Guest post by ELearningforce, one of our Microsoft Bett 2013 partners
During BETT 2013 ElearningForce International will be running presentation 4 times a day on SharePointLMS, Parent Access Portal, Office 365 Integration and our mobile solutions for Windows Phone, iPhone, iPad and Android devices.
The presentations are held on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday @ 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm and Saturday @ 11am and 1pm at our stand F274 just down the aisle from the Microsoft Stand.
During the demonstrations ElearningForce will show the benefits running a Virtual Learning Environment based on the Microsoft stack and using SharePoint and SharePointLMS to create a true Learning Environment for their pupils and staff.
After each of the presentations you can enter a draw(*) with the chance to win a perpetual SharePointLMS License for up to 200 pupils including one month free support to get you started! Winners will be notified and are announced on our Website. Over the course of BETT 2013 ElearningForce UK will be giving away a total of over £75,000 in software licenses! Make sure you visit us! (*Terms & Conditions apply).
SharePointLMS is the fundamental building block for your Learning Environment which extends way past the VLE element alone. Using SharePoint as your platform of choice you can create Intranet Portals for your pupils, their parents as well as staff. You can extend this further by adding your Public website creating a single solution, single logon and a fantastic user experience for all. No longer will your pupils, staff and parents need to go and logon to separate solutions.
So what is SharePointLMS? SharePointLMS is a tool that makes learning simple and affordable.
As a teacher you can easily:
· organise your materials
· create tests and assignments
· create and track lesson progress
· coordinate, collaborate and much more
With SharePointLMS you get new possibilities to structure your classes and deliver learning materials to your pupils and at the same time you have access to tracking and reporting tools for effortless evaluation of the individual pupils.
Our new Education Template will provide even the youngest of pupils with a simple and easy to use interface with only the necessary items show. As a teacher you can create your own lessons, add videos, quizzes as well as complete lesson packages provided by many of the current publishers using the SCORM standard. All results are recorded in the Gradebook.
Through our Parent Access Portal parents can see how their children are performing as individuals and compared to the class average, they can see what homework assignments they need to complete and when, what school announcements and events are made and in general anything the school would like to share with the parents.
Guest post by Anthony Nneke
I am one of the School Business Managers here at Microsoft.
I am keen to advise you of forthcoming webinars that I am organising with our respective Partners. These will assist you in device and services information as well as serve as an aid for your planning of existing and forthcoming projects.
Webinars
January
· Thursday 17th January at 1pm-1.45pm, Lync in Schools, Learn how Lync can be used as a Unified Communications platform, through collaborative interaction, accessible from anywhere (please email, enquiry.uk@damovo.com )
· Tuesday 22nd January 12-1pm, Office 365 & IT Academy, Take a look at our cloud service and online collaboration tools and Microsoft certifications
· Thursday 24th January, 12-1pm, Office 365 & IT Academy, Take look at our cloud service and online collaboration tools and Microsoft certifications
· Monday 28th January, 12-12.45pm, XP-Windows 8 Migration A discussion of the operating system roadmap to upgrade and why
February
· Monday 4th February 12-1pm, “Microsoft Virtualisation in Schools” We will be discussing the benefits of Virtualisations in schools
· Tuesday 5th February at 12-1pm , “Lync in Schools”, Learn how Lync can be used as a Unified Communications platform, through collaborative interaction, accessible from anywhere
· Wednesday 6th February at 12-1pm, Lync in Schools , Learn how Lync can be used as a Unified Communications platform, through collaborative interaction, accessible from anywhere
· Friday 8th February, 12-1pm, IT Academy Learn how this Membership program enables schools to provide Microsoft Qualifications for their IT Professionals, Teachers and their Students
· Wednesday 13th February 12-1pm , “System Center 2012 in Schools” Take a look at how System Center can transform your IT Infrastructure
· Thursday 14th February 2013, 12-1pm, “Office 365 ” Take a look at our cloud service and online collaboration tools, accessible anywhere and anytime
· Thursday 21st February, 12-1pm, “Microsoft Windows Server 2012 in Schools” Take a look at Windows Server 2012 and Virtualisation with Hyper V
Event
Friday 8th February, 9.30am -12.45pm Cloud Computing in Education, To register please click here http://www.nviron.co.uk/events/bett-show-update/
How to Join the online Webinars (unless stated to Register)
Simply click Join Lync meeting, on the day of your respective webinar interest below, to Join the Webinar you also have a further option to join by phone , 01189093000. Should you join by phone , you will be asked to dial the respective Conference ID: 75586122. If you do not have Lync client installed on your respective device you can simply download the Lync Client to join the respective webinars, please click here
Further Contact
If there are other services you would like to know more about or further info on any of the above please email educationuk@microsoft.com
You can also email to add any comments of the great experiences you are having with our services, or for any suggestions relating to subject matter of future webinars/events.
Microsoft IT Academy (ITA) Program provides students with the technology skills they need to be successful in education and a career. With Microsoft Certification, students can validate those skills and pursue a career path in business or technology. A full overview of the IT Academy Certification can be seen below. The roadmap can also be downloaded via our SlideShare account.
If you have any questions about IT Academy, pop over to our stand at Bett 2013 (D270 & E270) and say hi.
Guest post by Stone, one of our Microsoft Bett 2013 partners
It’s that time of year again! We’re really excited to host on our all-new spacious 255 sqm stand C70 at Bett 2013.
This year, we’re doing things a little differently. Gone are the boring ‘suits’, in are innovative teachers and those involved in the front-line delivery of innovative perspectives of ICT in the classroom. Bett 2013 will see a wealth of key speakers on the stand. You’ll have the opportunity to listen to some of the most cutting edge, thought provoking speakers on subjects such as computer programming in the classroom, digital literacy in practice and how technology can transform a school’s academic indicators. Speakers will be free to evangelise about real examples of teaching and learning greatness, free from any interference, addressing key issues and relevant current affairs within the education sector.
We always endeavour to inspire our visitors and this year is no different. We’ll be hosting the very first Hackathon to ever be held at the Bett show. Staggering YouGov research shows that 75% of children age 8-15 want to be able to code, but only 3% know how. With Computer Programming at the forefront of the curriculum, we’re doing our bit to help you bridge the gap.
This area will bring together professional developers and those involved with teaching and learning with the intention of creating new, crowd-sourced innovative applications that will be demonstrated at the end of each intensive day of app-development. The live Hackathon competitions will take place on our stand on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
This year’s a fantastic opportunity for you to get a truly holistic perspective of what we can do for your school, from our ever-evolving hardware portfolio to our end-to-end solutions. An area solely dedicated to our Professional Service Team to demonstrate the true extent of our entire portfolio. The area offers a clear, open and consultative approach toward our considerable infrastructure services, AV, cloud, storage, virtualisation, recovery and back up solutions.
Our professional services area will give you the opportunity to talk to our specialists about your school’s needs and requirements when it comes to ICT solutions, no matter how big or small your institution may be.
We've a specialised and experienced team with over twenty one years of experience in aiding customers in making the right ICT decisions. By working with a number of quality technology partners we’re able to offer customers a diverse, evolutionary solutions portfolio that goes hand-in-hand with the most recent changes in pedagogy.
In addition to this, it wouldn’t be the Stone stand at Bett without us displaying our latest and greatest - a plethora of our quality devices detailing all the features and benefits that the education sector genuinely want to see.
As a proud UK manufacturer of IT hardware, we’ll be displaying our ‘Best-of-British’ Stone learning devices, pre-installed with Windows 8, in the product area. Whether it’s laptops, netbooks, desktops or audio visual, we'll be displaying the shiny new technology with all the educational benefits that they can offer you and your pupils. Our dedicated account management team will be on hand to talk you through engaging demonstrations and answer any queries you may have.
Don't forget, at Stone we can customise your IT requirements by offering a bespoke service to 'pick n mix' your PC components to truly ensure you are getting exactly what you want. We know Bett can be a long day so look out for this product area as we'll be offering some sweet treats and ‘Best-of-British’ refreshments here in recognition of our truly bespoke, built-to-order PC 'Pick N Mix' service.
And finally, we’re delighted to be a part of the first ever Microsoft Treasure Trail at Bett 2013, so don’t forget to look out for this competition at the show for your chance to win some fantastic prizes.
Guest post by Joskos, one of our Microsoft Bett 2013 partners
Why visitors should attend the Joskos stand?
Joskos Solutions is a single provider of ICT solutions and services within the education sector. We deploy and support all levels of ICT infrastructure within schools, from the smallest infant school to large academy and university networks. Since 1999, our experience in education has allowed us to incorporate the latest technologies into our solutions, and continues to enable us to provide high quality strategic support and guidance to schools.
Customer feedback consistently demonstrates that we are committed to helping them to achieve their vision – a commitment that led to Joskos winning the 2012 BETT Award for ICT Service and Support, and being shortlisted for the same award again in 2013. We have also been shortlisted for the 2013 BETT Award for ICT Company of the Year in the £1m to £3m turnover category.
With the huge changes that are currently sweeping the technological landscape, it’s more important than ever for schools to be well-informed when deciding on how to improve teaching and learning through their ICT infrastructure - while staying within their increasingly squeezed budgets.
At BETT 2013, Joskos’ technical and educational experts will be on stand B270, adjacent to the Microsoft stand, and will be talking to visitors about exciting new developments that can have a huge impact on teaching and learning within schools.
One of the most powerful developments is the launch of Windows 8, which will revolutionise the use of ICT, both within the classroom and beyond. Technology is an enabler that, when combined with good learning and teaching, has the power to be truly transformational. Windows 8 helps to release that power, putting resources at the fingertips of learners and helping them to interact with technology in a seamless and intuitive way.
We will be showcasing a range of new tablet devices that run Windows 8, and our technical experts will explain to visitors how the Windows 8 environment can be adapted for their school. With school budgets increasingly being squeezed, we will show how innovations like Windows To Go can be used both to prolong the life of existing equipment within schools, but can also enable a manageable and secure Bring Your Own Device strategy within schools.
Increasingly schools are staring to explore the power of the cloud, and developments such as Microsoft’s Office 365 for education provide powerful tools that all schools can take advantage of. We will talk to visitors about how they can take advantage of cloud storage and online applications, enabling them to extend learning opportunities outside the confines of their physical school buildings. For schools keen to bridge the digital divide, Office 365 for education enables learners to access world standard office applications via the web, regardless of the age or specifications of their own PC. This ensures that no learner is disadvantaged by equipment available to them outside school.
We believe that young people should be able to use the best and most appropriate technologies wherever possible. By doing so they will be better prepared for an increasingly competitive and global workforce. Microsoft’s best of breed software ensures that this is possible and we are proud to be working in partnership at BETT 2013.
At Bett 2013, our Microsoft Learn Live Theatre will be host for sessions, delivered by teachers, network managers and Microsoft staff to reveal how technology can make a real difference within your institution.
Our BYOD in education session will be delivered by Kristian Still from Wellington Academy (and James Marshall, Microsoft) at the Microsoft Learn Live theatre at Bett 2013 (at 11.30 and 15.30 Wednesday – Friday and 11.00 and 14.00 on Saturday).
Here is a little bit more from Kristian about himself and digital learning.
First and foremost I consider myself a lead learner. I have a passion for education leadership, for pedagogy and for learning technology. As I move forward in my school leadership career, I have challenged myself to shift from an operational perspective to a strategic one, to shift from the role of the protagonist to that of the enabler. To empower the Directors of Learning I support to carry forward a vision of an outstanding school, to challenge and inspire them to strive for this goal.
“I never think of the future – it comes soon enough.” ― Albert Einstein
I would like to think that my colleagues would describe me as a passionate teacher, excited about my subject and my craft. I would like to think that my students wholeheartedly believe that their achievements are the result of their own hard work and that they are both challenged and inspired in our classroom. I would like to think that my effective use of technology gives me more time to focus on being a letter educator. It is this passion for using education technology that led me to question my own productivity, as a leader learner, as a teacher and facilitator and an education maven. What I search for is the ability to move freely between devices (operating systems) and locations with but a moment’s pause.
‘To freely move between devices….’ between desktops, laptops, touchscreens, mobile phones and games console. The question of triad or quad simple explores whether or not you considers a game console a viable education tool for teaching. It is most certainly a learning platform.
All the dots are there for everyone to see.
You will know from experience that connecting the dots takes effort and determination (and often a wrong turn), but at some point before you complete the puzzle, you see the answer. I have been reading and listening to the media response to Window 8, Surface, Window Phone 7.8/8 and Xbox and staring (thinking) at these technology dots. Thinking strategy, thinking how could this improve my impact as a practitioner.
I am confident Microsoft planned and placed these dots thoughtfully, purposefully and deliberately in front of us, so that as we started connecting them together, we will see that the answer was indeed an integrated, connected Microsoft platform. An environment where one could ‘move freely between devices (operating systems) and locations with but a moment’s pause.’
What if we brought those dots closer together? What if we made those connections easier to make and brought forward that ‘eureka’ moment. How would that impact upon our willingness to change the way we interacted with and taught with technology? What if we were able to encourage education / teachers to move from being, all too often the early (or even late) majority, towards being the early adopters? Why not the innovators even? With that in mind, it is also worth noting that for the early majority to move, someone else has to have tried first. (Law of Diffusion of Innovation)
Find the ‘someone’s.’ Find the someone’s from with the Partners in Learning Network. To select a group of passionate PiL educators, some technology advocates, some technology confident, but all passionate teachers to partner. To loan, make available, deploy (not gift) either a Microsoft triad or quad of Windows 8 devices and ask that in return, each group member to build and share a ‘Why, How and What’ report. A report generated from an agreed series of professional diary reflections.
The future will come soon enough and when it does, I would like to be ready to make the most of it. With an Windows 8 operating system most likely to released mid academic year, I would also like to work with Microsoft to help more educationalist be ready for it too.
I am not quite sure why I got stuck on this issue, however, I am glad I did.
You can register here for Bett 2013.
Full schedule details for the Microsoft Learn Live Theatre can be seen here.
Guest post by Civica, one of our Microsoft Bett 2013 partners
Through its team of E Learning Consultants, Civica has built one of the most experienced SharePoint in Education services and is ideally placed to support schools and academies with their learning platform.
Civica has a great wealth of experience in supporting schools to use SharePoint technologies to enable effective and engaging learning to take place and also to underpin the administration and management of schools; for example room booking systems, the recording and tracking of lesson observations or the automation of the options process for staff, students and parents.
Come and talk to us about what you want to do in your school with your SharePoint platform and see some inspiring examples of how we’ve used SharePoint for connecting people, systems and technologies to enhance learning and teaching. And find out about our SharePoint service, packed full of ideas, free web tools, webinars and online resources to ensure that your Learning Platform gets fully embedded into the life of your school.
Office 365 for education provides
> secure, anywhere access to email and calendars
> Office Web Apps
> instant messaging
> conferencing
> collaboration and file sharing
> a school web site
All schools that migrate to, or sign up for, the new Office 365 for education service (the replacement for Live@Edu) will get access to many new features, in particular the power of built- in SharePoint, giving fantastic opportunities for collaboration and sharing.
We’ll have E learning advisers on hand to discuss how you can use these tools – you may want a free public facing website for instance or discuss how you could use conferencing to deliver lessons online.
All of the features in Office 365 are free with Education licensing and we’ll show you how to make the most of them in your context.
Civica has now also fully embedded Office 365 into CloudBase, its own SharePoint Learning Platform, and we can provide you with a site that is fully aligned to your school priorities, facilitates parental engagement and delivers the ideal platform to bring learning to life for your students.
Our E learning team will show you how we’ve used CloudBase. They all have recent classroom experience covering a variety of subjects and educational areas of interest. All are currently engaged in helping schools and teachers to make the most of whatever technology is available to them, and their work is underpinned by a genuine drive to help transform learning for students.
You’ll see examples of custom- designed lesson observation tools, of sites designed by students and for students, of virtual staffrooms that give you all you need when you log on at the beginning of the school day to inform and prepare you for the day ahead.
Come and see us first before you sign up to anything or spend any money at Bett 2013.
Civica’s DigiPlan is a systematic approach to ICT planning and development. It helps you to deliver your whole school vision and achieve your goals, providing an effective approach to ICT project management.
It will provide you with
· A full analysis of staff skills and CPD requirements
· An understanding of stakeholders experiences of using ICT
· A detailed report and Action Plan providing clear direction for the Academic year ahead
· A completed NAACE Self Review Framework
· A clear strategy for on-going developments
At Bett 2013, our Microsoft Learn Live Theatre will be host for sessions delivered by teachers, network managers and Microsoft staff to reveal how technology can make a real difference within your institution.
David Rogers from the Priory School will be delivering one of the sessions at Bett 2013 at our Microsoft Learn Live theatre titled Using devices to empower students (14:00 and 17:30 Wednesday – Friday and 13:30 on Saturday).
The session will cover OneNote, SkyDrive and free Microsoft Tools to enable young people to capture, share and collaborate.
Here’s a bit more information about David and his Bett 2013 session at the Microsoft Learn Live Theatre.
Using devices to empower students
I’m David Rogers and I’m the Professional Tutor and Curriculum Leader of Geography at Priory School in Portsmouth. My role enables me to facilitate and lead the CPD of our teaching staff, which is where Partners in Learning; Windows in the Classroom and Teaching with Technology have been very useful.
As a geographer, I’m well known for my ‘naughty’ guerrilla style of teaching. This simply has the empowerment of young people at its core: taking student voice and acting upon it – resulting in changes. Recent examples of this include; a mobile device learning policy and getting students, teachers and artists together to co-construct and team teach lessons that utilise technology, across the curriculum.
I’ve been involved with Partners in Learning since 2009 when my Twitter project got through to the Regional Forum in Berlin so I’m really excited to be able to speak at Bett 2013 on behalf of Microsoft. My talk will present a selection of stories from my school that demonstrate how using Microsoft tools and mobile devices has enabled our students to capture, share and collaborate.
I’ll talk about Olympic Geocaching, SkyDrive and TAG and how One Note has been used to develop students’ sense of place and produce detailed case studies.
Of course, there are two core values that underpin these stories:
· The use of technology is only appropriate when it is underpinned by sound learning objectives and strong pedagogy; and
· We use what we have and what our students are most familiar with, only we use it better.
I’m looking forward to sharing my story with you.
Twitter: @davidErogers
Blog: www.davidrogers.org.uk
Come and join us at Bett 2013 at the Microsoft Learn Live Theatre (stand D270 and E270) for our New Era for Digital Learning session, which will cover Windows in the Classroom. This session will be daily at 12pm and 4pm (11.30am and 2.30pm on Saturday).
We are witnessing a paradigm shift in how we discover, access, and use digital content, in ways that are enabling immersive experiences and engagements. As a result, in schools we’re seeing a growing trend towards Bring your Own Device and 1 to 1 Personalised Learning. We’re also seeing learning outside of the classroom made possible in ways we never would have imagined just 20 years ago, and we have started to see some of the potential that the cloud brings to school computing. More than anything though, one of the key drivers behind the adoption of technology in our classrooms has been the commitment and desire to develop, in all our students, a set of core 21st Century skills that will enable them to progress through their education and beyond.
Windows in the classroom
Windows in the Classroom is a great starting point for any school considering or enhancing their 1-to-1 learning program, and they allow you to see the diversity of Microsoft software and devices applied to learning. The Windows in the Classroom seminars demonstrate how Windows 8 applies to learning and how it can be used to inspire students and improve educational outcomes. Guided by a qualified education trainer, these two-hour sessions are scheduled and delivered by our education partners RM and Dell, and can be held at your school or in the local area.
The New Era for Digital Learning presentation at Bett 2013 will: • Discuss global education research on innovation teaching • Show how software and devices are unleashing 21st century learning • Demonstrate specific and real world examples • Explore future professional development opportunities and key programs like ‘Shape the Future.’
If we are going to spend money on technology in schools it has to be to improve student learning by delivering more powerful and engaging learning experiences. The New Era for Digital Learning session at Bett 2013 will help you explore tools and technologies that energise and engage students; and help school leaders and teachers learn how to get more out of the software they use every day.
One of the sessions at the Bett 2013 Microsoft Learn Live theatre is titled Windows 8 at Hartsbrook E-ACT Free School Session and will be delivered by Charlotte Beckhurst from the school (at 13.30 and 17.00 Wednesday – Friday and 13.00 and 15.30 on Saturday).
Here’s a bit more info about Charlotte and her Windows 8 session at Bett 2013.
App Happy at age 5? Using Windows 8 in the Early Years Classroom
My name is Charlotte Beckhurst and I work for Hartsbrook E-Act Free School in Tottenham Hale.
Starting in September 2012 we opened with a brand new school, brand new students and brand new technology. For many of our students the state of the art touch screen computers and the use of laptops in the classroom was a whole new and exciting experience.
So how did they find it? I will be looking at both their journey through Windows 8 and my journey as a teacher, as well as the learning which took place for all involved. I look forward to sharing the experience with you at Bett 2013.
Full schedule details for the Bett 2013 Microsoft Learn Live Theatre can be seen here.