It’s no secret that we’re in the midst of a rapid and exciting time in the world of education. New ways of studying are coming up everyday in the era of digitization, children as young as five are becoming creators and teachers are opening up to new and comfortable ways in blending the digital and physical worlds in order to empower these kids. One of the areas where this transformation is happening is in STEM.
As part of their ongoing commitment to education, Microsoft Education today announced new research that shows what today’s Kindergartners – the Class of 2030 – will need to succeed in the digital future along with a number of new product announcements to empower schools. These products mainly focus on affordability, personalized learning that yields better results and most of all, sparking creativity with STEM.
Microsoft Corp has showcased the new Windows 10 and Windows 10 S devices from Lenovo and JP, the addition of new capabilities to its free Office 365 Education software, a new Chemistry update to Minecraft: Education Edition and new mixed reality and video curricula from partners like BBC Worldwide Learning, LEGO®* Education, PBS, NASA, and Pearson.
The New Microsoft Windows 10 devices won’t force schools to compromise on features, giving schools cutting-edge tools like touch, inking and 3D as well as free accessibility technology like Learning Tools, which improve reading comprehension by 10 percentile points for students of all abilities.
It’s also very crucial to note that these devices are all spill-resistant and ruggedized to avoid accidental breakage, have long battery life to avoid charging wires all over the classroom, and also have faster connectivity.
Starting this March, Microsoft will also be partnering with BBC Worldwide Learning to bring the stunning BBC Earth natural history film Oceans: Our Blue Planet to classrooms and museums around the world, starting with the release of the film in museums.
As part of the multi-faceted partnership, Microsoft is exploring ways to expand this content across the Microsoft Education portfolio.
Together with LEGO® Education, Microsoft will be offering a new free online Hacking STEM lesson plan that has students use the Pythagorean Theorem to explore and measure topography in 2D/3D space.
Acting as environmental surveyors and engineers, students build tools with LEGO® bricks from the Simple & Powered Machines set or cardboard to create and visualize an initial transportation plan for the development of an island National Park in Excel. They then bring their National Park to life by adding topographic elements.
In refards to STEM, Microsoft is committed to giving teachers new ways to teach these subjects with fun curricula that sparks students’ innate creativity, a skill that is predicted to be one of the top three most desired skills by employers in 2020.
One way they want to do this is through MakeCode, which today announced a new Cue Education app, available first on Windows, new curricula for Computer Science with MakeCode for Minecraft, and a new MakeCode for micro:bit Windows 10 app.
With all of these new experiences available in time for the upcoming school year, there’s never been a better time for schools to try Microsoft Education. Microsoft will continue to work hard to deliver innovative technology for educators around the world to unlock limitless learning for students of all abilities.
