Today, 100 educators from across the country are at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Wash., to participate in the U.S. Innovative Education Forum (IEF), Microsoft’s premier educator recognition event. These teachers are being celebrated for their innovative use of technology in the classroom, and their creative approaches are making a significant impact on their students as they learn new skills to help them prepare for the future. One of the teachers participating is Emily Richardson from Naperville North High School. Richardson, an English teacher for grades 9-12, used social...

Every year, more than 12,000 individuals attend the Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) to learn about Microsoft’s plan for the upcoming fiscal year, network and build connections, share best practices within the technical community, and learn about and experience the latest product innovations. This year’s WPC is taking place July 10-14 in Los Angeles and it’s expected to be another highly attended event by partners, customers, employees and key influentials. Recently, we had the opportunity to speak with Lance Russell, co-founder and director of marketing and operations...

It’s here… Today, Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer announced the global availability of Office 365, Microsoft’s next generation productivity service. Office 365 is the culmination of more than 20 years of experience delivering world class productivity solutions to people and businesses of all sizes. To put it simply, Office 365 is a subscription service that combines Microsoft Office tools like Office, SharePoint, Exchange, and Lync with up-to-date cloud service. Here’s why you should check it out: Email & Calendar: Office 365 accesses email, calendar...

Microsoft’s mission as a company is to help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential. And this mission extends to the local Chicago community. Recently, Shelley Stern, Microsoft’s Citizenship director, Central and Southeast Regions, and Mary Monroy-Spampinato , Microsoft’s Operations and Community manager, Midwest District, answered questions about Microsoft’s citizenship goals and efforts, including examples of its local community initiatives in Chicago. Q: What is the focus of Microsoft’s community relations and citizenship efforts...

More than 18,000 Chicago Public School (CPS) students walked through their school doors Monday morning, June 12, to find freshly painted walls, colorful murals and mosaics, new landscaping and reorganized libraries. It was the work of 6,000 volunteers, including 145 Microsoft employees, of the Chicago Cares Serve-a-thon on Saturday, June 11, that made this possible. Through their service, 32 CPS were transformed into brighter and more engaging learning environments. Service projects included classroom painting, landscaping, organizing classroom resources and fundraising. This year’s...

This past month, Microsoft Chicago employees donated more than 100 items of clothing, including jackets, pants, suits, sweaters and shoes that any woking woman would want in her own closet. The donations were provided to Dress for Success , an international not-for-profit organization that promotes economic independence for disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help them thrive in work and in life. The recent Microsoft donations will go a long way for the organization, that has served more than 550,000 women around the...

“Can you hear me now? … Good!” And now we can all hear one another loud and clear on the newest Verizon Wireless Windows Phone device! Verizon Wireless recently released the HTC Trophy in all of its stores on June 2. As we’ve discussed before, Windows Phone offers a unique phone experience that brings together the best of Microsoft in a format that accesses the things you care about most in an easier and faster way. Combining Xbox, Bing, and Office all into one device, Windows Phone offers an entirely new dimension of gaming, entertainment and communication. ...

Posted by: Staci Trackey Meagher , General Manager, Midwest District, Microsoft Working for Microsoft, I have a natural passion for technology. The technology field is rapidly expanding and as a leading software company, we are constantly seeking rising talent. Often times, this talent develops as early as the late middle school to early high school years. When it comes to female candidates in the technology field, the statistics can be startling. According to recent research, women constitute 46.5 percent of the workforce in the U.S., yet they only hold 25 percent of mathematical and...

Have you ever heard of a Microsoft Technology Center (MTC)? Wonder what an “Envisioning Center” is all about? How can a MTC help Microsoft customers? Adam Hecktman , who serves as the Microsoft Technology Center (MTC) director in Chicago, recently offered the following insights into the innovative facility: Briefly, what is a Microsoft Technology Center (MTC)? Adam: What we have built, in the heart of Chicago, is a collaborative environment that provides access to innovative technologies and world-class expertise. We use this combination of people, space and technology to enable...

In today’s evolving work environment, business is no longer solely conducted in a traditional office setting. Given technological advances, like smartphones, cloud computing offerings and other collaboration tools, that allow workers to stay connected 24/7 and the demand for flexible work schedules, telework is becoming less of a perk and more of a business imperative that companies need to embrace, as it offers many advantages. Today, Microsoft and Ipsos Public Affairs released a study among more than 4,500 information workers in 15 U.S. markets, including Chicago, to assess opinions...

Anthony Driver, a senior at Chicago International Charter School – Ralph Ellison Campus, was recognized as the 2011 Future Founders Citywide Business Plan Champion at the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC)’s Future Founders competition. Driver’s leadership and ingenuity were demonstrated in his business concept, called “Charge ‘N’ Go,” which offers electronic recharging stations for consumers’ mobile devices in metropolitan areas like Chicago. His business model ensures on-the-go consumers that their source of communication and information...

Last week, Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy students and U.S. Imagine Cup finalists, Team Bloom, met with Microsoft’s North American president of sales and marketing, Robert Youngjohns. The students showed Youngjohns around campus and presented their first-place “Game Design-Windows –Xbox” Imagine cup project, Spero, a three-dimensional video game that highlights the importance of environmental sustainability. Check out the photos below.

As we've written about in the past, Kinect for Xbox 360 is an exciting tool and experience for the young and the young at heart. Kinect was recently recognized by Guinness World Records as the fastest-selling consumer device in 60 days. Kinect allows users to enjoy games and entertainment with their whole body and voice — you become the controller! Check out the photos above and below of Microsoft employees' children enjoying Kinect.

The Microsoft Midwest District donated 29 boxes of stuffed animals to "Loving Hugs." Lovings Hugs sends the stuffed animals to children in need in war zones, IDP camps, orphanages, and hospitals all over the world. We are very excited to bring even a small amount of happiness to children around the world. Thanks to everyone who donated.

The Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council (MCHC) announced today its decision to develop the MetroChicago Health Information Exchange (HIE), which will be built using Microsoft Amalga and technologies from CSC and HealthUnity Corp. Offering quality care improvements and cost efficiencies for 9.4 million Chicago healthcare consumers, the MetroChicago HIE is expected to be the largest unified metropolitan HIE in the nation. The capabilities of the MetroChicago HIE will improve individual care and population health. By enabling data flow across healthcare organizations, the new system expects...

Calling all Chicago business owners, looking for a way to help your business grow! Most consumers use the Internet to find out where to dine, shop or play, but it may be difficult to fully showcase the benefits of your business. Now, there’s a new tool that can help you. Last week, Bing announced the beta launch of the Bing Business Portal (BBP), available at www.bing.com/businessportal , a new service that helps business owners create and control their listings on Bing. With the new tools, business owners can customize their listings with enhanced details such as photos, logos, hours...

"We didn't just want to be four guys who sat in a room and made a game; we wanted to get involved with our community and help make a change”so said Imagine Cup 2011 competitors, part of Team Bloom (above), who are comprised of students from Chicago’s Tribeca Flashpoint Media Academy. Well, this team did more than just get involved. Their dream is becoming reality. In fact, last night Team Bloom won first place in the “Game Design – Windows/Xbox” category, beating out five teams, as well as winning the People’s Choice Award for the “game design”...

The Microsoft office was ranked the third best place to work in Chicago in this year’s Crain’s Chicago Best Places to Work competition. Crain’s Chicago Business , one of the most influential business publications in Chicago, annually ranks the best places to work, determined by employee survey responses. Congratulations to the Chicago office! To see how Crain's determined the rankings, click here .

Above: Rahm Emanuel delivers a speech in the Envisioning Center of the Microsoft Technology Center. Today, Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel visited the Chicago Microsoft Technology Center and toured the Chicago offices. During his visit, he discussed how his upcoming plans to increase digital transparency by publishing more city data online. During his visit, Emanuel proposed further technology initiatives that City Hall plans to take to engage citizens and make citizen services more efficient and effective . In particular, Chicago's 3-1-1 system will be opened to the public and residents will...

Vote for local Chicago students in the Imagine Cup People’s Choice voting. To vote for Team Bloom and to see a video from their team, click this link and you can also text bloom to 23000. To vote for Team Mintrus and to see a video from their team, click this link and you can also text mintrus to 23000. You can vote once daily through April 9. As part of my work at Microsoft, I have the opportunity to work with software developers, designers and IT professionals and enable them to bring their own innovations to market. Recently, some of the most impressive work I’ve seen was not...

Yesterday, Microsoft announced the 2011 U.S. Imagine Cup finalists, some of whom will go on to represent the United States in the global competition in July in New York City. The Imagine Cup is the world’s premier student technology competition that challenges students to build life-changing projects that can ultimately transform the world. Each year, the projects have become more inspirational and impactful. Students who participate gain real-world skills that help them in school, in their careers or even as they commercialize their projects, all while tackling global problems. You can...

Today, for the first time in the U.S., Microsoft is launching Kodu Cup , a game-design competition for kids age 9-17 to win cash and prizes by creating their own video game with Microsoft Kodu Game Lab. Kodu Game Lab is a free game-design tool that enables children to design, build, and play their own games on the PC and Xbox. It helps to develop childrens’ imagination and creativity while hopefully creating an interest in science, technology, engineering and math in ways that are fun and motivating. Kodu Game Lab supports children’s interest and learning in STEM, which is a hot...

Last October, we told you about the launch of the beta version of Windows Internet Explorer 9 and 40 million computer users took notice and installed the beta. Well good news to all of you Web-browsing junkies! Announced today at SXSW, the Web is about to get even more beautiful and immersive with the launch of Internet Explorer 9 . So what’s new? By upgrading from Internet Explorer 8, people will notice a sleek user interface, several performance improvements and a safer experience that puts the focus on their favorite websites. Check out some of the upgrades below: · Internet...

One of our favorite things to do in the Chicago office is to give back to the community. When we can combine that with technology, it is a win for everyone. This February the Chicago office provided more than $3,000 to a local Ronald McDonald House. In addition, the Microsoft office donated 6 Xbox games to the house. The Microsoft Store in Oak Brook also donated a Kinect unit and 3 additional Kinect games for the children and families to use. We can't wait to post some photos of the families enjoying Kinect!

Tech nerds assemble! The concentration of technology geeks is usually heavy here in Chicago with the Microsoft Technology Center and our more than 4,000 Microsoft partners in the state. This week, however, we may be outnumbered. Microsoft is hosting on their Redmond campus the largest customer event of the year, Microsoft’s Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Global Summit . This event attracts approximately 1,500 of the most elite in technology, including more than 25 from Illinois . They descend upon Redmond to meet with Microsoft executives and product groups to provide valuable feedback...