U.S. Teachers Awarded at Microsoft's 2012 Global Forum
REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Five teachers
from the U.S. were celebrated Saturday night as five of the most
innovative educators in the world, as part of Microsoft Corp.'s
annual Global Forum Educator Awards. During the ceremony, held in
the prestigious Prague Castle to mark the culmination of the 2012
Microsoft Partners in Learning Global Forum, Microsoft announced 21
winners, narrowed down from more than 250,000 teachers registered
across national and regional forums throughout the year.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)
"We can't educate tomorrow's leaders with tools and practices
from the past. We must continue to invest in the development of
enhanced learning environments that lead to better outcomes," said
Anthony Salcito, vice president,
Worldwide Education for Microsoft. "We are honored to recognize
these amazing professionals for the work they do every day to
enrich the educational experiences of children around the
world."
These are the winning U.S. educators:
1st Place: Collaboration
Pauline Roberts and Rick
Joseph; Birmingham Covington School (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)
Project: Doing Business in Birmingham
Doing Business in Birmingham aims
to promote the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts
and processes required for personal decision-making, participation
in civic and cultural affairs, and economic productivity. After
learning about sustainability in business, students took to the
streets of downtown Birmingham to
assess the sustainability of businesses in their local community.
Armed with informational flyers and brochures they had created, the
students visited more than 90 establishments to interview and
educate local business owners. Students used Microsoft Office,
Photosynth, Publisher and MovieMaker among other technologies to
complete the project.
2nd Place: Cutting-Edge Use of Technology for
Learning
Robin Lowell and
Sherry Hahn; Washington State School for the Blind
(Vancouver, Wash.)
Project: "LYNC"ing Distance Learning Math Classes to Blind and
Visually Impaired Students
The Washington State School for
the Blind developed an effective program built on Microsoft Lync
that provides specialized mathematics instruction to blind and
visually impaired students. The school's teacher lives more than
100 miles away from the campus and uses videoconferencing and Lync
to instruct her classes to any student with a Lync client and an
Internet connection.
3rd Place: Educators' Choice
Todd LaVogue; Roosevelt Community Middle School
(West Palm Beach, Fla.)
Project: What's Up Egypt?
Students created a TV show about ancient Egypt to gain a deeper understanding of life
during that time. Students used Microsoft Word, Internet Explorer
and video editing software to research and create a
"TODAY"-style news program with news, weather, sports,
cooking, lifestyle, history and music segments. Students compared
and contrasted ancient Egypt with
today's society and in the end they had a better understanding of
what it would have been like to have lived during that time.
"Having the opportunity to be here at the Microsoft Global Forum
has been one of most meaningful experiences for both Pauline [Roberts] and me as teachers principally
because we have the opportunity to interact with other
practitioners from around the globe," said Rick Joseph, first-place winner in the
Collaboration category. "We as teachers believe our children learn
in a global environment. When we can get together with teachers
from around the world and see what they're doing and see the ways
in which they engage their students, it's very energizing to us
because it really enables us to be the best that we can be."
"We have connected with teachers and schools from around the
world that are amazingly innovative and so passionate. This is just
the beginning of what we can do. There is so much more innovation
and new ways of teaching, new ways of learning, that this is the
tip of the iceberg," said Robin
Lowell, second-place winner in the Cutting-Edge Use of
Technology for Learning category. "We've gathered ideas to take
home with us, which is going to improve us as teachers and improve
our students' education and life."
"Teachers don't work for recognition, but for our students.
Still, to have our effort and impact recognized by Microsoft as one
of the country's best is an incredible feeling," said Todd LaVogue, third-place winner in the
Educators' Choice category. "My intent is to give my students my
very best, and the ideas I've gathered from other educators at the
Partners in Learning Global Forum are helping me do just that. My
students are starting to understand how special and important they
are and that their success in adult life begins right
now."
Saturday night's awards were presented to educators across six
categories. All winners will be automatically included in the new
Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert Program, a one-year initiative
created to recognize educators globally who are using technology to
transform education. Educator Experts will become Microsoft's
partner in many of its education activities throughout the year,
focused on ensuring learning outcomes and sharing of experiences
with peers and policymakers on effective use of technology in
education.
In return, members receive the inside track on the latest
Microsoft thinking and technologies, as well as access to the
latest and greatest software and products. In addition, Microsoft
will ensure that this group is getting the professional and career
development opportunities that will be long lasting and help them
make a difference in their students' lives.
Participants were judged by an international panel of education
professionals through rigorous scoring. Through virtual classroom
tours and onsite interviews by judges, these teachers demonstrated
innovative teaching practices, giving their students critical 21st
century skills, such as collaboration, critical thinking and social
responsibility, by leveraging effective and engaging technology
resources. Teachers were recognized across the following
categories:
- Extended Learning Beyond the Classroom
- Collaboration
- Knowledge Building and Critical Thinking
- Cutting-Edge Use of Technology for Learning
- Educator as Innovator and Change Agent
- Educators' Choice
Saturday's award ceremony was attended by more than 500
teachers, school leaders and education leaders, as well as
government officials from more than 80 countries. The celebration
capped off a week of education workshops and announcements,
including an additional $250 million investment by Microsoft over
the next five years in Partners in Learning and a new $75 million
partnership between Microsoft and some of the largest and most
impactful humanitarian organizations in the world to execute a
program to help children and teachers gain first-time access to
technology.
An example of this initiative begins today with a program
entitled Spark a Child's Digital Future
http://www.worldvision.org/bethespark. This initiative is a
collaborative effort uniting World Vision, British Council,
Microsoft and Intel, linking African youth with over 1 million
potential donors in the United
States alone.
About Partners in Learning
Microsoft Partners in
Learning is a 15-year, $750 million
commitment by Microsoft to help education systems around the world.
Since its inception in 2003, the Partners in Learning program has
reached more than 210 million teachers and students in 119
countries. Partners in Learning helps educators and school leaders
connect, collaborate, create and share so students can realize
their greatest potential. The online Partners in Learning Network
is one of the world's largest global professional networks for
educators, connecting millions of teachers and school leaders
around the world in a community of professional development.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
"MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions
that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.