Summer has always been a well-deserved break, but none more so than this year. To all teachers and educators who’ve been supporting our students—thank you.
As we look forward to the new school year filled with optimism for 2021, January brings a rush of emotions for teachers – a mix of anxiety for what lies ahead and excitement to hit refresh whilst drawing on the many remote and hybrid learning experiences from 2020.
So that you’re armed with the latest Microsoft Education training, tips and resources to get your classroom back-to-school ready for the arrival of your students, we’re here to help.
Back-to-School EduDay
On January 20 we are running our Back-to-School EduDay featuring a full day of virtual learning sessions. Whether you’re looking to set-up your digital classroom, brush-up on skills, log professional development hours, or discover some of our Microsoft tools for the first time, there’s something for everyone.
You will also be excited to know that all of our EduDay sessions will be recorded and available on-demand so that you can catch-up at a time that suits you, or share with your colleagues.
Wednesday 20 January, 2021
10:30AM – 3:30PM AEDT
|
| |
TIME (AEDT) |
SESSION | |
10:30am-11:00am |
Opening Keynote: Anthony Salcito – Welcome to the 2021 School Year! | |
Stream 1 |
Stream 2 | |
11:00am-11:45am |
Mike Tholfsen – Setting up your 2021 digital classroom using Microsoft technologies |
Travis Smith – Device Matters: The Power of the Pen and Inking Your Thinking |
12:00pm-12:45pm |
Bec West – OneNote 2021 Teacher Planner |
Suzie Tinker and Noelene Callaghan – Ways to use Minecraft: Education Edition in the Classroom in 2021 |
1:00pm-1:45pm |
Amanda Frampton and Steven Payne – Windows App Smash |
Troy Waller – Creating an Inclusive Classroom |
2:00pm-2:45pm |
Mark Sparvell – Supporting the social and emotional learning of students |
Andrew Balzer – Setting up for staff collaboration and communication for success in 2021 |
3:00pm-3:30pm |
Closing Event: Megan Townes – prize announcements and resources |
Microsoft Educator Centre
You can access free professional development through the Microsoft Educator Centre (MEC), a personalised learning hub created for educators. It’s free to sign up and you can tailor your own learning, completing online courses at your pace and at a time that suits you. You can also earn badges and track your PD progress, including downloadable transcripts to provide to your school.
There are so many free training courses, learning paths and teaching resources to explore. Here are a few of our top picks to help you in your back-to-school preparations.

Inclusive classroom specialisation
Build accessible content and personalised learning experience to meet the needs of every learner.

Blended approaches for a modern learning environment
Discover ways to use Microsoft Teams to support students in different learning environments.

Office 365 Teacher Academy
Innovate with cloud-based tools, regardless of the device – Microsoft Teams, OneNote, Sway, Microsoft Forms & more.

Skills for the future, voice and collaboration
Utilise tools that build students future skills and social and emotional skills, setting them up for success.

Student-centered learning
Build student autonomy with tools that enable student voice and collaboration.
When it is time to say goodbye to the summer break and hello to your students, we’re grateful that so many of you see us as a resource for bringing continuous improvement and innovation into your classroom.
The post We’re here to help you get back-to-school ready! first appeared on Microsoft EDU.