Microsoft demonstrates power of collaborative learning

With a focus to express its deepened commitment to regional education, employment and economic development, Microsoft today marked its presence at the BETT Middle East and Africa (MEA) Leadership Summit and Expo for the third consecutive year.

The immersive engagement taking place on 23 – 24 April, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, marked the first year BETT MEA held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

Acting as Worldwide Partner at the eventful transformative engagement themed “Educating for Success in the 4^th Industrial Revolution”, Microsoft demonstrated its commitment to empower every student and teacher to achieve more, by showcasing the power of its products and solutions in digitally transforming classrooms.

Anthony Salcito, Vice President of Worldwide Education at Microsoft asserted that among the most pressing challenges facing education industry globally is the shortage of skilled teachers of which Microsoft has taken the deliberate step to partner with various governments and organisations to address.

Teachers have so far done  commendable job but, they can only do so much it they do not use technology as an enabler to motivate engagement of teachers and students, make education more exciting, using data to create insight and ensuring kids obtain the right foundation that would be sustainable in improving continous learning. 

Microsoft Ecosystem

From its popular devices and productivity apps, to next-generation education solutions incorporating mixed-reality capabilities, Microsoft illustrated the changing role of technology in the classroom. To give educators the full power of the Microsoft ecosystem the company also showcased Microsoft 365 Education, which brings together Office 365, Windows 10, Enterprise Mobility + Security and Minecraft: Education Edition in a single, affordable solution built for education.

With mounting pressure on educational institutions to continually improve student achievement and prepare them with skills they’ll need when they enter the workforce, the aim of Microsoft 365 Education is to get schools up and running faster through simplified acquisition and deployment.

This improves time efficiency and delivers new capabilities to teachers and students to help them learn and work in new ways. The company enlisted the aid of real students from the Microsoft Showcase Schools programme to help run the demos at its BETT MEA 2018 stand and show that collaborative learning models can help to build much-needed soft skills, such as emotional and social aptitudes.

This year’s BETT MEA hosted 2,500 educators, policy-makers, thought-leaders, stakeholders and technology specialists, who came together to share their views on how to improve learning outcomes across the region. In addition to the technology showcase, Microsoft also participated in panel discussions, presentations and keynote addresses.