Microsoft partners with ISTE to provide new school planning and professional learning resources

Microsoft yesterday announced their partnership with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) to ensure educators and school leaders around the world have access to school planning and professional development resources. This is a multi-project initiative and three of these initial resources will include:

• ISTE and Microsoft Blueprint for School Transformation: To support leaders as they pioneer innovation and digital transformation, Microsoft and ISTE will align respective professional development pathways supporting leadership, policy and 21^st century pedagogy. Mapping of the ISTE Essential Conditions and Microsoft Transformation Framework has already begun and will provide common language and direction for future shared work.
• Leadership courses designed in accordance with this blueprint: Microsoft has also partnered with edX, the nonprofit online learning destination founded by Harvard and MIT, and top global university innovation and education experts to develop a series of new courses in the areas of change leadership, design thinking, gameful learning, deep learning, and ambitious teaching and learning. They will be developed with the support and guidance of ISTE and Microsoft and will contain renowned curriculum created by leading edX university partners. The first course will be available for enrollment on edx.org starting in September 2016 and is scheduled to begin in December 2016. Additional courses will begin by March 2017. Stay updated about this offering at http://ift.tt/28Xrm5I.
• Tools to help streamline the development of 21^st century schools: Microsoft and ISTE plan to partner with schools around the world to further develop new Microsoft Showcase Schools, a global community of more than 600 schools engaged in digital transformation to improve learning and teaching. This community of schools plans to have additional support to further incorporate the ISTE Standards for learning, teaching and leading in the digital age and use the organization's resources such as the ISTE Lead & Transform Diagnostic Tool and Microsoft's Self Reflection Tool. Find out more about the Microsoft Showcase School program.

"Microsoft's focus on supporting education transformation has great synergy with the work of ISTE," said Anthony Salcito, vice president of Worldwide Education, Microsoft. "We are proud of the collaboration announced today and the opportunity we have together to empower students, educators and school leaders globally to achieve more."

Read more about it here.

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