As we are entering the new school year in the Northern Hemisphere and approaching summer break in the Southern Hemisphere, Microsoft Education continues to see incredible transformation at so many schools, colleges, universities, libraries, museums, and education systems across the world. We are keenly aware of the important role that technology is playing in supporting this transformation. And yet, with all the advancements happening at an incredible change of pace, we know that we all must continue to push ourselves to learn, progress, and innovate. During this unprecedented time of change in education, people remain at the very center. With that in mind I wanted to share some resources that can serve you and your teams along the way. 

Explore the Microsoft Educator Center

Many of you already use the Microsoft Educator Center (MEC), a free platform for self-paced learning, to access a variety and depth of courses, learning paths, and resources for educators. Many schools and universities also use the MEC as a foundational, internal training resource to create their own learning paths.   

With the uncertainty around in-person schooling, I wanted to highlight a brand new MEC learning path, Master Microsoft Teams for any learning environment, that can help you create a consistent teaching experience regardless of how the year evolves. 

Connect with Global Training Partners

If your educators and staff would like to benefit from professional development specialists who can design the training and support to help accelerate their learning, the Microsoft Global Training Partner program is ready to support leaders and educators to understand how best to leverage technology for learning. Each partner has undergone official Microsoft training and is certified to deliver professional development offerings on Microsoft’s behalf. 

Just this week we held our Global Training Partner Summit, an opportunity to train the trainers and where we celebrated with over 800 of our best trainers, recognizing some of the tremendous work that is taking place around the world during this inordinate time. There were several partners who stood out for their outstanding work, as well as the perseverance, determination, and positivity it has taken to cultivate success. We presented them with special awards during the event. 

Please join me in congratulating our winners:

Education Transformation Framework

  • PT. Cipta Gadhing Artha, Indonesia
  • Instituto de Tecnología e Investigación Maestro21, Peru
  • Sofia Education Experts Ltd, Greece
  • Tablet Academy, Global

Teaching and learning

  • Tech Avant-Garde, India
  • IDE Yazilim Donanum Bilisim, Turkey
  • Trivium, Brazil

Skills and employability

  • Audentes Technologies – Philippines
  • Dyn IT, Morocco
  • Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Canada

Minecraft: Education Edition

  • De Pedagogics, India
  • Line Learning & Development, Philippines
  • KlayyTech, Egypt
  • Cobblestone, Canada
  • Big Brain, Brazil

Check out our Global Training Partner finder experience to help you find and connect with the right company in your area.  

Affordable and secure devices with free educator training

As we continue our ongoing commitment to more personalized student experiences, we see the use of devices for learning become an epicenter of the student experience. Microsoft Education is committed to ensuring that both educators and students get the maximum value of their technology by creating inclusive online environments that help every student to achieve more. 

To help your educators use technology effectively in the classroom, your institution can receive educator training at no additional cost by taking advantage of our special device and training offer that combines affordable and secure devices for education with free training in select markets.  

Get training with Microsoft Store

Through the Empower Education program, Microsoft Store trainers will help you navigate the unique blended learning environment with free trainings and resources. Geographical borders don’t limit the training support Microsoft Store teams can provide.

  • Students, teachers, faculty, and parents can attend virtual workshops and training sessions—wherever they are located. You can explore and find trainings of interest here
  • Microsoft Store trainers also engage on a 1:1 basis through Microsoft account teams to provide customized training sessions to schools and higher education. institutions to help adopt technology faster and in a more cohesive way. Trainings can be customized to your needs with more than 17 languages supported.
  • Students can also find courses based on their specific interests, attend fun workshops, and collect achievement badges.

Together, we continue to face tremendous challenges and wonderful opportunities. We see how professional development is key to continue in growth and development. The resources I shared are designed for educators, faculty, and staff to provide continually better and more inspiring learning for all students around the globe. 

I am moved by the stories of the inspirational education leaders, innovative and creative educators, and of course the resilient students and families. Thank you for allowing Microsoft to be a part of your success.