Ensure your school leadership team is across the opportunity afforded by new technologies, by hosting a complimentary Windows in the Classroom seminar. Find out more information by visiting our website. To book a Windows in the Classroom personal development seminar at your school or for more information, please email nzeducation@microsoft.com.
Microsoft Partners in Learning is a $500 million global initiative working with schools and educators to improve teaching and learning practices; optimize the use of technology within pedagogy to improve learning outcomes; and help every student receive an excellent education and gain the skills they need in work and life. To sign up now, visit http://www.pil-network.com.
We've just launched our new Microsoft NZ Education Facebook page. If you enjoy receiving regular updates from us, come and "Like" us! We can't wait to give you more insight into what's going on in the NZ education sector.
Anthony Salcito, Vice President for Microsoft Education, is mentioned regularly on this blog and it’s not hard to see why. He has an enormous passion for education globally, and is an education leader that is highly recognised and respected.
Last month, he travelled to Paris to give this compelling “TEDxPantheonSorbonne” talk. Throughout this talk, Salcito gave insight into the changing role of teachers, the internet, collaboration and information. He questioned the traditional classroom roles as a result of these changes, telling educators “Your students are learning without you”.
His talk prompts us to question how educators can embrace the ever-changing role of technology and how we can empower students to drive personal and meaningful outcomes as a result.
Take ten minutes to be captivated by Salcito’s thoughts, we certainly are!
The Flipped Classroom was pioneered by Jonathan Bergmann, Lead Technology Facilitator at Kenilworth School District, Illinois, USA. The Flipped Classroom revolves around the central idea of changing the dynamics of the classroom. In his own words, Bergmann believes in “changing the pedagogy with the aid of technology.” It seems as though teaching is turned on its head – the classroom lecture becomes homework, and classroom time is spent ‘practicing’.
But in Washington state, USA, numerous college professors are exploring the idea of flipping their classrooms, and with positive results. Students are more engaged in classroom activities and performing better in tests, assignments and exams.
So what role does Microsoft’s Office 365 play in this innovation? Check out this fantastic video to see how Lync Online can facilitate on the go class time through SharePoint, email, chat and online video conferencing. Office 365 creates a seamless platform for home communication between classmates, lectures, tutors and teachers.
Follow this link to watch Anthony Salcito, Vice President for Microsoft Education, conduct a fantastic interview with Jonathan Bergmann himself.
Finally, have a look at this interesting infographic provided by Knewton. It gives a great insight into exactly what a Flipped Classroom can look like and why there is so much hype surrounding it!
We are getting closer and closer to kicking off our Windows in the Classroom New Zealand-wide tour and we can’t wait. Give your staff and students the opportunity to benefit from the most innovative tools and technology of today.
Beginning at the end of this month, management teams from schools all over New Zealand will experience a complimentary two-hour seminar delivered by two Windows in the Classroom education specialists. The seminars will center around exploring the tools and technologies available to help educators teach 21st Century skills. For any school considering enhancing their one-to-one student learning programme, Windows in the Classroom will demonstrate the diversity of Microsoft software and relative devices available to aid student learning.
We’re still taking bookings for our Windows in the Classroom education specialists. You can host a session at your school or attend one in your area. All you need to do is register your interest by emailing nzeducation@microsoft.com.
Alternatively, ‘like’ our new Facebook page to receive regular updates and feedback about the seminars https://www.facebook.com/MicrosoftNZWindowsInTheClassroom. Don’t hesitate to post a question or comment on our wall.
You can also find out more at our website http://www.microsoft.com/nz/windowsintheclassroom/.
Ensure your school leadership team is across the opportunity afforded by new technologies, by hosting a Windows in the Classroom seminar.
Windows 8 has been reimagined for learning. The new Windows 8 educational applications revolutionise classroom learning and student productivity. Now your students can experience the full educational benefits behind months of programming and design. Teaching is made easy - ask your students to sketch a picture and watch their faces light up as it is translated into a realistic physics object. Get your students to connect to the future by building their dream career path and sharing it with their friends. The learning opportunities are endless as Windows 8 applications give new meaning to ‘interactive learning’.
Attendance
Attendance allows teachers and tutors to mark class attendance on an easy to use platform that brings their students to life. Mark students as present, absent or late, store a note for a particular student, create numerous calendars or enable flagging of those students with interesting attendance records. The functions are endless in this app and ticking down the roll book won’t ever be a hassle again.
Age rating: 12+
Periodic Table
Chemistry has never been so simple. The Periodic Table app contains comprehensive information of the chemical and physical attributes of all the chemical elements. Students can browse the colour coded elements, enrich their learning with extra images and links and pin their favorite element to their Start screen. Studying is made easy as students can search the elements by name, symbol or atomic number.
Age rating: 7+
Career Path
This innovative application allows children to explore real world career paths based on an aggregate database of more than 30,000,000 data points. Students can select their desired career path and drill down further into the requirements of each occupational role such as skills and qualifications. The application is connected with social networking sites Twitter and LinkedIn, allowing older students to explore and connect with guides and mentors.
Age rating: 12+My Study Life
My Study Life is the perfect productivity tool for students, teachers, tutors and lecturers. The application is designed to reduce the stress of study life by storing classes, tasks (assignments, homework, revision, marking) and exams in the cloud. A student’s study life is now available on the go and being organised has never been so easy.
Mind8
This application is the perfect solution to Mind Mapping on a tablet or PC. Mind8 can be used for taking notes, studying, carrying out projects or as an organiser for student life. It has an integrated synchronising feature which keeps students work up to date across all devices.
Age rating: 3+
Physamajig
Physamajig makes physics fun, letting students create their own games. Simply sketch a picture and the application translates it into a realistic physics object. But the real learning begins as students add attributes like friction and joints and creating their own games by adding Behaviors to their objects. Play a sport, land on the moon, destroy monsters with your cannon or go online to learn from the fantastic creations made by other users.
Wordament
This application is a great way to get the younger students’ minds buzzing – with a little competition to keep them on the edge of their seats! Wordament is a one-of-a-kind word game, where students compete head to head in real-time, on the same board, against everyone else online. Students try to find the most words possible and earn bonuses by finding longer words.
Age rating: 10+
NASA Be A Martian
Bring science to life with NASA Be A Martian! Invite your students to be a part of a space exploration and learn all about NASA’s missions. Let them view Mars images and videos and be up to date on the latest mission news.
Windows 8 makes interactive learning fun and easy. Apps seamlessly synchronise between multiple devices, making the implementation of a BYOD programme all the more worthwhile. To find out more about how Windows 8 can help encourage 21st Century learning, request a Windows in the Classroom seminar today. Follow this link to find out more http://www.microsoft.com/nz/windowsintheclassroom/.
The 21st Century has seen technology play a key role in classroom innovation. Have a look at this interesting infographic by Open Colleges. As you can see, the changing dynamics of the classroom have revolutionised the arts of teaching and learning. And it can only get better.
More and more, it is becoming clear that collaboration is the future of education and its ability to optimise 21st Century learning. As a matter of fact, Collaborative Problem Solving will be added to the OECD’s international PISA study in 2015 as a compulsory element of 21st Century skill assessment.
Students learning in a collaborative, team setting are believed to think at a higher level, take away more information and retain that information for longer than those who work alone. Collaborative workers are more inclined to learn through “discussion, clarification of ideas, and evaluation of other’s ideas”.
Microsoft Office 365 has all the features you need to operate a creative and collaborative learning environment in the classroom. Check out this great video and see how easy it can be for students to collaborate between themselves and their teacher. Excel Surveys and Lync are two fantastic examples of how Office 365 has changed the future of teaching 21st Century skills.
And don’t forget, it was a collaborative middle school computer club that combined the two minds that changed the face of computing - Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the founders of Microsoft.
2012 has been a year of innovation for Microsoft, with the launch of Windows 8 and Office 365 at the forefront of all the excitement. Here are Microsoft’s top 10 highlights of the year in the Education Sector. We enjoyed them so much, we thought it was only appropriate to share them again.
The Launch of Windows 8
The recent launch of Windows 8 is without a doubt the biggest milestone for Microsoft in 2012. Windows 8 is reimagined for learning. It arms schools and teachers with innovations designed to transform students’ learning experiences. Windows 8 gives students a modern way to consume content and allows them freedom to create, collaborate, produce and share across a range of devices, with touch, mouse and keyboard or pen. Teachers can now use these capabilities to build their students’ 21st century skills and help ensure they reach their potential.
Office 365 for Education
This year marked the launch of Office 365 for education. Available at no cost to educators, students and school administrative staff, Office 365 for education provides collaboration tools that expand learning opportunities beyond classroom walls. Office 365 for Education is a cloud-based suite that includes the familiar Microsoft Office desktop applications, as well as Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint Online and Microsoft Lync Online (for more information on the available plans visit Office365.com).
Windows in the Classroom
Behind the scenes, the Education team at Microsoft has spent months designing, organising and scheduling the Windows in the Classroom seminar. From February 2013, we will have two Windows in the Classroom specialists circulating New Zealand delivering complimentary Windows in the Classroom seminars to school leadership teams. The seminars will explore the tools and technologies available to help teach 21st Century skills and optimize the classroom for advanced student achievement. It’s not too late to book a seminar now! The seminars can be held at your school or you can attend a session in your area.
Microsoft YouthSpark
2012 saw the launch of Microsoft YouthSpark, a companywide initiative that, over the coming three years, will create invaluable opportunities for 300 million young people around the world. As Steve Ballmer said, “We can help empower young people to change their world, and we are committed to using our technology, talent, time and resources to do that".
Botany Downs Secondary College launches Windows 8 with 24 hour Skype-a-thon
Anthony Salcito, Vice President - Worldwide Education at Microsoft, launched Windows 8 in education through a 24 hour Skype-a-thon. The first of the 24 Skype Calls in 24 time-zones around the world was held at Botany Downs Secondary College here in Auckland.
The Microsoft Surface
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced the new Microsoft Surface device. For schools wishing to implement a BYOD (bring your own device) strategy, the Microsoft Surface device is the perfect solution. The Surface has the ability to provide students and teachers with a device that has the power and flexibility to create, collaborate and consume in order to provide the best possible learning experiences.
TechEd 2012
For the last 17 years, TechEd has offered a unique opportunity to industry professionals to stay aligned with Microsoft’s current technologies and new product opportunities. The event invites you and your colleagues to discuss critical technology issues, gain practical advice and network with Microsoft and industry experts. TechEd New Zealand 2012 was very successful, and we look forward to seeing what the 2013 event brings us.
Support Renewed for Partners in Learning
In November we learnt the exciting news that an additional US$250 million in funding has been provided to extend Partners in Learning over the next five years. The Partners in Learning programme makes a valuable impact to the learning outcomes of students around the world, with presence in 119 countries. Its aim is to equip teachers with the skills, resources and tools needed for 21st Century Learning and to prepare students for the global workforce.
Technology and Maori Language Awards
This year, at the Māori Language Awards 2012, Microsoft received the award for ICT. The Awards celebrate the contribution of individuals and organisations who have contributed to Te Reo Māori through their work. Microsoft has collaborated with language experts to bring Te Reo Māori to Windows, Office, and Internet Explorer.
Imagine Cup
The Microsoft Imagine Cup is a competition that encourages students to solve the world's toughest problems. The 2012 New Zealand winners were Team Mobile Eye from AUT. Their winning solution is a mobile app to assist people with visual impairment to “see” the world around them, through a combination of computer intelligence and crowd-sourced audio support. The competition was intense this year, the winners coming from an initial 400 entries from all over New Zealand. Congratulations to Thought-Wired, Connect, Aura and Mobile Eye for making it to the final stage of the contest.
All in all, it has been a fantastic year. We look forward to the challenges and opportunities 2013 will bring. Merry Christmas everyone!
As a teacher, regularly preparing class material both at school and at home can be hard to manage. File transferring and saving various versions of the same document isn’t always easy and we end up with the wrong and unsaved versions.
Windows To Go, one of the many new features of Windows 8 Enterprise, provides educators with an easy solution - an imaged version of Windows 8 that reflects your school desktop. Windows To Go is a self-contained, portable operating system that runs solely on a USB 2.0 or USB 3.0. It enables a consistent environment without the fuss of a laptop or briefcase.
Educators are now able to take their USB’s and put them into their home PC, whether it be running Windows XP, Windows 7, or even on a Mac. When turned on, the PC will boot from the USB device to a managed school desktop, which has the option of being password protected. Added to this, at their own discretion, teachers are given the freedom to choose which applications and security settings are set to that particular desktop.
Windows To Go allows teachers to fully benefit from bringing their own PC to school if a balance of their personal and professional lives is desired. It also enables the flexibility of file sharing with colleagues and students if a teacher is unable to attend a presentation or meeting.
Find out more about how Windows To Go can benefit your educational institution here with our FAQ.
Have you booked your Windows in the Classroom seminar yet? Spaces are filling up, and fast! Give your staff and students the opportunity to benefit from the most innovative tools and technology of today.
From February 2013, senior management teams from schools all over New Zealand will experience a complimentary two-hour seminar delivered by two Windows in the Classroom education specialists. The seminars will center around exploring the tools and technologies available to help educators teach 21st Century skills. For any school considering enhancing their one-to-one student learning programme, Windows in the Classroom will demonstrate the diversity of Microsoft software and relative devices available to aid student learning.
Your senior leadership teams will gain a comprehensive understanding of how Windows 8 applies to learning by inspiring students and improving educational outcomes.
Make sure you don’t miss out when the Windows in the Classroom seminar comes to a school near you! We’re taking bookings for our Windows in the Classroom education specialists now, and we don’t want to missanyone out. You can host a session at your school or attend one in your area.
Find out more at our website http://www.microsoft.com/nz/windowsintheclassroom/. Register your interest by emailing nzeducation@microsoft.com.
Last month, Microsoft launched Excel Surveys in SkyDrive. This survey feature of the Excel Web App in SharePoint Online is a great way to collect up-to-the-minute information in a classroom or lecture hall setting. Getting real time feedback from your students and staff can be a challenge. This is a great way to encourage students and staff to become actively engaged in the learning process at the same time as providing valuable feedback.
For example, Excel Surveys enables data collection by numerous student groups to be easily shared between classmates and teachers. Accessibility is a key feature of the Excel Surveys, demonstrated by the ability to share data with the click of the mouse and the easy compatibility with laptops, tablets and smart phones.
Teachers are able to benefit from the real time feedback opportunity offered by the thoughts and opinions of students immediately after a lecture or class. The surveyor can then follow up by making use of the wide variety of Excel functions and learn more about the information collected.
Real time data collection and data accessibility is now so quick and easy, interactive activities in the classroom have never been so efficient!
Visit the WindowsBlog for the step-by-step process on how to create an Excel Survey today.
Take a quick look at the new Office365 Preview and see the benefits of this new Excel Web App in SharePoint Online for yourself.
Microsoft will be helping to kick off the next academic year with a Windows in the Classroom seminar for your school. There will be two Windows in the Classroom specialists travelling New Zealand delivering Windows in the Classroom seminars to school leadership teams. With these complimentary two-hour seminars your school leadership team will explore tools and technologies available to help teach 21st century skills and optimise the classroom for advanced student achievement. You’ll learn the diversity of Microsoft software and devices applied to learning and how to get more out of the software you use every day. We will also demonstrate how Windows 8 applies to learning and how it can be used to inspire students and improve educational outcomes.
These two-hour seminars can be held at your school or in the local area so book a session today! Book fast as spaces and times are limited.
If you are interested, please email nzeducation@microsoft.com or see the website for more details http://www.microsoft.com/nz/windowsintheclassroom/
Yesterday at the Partners in Learning Global Forum in Prague, it was announced that an additional US$250 million in funding has been provided to extend Partners in Learning (PiL) over the next five years.
In 2003, the PiL programme was established to make a valuable impact to the learning outcomes of students around the world. Currently it’s in 119 countries, and has trained 11 million teachers and 200 million students. The programme aims to equip teachers with the skills, resources and tools required for 21st century learning and prepare students for the global, competitve workforce.
Bill Gates, interviewed by Anthony Salcito, said that the the renewal is a testament to the programmes success and is "really pleased to see the continuing commitment to innovations that can help all students and teachers reach their full potential".
Renewing the PiL program means improving the learning outcomes of hundreds of thousands of students and honouring a strong, growing community.
Join the online PiL network here and read the full media release for more information.
The upgrade to Office 365 for education is happening! By September next year, all Live@edu customers will need to complete the upgrade to Office 365 for education
The Office 365 upgrade builds on your existing Live@edu deployment—mailboxes, calendars, and contacts do not move, and there is no need to re-provision accounts. Microsoft provides the tools and guidance at each stage—simply follow along by using the upgrade planning worksheet. Use it to estimate how much time you will need for the key tasks required before, during and after the upgrade.
Mathieu Marunczyn, a teacher at Jackson School in Victoria, has integrated the Xbox Kinect into the classroom routine of children with autism spectrum disorders.
The Kinect, along with Happy Action Theater, has allowed the children to immerse themselves in play, and in doing so they can begin to communicate with others, be physical, and practice their social and language skills. The Happy Action Theater game has no menus, buttons, scores or goals, it is simply based on the interactive scenes and therefore generates creativity and social interaction of the children.
The Kinect provides an effective tool for teachers to interact with and teach their children. For more information on xbox360 and Kinect see the website.
Read the full article here.
To help you with your device plan for next year, this blog post is about the new devices running Windows 8! Typically, in most education institutions, there's a need for a range of different devices for different users and scenarios. Whatever the scenario you're buying for, you're going to find a computer that's been tailored precisely for your use, whether its tablets, convertibles, ultrabooks, laptops, desktops or all-in-ones.
A good place to start is the New Zealand Windows PC Buying Guide, which highlights the benefits of each of the devices:
See the New Zealand Windows 8 Website for more information.
Last week, the Māori Language Awards 2012 were held in Tauranga, where Microsoft received the award for ICT. The event celebrated the contributions of 30 individuals and organisations who have contributed to te reo Māori through their work.
Microsoft has collaborated with language experts to bring te reo Māori to Windows, Office, and Internet Explorer. To add a te reo Māori user interface to these products you can install the free downloads for each product. These products would be especially useful for Maori schools and educators.
Microsoft attendees at the Māori Language Awards 2012 said the event was inspiring.
Add a te reo Māori user interface by installing the free downloads.
Windows 8 is reimagined for learning. It arms schools and teachers with innovations designed to transform students’ learning experiences. It gives students a modern way to consume content and allows them freedom to create, collaborate, produce and share across a range of devices, with touch, mouse and keyboard or pen. Teachers can now use these capabilities to build their students’ 21st century skills and help ensure they reach their potential.
Anthony Salcito, Vice President of World Wide Education at Microsoft, has put together 8 reasons why Windows 8 is great for education:
Two of these, I think are particularly important for educators - the cloud foundation and the ability to open students to the world of education apps.
The cloud foundation of Windows 8 means that students and teachers can easily access their information, collaboration and productivity tools. SkyDrive and Office 365 for education are central to the Windows 8 experience. This offers a flexible, anywhere, anytime learning experience across a range of different devices, both in and out of the classroom.
Opening students to the world of education apps means that now there is a variety of experiences and content available that can aid in teaching in learning in the form of applications. I recently published a blog about the many different education apps available on Windows 8.
These are just two of the many reasons why you'll love Windows 8. See the full list by Anthony Salcito here.
The Partners in Learning Network launched some exciting new features last week.
There are two features in particluar I would like to call out:
The new Teaching with Technology curriculum helps any teacher develop the knowledge and skills needed to integrate ICT into their teaching, which is critical to helping students develop 21st century skills. This supports professional development whether you are a school leader or a classroom educator. The curriculum provides the opportunity to take a number of courses and includes a self-assessment in order for you to develop a personalised learning path. When you have completed and passed all six courses, you will automatically be awarded the Teaching with Technology badge.
Another new feature is the ability to Earn Badges, the Partners in Learning Network awards badges for the skills and knowledge that are learned and shared through our online professional learning community. Microsoft believes your achievements should be recognised so that you can share your accomplishments and knowledge with your colleagues and communities.
See the Partners in Learning Network for more information or register here.
One of the greatest features of the new Windows 8 is Internet Explorer 10.
A faster and more fluid experience, Windows 8 has focused on fully embracing the standards for the modern web including HTML5 and Javascript. The experience is immersive due to the touch screen capabilities and it changes the conversation from an apps only discussion to a modern apps and rich Web experience for mobile and PC devices.
From the video below, you can see exactly how Windows 8 provides a whole web experience. In particular, see how the share function featured in the video shows how teachers and educators can share important websites or class pages with their students.
For more information see the Windows 8 and IE10 websites.
Thank you to one of our subscribers for sending this link through to me.
Recently I blogged about the BYOD for Schools Whitepaper, where Bruce Dixon from the Anytime, Anywhere Learning Foundation and Sean Tierney from the Worldwide Microsoft Partners in Learning Programme set out to examine the potential deployment models from teaching, learning and IT management perspectives.
A recent article by Miriam Clifford and InformEd in Australia, has published 10 reasons why BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is a good idea. The article discusses how Generation Y are so dependent on technological devices, that it is up the educators to take advantage of this.
Reasons include the ability for devices to help learning become a part of students lives, it also provides the capacity to save time and cost within schools.
See the full article here.
With the launch of Windows 8 last week its about time we told you some of the great education apps available.
There are currently plenty of Education Apps in the Windows Store so I wont list them all but here are the some of the key apps for teachers and students:
SAS Flash Cards gives you the ability to increase your knowledge by practicing with flash cards using Windows 8.
The Periodic Table app contains chemical and physical information of all chemical elements
Attendance allows instructors to take attendance with an easy to use interface that brings their students to life with photos
My Study Life is a planner for student, teachers and lecturers. My Study Life is designed to make your study life easier by storing your classes, tasks (assignments, homework, revision) and exams in the cloud making your study life available wherever you are
Mind8 is an easy to use Mind Map Application for Windows 8. You can use Mind8 for your thoughts, ideas, for taking notes, for your studies or as an organiser for your business tasks. It's an all-inclusive companion that helps you manage your daily life in every situation.
I will keep you updated on anymore relevant Windows 8 Education apps that come up also.
Many NZ schools have been early cloud technology adopters. They are leveraging the free hosted email, calendar and Skydrive storage for students, staff and alumni provided by Microsoft Live@edu. With the advancements in cloud based productivity services and the appropriateness for schools and institutions to evaluate online hosted services, Microsoft Office 365 is a compelling set of technologies adding to the capabilities of Live@edu for the education sector.
Those schools and institutions currently on the Live@edu platform are being presented with the opportunity to upgrade onto the Microsoft Office 365 for education plans. There is a highly useful set of resources available for IT administrators at the Live@edu transition center allowing a checklist to be worked through in preparation for beginning the upgrade. One of the latest additions to these resources is the ability for administrators to undergo a simulated Live@edu upgrade to Office 365 for education using an interactive virtual lab.
No dates for schools and institutions have yet been assigned for automatic organisation upgrades however IT administrators have the option to manually kick off the upgrade process after completing the preparation checklist. The priority for schools on Live@edu would be to ensure the institution profile is up to date in the service management portal and to update the domain records so users are directed to the correct sign-in URL before and after the upgrade.
It is recommended that you become familiar with the upgrade FAQ especially for those institutions that have custom integration and/or have extended their identity infrastructure to be aware of the technical considerations. It will be beneficial to engage your preferred IT partner to assist in removing or remediating any upgrade constraints.
Microsoft has provided a well documented upgrade roadmap and collated supporting resources to assist in providing an smooth upgrade to Office 365 for education. Once upgraded to the Office 365 A1 plan, it would be advantageous to add on the A2 plan at no charge, providing the benefits of Lync Online, SharePoint Online and Office Web Apps. You can compare the core feature differences between Live@edu and Office 365 for education by viewing the document below.
To support students and educators moving onto the service we also have useful educator resources available on the Microsoft Partners in Learning network, a number of Office 365 for education tips posted by Kelsi Benge and some great school and campus communications available for distribution.
Evan Blackman, Microsoft New Zealand’s Education Sector Manager took the 300 students and teachers through a Windows 8 introduction and demonstration, followed by a Windows 8 Skype call with Anthony Salcito himself. The students then had the opportunity to ask any questions they had around the state-of-the-art, touch-enabled software which Anthony took the time to answer.
New Zealand was the first country in the world to launch the latest Windows 8 operating system. The reimagined software is now available for consumers, schools and businesses worldwide to experience all that Windows 8 has to offer – a beautiful new user interface, a wide range of apps (both local and international) with the opening of the Windows Store, all available on more than 1,000 Windows 8 certified PCs and tablets.
Check out the fullmedia release for details on the latest Windows 8 Operating System.
Follow Anthony and his team along their 24 hours Skype-a-thon journey #Microsofteducation
Microsoft had a strong presence at last weeks Ulearn12 education conference, not only as a silver sponsor for the event but by showcasing three of Microsoft’s powerful educational offering; Office 365 for education, the global Partners in Learning Network and Microsoft OneNote. Each workshop was fully subscribed likely due to attendees seeing the value in discovering proven ways of extending innovation, collaboration and learning opportunities through Microsoft technologies and programmes. There was also an increased level of excitement as educators and IT professionals were provided insight into the imminent official global release of Windows 8, combining with new exciting hardware form factors, supporting school BYOD strategies and offering wealth of potential to meet student and educator needs within a classroom environment.
A particularly valued session at the conference was the teacher run workshops. Theresa Bosch from Baradene College acknowledged her personal discovery and interest in OneNote through the title of her workshop: "Why was I not told this sooner? Microsoft OneNote simplifying and supporting Staff PLD". Richard Knuckey at Queen Margaret College also ran a deep dive session into their OneNote programme “Multi-purposed e portfolios in use for students and staff”, which was supported by their recent Interface magazine article.
Also at the conference was Activboard NZ who were running the new Windows 8 software on their Clevertouch!
For more information about Ulearn see their website.
Last week Microsoft hosted the 2012 Tertiary ICT Innovation Awards Dinner in Christchurch.
These awards celebrate ICT excellence within the tertiary education sector. The two categories were Innovation in Integrating Everything for the Organisation and Innovation in Integrating Everything for Students – with the submissions focused on a range of innovations, from processes designed to improve efficiency or effectiveness of services, through to new products aimed at enabling educators and students to reach their full potential.
The University of Auckland was awarded for its leadership of the Tuakiri New Zealand Access Federation, a service that supports research collaboration across the country’s universities, polytechnics and Crown Research Institutes. They received the Microsoft Innovation Award trophy and $10,000 of Microsoft Consulting Services in recognition of its cutting edge work.
Evan Blackman, Education Manager at Microsoft New Zealand says it is hugely satisfying to see these education institutes leading the way in the implementation of innovative ICT services which directly enable better outcomes for the institution, its staff and its students.
View the full media release here.
Today is your last chance to submit your entry for the Innovative Educator Awards!
Every year, Microsoft recognises New Zealand's most innovative educators to highlight and celebrate the great work achieved through utilising ICT in the classroom. Nominate yourself or one of your peers for a Microsoft Innovative Teacher Award. All current full-time and part-time primary and secondary schools from both private and public schools throughout New Zealand can enter.
Last year’s winner, physical education teacher Julia Breen from Howick College, has said that “Winning the award has been a real honour. The professional development opportunities have been outstanding”
Prizewinners will receive: Attendance at the Microsoft Partners in Learning Forum One Samsung Slate PC (RRP NZ $2,399) One Xbox 360 Kinect Package for the winners school: (RRP NZ$599) And lots more
Fill in an entry at microsoft.co.nz/innovativeeducators.