Microsoft U.S. Partners in Learning National Programs

Through the Partners in Learning National Program, Microsoft is seeking to partner with government and education leaders to deliver a portfolio of curricula, tools, and resources. The portfolio is designed to advance 21st century technology skills, classroom application of these skills, and school and system leadership.

Developed through partnerships with educational thought leaders, the assets of the national program are intended to help build system-wide capacity to address the needs of the 21st century learner. In addition, these resources will begin a change process with system-wide leaders, push that change with school leaders, and build lead teachers in schools.

Teacher and Leader Development

School Leader Development: Building 21st Century Schools

Microsoft has partnered with John Bransford of the College of Education at the University of Washington and Little Planet Learning, a company that delivers custom learning programs, to create School Leader Development: Building 21st Century Schools.This instructional leadership tool for leaders of primary and secondary schools serves as a guide for creating a learning environment that prepares students for a modern world.

The unique curriculum combines video, challenge questions, discussions, and expert resources to focus on the following issues facing primary and secondary school leaders:

For more information, send e-mail to pil_lead@microsoft.com.

 School Leader Development datasheet

Innovative Teachers Program

Through the Microsoft Innovative Teachers Program, teachers can become active stakeholders in their profession. The program allows teachers to network with a community of their peers, find help using technology to transform teaching and learning, and gain opportunities to be recognized for their innovations in the classroom. Innovative Teachers is dedicated to providing classroom teaching and professional learning resources that:

For more information, visit the Innovative Teachers Web site or send e-mail to teachers@microsoft.com.

Learning to Lead Change: Building System Capacity

For education policy makers, realizing and sustaining education reform often requires fundamental changes in a country's or region's approach to education resources. Created and delivered by Professor Michael Fullan, a recognized international authority on educational reform, Learning to Lead Change: Building System Capacity focuses on the knowledge base required to lead and manage these types of change projects. Learning to Lead Change curriculum will soon be available in an online format.

 Learning to Lead Change datasheet

Peer Coaching Program: Developing Teacher Leaders

Through a partnership with the Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology, Microsoft is offering the Peer Coaching Program: Developing Teacher Leaders. The program prepares schools and teacher leaders to help their peers use technology in their teaching strategies to engage students in learning. The program is delivered through eight facilitated sessions. Here, teacher leaders are exposed to methodologies, tools, and resources designed to:

With timely assistance available just down the hall, peer coaches offer a model that schools can use to enrich and enhance standards-based instruction. The peer coaching model includes engaged learning and technology integration in every classroom.

For more information, send e-mail to pcinfo@pugetsoundcenter.org.

 Peer Coaching datasheet

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Integrating Information and Communications Technology (ICT)

ICT Skills Resource Kits

Recognizing the necessity for proficiency of ICT skills in the 21st century, Microsoft has partnered with education experts to create a collection of ICT resources. Each resource consists of professional development materials and instructional guides to build capacity within teachers as well as student curricula for use in their classrooms.

To help teachers successfully weave technology into instruction across subjects, and, in this way, engage students in learning, Microsoft has partnered with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the Institute for Computer Technology (ICT) to create the following resources:

To help teachers deliver curricula that provide students with technology skills, Microsoft has partnered with Making Opportunities for Upgrading Students & Education (MOUSE) and JES & Co. to create the following resources:

For more information, send e-mail to teachers@microsoft.com.

 Integrating ICT Skills into Teaching and Learning datasheet

 Using Microsoft Office XP for Learning Projects datasheet

 Developing Basic Applications Using Microsoft Visual Basic .NET datasheet

 Understanding and Building Basic Networks datasheet

 Deploying Student Technical Support Solutions datasheet

Fresh Start for Donated Computers

Computers that are donated to schools often lack installed or properly licensed software programs. To remove this barrier to computer use and increase access to technology, Fresh Start for Donated Computers provides primary and secondary K−12 schools with Microsoft Windows 98 and Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system licenses for donated computers, at no cost.

 Microsoft Fresh Start datasheet

Online Technology Assessment

Note: Effective June 30, 2007 at 5:00 p.m. eastern time the NETS Online Technology Assessment will be permanently discontinued. If you have any questions please contact ISTE Headquarters at headquarters@iste.org.

Standards, assessments, and accountability measures set by states, implemented by school districts, and underscored by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act are more than requirements—they are the starting point for strong schools and student achievement. In response, Microsoft and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) have collaborated to create the Online Technology Assessment—a no cost, easy-to-use tool for measuring the technology literacy of middle school students. The Online Technology Assessment consists of two, 30-minute formative assessments, each based on real world examples, which students work through to gain technology skills.

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