Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home IT Management
    • IT Management

    Microsoft: Innovation in Education Crucial for Reversing IT Skills Gap

    By
    Pedro Hernandez
    -
    January 21, 2014
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Amid the backdrop of the Education World Forum (EWF) and the British Education Technology & Training (BETT) Show, Microsoft is detailing how the Redmond, Wash.-based company is leveraging technology to help advance education and prepare students for tomorrow’s in-demand IT jobs.

      EWF is an invitation-only conference that focuses on furthering innovations in teaching and “debating future practice in education,” according to the group’s Website. Sponsors include Microsoft, Intel and HP.

      Calling his company’s commitment to education “unmatched and unwavering,” Microsoft’s Anthony Salcito, vice president of Worldwide Education, indicated in a blog post that his company is experiencing the effects of an IT skills gap. “We know first-hand about the growing challenge of finding enough skilled workers to fill the jobs we need filled.

      “We are in a unique position to address this challenge, and we intend to play a leading role in the solution,” added Salcito.

      Admitting “that technology itself will not transform education,” the company has advocated for and partnered with educators, administrators and students for over 25 years, said Salcito. Those decades of experience have helped contribute to a handful of education outreach programs.

      Salcito shared some of the progress Microsoft and its partners have made on some key initiatives. Among them is a program that leverages mobile technologies to help spread IT know-how.

      Microsoft announced that it is working with UNESCO, the World Bank’s Global Partnership for Education and leading NGOs “to deliver innovative digital literacy services using mobile devices and literacy education, even in the absence of a literate parent or peer.”

      The company also announced that the Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) Exam and the Teaching with Technology e-learning curriculum will soon be available in several other languages, namely Spanish, Brazilian, Portuguese, Arabic, Indonesian and Mandarin. The coursework, according to Salcito, “continues to see growing interest in countries and institutions where supporting and validating educator competencies to use ICTs in teaching and learning is a critical policy goal.”

      Microsoft has also partnered with Intel, Pearson and interactive learning specialist Promethean for the New Pedagogies for Deep Learning program. The effort, which includes input from 1,000 schools, “seeks to identify the ways in which systemic change can be implemented to allow students to connect and flourish in today’s world.”

      Finally, the company is backing the Collaborative Assessment Alliance (CAA) with Intel, Promethean and the Educational Testing Service. Based on research gleaned from the Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills (ACT21S) project, “CAA engages with local organizations to help design, create, test and deploy individual assessments tasks,” with the aim of putting local schools “at the leading edge of digital assessment.”

      When it comes to investing in education, Microsoft has even lent its own software to the cause. In December, the company launched its Student Advantage program. The offer provides students with free access to Office 365 ProPlus, provided that their schools or universities already license Office 365 ProPlus or Office Professional Plus.

      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez is a contributor to eWEEK and the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Previously, he served as a managing editor for the Internet.com network of IT-related websites and as the Green IT curator for GigaOM Pro.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×