August 2024 marked a significant milestone for Antares as we participated in EduTech for the third consecutive year. This time, our presence was bigger and better, as we proudly represented The Cloud Collective alongside our partners. As the Microsoft technology experts in education, we were thrilled to engage with the education community, share our innovations, and explore how technology can revolutionise learning. The event was a vibrant hub of innovation, bringing together education professionals from across the country to explore the latest advancements in educational technology and discuss the future of learning.
Who We Met at EduTech 2024
EduTech attracted a diverse audience, with attendees from every corner of the education sector. We engaged with representatives from K-12 Independent Schools, Catholic Schools, Public Schools, Higher Education institutions, and even entire Departments of Education. The Dioceses and associated educational product partners also stopped by our booth, eager to share insights and learn about the latest tools and technologies shaping the future of education.
What made this year even more special was the international reach of the event. Visitors came from as far as Perth, New Zealand, Singapore, and beyond, each bringing their unique perspectives and challenges. This diverse audience highlighted the universal nature of the issues faced by educators worldwide and underscored the need for innovative solutions that can be tailored to different contexts.
Why Antares?
At Antares, our deep-rooted expertise in the education sector has positioned us as a trusted partner for schools and universities across Australia and beyond. Our commitment to leveraging Microsoft technologies to enhance learning outcomes, improve operational efficiency, and foster innovation has been widely acknowledged across the education sector.
One of our flagship solutions, QBot, an AI-powered chatbot, exemplifies our approach to educational technology. QBot automates tasks, answers questions, and creates engaging learning experiences for students and educators alike. Its success has garnered international acclaim, further establishing Antares as a leader in education-specific solutions.
Our work spans various educational challenges, from NAPLAN benchmarking and student experience to curriculum design, assessment, feedback, and data analytics. We have enabled educational institutions to transform their digital capabilities using the Microsoft technology stack, delivering better experiences for students, parents, teachers, and staff. Tools like Teams, SharePoint, Power Platform, Dynamics 365, Azure, and Office 365 have been integral to creating modern, secure, and scalable solutions that meet the evolving needs of the education sector.
Lego Prize Giveaways and Winners
A highlight of our presence at EduTech 2024 was our Lego prize giveaways. We were thrilled to see the enthusiasm and creativity sparked by this initiative, with many participants eagerly participating. Congratulations to all the winners! We can’t wait to see the final projects you create with your Lego sets.
Challenges Facing Education
This year, AI emerged as a central topic of interest at EduTech, and it was clear that educational professionals were eager to explore how AI and educational technology could address the challenges they face. Our booth was a focal point for discussions on how Antares and The Cloud Collective are helping educators harness the power of AI to enhance classroom instruction, streamline administrative tasks, and improve student outcomes.
We engaged with a wide range of visitors, including Learning Technology Consultants, Teachers, Lecturers, School Principals, IT/Innovation leaders, and entire educational departments. Each group had specific needs and questions, ranging from available tools for classroom assistance to strategies for school improvement and the use of Microsoft’s productivity tools. The common thread was a keen interest in gaining deeper knowledge and practical solutions for their institutions.
What Was New in 2024?
Since the last EduTech, Microsoft has made significant investments in its product suite, and these new developments were a major focus at our booth. M365 Co-Pilot and Microsoft Fabric were two standout innovations that captured visitors’ attention.
M365 Co-Pilot
M365 Co-Pilot is a powerful tool that leverages AI to help educators and administrators maximise the benefits of Microsoft 365 in their schools. It analyses the usage and adoption of various M365 services, such as Teams, OneNote, SharePoint, and Outlook, providing personalised recommendations, insights, and best practices to enhance collaboration, communication, and productivity.
M365 Co-Pilot also supports schools in monitoring their compliance, security, and data protection policies, identifying potential risks or gaps. This tool empowers educational institutions to transform their digital learning environments, ensuring that staff and students can achieve more with the resources at their disposal.
Co-Pilot Studio
Another exciting feature we discussed at EduTech was Co-Pilot Studio, a web-based platform that enables educators to create engaging and interactive learning experiences using M365 tools. With Co-Pilot Studio, teachers can design and deliver lessons, quizzes, assignments, and projects using Teams, OneNote, Forms, PowerPoint, and more. The platform’s user-friendly templates, wizards, and drag-and-drop functionality make it accessible to educators with varying levels of technical expertise.
Co-Pilot Studio also provides analytics and feedback on student engagement, performance, and progress, offering suggestions for improvement and differentiation. This innovative platform is poised to revolutionise teaching practices and inspire students to learn in new and creative ways.
Custom Co-Pilots
In addition to these tools, we introduced the concept of Custom Co-Pilots, which leverage Generative AI to create personalised educational solutions. Generative AI, a branch of artificial intelligence, is designed to create new content or data from existing sources, enabling applications such as content creation, data augmentation, and semantic search.
QBot, our cloud-based platform, exemplifies the potential of Generative AI in education. It uses Semantic Kernel Search to allow users to query large-scale data sources using natural language, retrieving relevant and diverse results. QBot can be fine-tuned and customised using the user’s data and feedback, providing a flexible solution that does not require coding or technical skills.
Microsoft Fabric: A Platform for AI-driven Education Data Warehouse
One of the most groundbreaking advancements we showcased at EduTech 2024 was Microsoft Fabric, a cloud-based platform that enables educational institutions to build, manage, and scale data warehouses using AI. Microsoft Fabric integrates data from various educational systems, such as student information, learning management, and assessment, providing a unified view of the data through Power BI dashboards.
Microsoft Fabric also offers advanced tools for data analysis, reporting, and visualisation, supported by AI capabilities such as natural language processing, machine learning, and cognitive services. One of its key features is its easy deployment and configuration, allowing users to create and deploy data warehouses using pre-built templates, connectors, and pipelines, or customise them as needed.
In addition, Microsoft Fabric’s cost-effective and flexible pricing model makes it accessible to institutions of all sizes. As a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution, it scales according to usage, ensuring that educational institutions only pay for what they need. Its integration with Azure further enhances its capabilities, offering high availability, performance, and scalability.
Antares’ Education Reference Architecture complements Microsoft Fabric, providing a comprehensive framework for designing and implementing data warehouse solutions for education. This framework includes best practices, guidelines, and standards for data modeling, integration, transformation, and delivery, along with a rich set of dashboards, reports, and analytics for various educational scenarios.
A Bright Future for Educational Technology
EduTech 2024 was a testament to the transformative potential of educational technology. As we look to the future, Antares and The Cloud Collective are committed to continuing our work with schools, universities, and educational institutions, helping them navigate the challenges of the digital age and unlock the full potential of AI and advanced technologies.
Our participation in EduTech 2024 reaffirmed our belief that innovation in education is not just about adopting the latest tools but about reimagining how we teach, learn, and connect. We are excited to see what the future holds and look forward to playing a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of education.
And while EduTech 2024 has come to a close, we’re already looking forward to returning in 2025 with even more exciting innovations and opportunities to share. Until then, we’ll continue our mission of transforming education with cutting-edge technology.
