities to attract followers. Based on that experience, we developed strategies for combating it.”

Ahead Forum: Higher and Vocational Education in the Spotlight at Bett Brasil

“Artificial Intelligence is driving the most significant positive transformation in the education sector. The impact is even more significant than that caused by the Internet in the 2000s,” said Bruno Passarelli, partner and director of operations at Quero Educação. He cited as an example a study by the investment bank UBS (Union de Banques Suisses) on the high level of consumer acceptance of ChatGPT. The study’s data indicated that the social media platform Instagram took 30 months to reach 200 million monthly active users, while ChatGPT reached that figure in just 2 months.

The executive participated in the panel “Artificial Intelligence Applied to End-to-End Management: Boosting Retention” at the Ahead Forum. Also on the panel, Marco Angioluci, the leader of Quero Tutor, highlighted the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to personalize lessons. He highlighted the Quero Tutor platform, which offers personalized, one-on-one tutoring to students through AI.

Angioluci explained that what sets the tool apart is its content moderation. “The answers are 100% verified by a teacher. This eliminates the risk of students receiving incorrect information,” she said. The platform also enables gamified learning, with students’ engagement levels rewarded through a points system. “Students participate in a healthy competition with real prizes. AI is just the means. There’s no point in providing a solution without packaging it with options that are appealing to students,” he concluded.

Also during the chat, Tiagy Lima, Head of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics at Cogna Educação, discussed how AI and machine learning tools are effective in tracking students’ academic lifecycles. He emphasized that the use of data can predict various situations throughout students’ academic journeys.

Press Information:

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Valeria Bursztein

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Arucha Fernandes

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