Based on feedback from leaders and educators in the field, we’ve made key updates to the AI Toolkit. From role-specific entry points to new AI Navigators, these enhancements are designed to empower your institution’s AI journey at every stage. Whether your institution is just getting started or looking to expand, you’ll find tools and resources you need to confidently advance your AI adoption.

Read on to discover the latest enhancements to the AI Toolkit.

AI Snapshots: Choose your path to AI success

Sometimes just getting started with AI is the hardest part. Our expanded AI Snapshots make adopting AI more accessible than ever. These strategic entry points provide step-by-step guidance for a variety of roles in your institution, ensuring that no matter your position, you can confidently integrate AI into your work.

AI snapshots offer ready-to-use solutions to everyday challenges. You’ll find helpful instructions, starting prompts, and iteration ideas to assist you in utilizing Microsoft AI tools effectively to achieve your goals. From generating data-driven student support recommendations to creating custom cybersecurity promptbooks, these AI Snapshots unlock powerful ways to enhance AI integration across your institution.

AI Navigators: Learn from real-world AI success stories

Curious about how other education institutions are adopting AI? The AI Navigators section of the toolkit highlights real-world examples of education institutions leading the way in AI adoption. These profiles offer insights into each Navigator’s research, experimentation, testing, and deployment of generative AI solutions, helping you follow in their footsteps and apply those lessons to your own institution.

We’ve added two new case studies to give you more inspiration: Auburn University and the Education University of Hong Kong Jockey Club Primary School. These navigators showcase how AI can enhance learning, boost efficiency, and build a culture of innovation. Use their stories to inspire your own AI strategy as you take your first steps towards AI adoption.

Take a closer look at how Auburn University empowers thousands of students, faculty, and staff to explore new ways of using AI with Microsoft Copilot. Play the video to get a glimpse of their AI journey in action.

Discover more insights from these stories in the toolkit and check out the following videos to get inspiration on how to implement AI at your own institution:

• Learn how the Northern Ireland Education Authority leverages Copilot to drive equity across their schools.
• Uncover how the University of Sydney utilizes the power of Azure OpenAI to allow professors to create their own AI assistants.
• Reveal how Coquitlam School District #43 partners with Microsoft to build secure infrastructure and enhance data insights.

Technical implementation guides: Optimize your AI rollout

One of the most important aspects of AI implementation is ensuring that your institution’s technology infrastructure can support it. We’ve expanded our collection of technical implementation guides, which provide detailed support for IT and education leaders. These guides outline the technical steps necessary to implement Microsoft AI solutions effectively and securely, helping you overcome common challenges and optimize the rollout process.

These detailed guides provide step-by-step instructions to ensure a smooth and secure rollout of Microsoft AI solutions like Microsoft 365 Copilot and Azure AI Studio. Each guide includes a dedicated “How to use” section, providing practical insights to help your team quickly and confidently get started using these AI tools.

The guides cover a range of Microsoft AI solutions, including:

• Microsoft Copilot
• Microsoft 365 Copilot
• Copilot in Windows
• Copilot for Security
• Azure AI Studio
• Microsoft Dynamics 365
• GitHub Copilot

Empower your IT team and leaders to implement Microsoft AI solutions across your institution.

Discover more ways to advance your AI journey

In addition to the AI Toolkit, these training resources offer practical insights and guidance that support your institution’s AI strategy. Whether you’re focused on classroom integration, technical skills, or exploring new AI-driven possibilities, these resources can help you build a strong foundation for success.

• AI for education resources and learning opportunities: Engage with a variety of resources and training modules on how to use AI for educational purposes with Microsoft.
• AI for educators learning pathway: Explore the potential of AI in education, enhance teaching and learning with Copilot, and equip and support learners.
• AI classroom Toolkit: Support educators with a creative learning resource that helps teach students how to use generative AI safely and responsibly.
• Microsoft Copilot scenario library: Get inspired with guidance by roles and departments such as IT, HR, Legal, Communications, Operations, and more.
• Copilot technical skilling resources: Use this collection of kits, learning paths, Microsoft Mechanics videos, resources for developers, and upcoming events for Microsoft 365 Copilot to dive deeper into the technical aspects of Copilot.

Whether you’re just starting with AI or refining your existing strategy, the updated Microsoft Education AI Toolkit has everything you need to integrate AI seamlessly into your institution. Take the next steps to unlock AI’s full potential in education.

The post Strengthen your AI strategy with the updated Microsoft Education AI Toolkit appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Windows 10 will reach end of support (EOS) on October 14, 2025, less than two years from today.  While two years may seem like a lot of time, upgrading your school’s devices now will help your organization stay focused on learning outcomes and protect educational data without interruption.   

For nearly a decade, you’ve helped shape the learning experiences of countless students and educators with Windows 10. We wish to express our gratitude and appreciation for the ways you’ve used Windows 10 to empower learners, leaders, and intuitions to transform education. Thank you for being an integral part of our mission to enable equitable education for all. 

We encourage you to transition to Windows 11 sooner than later, and we’re here to help you plan your move. Learn about the options you have to smoothly transition to Windows 11, including extended protection for Windows 10 devices that may need more time to transition.   

What does Windows 10 end of support mean?

End of support means that Microsoft will no longer provide bug fixes for issues, security fixes for vulnerabilities, time zone updates, or technical support for problems that might occur.   

As noted on the Windows 10 release information page, version 22H2 is the final version of Windows 10. All editions of Windows 10, version 22H2 will remain in support with monthly security updates through October 14, 2025.    

Transition from Windows 10 to Windows 11 to meet your needs 

Windows 11 helps every learner do their best work with easy-to-use tools built right in and ready to go from the first day—all in a secure and trusted environment. Windows 11 security features are enabled by default, providing protection for your school’s devices and peace of mind. The accessibility features and AI improvements built into Windows 11 help educators personalize learning and meet the needs of all students.  

In addition to upgrading eligible PCs to Windows 11 using  Microsoft Intune, your options to adopt Windows 11 include:  

• Upgrade eligible PCs to Windows 11.  
• Purchase new modern Windows 11 Pro PCs.  
• Move to Windows 11 on a Cloud PC with Windows 365.    

As we continue to develop Windows 11 for education, along with a wide range of devices from our partners, we remain dedicated to creating products that help all students access the tools and support they need to explore new opportunities and succeed in their learning. Find the perfect learning device at a low cost from Microsoft Education.  

Windows 11 helps every learner do their best work with easy-to-use tools built right in and ready to go from the first day.    

Take advantage of the Extended Security Update program for Windows 10 

We encourage you to switch to Windows 11, but we recognize that some situations might not allow you to upgrade your Windows 10 devices before the EOS date. For this reason, Microsoft will provide Extended Security Updates (ESU). The ESU for Windows 10 is designed to provide you with peace of mind as you migrate to Windows 11 and identify Windows 10 PCs that need more time to transition.   

• Devices enrolled in ESU can receive monthly security updates but no feature or other updates.  
• Similar to the Windows 7 ESU program, you will be able to purchase yearly subscriptions to security updates, renewable for up to three years.  
• Windows 365 customers, as well as those that run Windows 10 in an Azure Virtual Desktop, will receive ESU at no additional charge.   

To help you plan a successful transition, we’re offering special education pricing for the Windows 10 ESU program:  

• ESU pricing¹ for Microsoft education customers will be $1 per license for the first year, $2 the following year, and $4 the third year to ensure institutions receive the support they need.    
• This offer is extended to all education customers, including K-12 and Higher Education.   

We know educators and students have experienced great benefits with Windows 10 and there’s even more to love with Windows 11, including built-in accessibility features on devices that are secure, easy to deploy, and manage. We look forward to helping you plan your transition to Windows 11 and supporting you on your journey.   

We’ll continue to share updates about Windows 10 EOS and in the meantime, visit Lifecycle FAQ for Windows for more details. Additionally, more information on the ESU program will be shared later as availability and Windows 10 EOS approach. Read the Tech Community Blog on Windows 10 EOS or our visit the Windows Tech Community for more details on ESU enrollment. Looking for support? Visit Windows on Microsoft Q&A.  

Microsoft 365, Windows devices, and comprehensive security combine to help schools and classrooms worldwide accelerate learning, improve efficiency, and enable equitable education. Learn about a suite of products that provide a comprehensive solution for everyone at your school, from educators to students to admins.    

¹All prices are in US dollars. Regional prices will vary based on foreign exchange rates at the moment of ordering SKUs. 

The post Windows 10 end of support updates for education appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Educators prepare students today, for the world that they’ll face tomorrow. And, as the past few years have taught us, what the future may hold is anybody’s guess. This is why educators deserve powerful, intuitive, and adaptable tools, like Windows 11, to ensure that all students, regardless of their needs or abilities, can thrive in the classroom and beyond.

Solutions built specifically for education

To better support today’s educators, Microsoft reimagined the Windows platform to help them unlock the full potential of every student with safe and engaging student-centered technology that prioritizes equity and accessibility. The new Windows 11 for Education provide a simple, accessible environment on devices that are secure, easy to deploy and manage, and perform well across the changing conditions of a school year. 

In addition, Windows 11 SE devices offer the accessibility, familiarity, performance, and security of Windows 11, in an environment designed for K-8 students. With simplified experiences and curated apps, Windows 11 SE supports younger learners on affordable devices that are pre-configured for student privacy and enabled for remote management through Microsoft Intune for Education.

Top 5 reasons educators love Windows 11

1. Accessibility features at no extra cost  

Since every student has unique learning needs, the built-in accessibility features on Windows 11—such as live captions, voice access, Immersive Reader, and Focus sessions—are designed for seamless inclusion. The wide range of affordable, personalized Windows 11 devices were created to support students’ neurodiversity and their differences in vision, hearing, and mobility.

New Mexico’s Las Cruces Public Schools district, for example, deployed 25,000 Windows-based devices with Intune for Education to better support the 7 percent of their students classified as economically disadvantaged and the 14 percent of their students classified as learners with disabilities. These devices empower students to improve and succeed in their academic journey regardless of their needs or abilities.

Deploying [these] devices to everyone helped to level the playing field. We are many years ahead of the game now. We were pushed to think of alternative ways of teaching and to make sure all our students were engaged. Their capabilities are mind-blowing for me and for the students.”

Maggie Romero, Chemistry teacher, Las Cruces Public Schools

2. AI-powered security to block unsafe apps  

Windows 11 now includes Smart App Control. Users can download apps with confidence, knowing that AI-powered security blocks malicious software, while enhanced threat detection tools alert them to potential phishing scams when malicious apps or hacked websites request their logins. This means schools can prevent identity theft and protect school data and student privacy while offering administrators, educators, and students flexibility in choosing apps.

Windows 11 SE offers even more app control since students cannot install or uninstall applications. To help educators keep instruction more focused on learning objectives, Windows 11 SE limits app installs to content-filtering, test-taking, accessibility, classroom communications, diagnostics, management, connectivity and support apps.

3. Future-proof technology skills  

Windows 11 helps students thrive in tomorrow’s world. With Windows 11, students get a new, simplified interface with tools and features to help them stay focused and organized. 

The new File Explorer in Windows 11 lets students organize files and switch between folders with ease. Students and educators can create folders in the Start menu, then drag and drop the apps they need to stay organized and focused on learning. The new Favorites section is the perfect place to pin students’ most used files to better organize and track work. Windows 11 also offers new Intelligent Actions—smart tips such as writing suggestions and search recommendations—to help students hone skills as they learn and create.

Texas City Independent School District is driving 21^st century education and robust collaboration with Microsoft Education solutions. Using Microsoft 365, their educators can prioritize curriculum that helps students solve increasingly complex problems beyond the classroom while ensuring that they learn the skills that empower them as digital citizens. Their goal: support students beyond a course’s final grade or an impending standardized test.

What do our students need to know about technology to be prepared to make valuable contributions when they leave our schools? If you don’t use Microsoft products, you are not prepared for the workforce. The other options don’t prepare our students for the real world, and they don’t develop digital citizenship skills.”

Gina Covington, Chief Technology Officer, Texas City Independent School District

Read more about this district’s success using Microsoft 365.

4. Online and offline productivity  

Educators and students enjoy both online and offline productivity backed up by the cloud. Windows 11 works seamlessly with cloud services so information and apps are easily accessible anytime, anywhere. It’s simple to sync files with OneDrive for easy backup, secure sharing, and almost limitless storage.

5. Easy efficiency for self-managed work

Windows 11 SE offers cloud-only storage, making it easy for students to find their work. With its Start menu front and center on the screen, students can easily find the files and apps they need. Also new to Windows 11 SE, voice search, powered by natural language, helps students quickly find what they’re looking for.

Focus—a new feature of the Clock app—allows students and educators to start a Focus session and complete tasks faster, without distractions to be more productive. Snap layouts and automatic redocking help students and educators better organize what’s on their screen. Using click or touch, students and educators can choose one layout for math and another for writing or grading papers. New interactive touch controls in Windows 11 make interacting with a device more natural. Students and educators can work the way they prefer including multi-finger gestures, voice typing, or digital inking.

Students love Windows 11 too  

Ruggedized and spill-proof construction helps students keep their devices safe no matter what the school day throws at them. Students can also work and create all day on a single battery charge¹ so they are prepared whenever and wherever learning happens. Windows 11 keeps them connected with their peers and teachers over Wi-Fi and LTE/5G and offers smooth collaboration with smarter video conferencing features like HD cameras and noise cancelling microphones.²

With Microsoft Ink, a fun, new feature, students and teachers can use a digital pen to write or draw in multiple apps on an ink and touch-enabled device. Microsoft Ink works seamlessly across OneNote, Windows, Microsoft Edge, and familiar learning apps in Microsoft 365³ as well as a selection of third-party apps. Windows 11 SE also allows students to express themselves with over 500 fun digital desktop stickers!

Microsoft’s powerful and versatile Windows 11 tools and features work online and offline, making education safe and more productive, and offer fun and engaging ways to express ideas. Learn more about how Windows 11 for Education can transform teaching and learning.

¹ Battery life varies based on settings, usages, and other factors.

² Hardware dependent.

³ Requires Microsoft 365 for Education subscription, which may be sold separately.

The post Top reasons why teachers and students love using Windows 11 appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Providing continuity of learning in low and intermittent connectivity scenarios

Millions of students have limited access to the internet at home, leaving them struggling to access interactive online lessons and forcing them to find offline workarounds on devices lacking storage for video and other resources. Today, devices and education technology tools are more integrated into education than ever before, and learning opportunities happen not just at school, but at home and everywhere in between. In this landscape, the ability to work online and offline is key so that learning can continue regardless of a student’s ability to connect to the internet.

In the third in a series of Accelerate Learning Kits from Microsoft Education, “Accelerating Learning for Students with Limited Internet Access,” the authors compare how Microsoft Windows 11 devices and Chromebooks support offline access to educational content and material. Their finding: when comparing based on factors such as access to learning content, accessibility, on-device storage, and the ability to create and edit content, they found that Windows 11 devices provide a better experience for learners than the equivalent experiences on Google Chrome OS.

In a study conducted by Michigan State University in 2020, researchers found that students who have no home access or rely upon cell phone data plans have the digital skills equivalent of a three-year deficit when compared to their peers with home internet access¹.”

According to UNICEF, up to 1.3 billion children and young people worldwide have no access to internet at home². This issue disproportionately affects students of color, those living in poverty, and in rural communities. Additionally, a 2020 study by Michigan State University found that students who have limited or no internet access at home can fall up to three years behind classmates with full access, have a lower grade point average, score lower on college admissions tests like the SAT, and are less likely to pursue a college degree.³ This highlights the importance of ensuring that students have equitable access to tools and that there’s flexibility for those who may not have consistent access to the internet outside of school. 

For the latest Microsoft learning kit comparing Windows 11 devices and Chromebooks, researchers created a learning scenario in which they used identical versions of a presentation to compare the process a student would complete to access and edit learning materials while disconnected from the internet. This included setting up offline access to the file, disconnecting the internet connection, opening and making changes to the presentation, and then reconnecting and accessing the updated online file. The comparison of the Windows 11 and Chromebook processes can help educators see some of the benefits Windows 11 devices deliver for students, including simpler and faster setup of offline capabilities.

Evaluators noted that in the side-by-side test, Microsoft Office was a faster, easier, and richer experience for students than the comparable solution. Beyond simply editing and saving files, students with limited online access can benefit from using the built-in flexibility of features such as translation and Accessibility Checker, which work online or offline.

Since schools made the unexpected and rapid shift to online instruction in 2020, existing inequities in connectivity have highlighted the challenges of making sure that all students can participate in digital learning. Microsoft Education is committed to developing solutions to advance equity in learning. And the built-in, accessible, equitable, easy-to-use tools in the Microsoft Office suite provide students the opportunity to focus on learning and explore their academic interests without having to worry about connectivity.

Want to learn more?

The learning kit “Accelerating Learning for Students with Limited Internet Access” is available now, and contains the comparative paper as well as an abstract and an infographic. You can also explore two other Microsoft Education Accelerate Learning Kits: “Checking for Accessibility” and “Accelerate Learning with Workplace Math Skills.”  Stay tuned for the next kit in the series, which will be shared soon!

¹ Broadband and Student Performance Gaps

² The Learning Passport

³ Broadband and Student Performance Gaps

The post Accelerating learning for students with limited internet access appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

In November, we hosted Microsoft Reimagine, where we shared with the world new technology that can empower educators and unlock new possibilities for all learners. We announced a new edition of Windows 11—Windows 11 SE—and an ecosystem of devices coming from Microsoft and our OEM partners, including the new Surface Laptop SE.

Today, I’m pleased to announce that Windows 11 SE devices are becoming available to order through education channels.. This portfolio includes the Surface Laptop SE and new Windows 11 Pro EDU as well as Windows 11 SE devices, starting at $249, from our partners at Acer, ASUS, Dell, Dynabook, Fujitsu, HP, JP-IK, Lenovo and Positivo—powered by Intel and AMD. This is our largest collection of purpose-built software and devices for K-12 education ever, demonstrating our commitment to addressing the current and future needs of students, educators, and schools. You can learn more in this blog post about our partner devices being announced today.

Windows 11 SE devices complement our broader portfolio of Windows 11 devices for education. They provide even more choices for schools to have the tools, insights, and controls they need to deliver optimal learning experiences, at a price that broadens access to Microsoft performance, security, and reliability. With the Windows 11 ecosystem and Microsoft 365¹, applications are accessible both online and offline, allowing all students access to the best opportunities to learn from anywhere. These apps include built-in features and tools that prioritize inclusive learning, such as Reading Progress, Education Insights, Immersive Reader and Microsoft Translator. In addition to these first-party experiences designed for learning, Windows 11 devices for education offer support for third-party apps to ensure educators, students, and schools can stay productive with the tools that work best for them.

As we deliver new Windows 11 experiences for education, including this expanded device portfolio from our partners, we remain committed to building products that ensure all students have access to the tools and support needed to unlock new possibilities and thrive within and beyond the classroom.

¹ Microsoft 365 subscription sold separately

The post Introducing Our New Windows 11 Device Portfolio for Education appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

The following three resources will help create a smooth transition into the new school year, and each video will take less than two minutes to watch—about the time it takes to brew a cup of coffee. So, sit back, relax, and dive in!

1. Help enable hybrid classrooms with Microsoft Teams and Windows devices

Together, Windows devices and Microsoft 365 technologies create a powerful platform that supports any learning environment. They work seamlessly together, allowing applications like Teams to bring conversations, content, assignments, and video lessons into one convenient and secure location. Teams features, such as Breakout Rooms and Whiteboard, help recreate in-person learning experiences while enabling educators and IT administrators to control settings to keep students focused and engaged. Check out the video below to learn more.

2. Get familiar with Insights in Teams

Insights in Microsoft Teams provides immediate analytics of participants’ progress and activity within a class, which helps educators better monitor and understand their students’ engagement, progress, and academic and emotional well-being right away or over time. With easily digestible visualizations, educators receive meaningful data to make faster, more informed decisions about their learning communities—helping to ensure students’ individual needs are being met.

3. Send Praise Badges to acknowledge student achievements

Did you know there’s a special way to celebrate your students in Teams? Use Praise Badges to recognize and reinforce students’ effort, growth, and achievements. Praise Badges can foster meaningful connections between educators and students and spotlight daily student wins or progress, while acknowledging and encouraging improvements in social-emotional learning.

As education continues to evolve, so will our technology and classrooms. Microsoft will be there every step of the way, with technology that bring teachers and students together wherever they are and however they work best. If you haven’t already signed up for Teams, head over to our Teams page to get started for free. And to learn more about the affordable educational tools and technology that can help empower learning success, visit the Windows devices page.

The post 3 tips to help enrich your students’ learning experience appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

As they move forward to implement recovery plans, they want to build on these investments while filling recession-driven budget gaps. To support these goals, new government stimulus funds may be available to purchase technology that can better engage students from wherever school happens. Visit the U.S. Department of Education website to learn more.

Hybrid learning—here to stay?

Many institutions imagine a future where hybrid learning is here to stay. According to a RAND Corporation survey, 10 percent of district leaders have adopted or are considering a long-term hybrid instructional model, and another 19 percent said they were considering ongoing remote instruction.

Many find that technology adopted for remote learning has long-term value to spark new experiences and levels of engagement. At the same time, schools must ensure high levels of security and privacy. Institutions are meeting these needs with Microsoft Surface devices, giving faculty, staff, and students the freedom to teach and learn from anywhere while staying highly secure and productive. 

For example, Morehouse College improved collaboration, productivity, and equity by offering Surface Go 2 devices to all students. Shelby County Public Schools took the same approach to overcome multifaceted educational challenges. Microsoft brings a strong focus on technology accessibility and inclusion to help meet diverse student needs. 

Better learning for every student

In today’s digital, physical, remote, and hybrid classrooms, teachers need new ways to help every student achieve more. Providing them with natural ways to work can help. Touchscreens support intuitive interactions for every student, whether they’re Pre-K or postgrad. Digital inking offers the versatility to sketch ideas, take notes, or do math equations. The Surface family of devices offer rich, responsive interactions like these to help drive student success.

With 2-in-1 devices like Surface Go 2, students can quickly move from writing essays using the keyboard to navigating the web with touch and inking on the screen. These devices are also lightweight and portable for even the youngest students, and they feature a sleek design everyone can appreciate. With all-day battery life and optional LTE, students have the flexibility to keep learning from anywhere. 

Microsoft Surface devices also empower school districts to choose solutions that meet their unique needs. With the Surface Laptop Go, the features most loved by Surface Laptop customers have arrived in a smaller, more affordable design built to fit school budgets. It’s lighter than most textbooks, yet powerful enough to run essential education apps. 

Creating the classroom of the future, today

Many classrooms of the future will follow a hybrid model, mixing remote and in-person learning—a perfect scenario for the Surface Hub 2S large-format digital whiteboard and the Microsoft Teams collaboration environment. Together Mode in Teams puts remote participants in a shared digital space, reducing distraction and creating a connected class experience. 

By unifying in-person and remote participants, hybrid learning becomes more seamless and engaging. This is just one example of the many Teams features that can bring hybrid learning to life. 

Secure and manageable for the long term

Of course, for schools to use any technology, it must meet strict security and privacy requirements. Surface devices feature modern, chip-to-cloud security. Updates are pushed out automatically, helping to ensure that every user has the latest protections. By adding Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection and Microsoft Endpoint Manager (sold separately), schools can identify and mitigate attacks to prevent data loss and unify device management.

The busy IT departments responsible for managing the transition to remote and hybrid learning can breathe a sigh of relief. Surface devices are easy to deploy and manage. Windows Autopilot provides zero-touch deployment so students, faculty, and staff can set up their devices without help from IT and start using them from day one. Using Microsoft Endpoint Manager, IT administrators can manage all of their district’s devices from one place so they can focus on supporting new forms of learning. 

Microsoft is committed to supporting educational institutions as they move from recovery to reimagining. To learn more, watch the webinars about building transformative device strategies for hybrid learning in K-12 and higher education. To find out more about purchasing Surface devices, connect with a Microsoft partner today.

The post Microsoft Surface devices support the next phase of learning appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

One school system that quickly embraced remote and hybrid learning technology is Onslow County Schools. The North Carolina school district, home to 27,000 students ranging from kindergarten through high school, had already been using Microsoft Teams before COVID-19 started. This enabled both students and staff to quickly adjust when Onslow shifted to remote learning last spring. The district also took swift steps to put new technology in place, adopting a range of Windows 10 devices for every student and educator in the district. Along with a team of dedicated educators and school leaders, these technologies allowed the district transition to remote and hybrid learning environments.

Security, affordability, and relevant professional development resources were important factors when the district considered when which devices and online learning platforms to use.

Security: A secure and reliable learning environment was paramount for Onslow County when selecting the technology for the district. “It was important for us to know that Teams is extremely secure. We had to be aware of CIPA and COPPA compliance,” said Stephen Taylor, Director of Digital Learning and Teaching at Onslow County Schools, referring to the Child Internet Protection Act and the Child Online Privacy and Protection Act. “Microsoft helps give us peace of mind that we’re meeting those regulations.” 

Though the district had implemented Teams well before school closures, the platform’s strong security features became even more important during this time. With features like Hard Mute and Student Lobby, Onslow was able to keep students secure no matter the learning environment. These tools have helped many educators maintain a structured, supervised classroom at every point in the learning journey.

Affordability: Teams allowed students, educators, and staff members at Onslow to be on the same, easy-to-use learning platform. And to access this critical online learning platform, the district needed devices. Windows 10 offered a range of devices that were affordable enough to be distributed at scale across Onslow County.

Together with Windows 10 devices, Teams provide a learning solution tailored to fit the diverse needs of each classroom. “On the first day of school, I walked past classroom after classroom of teachers using Microsoft Teams to host their hybrid learning classes without a hitch,” said Erin Holland, a Digital Learning and Teaching Services facilitator for Onslow County. 

Professional development: It’s more important than ever for educators to feel comfortable and confident using technology to facilitate different learning environments. Microsoft offers a variety of free training and professional development resources to help educators gain the technical proficiency they need to focus on what they do best: connecting with students.

“We wanted to keep the focus on instruction,” said Holland. “With Teams, teachers can provide direct instruction to both groups of students synchronously, and they can monitor student progress every day. That element of consistency was incredibly important.” She said that while other counties closed school for several days or even weeks, Onslow County was able to continue teaching grades three to 12 using Teams after just one day of transition, thanks to the ongoing professional learning opportunities.

As schools like those in Onslow County shift back to hybrid and in-person settings, dependable devices and engaging learning platforms will remain as important as ever. With Windows 10 devices and Microsoft Teams, schools can help student learn from anywhere. 

Learn more about how your school can follow Onslow County’s lead and continue to create engaging classrooms in any learning environment.

The post Supporting the digital classroom with technology built for education appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

That’s why we set out to reimagine the Microsoft Classroom Pen. For us, reducing pen costs while keeping the inclusive design fit for students of any age was of utmost importance. And on April 27, to continue empowering educators and students to achieve more, we will be proud to launch Microsoft Classroom Pen 2.

Microsoft Classroom Pen 2 is optimized for use with Surface Go and Surface Pro and enables students of all ages to write and draw naturally on their screens via an improved design and longer enclosure. The durable pen tip is replaceable, and it’s easy to prevent loss with a built-in slot for a tether or the clip that attaches to Surface Type Covers. And even with those improvements, the Classroom Pen 2 is only half the cost of the original.

Microsoft Classroom Pen 2 will be available exclusively to education institutions starting on April 27, 2021. It will be sold in packs of 20 for $399.80 USD ($19.99 per pen) and includes batteries and replacement pen tips.

Learn more about Surface in Education at Surface.com/Education and connect with a local Surface Education reseller in your market.

The post Microsoft Classroom Pen 2 empowers every student to achieve more appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Just ask Davis County School District, a district outside of Salt Lake City that used Microsoft’s professional development trainings to prepare educators for the shift to hybrid learning. Davis is the smallest county in Utah by land area, but it is home to 90 schools and approximately 72,900 students. And like countless other school districts around the world, Davis County spent last summer getting ready for a shift to hybrid learning in the fall.

In preparation, the district quickly scaled up technology in May of 2020, deploying nearly 75,000 Windows 10 devices to students and incorporating Canvas, a collaborative learning management system that integrates with Microsoft Teams. These technologies were critical to facilitating the move from remote to hybrid learning, in which about half of the district’s students would be in-person and half would be remote. It also meant that the district needed widespread professional development training for educators to help use the new devices and technology.

The school’s Director of Teaching and Learning, Belinda Kuck, understood that it was not enough for Davis County School District to have innovative education technology—its educators needed to understand how to use it to its full potential. Along with a team of IT administrators and curriculum leaders, Kuck encouraged educators to master the new technology over the summer to ensure they were fully prepared when hybrid learning started in the fall.

Microsoft’s free professional development resources help educators understand how to use various learning tools, like Teams. These sessions are available in a variety of different formats—from tailored one-on-one sessions with certified trainers to self-guided courses in the Microsoft Educator Center—so that district leaders like Kuck can select the trainings that meet each school’s needs. The trainings are designed to help educators make the most of Microsoft tools and continue teaching students seamlessly.

We focused on making the educator the center of the training and gave them the opportunity to bring in their own unique styles.

Belinda Kuck, Director of Teaching and Learning, Davis County School District

At Davis, educators learned not only how to operate different devices and platforms, but to successfully structure and deliver coursework for remote and hybrid learning environments. “We focused on making the educator the center of the training and gave them the opportunity to bring in their own unique styles,” Kuck said.

The trainings worked, quickly and easily equipping educators to teach in the new environment and guide students who had questions about the technology. “In one week, we re-trained the entire district’s educators,” Kuck said. Though the district has since shifted back to in-person learning given low COVID-19 cases in the community, the trainings are just as relevant for in-classroom teaching and ensure that educators are prepared to go back to remote or hybrid learning if needed. The district is also continuing to offer professional development trainings so educators can stay up-to-date on Teams, share ideas, and foster collaboration.

With greater confidence and competency with technology, educators can support their students in any environment—whether in front of a whiteboard or behind a screen. Learn more about Windows 10 devices and free training today.

The post Free educator training helps build confidence during hybrid learning appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

At BettFest 2021, we’ll be showcasing partners with solutions for your remote and hybrid learning challenges. From controls to manage digital classrooms and minimize disruptions, to solutions that enable secure learning environments—all available on affordable Windows 10 devices—you’ll find just the right Microsoft Education partner to help you make the most of your learning environments.

Providing teachers with controls to manage digital classrooms and minimize disruptions

• Beedle: This comprehensive set of education tools makes it easy for teachers to manage learning without ever leaving Microsoft Teams. Beedle includes an interactive class list and diary, daily planning tool linked to a calendar, attendance and assessment tracking (incorporating assignments in Microsoft Teams), and a linked curriculum builder. Teachers can store digital lesson resources, organise their daily work, share content with colleagues and students, mark attendance, grade assessments, and create curriculum-assessment frameworks—all within Microsoft Teams. In addition, a stand-alone Guardian app allows parents and carers to track attendance, receive messages from teachers, see assessment grades, and more.
• Dugga: Dugga is a total assessment solution used by teachers worldwide for all types of tests, exams, homework, assignments, and home exams all in one place. This easy-to-use solution lets teachers create, plan, and schedule all types of assessments ahead of time. There are many different question types to choose from, including for math and science. Teachers can select different security and monitoring options from open exam and plagiarism analysis to full lockdown and AI (artificial intelligence) proctoring. Teachers can insert videos, upload documents, use auto scoring, auto grading, and much more. Dugga can be used via the Dugga app in Microsoft Teams and with Microsoft 365.
• Go1: Go1 makes it easy to search, consume, share, and discuss many different types of learning content—like SCORM, video, etc.—all within Microsoft Teams.
• Lexplore: In just three minutes, Lexplore uses eye-tracking and AI to provide an accurate, objective reading assessment that helps enable all students get the right level of reading support. While traditional assessments take 30-60 minutes per child, Lexplore provides similar reading insights in a fraction of the time. Integrated with Microsoft Teams, Lexplore shows a unique reading profile for all students, even those who are non-verbal.
• Corinth by Lifeliqe: Corinth makes it exciting to learn science with 1,500+ interactive 3D, AR, and VR models. The scientifically verified 3D content can be quickly shared in the classroom, and the Office 365 integration makes it easy to create engaging 3D resources for teachers and students in Teams, OneNote, PowerPoint, or Word. Corinth is powered by Lifeliqe, making it available for third-party licensing.
• Ment.io: This next-generation discussion board promotes deeper learning and equal opportunities in education, offering structured, easy-to-read discussions and empowering analytics and seamless student assessment.
• Squigl: Squigl helps educators engage their classroom​ in five minutes or less with fully enabled quizzing and interactivity features built into Teams, driving engagement, and improving retention.
• Wakelet: Wakelet allows you to save, organize, and present multimedia content with your students, teachers, and learning communities. Educators around the world use Wakelet to create engaging newsletters, lesson plans, and portfolios along with many other accessible, stunning collections!

Keeping students and data secure

• 3DBear: 3DBear offers a turnkey solution for virtual learning environments. With AR and VR, you can teach skills remotely, giving K-12 students vocational school project-based and hands-on learning. From teacher training academies, to qualification, to creating lessons in VR/AR, a wide variety of pedagogical content modules can be tailored to unique classroom needs.
• Edsby: Edsby is a comprehensive, integrated K-12 learning management system (LMS) and data platform that engages students, parents, and teachers on all their devices, giving school districts, states, provinces, and national governments powerful new ways to facilitate K-12 digital transformations.
• Impero: Impero class:room is a classroom management system fully embedded within Teams, enabling teachers to view and control devices, and empowering teachers to deliver engaging lessons and drive student attainment in a hybrid teaching, multi-location environment. This scalable classroom management software is built on Microsoft Azure and is operating system agnostic, with native apps for all major operating systems.
• Kortext: Students and universities want access to their textbooks and other relevant content in digital form as easily as possible. Now, universities across the world can provide an enhanced learning experience and equip students with the digital resources for their courses from day one. With full Teams integration, Kortext ensures consistency of experience and equity of access and opportunity, leaving no student behind.
• Lightspeed Systems: Lightspeed Systems® has been a trusted partner to schools for over 20 years. Our solutions, rooted in expertise and innovation, empower you to better educate and safeguard your students. Our suite of solutions includes patented technology imagined and designed exclusively for education. In partnerships with schools around the world, we’ve innovated continuously to scale student safety from the classroom to the cloud- with cloud-based filtering, classroom management, MDM, and student and app Analytics solutions.
• Senso.Cloud: Offering numerous powerful tools, from remote device management, asset utilization reporting, classroom management, and web filtering to student well-being and remote teaching, Senso.Cloud is a truly cloud-based solution that offers many tools in a centralized real-time web portal. With a particular focus on Microsoft Teams chat safeguarding, Senso.Cloud uses an AI-based visual threat detection engine to monitor chat and inspects images for visual threats, alerting you when a violation is detected.
• School Day: When students feel better, they learn better. School Day asks students questions about their well-being, analyzes the data, and provides real-time insights. The service highlights what’s going well in the classroom and provides easily implementable solutions. From the classroom to the school and district level, School Day helps students and educators around the world learn how well-being can improve learning outcomes.
• Skooler: Skooler Learning Tools is a K-12 learning tool solution built around Microsoft 365 and hosted in Microsoft Azure. It enhances the powerful functionality and workflow of Teams, OneNote, Word, PowerPoint, and more to meet the unique needs of education for online and in-class education.

Affordable Windows 10 devices offer remote and hybrid learning solutions

• Acer: Acer for Education empowers teachers and students with reliable and tailored technology to support better learning and fuel creativity.
• ASUSTek Computer Inc.: ASUSTek Computer Inc. helps cultivate the minds of the next generation with student-centered technology to enable progressive and innovative learning in an ever-changing world.
• Dell: Enable anywhere, anytime learning with Dell’s purpose-built devices, thoughtfully designed and rigorously tested to endure the demands of student use. With world-class durability, ease of serviceability, and flexible form factors, educators are empowered to help transform teaching and learning for the digital age.
• HP Education Solutions: Enable learning for everyone, everywhere, with Windows laptops solutions for every type of teaching and learning.
• jp.ik: Currently present in more than 70 countries, jp.ik is leading the innovation of technology-based solutions for education, partnering with the main market players. jp.ik has already led the implementation of more than 20 large-scale educational projects, reached more than 16 million students, and capacitated more than 300 thousand teachers.
• Kano Code: Introduce coding in a simple and fun manner, with guided tooltips and challenges. Learn to code with blocks (similar to Scratch) or typed, colorful Javascript code. If you can read, you can code with Kano apps.
• Lenovo: Lenovo’s innovative technology and software empower educators, parents, and students to build connections that inspire learning beyond the classroom.

See you at BettFest 2021!

We look forward to meeting you virtually during BettFest (it’s free to register), and to sharing all the latest solutions from our Microsoft Education partners. Be sure to download our updated Microsoft Education partner solutions brochure and visit us at the Microsoft Hub to discover the many ways Microsoft Education and our partners can help energize your teaching in 2021.

The post BettFest 2021: Energize classrooms with the help of Microsoft partners appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Schools and systems had to respond to the crisis quickly, transition to the new school year, and are reimagining education for the future—all with a focus on student-centered learning, critical skills, social learning, safety and security, and scalability to bring pedagogy and technology together.

Today more than ever, powerful devices, collaborative environments, analytical tools, and immersive experiences are critical, and we’re excited to announce new devices and features for collaboration and social-emotional learning.

New for the next school year: Keeping students engaged with affordable, connected, and secure Windows 10 devices

One of the key lessons of the past year has been that learning can happen anywhere. Affordable, easy-to-use devices are critical to empowering all students on their learning journey.

In a recent survey, 61% of teachers selected “Better devices” and/or “Better internet access” as a primary way to improve remote learning for students. @MicrosoftEdu – Click To Tweet

At BettFest, we’re unveiling an expanded portfolio of new Windows 10 devices for the upcoming school year, many with LTE connectivity. These are the most affordable LTE connected partner devices in the portfolio yet, with the ability to power engaging, collaborative learning experiences anytime and anywhere.

The devices are*:

• Acer TravelMate Spin B3, starting at $329
• Acer TravelMate B3, starting at $239
• Asus ExpertBook BR1100, starting at $279
• JP-IK Leap Connect T304, starting at $229
• JP-IK Leap T304, starting at $185

*LTE capability available at additional cost, in addition to data plan purchase. Device availability may vary by market.

To stay connected and engaged in remote and hybrid learning environments, students need a device with all-day battery life, an HD camera, and a high-quality mic, as well as the speed, power, and storage to keep up with their inquisitive minds. One of the most unique models in our portfolio is the new Dell Latitude 3120 2-in-1, which puts the power of learning in students’ hands with the latest Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage.

To learn more about the full portfolio of Windows 10 devices, take a look at the device catalog.

Adding interface options and improving learning outcomes with the updated Microsoft Pen

Students have become used to keyboards and touchscreens, but for tasks like working out a math problem, jotting notes, or drawing a diagram, a pen can be the best tool. In fact, research shows that student performance improved as much as 36 percent¹ when using a pen interface, compared to using only a keyboard.

We’re excited to announce an updated Microsoft Classroom Pen. The Microsoft Classroom Pen 2 has a longer enclosure and the same great experiences you are used to, at the more affordable price of $19.99 US MSRP. Now, more students can have the option to type, touch, or write—whichever works best for them and for their specific learning situation.

Prioritizing student well-being and inclusive learning environments

Today, more than 200 million students, faculty, institutional leaders, and teachers are actively using Microsoft Education products—with Microsoft Teams for Education as the hub—to engage students in remote and hybrid learning.

Recently, we completed a survey with YouGov² that asked more than 1,500 students and 1,500 teachers in the US, the UK, and India to share their perspectives about remote and hybrid learning. Teachers said that the most important information they need to support students during remote learning is to understand what complexities they face in their lives, their emotional state, and what motivates them.

With Reflect, an app that is available now directly in Microsoft Teams, educators can deepen the critical student/teacher relationship and help develop social emotional skills by checking in with individual students and inviting them to share how they are feeling in general or about specific topics, such as learning from home, an assignment, current events, or a change within their community. Starting this spring, Reflect will be updated to have its own app in Teams, and will integrate with Education Insights.

Last year proved that everything can change without warning. In education, the importance of personal connection was highlighted, the integration of technology was accelerated, and the role of teachers was amplified. It’s encouraging to see the dedication to moving learning forward, toward a future where all students have the opportunity, the support, and the tools to be creative, confident, and optimistic learners, realizing their full potential.

As always, we love hearing from you and value your feedback. To join the conversation, follow us on Twitter at @MicrosoftEDU. And register for BettFest, a free, three-day virtual event packed full of inspiring keynotes, professional development, and solution discovery with education leaders and industry experts.

Thank you for being on this journey with us!

^{1. Oviatt, Sharon. “Pen? Keyboard? Voice? Touch? Computer interfaces and their impact on learning.” Microsoft Education: Pages 6–7. https://edudownloads.azureedge.net/msdownloads/Microsoft-Oviatt-Paper.pdf}

2. “Learning Forward” Teacher/Student survey commissioned by Microsoft and conducted by YouGov, December 2020 among 1500 teachers and 1500 students in the US, UK, and India.

The post BettFest 2021: Engaging every learner, anytime and anywhere appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.