We hope you caught all the news we brought you from the Bett education technology conference in London, but – there was a lot to take in 😄. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered in this month’s What’s New in EDU as we recap the can’t-miss Bett highlights and news about resources to help transform teaching and learning in your classroom. We’ll also share new “You can in :90” videos to give you quick tips for using Microsoft tools.
First, if you haven’t done so already, check out the What’s New in EDU episode above as our own Mark Sparvell and Stephen Eustace get together over Microsoft Teams to recap the Bett headlines and give you a close-up look at Teams in action, including the power of the new Class Insights tab. It allows educators to see average grades, on-time assignments, average return time and more. Mark and Stephen also show you how easy it is to record Teams meetings. Plus, they share the latest on other resources that can have a positive impact on your students and updates on affordable and durable devices.
New season of “You Can in :90” live from Bett:
See the latest “how to” video tutorials filmed live from Bett with the help of education technology expert Leslie Fisher, who joined us at Bett this year.
In the video below, Leslie offers an overview of handy Windows 10 shortcuts that will save you time and make the most of free accessibility features. Those include tips for reading student-created content and teacher-generated content in one window, how to pull up the emoji keyboard quickly, and ways to easily take screen shots and incorporate them into your work. These tips will make working with windows even easier than ever.
Leslie also has some great insights to share on using Microsoft Stream, which allows you to safely record videos and share them with colleagues, students and families. The video below offers quick and concrete tips on recording videos, annotating and editing them and sharing them with your school community.
Bett WNIE episodes all in one place
We recorded What’s New in EDU episodes daily during Bett, and you can find each one below for convenience. In this first one, we look at how to find affordable, secure and reliable devices for the classroom starting at US$219. We also offer updates on the new Microsoft Edge internet browser and its built-in accessibility features and new tools like Live Presentations in PowerPoint, which can deepen student engagement. And there is plenty more in this episode on helping students collaborate and improve their communications skills, so check it out now.
In the second episode of our Bett 2020 series, we share ideas for helping students develop the kind of skills that can help them thrive in school and in future careers. We heard from teachers about the updated Microsoft Educator Center, got news about Minecraft: Education Edition with their Mindful Knight curriculum and the powerful role it can play in social and emotional learning, got updates from the Hacking STEM and Video Editor teams and more. This is a must-see video, if you haven’t done so already or want a recap.
Finally, this last What’s New in EDU episode we produced during Bett spotlights ways to use technology as a vital tool for fostering inclusion and accessibility in the classroom. It features educators in Winnipeg, Canada who are making a real difference in the lives of their students through inclusive practices and offers practical ideas for using free, web-based Microsoft Learning Tools to do the same.
And check out the announcement around our 6th annual Education Exchange (E2) taking place in Sydney next month. One of our passionate and hard-working Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts is getting a free trip to the big event happening March 23-26.
Thanks for tuning in this month. Stay tuned next month for exciting new product updates and the news from E2 2020. We’ll be highlighting innovation in education happening across Australia and showcasing steps to provide access to effective technology to students from the cities to the outback.
As a reminder, E2 brings together Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts (MIEE) to work through problems and collaborate on projects with peers who are equally enthusiastic and ambitious in their use of technology that can have a powerful and positive impact on teaching and learning.
And don’t forget that students and educators at eligible institutions can sign up for Office 365 Education for free, which will give you access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and now Microsoft Teams, plus additional classroom tools. All you need is a valid school email address.
As always, we love hearing from you and value your feedback. One way to let us know what you think of the news we shared here is through Twitter by tagging @MicrosoftEDU! And if you haven’t already done so, sign up for the Microsoft Educator newsletter here.
