the digital classroom Microsoft software for teaching and learning
The digital classroom | Microsoft software for teaching and learning
The digital classroom
| Microsoft software for teaching and learning
Microsoft Software for Teaching and Learning Microsoft® software provides a wide range of powerful learning tools designed to meet the needs of today’s educators. These tools incorporate state-of-the-art technology to provide a rich, dynamic environment for learning, discovery, and expression. At the same time, they are both intuitive and simple to use, enabling students and teachers to get started quickly, with little or no training.
preparing students for the world ahead
For students Microsoft software greatly broadens their experience by exposing them to a variety of dynamic, educational content. Students can use Microsoft software to:
Students face new opportunities and challenges as they prepare for the twenty-first-century work force. To be productive, effective, and competitive as they enter the working world, young people must learn to think both critically and creatively. They must also become proficient at finding and managing information, and working collaboratively with others using the latest technology. Responding to these challenges, educators have rapidly incorporated computers and technology into the learning environment. In the United States and Europe, for example, almost all schools now have access to the Internet, and in other parts of the world, the percentage of schools with Internet access is rapidly growing. To stimulate learning and prepare students for the world that lies ahead, educators are increasingly searching for creative ways to bring learning to life by incorporating technology into their lesson plans. They also want to use technology as a way to broaden students’ perspectives, challenge them to think critically, and provide them with the next-generation skills they need to succeed. Achieving these goals requires a set of tools that are both rich and dynamic, yet easy to use so that they can be quickly implemented into the classroom and beyond.
» Produce high-quality work using easy-touse templates and tutorials. » Deepen their understanding of subjects such as math, science, literature, writing, languages, history, and geography. » Research, analyze, and display data quickly and thoroughly. » Communicate and collaborate effectively with other students and teachers. » Easily share their work, personal perspectives, and school updates using sophisticated Web sites, blogs, wikis, and virtual galleries. » Create, share, and view dynamic multimedia content such as movies, games, videos, audio clips, and slideshows.
For teachers Microsoft software also provides great advantages for teachers by giving them tools they can use to broaden their lesson plans, support different learning styles, and more fully engage students in the digital classroom and beyond. Microsoft software makes it possible for teachers to: » Offer new models for teacher education and professional development. » Quickly develop class assignments and handouts using tutorials and templates. » Post assignments, Web links, class updates, and work examples in a central location that students can access from any browser. » Share lesson plans, exchange ideas, and easily communicate with other teachers. » Quickly provide feedback on student homework and assess their progress. » Keep parents updated about their children’s progress on an ongoing basis. » Engage students in classroom learning by incorporating slide presentations, games, and other sophisticated multimedia content into their lesson plans. » Provide a safe learning environment for students.
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The digital classroom | Microsoft software for teaching and learning
The digital classroom
| Microsoft software for teaching and learning
The Digital Classroom Foundation:
Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office System Windows Vista® and the 2007 Microsoft Office system form the foundation of the digital classroom. Windows Vista is the state-of-the-art Microsoft operating system that makes everyday computing easier and safer. This latest version of Windows® offers many features that help students and teachers manage information more securely, work more productively, and greatly expand educational opportunities. The 2007 Microsoft Office system is the essential software suite that enables students and teachers to quickly create great-looking documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, and organize their notes and information in one place. Together, Window Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system provide the basic tools needed in today’s digital learning environment.
Windows Vista Windows Vista includes a breakthrough design, easy-to-use search and organization tools, and a safer online experience. Students and teachers can use Windows Vista to enhance productivity, work more safely and securely, collaborate more effectively with their peers, and expand their education with digital content such as music, interactive games, and movies. For example, features such as “Windows Sidebar” help students and teachers stay informed and organized by displaying real-time information, such as news and weather, directly on their desktops. With “Windows Meeting Space,” students and teachers are able to work together collaboratively by providing a central place to brainstorm ideas, revise documents, and work together on lesson plans. And the “Instant Search” feature provides a simple way to find misplaced drafts or document versions.
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2007 Microsoft Office The 2007 Microsoft Office system includes a redesigned user interface that helps students and teachers produce documents more easily and intuitively. It also includes new graphic layout templates and formatting features that allow students and teachers to add stunning visuals to their work, while quickly producing clear, professional-quality documents. Students and teachers can use the 2007 Office system to write polished-looking papers and essays; quickly analyze and display data using visually pleasing charts, tables, and graphs; communicate ideas simply using sophisticated slide presentations; and take better notes by organizing all kinds of information — including text, images, and audio and video files — in a single location.
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The digital classroom | Microsoft software for teaching and learning
The digital classroom
| Microsoft software for teaching and learning
bringing digital learning to life In addition to Windows Vista and the 2007 Office system, Microsoft offers an array of software to bring learning to life. This software is intended to inspire students of all ages to deepen their learning, research and discover the world around them, create sophisticated multimedia content, and work collaboratively with others.
Deepen Student Learning In the Information Age, it’s essential that students develop a solid knowledge base across numerous subjects. Microsoft software takes learning to the next level by offering tips and tools that reinforce learning and help students produce high-quality work. Using intuitive tutorials, templates, and other tools, students can deepen their learning of subjects such as math, science, foreign languages, writing, and literature. Tools are also provided to help teachers create superior learning experiences for students and speed through everyday administrative tasks.
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Learning Essentials 2.0 for Microsoft Office
Learning Essentials 2.0 for Microsoft Office provides students and teachers with a customized Office environment that helps them start and complete assignments more efficiently and intuitively. A desktop application that runs on top of Microsoft Office, Learning Essentials includes tips and tools for managing projects and creating professional-looking reports, presentations, science projects, and other assignments.
Microsoft Student 2008 (With Math 2.0)
Microsoft Student 2008 offers a range of homework tools designed to help students in grades 6–12 succeed in school. It includes sophisticated math tools; language and literature resources; research tools using the Web and Encarta® Premium 2008; and a variety of templates and tutorials offered through Learning Essentials. These tools serve as a comprehensive homework tutor that reinforces classroom learning and helps students produce high-quality homework in less time. Page
The digital classroom | Microsoft software for teaching and learning
The digital classroom
| Microsoft software for teaching and learning
research & discover To work productively, students and teachers need a fast way to find the information they need when they need it. Microsoft provides online research tools that can help students quickly get background information for projects, explore different parts of the globe, and sift through thousands of articles, videos, and audio clips. For teachers, these tools make it easy to incorporate a broad range of material into their lesson plans, enhancing their curricula and bringing learning to life.
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Microsoft Encarta Premium 2008
Microsoft Virtual Earth
Windows Live Academic Search
Microsoft Encarta Premium 2008 is a digital multimedia encyclopedia that contains thousands of articles, pictures, illustrations, videos, audio clips, an interactive atlas, and a thesaurus and dictionary. It includes a special learning area for children ages 7–12 called Encarta Kids, which comes with colorful, age-appropriate articles and interactive learning activities.
Microsoft Virtual Earth™ is an online mapping and search service that allows students and teachers to zoom around the planet and explore different parts of the globe from almost any angle. Virtual Earth provides everything from aerial views of the earth using excellent satellite imagery to detailed topographical and road maps to 3-D building-level details of major cities — all accessible from a Microsoft Internet Explorer® browser. It also comes with precise search capabilities that enable students and teachers to get business listings, white pages, upto-date traffic information, and driving directions.
Windows Live™ Academic Search is a search service designed to help students and educators conduct research across a spectrum of academic journals. They can use this tool to easily find and sort articles from thousands of academic and research journals in areas such as computer science, electrical engineering, and physics.
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The digital classroom | Microsoft software for teaching and learning
The digital classroom
| Microsoft software for teaching and learning
Microsoft Expression Studio
Microsoft Expression® Studio is a next-generation creativity tool that provides students with a comprehensive platform for designing standards-based Web sites, visual elements, and interactive content, and for storing all of this content in an easy-touse digital media library. It gives aspiring designers and developers the tools they need to work collaboratively and productively with professional-standard tools as they deliver stateof-the-art content for Windows and the Web.
create and collaborate Another key to educational success is creativity and collaboration. Students need to learn to think creatively. They also need to learn how to work together effectively as a team. Microsoft offers tools to help students unleash their creativity and collaborate with others. Microsoft software includes sophisticated tools to help students create Web pages, develop and play interactive games, build robot applications, and work together on projects. Teachers can use these tools to appeal to different learning styles, help students learn next-generation skills, and enhance the classroom environment.
Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007
Office SharePoint® Designer 2007 is new software that’s used to create and maintain compelling Web sites on the SharePoint platform. It allows students and teachers to easily produce Web sites without knowing how to write code, showcase their work through student galleries, and create sophisticated blogs, wikis, e-zines, and podcasts. It also helps them work more productively as a team by creating workflows that automatically send e-mail messages to each person when it’s his or her turn to review a document.
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Game-Based Learning
Microsoft offers an array of games that appeal to students of all ages, providing them with opportunities to learn everything from geography to zoology to history through creative play with other students. It also offers development tools and software development kits that enable students and teachers to create games for the Xbox 360™ console, Windows, and the Web and build sophisticated robots that can be used for various educational purposes. XNA™ Game Studio Express enables students to develop console games, while gaining state-ofart computer science skills. Teachers can use this tool to create their own interactive, educational games to reinforce classroom learning. MSDN® Coding4Fun teaches students the basics of computer science by having them build games and applications for Windows and the Web with the help of easy-to-use develop tools. Microsoft Robotics Studio 1.0 provides the tools for students to develop robot applications that can be used across a wide variety of hardware for a range of purposes. Built-in tutorials help students get started quicker by showing them how to build robots using several programming languages.
Age of Empires® helps students learn history by proactively leading into greatness any of 13 civilizations in the 1,000 years from the fall of Rome to the Middle Ages. Students learn about prominent historical figures, and discover the distinctive attributes, architecture, technologies, and fighting techniques of different civilizations. Zoo Tycoon® 2 provides a fun way for students to learn about zoology, marine life, endangered species, and prehistoric dinosaurs by serving as a zookeeper of a virtual zoo. Students strive to create thriving and healthy zoos with easy-to-use construction tools, and they discover interesting facts about animals using the built-in “Zoopedia.”
Microsoft Flight Simulator X enables students to experience what it’s like to fly 24 different aircraft including helicopters, gliders, sea planes, and passenger planes. Students learn geography by flying anywhere in the world, and gain historical information about the pilots and airplanes that shaped aviation history. Page 11 11
Transforming the Educational Experience Microsoft software provides dynamic tools that transform the educational experience for both students and teachers. Combined, these tools greatly enrich the learning environment and inspire a higher level of achievement. By incorporating these tools into the classroom and beyond, teachers can create innovative learning opportunities, challenge students to unlock their creativity, and actively prepare them for the twenty-first-century work force and the world that lies ahead.
the digital classroom FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.microsoft.com/education
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
