We recently shared Microsoft-sponsored research that revealed a growing gap in cloud technology and the impact on global businesses struggling to fill critical job openings. 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 and the infographic for additional results from CareerBuilder's global skills gap survey, and learn how Microsoft IT Academies can help bridge the skills gap by providing the skills students need to be successful in college and careers.
Welcome to the weekly review of news, events, and opportunities for Microsoft IT Academy.
Dr. John Barge Talks about Georgia’s Statewide Microsoft IT Academy
Recently, Dr. John Barge was our guest blogger and shared the importance of the IT Academy and Georgia state partnership and why he worked to launch it statewide.
Technology revolutionized the business world, but it has also shifted how teachers reach students. As educators, we are no longer the great purveyors of information because students do not need us for facts. Most students have a device in their hand or have access to a device, which means they can get the information they need with the click of a button. But we serve a more important role: we teach students how to search for valid information and transform it into a useable format. We must challenge students to use the information at their fingertips in innovative ways and to help them think critically about that information.
Learn more about this new access to digital learning and certifications available to Georgia high school students as a result of this partnership.
A Teacher’s Perspective: The Importance of Helping Students Earn Industry Certifications
IT Academy Instructor and guest blogger, W.Lynn Fedor, brought us a post about her experiences as a teacher at Northeast Guilford High School in McLeansville, North Carolina and the benefits Microsoft Certifications have on her students’ futures.
When I accepted the challenge to pilot the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification program for our school district it was two days before the students were set to arrive. I had been teaching for seventeen years and I was sure I could handle the challenge without a problem. I thought it would be fun since I knew all about writing letters, memorandums and other Microsoft Office documents. How hard could it be?
Read more about Lynn’s experience as a MOS instructor and the rewards of seeing her students achieve certification.
Free Exam Preparation Videos Available
As a part of our recent Certified Career Day event, we created exam preparation videos for MCSA certification, focusing on SQL Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012. These videos are effective tools for your students and are ideal training resources to add to your existing curriculum.
In addition to the videos, your students will also have access to free resource wikis and discussion forums all conveniently located here.
In Other Education News
Pearson Teaching Awards Finalist 2013 – Gareth Ritter, Willows High School
Our friends at the Microsoft UK Schools blog recently shared news about Pearson Teaching Awards Finalist, Gareth Ritter, head of Creative Technology and Arts at Willows High School in the UK. Gareth is being recognized for his outstanding work in supporting his students in their music and creative arts studies.
Read more about Gareth Ritter’s latest accomplishment.
Covington High School and IT Academy Prepare Students for Their Futures
IT Academy is making a difference in the lives of Covington, Louisiana High School students as increasing numbers are moving toward certification. This year, more than 250 students have achieved certification, giving these students the competitive edge they need as they move to the next phase of their education or into the work force.
Read more about the Covington High School student’s accomplishments and how IT Academy is making a difference in their futures.
Tell Us Your Story
We’d Like to Hear Your Story
IT Academy instructors W. Lynn Fedor from Northeast Guilford High School and Patricia Eckleman from Mountainview High School recently shared classroom experiences and, now, we’d like to hear from you! Share your inspiring story in a brief email with photos and your contact information to [email protected].
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IT Academy is now offered in all Georgia high schools, offering students new access to digital learning and certifications. Our guest blogger, Dr. John Barge, Georgia State School Superintendent, shares the value the program brings to schools and employers across the state.
Reading, writing and arithmetic were the basic skills needed by past generations. Today, in addition to these basic skills, students need to be technology literate. Last year, the Georgia Department of Education launched a partnership with Microsoft to offer the Microsoft IT Academy to all Georgia high schools. This collaboration has led to a tremendous amount of technology resources for schools. The e-learning courses, digital textbooks, professional learning opportunities for educators and the developer and designer software are just a few resources that directly impact student learning. We have worked with Microsoft to align curriculum standards in Business and Computer Science classes directly with the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification - a global industry recognized credential. However, the Microsoft resources aren’t limited to those courses: any high school student can take part in Microsoft IT Academy.
Students who leave high school with an industry recognized credential have more punch to their resumes. Certification is more than just a skill on a resume – it represents the student has mastered a piece of business technology. In a world of global competition for jobs, earning certification puts our students one step closer to entering post-secondary education or an entry-level job with proven technology skills.
By incorporating the Microsoft IT Academy resources into schools, we are able to meet not only the technology needs of the students, but we are also able to give faculty and staff exposure to the latest technologies and online professional development. Through the individualized opportunities for student learning, teachers can meet students at their skill level and build on prior knowledge and experiences to allow for maximum learning.
For example, in a science course, students can use the developer and designer software to create a mobile app based on the periodic table or build an interactive online game for chemical reactions. They can program a game to balance chemical equations or even design a standards-based website that manages content in a digital format. Integrating technology into every classroom would allow the students to go beyond physically mixing chemicals in a lab to analyzing the content to apply to a variety of technology-rich applications.
We do not want to separate the use of technology from the traditional classroom model. Instead, we want to show students how they can take the knowledge they are learning and infuse technology. Technology used the right way can be a tool that has every student fully engaged in the classroom.
Through the partnership with Microsoft, we are truly helping make education work for all Georgians.
-Dr. John Barge, Georgia State School Superintendent
Read More:
Georgia Statewide Microsoft IT Academy
Georgia Statewide Press Release
Dedication is a word that gets used frequently when describing Microsoft IT Academy teachers and their students. This week’s post is brought to us by W. Lynn Fedor, Microsoft IT Academy Instructor and Business Law Facilitator at Northeast Guilford High School in McLeansville, North Carolina. We hope you enjoy reading Lynn's insight and passion about the benefits Microsoft Certifications have on a student's future.
It turns out, taking the certification exam was a challenge. The first time I took the Microsoft Word certification exam I felt I could bold and double-space but not much else. During the first year, three students obtained certification in spite of my feeble efforts.
My colleagues rallied around me and taught me the Microsoft Word ribbon and what was behind each menu option. I would not give up and neither would my colleagues and I now help other teachers in the district earn their certifications.
Out of seventy students this semester, all but six earned the Microsoft Word certification, and every single one earned the Microsoft PowerPoint certification! I am so proud of my students and the investment they have made in their learning.
As an educator I am convinced that in our economic times every student should achieve a certification prior to leaving high school. We cannot afford to allow these students to leave our academic environment without the tools necessary to open the doors to the 21st century working environment. Most of my students this semester were freshmen and I know that once they achieve the coveted Microsoft Office Specialist certification, they’ll gain confidence, be invested in the academic process and will not become dropouts.
I frame every MOS certificate and our Principal attends the presentation of certificates. I have a wall of “GREAT EXPECTATIONS” that bears every student’s certification and their name. My students bring their parents to see their names on the wall. For many students, this achievement becomes their identification and their opportunity for success in an academic environment.
I think what gives me the biggest thrill is to see a student who has never experienced success in the classroom come to life when they achieve certification.
I thoroughly enjoy watching my students tutor a classmate or come early in the morning or stay late in the afternoon so they can learn page formatting one more time!
Northeast Guilford is an economically impacted school and MOS certification offers hope to many of the students. I am very grateful that I went out of my comfort zone and embraced Microsoft Office Specialist.
Read other posts from the Teacher's Perspective series:
Accelerating Achievement: A Teacher & Student Perspective
Our friends at the Microsoft UK Schools Blog cover a range of subjects for technology educators in UK schools. This week, the team shared a round up of Office 365 deployment and training resources available exclusively to IT Academy members.
Rosanna Godfrey writes in her post "Microsoft IT Academy & Office 365 -- school guide for successful training":
Whether you're upgrading from Live@EDU or starting out on Office 365 the good news is that if your school has an IT Academy subscription, then you have access to the Office 365 training material and the ability to gain a Microsoft certification.
Through using the IT Academy, your organisation’s IT staff can be completely proficient in Office 365; meaning they can deploy faster and reduce any issues that may arise when migrating users to the new environment. From a Network Manager’s point of view training is offered at academic prices, suggesting the woes of a training budget are minimised.
This means that you can use IT Academy to support your organisation’s adoption and implementation of Office 365; permitting the full promotion of features and benefits to all staff and students, allowing learning objectives to be enhanced.
For instance, you have all of these resources available with the IT Academy on Office 365:
To learn more about IT Academy Certifications and indeed how the MOS 365 Certifications can help with your Office 365 deployment and training please email [email protected] to register for our Certification Roadmap Webinar Tuesday 19th March 12-1pm.
If you’re looking to deploy Office 365 for Education in your school, would like unlimited Office 365 training at a low cost for IT Professionals and want to support your staff, teachers and students on using Office 365, have a look below for info the Microsoft IT Academy Program.
Read the full article at the Microsoft UK Schools Blog.
Are you an instructor for Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) certification exams? Microsoft would like your feedback on the MTA exams.
If you’d like to help us define the knowledge and skills that will be measured on MTA exams in these content areas, please send us your syllabi. The Microsoft Certification Exams team’s goal is to ensure that the Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) exams are relevant and reflective of the fundamental knowledge and skills being taught in classrooms.
We would like to review your syllabi for courses that cover the following content areas:
With your help, we can ensure that MTA exams continue to be a valuable assessment of the foundational knowledge and skills in these core IT areas. Thank you for contributing to this effort!
Welcome to our weekly review of news, events, and opportunities for Microsoft IT Academy members. Before we begin, we want to remind you to subscribe to our news feeds and social channels to get news delivered to you the way you prefer--we've provided links at the end of this update.
In the News
Keith Loeber, Director of Microsoft IT Academy, has witnessed first-hand the difference IT Academy makes in the classroom and the positive impact it has on teachers and their students. This last week, Keith shared testimonials from Washington State’s Mountainview High School Business Instructor, Patricia Eckleman and her former student, Jarrod Stout. Their stories illustrate how IT Academy benefits both teachers and students and how it can propel a student to the next phase of their education with greater success.
Read about Patricia and Jarrod’s experience with IT Academy.
Keeping Students Honest About Certification
Are some of your students cheating on their IT certification exams without even realizing it? A casual conversation with others about exam content or sharing their exam experience can be a violation of the exam agreement. In the first of a series of articles on cheating, Kerri Davis, Microsoft Learning's Anti-Piracy Program Manager, explains how seemingly innocuous activities can violate exam policies, and lays out clear guidance for your students on proper protocol inside and outside the testing environment.
Read Kerri's article to help your students gain deeper clarity about the definition and consequences of exam violations.
Upcoming Events
Last Chance to Register for Certified Career Day!
You and your students can still sign up for the free, live, interactive Cloud career event, Certified Career Day on Tuesday, March 12that 9:00am PST. This online event is an excellent opportunity to hear from IT industry experts on the rapid global shift to cloud computing and the growing urgency for cloud-trained and certified IT professionals.
The day will begin with a live, interactive panel discussion with IT managers and industry experts who will discuss how the cloud is redefining IT recruitment and the growing need for up-to-date certification. The panel will be followed by an exclusive interview with special guest Mark Russinovich, Microsoft Technical Fellow. The event will conclude with technology focused sessions with Windows Server 2012 and SQL Server 2012 product group experts.
Attendees of Certified Career Day are eligible to win an Acer tablet with full Windows 8. Learn more about the agenda register today!
New Office 365 Education Suite Just Launched!
Looking for best practices for using the new suite of Office 365 Education tools? Complete guidance is readily available, as well as helpful onboarding tools. Visit Microsoft Education in the Cloud for more information.
Student Privacy Should Not be for Sale
Microsoft shares your belief that student data and student privacy should not be for sale--ever. Learn about the commitment that Microsoft has made to protect the privacy of Microsoft education customers and students.
Microsoft Certification Study Groups Debut!
There’s a great, new resource available to teachers and student s on the certification path: Microsoft Certification Study Groups. The study groups are defined by technology pillar, making it easy to locate the content that matches up with your certification path. Users will find resources for relevant exams, including discussion forums and exam preparation wikis.
Learn more about this new offering.
Did you enjoy the recent post, Accelerating Achievement: A Teacher and Student Perspective? How is Microsoft IT Academy changing the lives of your students? IT Academy is certain that you have an equally compelling story to share. With your help, we’d like to further build the IT Academy community, one story at a time.
We invite you to share your story on the IT Academy blog. Send us your contact information along with a brief write up about your and your students' experiences to [email protected]. Feel free to share photos, videos or any other content that helps you tell your inspiring story. We'll review your story and get in touch to prepare a guest post that you will be able to review and approve for sharing with the community. We look forward to hearing from you!
You may also subscribe to email versions of the update delivered right to your inbox--simply enter your email address in the subscription box at the top right of this page.
Welcome to the weekly update for IT Academy.
IT Academy Bridges the Skills Gap in Washington State
Microsoft IT Academy program plays a leading role in Washington State’s Career Technical Education program, and the results are making a huge impact in the lives and future careers of thousands of high school students. Learn more from Randy Dorn, Superintendent of Public Instruction for the State of Washington, as he shares why IT Academy was a priority to him when he took office and how training and certification is making a difference across Washington State.
New & Improved MOS 2013 Exams
IT Academy is excited to announce newly-updated Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification testing, designed to better prepare candidates’ skills for real-world experiences. Our new 2013 exams focus on project-based outcome testing, meaning that students are tasked with projects that they encounter on the job, such as creating a Word report, Excel spreadsheet, or PowerPoint presentation.
The new MOS 2013 exams for Word and Excel will be available worldwide starting this week. Learn more about this change and explore the objectives for upcoming MOS 2013 exams.
Prepare Students for Careers in the Cloud—Register for the FREE Certified Career Day
Are your students prepared for an IT career in an increasingly cloud-centric world? Join cloud computing experts on March 12 for Certified Career Day, a special online event on the future of IT careers in the cloud, and what you and your students need to do now to “future proof” one’s career.
The event will kick off at 9:00am PST with a panel discussion on trends in cloud computing and career readiness, hosted by cloud industry experts, including Zeshan Sattar, curriculum manager at Pearson in Practice and IT Academy member. Don’t miss this very special opportunity to gain insight into the value of cloud computing training and certification.
Space is limited—register today!
North Carolina Student wins National Technology Award
North Carolina was the first state to partner with IT Academy on a statewide basis and Melanie Llanos, a senior at Weaver Academy in North Carolina, has definitely benefitted from the partnership. Melanie was recently awarded the National Center for Women and Information Technology Award for Aspirations in Computing. She will also be taking her Honors Network Administration 2 soon, which leads to Microsoft Technology Specialist (MTA) certification.
Learn more about Melanie’s achievements.
Putting Teachers in Control with Office 365
Technology has changed how we consume information and this, in turn, has also transformed how we learn and teach. Learn how the newest release of Office 365 for education helps bring educators and students together, enabling them to embrace the ever-increasing opportunities of the new era of digital learning.
Inspiring Kids to Code
What happens when you put the minds of Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg together? Find out in this great video from CODE, a new effort promoting coding to kids that was featured in Anthony’s Salcito’s blog.
Microsoft IT Academy program is a true believer in the impact that IT training and certification can make in the lives of students and we salute the spirit behind the creative video, Inspiring Kids to Code and the collaboration amongst world leaders, musicians and sports legends encouraging today’s students to become involved with coding and IT as a career path.
How is Microsoft IT Academy changing the lives of your students? Share your story with us! As we grow the ITA community, we learn from each other and encourage you to share experiences from your classroom—send us your school’s inspiring story with a brief write up, photos, or videos. Simply drop us a line with your story and contact information to [email protected].
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