Welcome to our weekly round-up of news, events and opportunities for IT Academy members.
Events
April 25th IT Academy Webinar Now Available On Demand
This month’s Microsoft IT Academy webinar, Best Practices from IT Academy Members around the World, is now available on demand with your IT Academy ID. The webinar showcases unique concepts coming out of the UK just in time for summer school planning, as well as an inspirational story from a business teacher who helped a high school student gain broad recognition for skills achieved through the IT Academy program.
Register Now for the May IT Academy Webinar
Registration is open for the last IT Academy webinar of this academic session, scheduled for May 23rd from 8-9am PST. During this session, members of the IT Academy team will preview the program roadmap for the coming year, highlight the curriculum plan, and share other announcements and member opportunities. Register now for May’s event using your IT Academy ID.
IT Academy News
Enhancing Flipped Classrooms with IT Academy Tools
The Flipped Classroom model has gained prominent exposure in recent years, and is being implemented in more schools around the world. Keith Loeber, Director of IT Academy, shares how to integrate the IT Academy program in a flipped classroom where students are assigned pre-recorded lectures as homework, freeing up in-class time for instructor-guided exercises.
A Teacher’s Perspective: Celebrating Certification Accomplishments with Student
Our guest blogger this week is Cathy Bradshaw, Business Education teacher at Hamilton County High School. Discover how IT Academy program has enabled her seventh graders to earn industry certification, prepare for college and careers and boost self-confidence to achieve more every day.
University of North Carolina Offers Free Microsoft Training to Students, Faculty, and Staff
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has launched its campus-wide IT Academy program, providing more than 2,000 free Microsoft training courses to students, faculty and staff. The Daily Tarheel, UNC’s student newspaper, reports how the program supplements the university curriculum with valuable Microsoft technology training and certification opportunities.
In Other Education News
Microsoft Announces the Imagine Cup Finalists for 2013
Microsoft has announced the ten teams advancing to the 11th annual U.S. Imagine Cup Finals Demo Day. Demo Day will take place on May 13 in Silicon Valley and will be streamed live on the U.S. Imagine Cup Facebook page. Learn more about the teams competing to represent the U.S. at the Worldwide finals in St. Petersburg, Russia July 8-11, 2013.
Congratulations to Jeff Charbonneau: U.S. National Teacher of the Year
Jeff Charbonneau has spent the past 12 years with one purpose in mind: helping his students excel. Jeff was recently named National Teacher of the Year by the Council of Chief State School Officers and will be recognized by President Obama in a ceremony at the White House on April 22. Read more about Jeff’s honor and his commitment to his students.
Share Your Success Story
Do you have a success story about one on your IT Academy students? Have IT Academy resources enabled you to provide more in the classroom? Share your story and best practices in a brief email with photos and your contact information to [email protected].
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This week’s guest blogger is Cathy Bradshaw, Business Education teacher at Hamilton County High School. Cathy shares how the IT Academy program has enabled seventh graders to earn industry certification, prepare for college and careers and boost self-confidence to achieve more every day .
My name is Cathy Bradshaw. I am the Business Education teacher at Hamilton County High School. I teach Information & Communications Technology - Essentials I, Computer Applications in Business, Computing for College and Careers, and Digital Design I, II, & III. I work under the leadership and administration of Karen Mitchell (CTE Director), Waylon Bush (Site Administrator) and Thomas Moffses (Superintendent).
Our school serves students in grades 7th through 12th (middle and high school), approximately 725 students. Our school was one of the schools selected by Florida Department Of Education to implement a pilot program with middle schools students. This class is Information & Communications Technology - Essentials I (ICT) and it consists of fourteen seventh graders, ages 12 & 13. We are a member of the Microsoft IT Academy.
When I accessed Microsoft eLearning, I was so excited! I thought that the lessons were short, yet so in depth. I like how the modules are divided and the videos are very valuable, they are short (usually 2-3 minutes) and keep the students’ attention. The videos serve as a perfect tool for demonstrations and in teacher modeling where we implement explicit instruction (“I do”), guided practice (“We do”) and independent practice (“You do”). The test banks save a lot of time and has been great for preparing pre- & post exams for various units of study. We use Microsoft eLearning as a blended learning tool, along with other “go to” resources, such as GMetrix (for practice exams), other books and on-line resources for projects to apply and extend the student’s knowledge.
Currently, we have five 7th grade students certified in Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) PowerPoint 2010. Our goal to have every student in the class earn at least one certification before the end of the school year. We make sure our students are made aware of the benefits of having these computer skills and industry certifications. Our class motto is: “Each one, reach one, teach one.” Just as I reach out and teach them, they must reach other students and teach them. This is displayed in our classroom through the implementation of collaborative structures, such as, shoulder buddies, think-pair-share and peer tutoring. With continued teamwork, our goal will be accomplished!
As an incentive, we recognize and reward our students. We have a “Wall of Fame” in the hallway with names of certified students on wooden plaques w/ golden name plates. There is also a “certification” bulletin board in my classroom. Every student who passes a certification exam gets their name displayed on a paw. I send out announcements to our faculty and staff members so they can congratulate the students. This announcement is then put on our TV news, along with their pictures. At our annual Award Ceremony, the students will receive their official certificates. In addition to this, our class celebrates the accomplishments of those certified, because we realize that it is teamwork.
Florida Department of Education’s Microsoft IT Academy has provided our students with outstanding opportunities to earn an industry certification, preparation for college and careers, increased qualifications for successful employment, advancement for chosen career path and increased self-worth and self-confidence to achieve more. The certification isn’t the essence of the course…it’s the “icing on the cake.” The computer skills that these students learn will benefit them for the rest of their lives.
By the way, I am taking advantage of the free exam vouchers for my Professional Development to obtain MOS certifications. I also use Microsoft eLearning for my Computing for College and Careers students.
Learn more about Florida's statewide IT Academy program: Florida Statewide Microsoft IT Academy site
Read other posts from the Teacher's Perspective series:
Cathy Bradshaw graduated from Florida Institute of Technology, earning a B.S. degree in Business Administration/Finance and a Master’s degree in Business Administration. She also has an A.S. degree in Computer & Information Science.
Cathy began her teaching career as the founder and director of an academy, where she taught Pre-K. In 2006, she started teaching Adult Basic Education & GED classes and received her Professional Educator’s Certification. In 2011, she began teaching at Hamilton County High School, where she is the Business Education teacher. Her philosophy is “Learning is a lifelong experience.” She enjoys teaching…knowing that the knowledge gained from her classes will benefit students for a lifetime.
Most teaching models in high school and college follow the age-old standard: first, lecture the students, telling them what they need to know; then, send the students home to apply what was taught to a project or a paper.
This approach was developed in the days when the educator was the only source of knowledge, before mass-produced books, the internet, eBooks, computers, multimedia and mobile devices made it possible for each student to have the entire world's knowledge in their pocket. Back then, educators held the knowledge and students listened to their lectures because there was no other way to learn new concepts and ideas.
But the hard part of learning is not listening to the lecture. The hard part is doing the work: practicing and performing the new task until you master it. This is where most students struggle because, as their questions arise, guidance is needed and educators are not available around the clock.
Many educators have come up with a new way to teach that takes advantage of information technologies. They have turned the old approach upside down, bringing the practice and performance into the classroom; and leaving the lecture-listening for homework. This way, they can support their students when they need it, and students can help each other figure out the tough parts. We might describe this as the F.L.I.P.P. approach:
Farm out the
Lecture as homework, then,
Inside of the classroom,
Practice and
Perform the tasks to build skills
While this isn’t a particularly new approach, some teachers are finding great success with it; so I wanted to share what this could look like in a Microsoft IT Academy member school.
Let's take a simple example, like teaching a skill that's required in the Microsoft Office curriculum: opening and editing a PDF file with Word. Under the old approach, we'd teach it this way:
First, in class, the students would sit and watch as the educator lectured them and showed them on the big screen how to open a PDF file with Word. An educator would stand up in front of the students and show them how this works best with documents that are mostly text, and how some older PDFs won't open at all. As students watched, the educator would demonstrate how to use the editing and formatting features of Word to work with the content of the PDF until it was formatted correctly. The educator would show them an assignment for homework to be completed outside of class. The assignment would call for them to open a series of PDF files, edit the content, and practice these skills on their own until they were able to perform the tasks as they would on a certification exam.
An educator following the FLIPP approach, on the other hand, would teach it this way:
Find and assign the appropriate course and lesson from the Microsoft IT Academy eLearning library that shows students how to edit PDFs with Word. Using the Lesson Plan as a guide, the educator might also include online tutorials from Microsoft, a page from the Wiley Microsoft Official Academic Courseware (MOAC) book, or a page from a book sourced by searching through the eReference library. The educator might develop his or her own narrated screen recording of the process, as well. Students could study these resources on their computer, on their mobile device, or on their tablet.
Let students work with resources for homework. The educator could simply use the reporting capability in the IT Academy eLearning system to track the usage and progress of students and utilize the other resources as optional learning materials or post as assignments in an alternative Learning Management System. The educator might additionally assign students some simple editing exercises.
In class, the educator presents them with some difficult PDF-editing projects, which call for full mastery of the skill. These projects may be found on the IT Academy member site, in the MOAC curriculum, sourced from other educators, or created from scratch. The educator observes the students as they work, helping them as necessary. The educator might pair a more advanced student to work one-on-one with a student who is having difficulty, or assign different parts of the project to a group who would work together to complete the project.
Practice their craft with many different examples and projects typically found in business, the arts, or any other real world scenario, and expect that by the end of the lesson, each and every student would be able to competently edit PDFs in a variety of scenarios.
Perform the PDF-editing task with the level of competence required on the certification exam.
The Microsoft IT Academy benefits fit very nicely to a FLIPP environment. Many teachers have been adopting this approach with success - understanding the resources available, and that students may learn best on their own time, at their own pace, and when receiving teacher guidance when its needed most.
If you are not yet a Microsoft IT Academy member, learn about the importance of Microsoft IT Academy from other members.
If you are a Microsoft IT Academy member, sign In and go to Getting Started.
Keith Loeber is the Director of the Microsoft IT Academy program for Microsoft, overseeing strategy, benefits, operations and policies. An 18-year Microsoft veteran, Keith has spent the last several years in education with the majority of his career focused on training and certification on Microsoft technologies.
Infographic: The Skills Gap in Cloud Technology
With a projected 7 million unfilled cloud-related jobs by 2015, IT Academy plays an increasingly important role in preparing the next generation of cloud-trained professionals. Check out the new IT Academy infographic that spotlights the importance of helping your students prepare for opportunities in the cloud.
Bridging the IT Gender Gap
In a compelling new video, Microsoft Research shares insight into the critical need for a diverse IT workforce—and the opportunities to engage young women in computer science and include them in the talent pipeline. Watch this video to learn more about the growing need to involve young women in future technology careers.
Education Events
April IT Academy Monthly Webinar: Best Practices from IT Academy Members from around the World
During this IT Academy member-only webinar series, IT Academy members are invited to hear from their peers from around the world on how they are implementing IT Academy benefits to manage their classrooms and guide their students toward a smooth graduation and beyond to successful employment. Register to attend the next event on April 25, 2013 from 8:00-9:00 AM PST using your IT Academy ID.
EduTech Family Summits
Learn how to create engaging, dynamic learning environments with technology at Achieve 2013: EduTech Family Summits, held in Las Vegas on April 27th and Dallas on May 11th. Discover more about the events!
Other Educational News
Microsoft Certification Summer School
This week, our friends at the UK Schools blog spotlighted Microsoft Certification Summer School, a creative approach to encourage students to achieve certification over the summer. Learn how you can take advantage of the program to maximize IT Academy benefits.
College Diplomas with the Highest Pay
A new Forbes magazine article reports that an education with a strong background in computer science and technology ranks highest in income. Share this information with your IT Academy students as they consider a career in IT.
How do IT Academy resources enhance the classroom experience for you and your students? Share your story and best practices in a brief email with photos and your contact information to [email protected].
Check out the infographic below--compiled from a recent IDC survey of more than 600 global hiring managers--that demonstrates the impact that cloud technology is having on a global job market and the demand for cloud-trained IT workers. With a projected 7 million cloud-related jobs by 2015, Microsoft IT Academies can help to prepare the next generation of cloud-trained professionals.
[Download and share a PDF of this infographic]
In a compelling new video, Microsoft Research shares insight into the critical need for a diverse IT workforce—and the opportunities to engage young women in computer science and include them in the talent pipeline.
This is a great video to share with your students to showcase opportunities for women and the importance of driving technological innovations forward.
Microsoft IT Academy provides the curriculum, training and certifications that can help introduce young women to technology and encourage them to pursue skills and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) disciplines.
Welcome to our weekly review of news and events for Microsoft IT Academy members.
Teacher Testimonial: Advancing Middle School Students with Certification
Last week, Stephanie Boyett, a Microsoft IT Academy teacher at Ferry Pass Middle School in Pensacola, Florida was our guest blogger and shared how her middle school students are benefiting from certification. Learn more about the difference certification is making to her young students.
Microsoft Innovative Expert Educator Program
The Innovative Expert Educator Program is Microsoft's exclusive one year program, created to recognize pioneering educators globally who are using technology to transform education. Learn more about the program and how to apply.
New MOS Exams Offer Real World Testing
Guest blogger, Professor James G. Lengel, professor at Hunter College School of Education, New York reported on the new Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exam format and how it improves the testing process by incorporating real-world functionality. Learn how you can prepare your students for the new MOS exams.
Other Education News
IT Academy Benefits Youth in Tough Job Markets
The relevant skills provided by IT Academy become even more important to students when job markets are negatively impacted. Check out the Microsoft UK’s HeadsUp YouTube channel and the most current video on Youth Opportunity and IT Careers.
Tell Us Your Story
How has IT Academy made a difference to you and your students? How are you implementing IT Academy resources in your classroom? Share your story and best practices in a brief email with photos and your contact information to [email protected].
Microsoft Innovative Educator Program, responsible for helping teachers incorporate technology into the classroom, is launching a new program; the Innovative Expert Educator! This exclusive, one year program has been created to recognize pioneering educators globally who are using technology to transform education. Innovative Expert Educators will have access to technology, specialized professional development, and will receive an all-expense paid trip to the Partners in Learning Global Forum. All innovative teachers are invited to apply at www.pil-network.com/expert.
Would you like to become an Innovative Expert Educator or do you know someone in your school or community who fits the description? Share the news with an amazing educator you know. You both might just have an opportunity to connect with peers around the world at the Partners in Learning Global Forum. Applications will be accepted until July 2013.
Read more in Anthony Salcito’s blog.
In March 2013, Microsoft introduced the new Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) 2013 exams, a new format that improves the testing experience by enabling even more real-world functionality and project-based outcome testing. How does this change the testing experience? James G. Lengel, professor at the Hunter College School of Education in New York, shares his experience preparing students for the new MOS exams.
As rumored, the new format for the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exams is a complete departure from anything that's been used before. You are given a blank document, and shown a picture of sample document, and must reproduce that document exactly (and I mean exactly) using the program being tested (only Word and Excel are available right now). You get 50 minutes. If you produce the document exactly, you pass; if not, you fail. They don't care how you arrive at the results; it's the results that count.
In building the document, you must: create and manage documents, format text, paragraphs and sections, create tables and lists, apply references, and insert and format objects.
In short, you must do all the things an Office user must do in the real world. The exam is very much like a real-world task; you must know how to design a document from scratch, import various kinds of files, format text and objects, and use many of the new features of Office 2013 that are not available in Office 2010.
The old exams presented you with a single very specific task at random, that you had to perform; then you would go on to another unrelated task; and so forth. No overall approach. And the old exam preparation materials did the same thing, teaching discrete tasks rather than approaching the document as a whole from scratch.
If we want our curriculum to mesh well with the approach taken in the exams, we'll have to provide more real-world, from scratch, problem solving tasks, and we'll have to provide plenty of practice in reproducing sample documents exactly. And focus on the new tools available in Office 2013 -- if you try to build the document in the exam the old way, you'll never have time to complete it.
The exams are actually a breath of fresh air. They are practical tests of a candidate's ability to use the Office suite in a real world situation, and to produce quality, exacting work efficiently. They fit well with what many successful teachers tell me:
"We have found that the most successful way to teach these products is in the context of real-world problems: present a meaningful situation and set of data to students, then show them how to use the MS Office tools -- singly and in combination -- to design and execute a solution to the problem. Much more engaging than watching videos of a teacher's lecture or completing exercise after exercise on disembodied ribbon commands."
James Lengel earned his degrees at Yale College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education and has worked in government, academic, and industry organizations for 42 years. After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Marshall Islands, James began his career as a public school teacher in Vermont, where he worked his way to the post of Deputy Commissioner of Education, and was appointed to a Fulbright Scholarship in China. James taught at Boston University and developed the digital media program at the College of Communication, and helped build a center for teaching excellence. James continues as a professor at Hunter College of the City University New York, while consulting with organizations around the world on the application of new technologies to teaching and learning. James has authored nine books on education and communication, including Education 3.0 from Teacher's College Press, publishes a weekly column and podcast on teaching with technology at PowerToLearn.com, and is licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard as a Captain in the Merchant Marine. He cruises and races his sailboat Top Cat along the coast of New England during the summer season.
Stephanie Boyett, Microsoft IT Academy teacher at Ferry Pass Middle School in Pensacola, Florida shares how her middle school students are embracing certification and how IT Academy resources enrich her lesson plans.
First, I want to thank Microsoft for the opportunity to be a member of the Microsoft IT Academy. To date, 55 Ferry Pass Middle School students have earned over 120 individual Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) industry certifications in Word 2010, PowerPoint 2010, and Outlook 2010, due in large part to the resources of the Microsoft IT Academy!
Is MOS Industry Certification a Good Fit for Middle School Students?
As a former high school teacher of MOS industry certification (prior to using the Microsoft IT Academy resources) and as a former and current District trainer in MOS industry certification, I asked myself, as we were rolling out certification to the district middle schools, “Can middle school students handle the rigor of the Microsoft IT Academy program, and ultimately, pass MOS industry certification?” Currently, as a first-year middle school teacher, my previous hesitation has now turned into a resounding, “Yes, they can!” Middle school students are capable and the sense of achievement that a Microsoft endorsed certificate provides to a student is enough to keep many students motivated to work and learn more about the Microsoft Office Suite, and ultimately, earn more certifications.
What Does It Take?
The Microsoft IT Academy resources are second to none in test preparation and an excellent resource for a true introduction to the Microsoft Office Suite.
As I moved into the IT Academy e-learning program, I found a gold mine! I found that e-learning 'hit all the high points' for my students and we could move at a pace that was comfortable for everyone. I used e-learning for both Word 2010 and PowerPoint 2010 as a reintroduction to the Microsoft Office Suite. I used e-learning as my primary teaching tool in the classroom for several months, not simply as a supplemental resource. I projected e-learning on my pull down screen and the students followed along on their computers. E-learning is great for diversified teaching strategies and it includes tutorials, short clips, interactive games, quizzes, and more! Also, a study guide is provided at the beginning of each course, which is great for keeping the students on task.
After I finished e-learning, we jumped into the certification test alignment e-reference book, MOAC. MOAC stands for the Microsoft Office Academic Courseware and aligns closely with the MOS industry certification exams. Students complete hands on assignments using the software program they are studying. In addition to the MOAC book, the e-reference library includes hundreds of other Microsoft software specific, digital textbooks with data files and answer keys.
The Resources are Vast, The Value is Priceless…
Microsoft IT Academy resources don’t stop there! In addition to lesson plans, e-learning, and e-reference materials, the Microsoft IT Academy member site also includes marketing materials, digital certificates, and news and support features. The Microsoft IT Academy can provide a teacher with a school year worth of relevant workforce-ready and certification preparatory material, thus reducing lesson preparation time. Microsoft IT Academy…vast, valuable, priceless!
More information:
Microsoft IT Academy Public Website Has Been Redesigned
We hope you agree that the newly designed website provides clear messaging on the value of Microsoft IT Academy as told through the voice of the customers on video. You will notice that the “Benefits” page features a cost comparison that really drives home the low cost/high value of the IT Academy program. Check out the student videos on the “Certification” page and hear how certification is integral to bridging the skills gap. The navigation on the “Become a Member” page has been simplified and the purchase process is easier than ever. Check it Out!
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A Teacher’s Perspective: Building Confidence Through Certification
Jason Majors, the Internet Marketing Academy Instructor at Escambia High School in Pensacola, Florida, USA, was our guest blogger last week. Jason shared how IT Academy and certification provide students with the ability to achieve new goal, develop confidence in their skills and an academic experience that will follow them out of the classroom and throughout their lives.
Learn how Jason’s students achieved a 75% certification rate the first year with IT Academy!
Brazil: Growing Economy, Real World Education
Professor of Education James G. Lengel, from Hunter College, City University, New York, made a recent trip to Brazil. Learn about his perspective on this country’s approach to education.
Upcoming Education Events
Building Educator Capacity: Digital Literacy and Teaching with Technology
Virtual University Workshop WebcastsPartners in Learning offers quality, ready-to-go professional development resources to enhance your current training offerings or create new ones. In this first of three webcasts, we will explore Level 100: Digital Literacy and Level 200: Teaching with Technology (TwT). Both provide ICT skills development in the context of education.
Global Knowledge 2013 Skills & Salary Report
The 6th annual Skills & Salary Report incorporates the feedback of 12,000 IT Pros and compiles their real-world experiences about the value of certification and the impact it has on their career. Share this valuable information with your students to help them plan for the future.
How has IT Academy made a difference to you and your students? We’d like to hear from you! Share your inspiring story in a brief email with photos and your contact information to [email protected].
This week’s guest blogger is James G. Lengel, professor at Hunter College School of Education, City University New York. Today, he shares Brazil’s practical approach to combatting the high school dropout rate and their efforts to prepare students for the workforce with 21st century skills.
Brazil's economy has been growing by 5% per year for the last decade, surpassing the United Kingdom (England) as the world's fifth largest economy. The United States and Europe are experiencing very limited growth.
Brazil’s middle class is growing, jobs abound, and this largest of South America's emerging nations is taking its place among the world's leaders. The commuter jet that I take to New York is made in Brazil; so is the coffee and orange juice I drink in the morning. With almost 200 million people, young and growing fast, Brazil is destined for greatness.
Brazilians recognize the importance of education for the health of their economy and their democracy. Since their recovery from two decades of military rule, the government and the economy have moved toward a free and open system that is the envy of many other developing nations. But most people in Brazil, today, do not complete high school. To remedy this, both government and economic leaders have focused on building schools that will prepare a new generation of citizens and workers for the country. Brazil has increased its spending on public education to 5% of GDP, about the same as the United States or the UK, and is ready to double this, as necessary, over the next few years to ensure a workforce and a citizenry that's able to sustain current levels of growth.
At two national education conferences in Brazil this month, I met the men and women who are leading this investment. They are not investing in the old technologies of books, paper, desks, chalkboards, and classrooms. They realize that to produce the kinds of graduates needed, the schools need to be different. So they are providing a tablet computer to every student, loaded with the entire curriculum. They are changing the teaching methods to focus on real-world problems, and building close ties between the schools and the industries around them.
As they build a new generation of high schools and technical colleges, they have opened many paths to governance. I worked with a school in Florianopolis, in Santa Catarina state, that's run, not by the local government as most of the schools are in Brazil, but by a consortium of local business leaders, SENAI (Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Industrial). The new school that they are building doesn’t design its curriculum around the academic disciplines, but around the kinds of skills and competency needed in the local economy. The teaching is practical and organized around real problems that students solve in small groups, like they will be doing when they enter the workforce.
The classroom at the SENAI school looks like an office or laboratory. Students work in small groups with computers and connected digital devices. As they work together to solve the problem presented by the teacher -- a foreman from the local industry -- they learn the math required for working out a java programming issue. Students call on the math teacher to help them figure out a more efficient way to compose the code needed to perform multiple iterations of a data set; then they videoconference with a professional programmer, who provides additional advice.
The student’s grade is not determined by a multiple-choice test, but by a presentation of their solution to a panel of experts from industry. The commentary and advice they get from this jury proves much more valuable than the grade they would have received under the former educational system. Like the work in the Microsoft IT Academy, these new Brazilian schools focus on practical skills and useful results allowing students to invest in their future.
James Lengel earned his degrees at Yale College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education and has worked in government, academic, and industry organizations for 42 years. After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Marshall Islands, James began his career as a public school teacher in Vermont, where he worked his way to the post of Deputy Commissioner of Education, and was appointed to a Fulbright Scholarship in China. James taught at Boston University and developed the digital media program at the College of Communication, and helped build a center for teaching excellence. James continues as a professor at Hunter College of the City University of New York, while consulting with organizations around the world on the application of new technologies to teaching and learning. James has authored nine books on education and communication, including Education 3.0 from Teacher's College Press, publishes a weekly column and podcast on teaching with technology at PowerToLearn.com, and is licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard as a Captain in the Merchant Marine. He cruises and races his sailboat Top Cat along the coast of New England during the summer season.
This week’s guest blogger is Jason Majors, Internet Marketing Academy Instructor at Escambia High School in Pensacola, Florida, USA. Jason shares with us how IT Academy tools enhance learning for students at all levels, allowing his students to achieve a 75% certification rate the first year with IT Academy.
The Microsoft IT Academy has been a great asset to Escambia High School both for me, as a teacher, and for my students. As any teacher will say, the job of teaching is more difficult than ever before and constantly changing. Teachers are faced with challenges such as differentiating instruction for students of various levels in one class, making sure students are learning higher-level thinking skills, and of course, engaging the student in the classroom and keeping them interested in the lesson. Being a part of the Microsoft IT Academy has made overcoming these challenges easier for me.
In a time when resources are scarce in education, I have everything I need for a productive class with a computer, internet connection and access to the IT Academy. I am able to prepare the activities for my class time by using the lesson plans that are provided on IT Academy site and I am able to use the e-learning as part of my instruction in class. After I have taught the students the skills I want them to know, the IT Academy provides premade, hands-on activities to reinforce what the students have learned along with additional resources through the E-library. The plethora of resources also helps to differentiate class.
My average class size is 25-30 students for 50 minutes and their computer skills vary. I have students who need more one-on-one time and others who are able to work independently while I am more of a facilitator in their learning process. The IT Academy has given me the tools to make class productive for all of the students. I am not constrained to one book or activity that keeps my class moving at the pace of the slowest group, which loses the more advanced students. I can let more advanced students go through e-learning on their own or work through the projects that have been designed while I am working with the students who need more assistance. This way, all of the students are engaged in the lesson and stay interested in the class.
The students in my classes expect to earn their MOS certification, and from the first day of class, we start talking about what the certification is and how it will benefit them in today’s economy. This encourages my students to take ownership in their learning and motivates them to want to learn. Once they learn how to use the IT Academy, they are able to use all of the resources to help them succeed in earning their certification, whether they are working in the classroom or at home.
This is the first year of Escambia High School partnering with the Microsoft IT Academy, and we have had great success with certifications. Seventy-five percent of my students pass the certification for Word or PowerPoint on their first attempt, and for the few who don’t, they pass on the second. I have enjoyed watching the students earn their certifications this year and being able to celebrate their achievement with them. The best thing is we have more certifications to earn before summer break!
Welcome to the weekly review of news, events, and opportunities for Microsoft IT Academy.
Virginia Statewide IT Academy, Best Practice
The Virginia Department of Education has created the Virginia Microsoft IT Academy website to build awareness around their statewide IT Academy. The site features the program overview, benefits, and provides guidance to teachers on how to implement the program in their classrooms. IT Academy Community members are also provided a legislative report, giving them a clear understanding of the background, goals, and progress of the program. IT Academies throughout Virginia are also highlighted on an interactive map.
Microsoft IT Academy Monthly Webcast Recap
The March ITA Monthly Webcast is now available on-demand (member sign-in required). The March webcast featured “Preparing for Tech Demand in the Workforce,” presented by Keith Loeber, Director of IT Academy, who shared his insights on the escalating demand for IT technology skills and, in turn, the need to prepare students as cloud computing transforms the IT landscape.
Whether a student seeks a career in IT or another field, achieving certification is an invaluable benefit. For students preparing for college, surveys show that more recruiters are using assessments that incorporate experience beyond grades—and Microsoft Certifications demonstrates the mastery of the business and technical abilities that set students apart from peers. As high school students enter the workforce, certification speaks to hiring managers about commitment, hard work and follow through--and all of those messages benefit the job candidate.
Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certified students work more efficiently at their jobs because they can fully leverage Office features and functionality. Employers know MOS certified students are more productive than those without certification. Certification validates an employee’s skills as well as gives those new to the workforce—like your students--the confidence they need.
Coming April 25th: Register for the April 25th webinar, Best Practices from IT Academy Members from around the World where we’ll feature your peers sharing their best practices for implementing IT Academy tools and resources to best manage their classrooms and guide their students to graduation and successful employment.
Skills Gap and Global Economy
A new survey by CareerBuilder examines skills gaps in the 10 largest world economies, confirming that IT and engineering jobs are the most difficult positions to fill, and reinforcing the effect these vacancies have on the bottom line. Read the article on the Workbuzz blog.
With the growing concerns about the global skills gap, Microsoft IT Academies around the world continue to see the positive impact it offers by providing the skills students need to be successful in college and careers.
New Zealand and IT Academy Partnership Growing
Ten Microsoft IT Academy schools in New Zealand will receive 1000 certification exam vouchers and many resources to help their students gain important skills. Discover how the IT Academy is expanding in New Zealand and what this means to its students.
Certification Creates a Bright Future for Alabama Students
Eighteen students from Autauga County Technology Center in Prattville, Alabama recently became the first group from the local school to earn Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) credentials. Read more about this exciting first!
Other News
Second Shot Offer Ending June 30, 2013Do you know about Second Shot? This special offer gives your students a free second chance to pass a Microsoft Certification exam if they don't pass the first time. The offer ends June 30, 2013, so get your exam vouchers now and take exams by June 30. For IT Academy members, sign into the member site and go to Second Shot.
Take the Latest Jump Start Courses on Microsoft Virtual AcademyFree Jump Start courses from Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA) are a great way for your students to acquire in-depth IT knowledge and valuable guidance on applying the latest technology from Microsoft. Add this to your IT Academy curriculum!
We'd Like To Hear Your Story
Madeleine Bolitho, a former student at Toowoomba Christian College in Queensland, Australia recently shared her certification story and how IT Academy prepared her for success in the workforce.
I graduated from Toowoomba Christian College in 2012. Microsoft IT Academy has been a substantial contributor to my current success. When I first started the IT Academy, I had limited knowledge of the Microsoft programs. I found immediately that the courses have a fantastic self-paced schedule with step-by-step modules that are really easy to follow. Through the Microsoft IT Academy program, I completed a Certificate in Business Administration which requires high competency in Microsoft Office programs. Since completing the Microsoft courses, I have now been employed by the Education Department and use my computer skills constantly in every day office work.