At the beginning of 2025, I travelled thousands of miles, crossing continents to visit a country I had never been to before and to experience winter for the first time. After a 16-hour flight from Surakarta, a small city in Central Java, Indonesia, I arrived in London on an exclusive invitation from Kahoot!, an opportunity to collaborate with their team, the K!rew, at Bett UK, the world’s largest educational technology event.

A glimpse into the future of learning

Receiving such an invitation through a platform I used daily in my classroom felt surreal. As I stepped into ExCeL London, it became clear that this was more than just an EdTech event. It was a living vision of the future of education. As a Kahoot! Ambassador, I’ve believed that technology can unlock students’ potential. Yet what I witnessed at Bett UK went far beyond tools and platforms. It was a global convergence of vision, innovation, and future hope. The attendees embraced the essence of lifelong learning to learn, unlearn, and relearn, setting aside what they already knew to explore fresh perspectives. This is what 21st-century learning should be.

Beyond its vibrant atmosphere, Bett UK serves as a vital hub for connection, collaboration, and meaningful dialogue. Hundreds of edtech companies. from global giants to emerging startups, showcased cutting-edge solutions that are actively reshaping how we teach and learn. Together, they formed a constellation of ingenuity, signaling a bold shift in the educational landscape.

What I found most inspiring, however, was that Bett UK wasn’t just about knowledge transfer, it was also about building authentic connections: with ourselves, with each other, and with the world. Amid the dazzling showcases, I recognised familiar tools I’ve used in my own classroom and also encountered technologies I had never imagined. Altogether, it offered a powerful glimpse into what the future of education could (and should) look like.

Bridging realities between worlds

Returning to Indonesia, I carried home fresh insights and a deepened sense of purpose. But I also returned with unease. On the other side of the globe, students are growing up surrounded by cutting-edge technologies and progressive educational systems. Meanwhile, many students in my country, especially in remote areas, face significant barriers to access.

Shortly after Bett UK, I facilitated a virtual workshop for teachers in South Malinau, North Kalimantan, one of the most remote areas in Indonesia. I conducted the session virtually from my home in Central Java, while the participants gathered in a local school building due to limited electricity and internet connectivity. The workshop was initiated by the Indonesia Teaching Fellowship Foundation and supported by a mining company operating in the area. When I asked if their students had mobile phones, they answered yes, and that many were already familiar with online games, despite the limited infrastructure. I was struck by this paradox. Technology had reached these areas, yet its use was often confined to entertainment purposes.

This phenomenon is not exclusive to remote regions. In many urban schools, students primarily use technology for social media and gaming. The issue isn’t access alone; it’s about digital literacy and purpose. What we need is not just better tools or infrastructure, but a transformation in mindset. As Simeon Preston insightfully remarked in the context of digital leadership, “The biggest part of our digital transformation is changing the way we think”.

Act locally, think globally

My experience at Bett UK reinforced the idea that although students grow up in vastly different circumstances, they share a common future. We live in a borderless world. Can technology truly bridge these divides? Will its advantages be reserved only for those with access and privilege? And how can we empower marginalized students -those excluded by geography, language, or disability?

Motivated by these questions, I returned to the Bett website, seeking opportunities to contribute more meaningfully. I discovered an open call to join the Bett Asia Advisory Board. In this role, I hope to represent voices from the ground, highlighting how educators use technology and what support they truly need. I aim to advocate for those often unheard: teachers and students in under-resourced communities.

Standing on the Bett UK 2025 stage, engaging with education innovators from around the world, reminded me that technology is just a tool. What truly matters is the people: the teachers, students, education leaders, tech developers, and communities working every day to make learning meaningful.

As Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, insightfully observed: "In the past, Homo sapiens thrived because of their ability to create myths and complex social systems. Today, humanity faces a new challenge: to survive in a world increasingly shaped by the technologies we ourselves have created".

Let us ensure that technology empowers, not excludes, and that every child, wherever they are, has a fair chance at the future. Together, let’s turn insight into action, so no learner is left behind.

Now that I am an advisory board member for Bett Asia I hope to bring what I have already learned as well as discover more ways that connections between each other can become more meaningful.

Ary Yulistiana is a Bett Asia advisory board member the author of the recently published book, “Pelajaran dari United Kingdom: Perjalanan Seorang Kahoot! Ambassador (Lessons from the United Kingdom: A Journey from A Kahoot! Ambassador)”.

Bett Asia takes place at the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 1-2 October 2025. Register for your free ticket here.