Thanks to everyone who joined us yesterday for our IT Academy Virtual Event! The turnout was fantastic, and we’re thrilled for the opportunity to gather and share all of the latest program benefits, member activities, and upcoming opportunities with the community. If you missed the event, you haven’t missed out—you can tune in to a recording of the event by logging in with your member ID at the IT Academy Event portal. 

Here’s a quick recap of the topics discussed:

  • We unveiled two new Teacher Starter Kits to assist educators in implementing Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) and Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) in the classroom. Each kit includes  valuable training resources and an annual batch of exam vouchers for educator professional development. By earning a Microsoft certification, educators are equipped with the knowledge to train the next generation of business and technology professionals.  
  • We introduced updates to the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) program, providing an overview of new curriculum materials—new Microsoft Official Academic Courses (MOAC), lesson plans and E-Reference, and hands-on projects and e-learning opportunities—as well as new certification paths.
  • The Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) program is the first step to explore IT. We walked members through the latest training materials and certifications available to IT Academy program members. Be sure to visit the member site to access the MOAC courses, Exam Review Kit and Student Study Guides. And watch the recorded presentation to learn how other IT Academy members have successfully implemented both the MTA and MOS programs in the classroom.
  • We also unveiled the new IT Academy Certification Roadmap, previewed last week on the blog, and shared tips to help ensure success in your program.
  • Accreditation enables students to earn college credit by becoming certified in Microsoft technologies—and IT Academy is one of the few IT programs that provides accreditation to member institutions. The member website provides information to get started.

Again, thanks to everyone for participating—and keep checking the  IT Academy blog for updates.

Events

Learning Re-Imagined: Vision for Student Success
December 11, 2012

Educational organizations of all sizes are being challenged to find the silver bullet.  The silver bullet for teaching and learning; the silver bullet for remediation; the silver bullet for budgets.  Microsoft and the Center for Digital Education are partnering to host a virtual conference to address these issues, provide a new vision for teaching and learning and illustrate how that translates to the ultimate goal - student success.

In this free virtual conference, you will get the opportunity to connect real-time with industry experts as well as obtain practical examples and real advice to help you understand what pressures exist for educators and what can be done to solve them.

Learn more and register today. 

More Education News from Microsoft

  •  Exciting news! Microsoft has renewed its commitment to education with a US$250 million investment. This commitment reinforces the value that programs like Microsoft IT Academy offer to students and teachers around the world. Bill Gates talks with Anthony Salcito about the renewed commitment on the DailyEdventures blog.
  • Anthony Salcito, Vice President of Microsoft Education, guest authored an article on Forbes about the need for private sector to invest more in teachers directly and in partnership with public sector to improve graduation rates and, ultimately, help spark the nation’s economy and global competitiveness. Tech outlets Neowin and Ubergizmo also wrote on the program renewal.
  • On the Microsoft in Education blog, Anthony Salcito shared a recap of the Partners in Learning Global Forum in Prague. 

Follow IT Academy on Twitter

The IT Academy Twitter channel is now live! Follow us to get up-to-the-minute news from IT Academy in your Twitter feed.