As many of you know, I love "year in review" retrospectives, so my holiday gift to all of you is my annual summary of what happened in the world of exams from a numbers perspective. Without further ado, let’s take a look back at 2013:
So, those are the highlights from an exam publication perspective, but this year, I thought it might be more fun to talk about what I did in 2013. If you know me, you know I love to talk about what I do…
Wishing you an awesome 2014! And, just for fun... a picture of me on my favorite hike from 2013 with the best dog ever!
Join us for a special two-hour virtual College & Career Readiness Event
Choose the event time that fits your schedule: Thursday, February 13 | 8:00 – 10:00 A.M. Pacific Time | Add this event to your calendarFebruary 18th from 12:00-14:00 Asia/Singapore/ 15:00-17:00 PM Sydney | Add this event to your calendar
Register Now!
Who should attend: If you are in education, this event is for you! Administrators, educators, instructors, teachers, faculty, career counselors, curriculum planners are encouraged to attend.Format: Live, interactive virtual broadcast with engaging chat and Q&A opportunities for attendees and industry experts
About the Event
For technology educators, the responsibility of preparing students for success in higher education and future careers is no small one. Educators are tasked with fostering a dynamic set of foundational soft skills and technical skills in technologies that never stop evolving. The pace of change in the job market, technology platforms, and in-demand skills can outstrip educators’ ability to keep up—but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Join Microsoft IT Academy program for an informative, free, two-hour virtual event showcasing the latest best practices technology educators can adopt to effectively guide college and career-minded students, and foster a new generation of innovators in the IT and developer technology fields.
This virtual event will consist of six mini-sessions hosted by industry experts and drilling down into the topics that matter most to you.
AgendaSpeakers to be announced shortly!
8:00 – 8:10 A.M.: The Global Skills Gap and Job Market LandscapeAn overview of the technology skills development landscape and roadmap for guiding students to success.
8:10 – 8:28 A.M.: Extending Today’s Technology Curriculum in the Classroom and OnlineExplore the value and best practices for adopting technology curriculum and certification in the classroom and online learning platforms, including Microsoft Office Specialist, Microsoft Technology Associate, and Microsoft Certified Professional certification tracks.
Entry-level Technology for Your College- and Career-Minded Students (two sessions)8:28 – 8:46 A.M.: Technology for Everyone: Validating your students’ success in Microsoft OfficeThe right mix of tools, training, and certification is essential to inspire entry-level students to set a course for a future career using the latest business technologies. We’ll review the best practices for getting students started on a productive path, including the value of Microsoft Office training and certification options.
8:46 – 9:04 A.M.: Entry-level technology for your college and career-minded students Aspiring technologists thrive when immersed in the IT and developer technologies they’ll work with every day in future roles. Learn about Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) training and certification, and how it helps students get hands-on with the latest technologies.
9:04 – 9:22 A.M.: Technology Endorsements that Get RecognizedHelping students develop solid technology skills is just part of the learning equation. Validation is a critical, ongoing need to ensure students stay motivated, focused, and empowered. Learn from IT Academy educators and learning experts on ways to endorse and validate students’ skills.
9:22 – 9:40 A.M.: The Last Mile: Résumé Building and Interview TechniquesStanding out in a crowded job marketplace requires sharp self-promotion skills. Join a panel of hiring experts on the very latest hiring trends and best practices for successfully landing entry-level technology roles. We’ll discuss tips for creating résumés that can’t be ignored, and interview preparation tips that you can share with graduating students.
9:40 – 10:00 A.M.: Q&A – Get your questions answered live!
Keep up with the latest details on this unique event for the educators across the globe! Stay tuned to this blog and IT Academy social channels for event updates as we announce guest speakers and session details
Subscribe to our RSS feed | Follow us on Twitter and Facebook | Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Is your company's data weighing you down or is it helping you drive smart strategy for your business? If your data isn't core to decisions in product development, forecasting, operations, inventory, marketing and sales, it may be time to rethink your data strategy. What some organizations consider a headache to keep in check (security and PII management, sifting through relevant vs. detracting information), others are using as a core strategy tool that no business professional on top of their game would be without.
As technology evolves and opportunities arise, the amount of data that businesses are entrusted with is growing at an astonishing rate. Friend or foe, data must be managed, as trusted MCT and principal at Sourcedev Rachel Jones explains. Make sure that your organization is positioned to profit by having a smart data management and IT talent plan.
Resources:
I'd love to hear how we're doing in helping prepare you for your "big data" career/challenges.
A few months back we let you all know that we are updating our exams to cover Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2 and System Center 2012 R2. Well, the day is approaching quickly when the updates will be seen in the exams. In just under 3 weeks, on January 28th, you will see the updated content in the exams.
I am working on getting all our webpages updated to include this information for all of you, but here are a few more key pieces of information:
1. Exams being updated on January 28th you can review the exam detail pages and download the document outlining the changes:
NOTE: Upgrade exam objectives will follow the changes shown in the full exams. For example, exam 689 changes follow the changes in exams 687 and 688.
2. Training Content being updated as follows:
Instructor Led Courses
Microsoft Virtual Academy
Microsoft Press
3. Exam name changes
If you didn't already notice, we have changed the exam names for the Windows 8 exams. The names now include 8.1 and we changed one of the exams from Managing and Maintaining Windows 8 to Supporting Windows 8.1. The certification names remain the same.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks!
Guest post by Barbara Norfleet
You may have already noticed—the member sites for our three certified professional tracks (Microsoft Certified Professional [MCP], Microsoft Certified Trainer [MCT], and Microsoft Office Specialist [MOS]) have been refreshed with a new look and feel to coordinate with that of our www.microsoft.com/learning sites. Members will benefit from the synergy between the sites and the common site navigation. Research and plan your next steps toward certification with easier access to the information you need.
Also, the new design is both eye-catching and practical—the page adapts to your device—so using it on your phone, tablet, or other device just got easier!
The main menu contains links to Microsoft training, certifications, exams, professional development opportunities, and more.
All of your benefits are still available in the new, upgraded format. Look for quick links to the most popular benefits: accessing your transcripts, getting certificates, and connecting to the Certification Planner. And explore the scrolling list of the most recent announcements.
You’ll also find links to the other benefits and certification information you count on. We continue to seek out and partner with other groups to bring promotional offers to our Certified Professionals, so be sure to check them out, and stay tuned for updates!
Explore! Enjoy! Let us know what you think! We look forward to hearing from you!
To stay aligned with how developers build Web applications, the Microsoft Learning Experiences team is making a few exciting updates to the MCSD: Web Applications certification:
1. CHOICE: Web application development often requires a combination of programming languages for implementation, so students now have a choice of two exams to fulfill the language requirement (Step 1) for earning the MCSD: Web Applications certification:
The added flexibility provides a convenient path for desktop and enterprise developers transitioning to cloud computing.
2. COVERAGE: The past year has seen Web application development evolve with the use of technologies such as ASP.NET MVC5, WebAPI2, Entity Framework 6, Azure Portal, and Visual Studio 2013. To help students stay current, the following exams will be updated in March 2014:
At least one month prior to the update, details on the original and revised exam objectives will be made available for review in the Skills Measured section of each Exam Detail web page.
Also in March 2014, recertification options for maintaining the MCSD: Web Applications credential will be made available.
3. CONVENIENCE: We recognize that developers rely on self-study materials to stay current with technology. So, in addition to instructor-led courses, we've grown our developer library of recorded video training on Microsoft Virtual Academy. Here are the most recent offerings to help students prepare for the updated Web application development exams: