As the world and our education systems continue to evolve, the role of technology to enable learning, whether in classrooms or at home, continues to be of great importance for educators, leaders, parents, and students alike. Every day we experience, see, and hear triumphant stories of the human character and celebrate the heroes in education who courageously push beyond boundaries to create new opportunities for students to learn and grow. And like never before, investment of resources and time into peer support, coaching, professional development, and training is critical for education leaders, educators, faculty, and staff.
As we continue to work to empower every student on the planet to achieve more, I am excited today to share three professional development resources to support educators on their journey.
Get training with Microsoft Store
Microsoft Stores have undergone massive transformation and are now extending support through live virtual training events. Geographical borders no longer limit the training support that Microsoft Store teams can provide.
- Students, educators, and parents are invited to explore and attend virtual workshops and training sessions of interest.
- Microsoft Store education trainers also engage on a 1:1 basis to provide customized training sessions to schools and institutions to help adopt technology faster, more effectively, and more cohesively. These trainers speak more than 20 different languages and the training can be customized to customer needs. The best way to take advantage of this offer is to work with the local Microsoft account teams.
Explore the Microsoft Educator Center
Over the past several decades, Microsoft built deep connections with the educator communities that we serve around the world. It is our goal to nurture and empower them with learning resources and training. With their support and feedback, we created the Microsoft Educator Center, which offers a vast variety and depth of technology learning resources.
As our worldwide community of educators continues to grow and become stronger, Microsoft recently announced the newest cohort of over 20,000 Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Experts. These educators demonstrated exceptional ability to spark their students’ creativity and improve learning outcomes with Microsoft technologies. They are always looking to connect with other inspiring educators across the globe and are excited to share their ideas with others. Many of their ideas are reflected in the Microsoft Educator Center.
In particular, I wanted to highlight the newly released Learning Path on Hybrid Learning Strategies for Success. It is comprised of four courses that are organized around student grade level and will resonate with every educator and faculty member:
- Hybrid learning: A new model for the future of learning
- Hybrid learning in the primary classroom
- Hybrid learning in the intermediate classroom
- Hybrid learning for the adolescent learner
Work with a Global Training Partner
Clearly, when it comes to teaching and learning, one size does not fit all. We realize the complexity of having different education systems, approaches to curricula, and languages around the world. So in addition to the Microsoft Store and the Microsoft Educator Center online learning resources, we developed an exclusive network of Global Training Partners (GTP). These training organizations are qualified and ready to co-create locally relevant professional development strategies and execute curated face-to-face, blended, and online training sessions across the globe. The Global Training Partners program currently includes 370 companies that serve over 70 countries.
I just had a chance to spend this week with some of these trainers over a series of virtual readiness events at our annual Global Training Partner Summit and was blown away by the innovation and energy they are bringing into discussions. I would encourage any educator or education leader to visit the Find a trainer page where you can find a Microsoft-trained and certified partner in your location who is able to work hand-in-hand with any educational institution to craft a plan that best supports specific and relevant training needs.
To recognize the outstanding impact these Global Training Partners are driving throughout the world, we introduced Global Training Partner of the Year awards in each of the major geographical regions. This year they went to the following:
- Americas – Big Brain Education, Brazil
- Europe/Middle East/Africa – Exquitec Educational Technology, Nigeria
- Asia – Line Learning and Development, Philippines
Together, we continue to face tremendous challenges and opportunities, witnessing the rise of the “new normal” in teaching and learning. I hope that the resources I shared will help educators and faculty provide improved and inspiring learning for all students worldwide. Thank you for allowing Microsoft to be a part of your success.
