Microsoft Institute Agenda

U.S. Partners in Learning

January 26 - 28, Phoenix, Arizona

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Each Microsoft Institute will vary slightly, but the sample agenda below gives an example of the topics we will discuss and the structure of each day. We will post the final agenda for each session (and past sessions) on the right side of this page when they are available.

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E-mail: msinstit@microsoft.com

Day 1: Process

Time	Activity	Description
9:15 a.m.	Breakfast
9:45 a.m.	Welcome & Overview
10 a.m.	Using a Process	Innovation requires strategic planning and rigorous process. This session will provide attendees with the opportunity to review fundamental principles of strong process and will leverage strategies used during the School of the Future initiative conducted in Philadelphia.
11:15 a.m.	Break
11:30 a.m.	Developing a Vision	Can everyone involved in your effort articulate the vision? Does everyone agree on all aspects of the vision and how to make it happen? Get a glimpse inside the visioning method for the School of the Future and talk about how and why you might implement it.
12:30 p.m.	Lunch
1:30 p.m.	Scaling Success	Scaling up an education innovation means being able to adapt an innovation in almost any education context. How do you do this? What are the steps and traps? How can technology help? This session will help you answer these questions and become familiar with a scale framework, and give you a scale planning process specific to your organization.
2:45 p.m.	Break
3 p.m.	Innovation Management	The need for building a process around innovation is a subject that is quickly gaining attention in today’s fast-paced global business environment. This session will help you become familiar with a formal end-to-end process for managing innovation. You will also see a demonstration of a Microsoft solution that can be adopted for use by many organizations.
4:30 p.m.	Discussion and Q&A
5 p.m.	Wrap Up

Day 2: People

Time	Activity	Description
9 a.m.	Breakfast
9:30 a.m.	Welcome & Overview
9:45 a.m.	Using Competencies	Professional development should not be left to chance. This session will introduce tools and resources that organizations can use to advance professional development. Attendees will gain access to free tools based on a competency model that can be used immediately in their organization.
11 a.m.	Break
11:15 a.m.	People & Hiring	No greater investment should be made than what we invest in our people. The rigorous hiring process Microsoft uses results in high acceptance rates and low turnover. Many aspects of Microsoft’s people management strategy were used during the School of the Future’s hiring. Understand how you, too, can use the Education Competency Wheel to improve your hiring practices.
12:30 p.m.	Lunch
1:30 p.m.	Developing Leaders	What are the key characteristics of an effective, technology-rich leadership development program that has practical application to the everyday work of school leaders? How can we support school leaders to become models of 21st century learning for their staff and for their students? How can we engage school leaders to develop common understandings and build consensus around 21st century learning and leadership? This session will address these questions by examining a few leadership development programs available to school leaders.
2:45 p.m.	Break
3 p.m.	Learning, Students, and the Global Economy	What are the key principles of powerful learning and online learning? How do you support educators to blend face-to-face instruction with online courses? How should the career preparation conversation be held for all students not just some? How can we engage students to think more deeply about global competition? This session will address these questions and explore a new online course called, “Career Forward – Career Development in a Global Economy.”
4:15 p.m.	Discussion and Q&A
4:45 p.m.	Wrap Up

Day 3: Technology

Time	Activity	Description
9 a.m.	Breakfast
9:30 a.m.	Welcome & Overview
9:45 a.m.	Technology in Action: Part 1	Do you have what it takes to be a School of the Future? Or Do you have what it takes to be a Classroom of the Future? It’s not just having the technology. It’s knowing how to use the technology to create better learning environments. This session focuses on how you can enable your educators with the latest Microsoft technologies-- from Vista to Office, Live Spaces to the World Wide Telescope--to create the same engaging interactions learners at the School of the Future enjoy.
11:15 a.m.	Break
11:30 a.m.	Technology in Action: Part 2	Communication and Collaboration: The School of the Future Way – The biggest challenges are often hidden in plain sight, how do your educators collaborate? How do your educators share best practices? How do your learners access their projects and assignments? At the School of the Future, we’ve implemented an amazing combination of collaborative tools that allow digital note taking with OneNote and online interaction with educators. If you want to find out how to collaborate in the 21st Century, don’t miss this session.
1 p.m.	Lunch
1:45 p.m.	The Role of New Media in Education	Learn how to safely support and encourage new media– podcasting, blogging, wikis, social networking, mobile devices, mash-ups, “YouTube,” and distance learning—in your organization.
3 p.m.	Break
3:15 p.m.	Solutions for the Classroom	How do I create collaborative working teams? How do I get more organized? How can I engage my students? How can I be more efficient and save time? Learn how Microsoft can help teachers work through a variety of solutions every day.
4:30 p.m.	Wrap Up