At the recent EduTech conference in Melbourne, the Antares team was excited to once again host our popular LEGO® competition.
We are thrilled to introduce one of our lucky winners for 2023: Ross March, Executive Manager of Enterprise Systems and Change for Catholic Education Services!
Ross oversees the Enterprise Systems team for the Diocese of Cairns, and supports the organisation with change management.
“EduTech was extremely busy with so many sessions – you just can’t attend enough of them,” says Ross. “The focus was definitely AI, though I felt it was a bit premature. The AI space is still evolving and businesses are evolving with it. There must be a focus on rules and getting your workflows in place; good governance basically. That’s one of the reasons we keep coming back to the Microsoft suite stack.”
Ross sees his role as an enabler for schools and teaching teams. As educators identify needs or aspirations for new technologies, Ross and his team help them to assess it and ensure the right infrastructure is in place to support any implementations.
“We’re not educators. They identify what they want and need to support teaching and learning. When they come to us, our role is then to review it for compliance, security and feasibility.”
In looking ahead to the future of technology solutions for schools and in the education sector, Ross says it will depend on how teaching itself evolves in the coming years.
“It could go further into AI or there could be a step back. There’s still quite a divide in digital literacy across the country. Teachers are focussed on teaching, and some use technology extensively in the classroom while others prefer minimal screen time. We can’t really predict what will happen.
“My greatest takeaway from EduTech was actually the potential for technology in technical fields, such as veterinary education. We saw some amazing gadgets that will definitely support trade-oriented learning.
“Whatever unfolds, in my own career I’m committed to ensuring the people around me have the proper foundations and roadmaps to realise their IT goals. That includes governance, which is why I’m always coming back to Microsoft as key to achieving that.”
To learn more about how Antares is supporting the education sector with innovative technology solutions for schools, please contact us.
