MICROSOFT IT ACADEMY CINDY PRIDGEN, FACILITATOR

WHAT IS MICROSOFT ® IT ACADEMY Program designed to help schools offer students and faculty learning solutions for IT skills training and certification

IT ACADEMY PROGRAM IS COMMITTED TO… Preparing learners for employability in the 21 st Century workforce Advancing arts & sciences knowledge through technology Creating new and stimulating learning environments Enabling instructor-learner collaboration Transforming Education Developing a skilled 21 st Century workforce Creating alliances between business, education and government Enhancing employability through industry-recognized certification credentials Promoting Employability & Creating Jobs & Opportunities

PROGRAM OBJECTIVE: “Empowering academic institutions to help students realize their skills and career potential through relevant, high- quality training programs”

The best outcomes Relevant learning Maximization of IT assets Attract students and talent Institutions Want Relevant curriculum Time-saving options Engaged students Educators Want Real-world training Cutting-edge skills Valuable credentials Students Want

WHAT DO MICROSOFT ® IT ACADEMY STUDENTS LEARN? Two Academies are currently offered: Microsoft ® IT Academy A OneNote Word Publisher PowerPoint Microsoft ® IT Academy B Excel Access

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO TAKE THE COURSE? High School students who would normally sign up for Computer Applications I, which is part of the state’s Career and Technical Education Standard Course of Study NCDPI is recommending that the Microsoft ® IT Academy replace Computer Applications I in all high schools beginning August, 2011 Computer Applications I is the state’s largest elective, averaging about 50-60,000 students annually

TYPICAL MICROSOFT ® IT ACADEMY CLASS Courses are broken into different lessons requiring students to: Complete reading assignments Watch videos Follow a computer demo Complete a lab Validate their learning with exams Microsoft offers additional lesson plans for teachers to use to supplement E-learning Teachers supplement with other resources to create engaging lessons

NORTH CAROLINA AND MICROSOFT The Microsoft ® IT Academy aligns with North Carolina’s education goals by helping to provide high school students with the 21 st Century skills they will need to be successful in college and their careers. The Academy keeps North Carolina on the cutting edge of technology by providing teachers and students access to the latest Microsoft programs and software.

NORTH CAROLINA AND MICROSOFT Currently 37 high schools, including John A. Holmes High School, are piloting the program 20 additional districts in North Carolina will test the program beginning in January North Carolina expects all 628 public high schools to participate in the Microsoft ® IT Academy beginning in August, North Carolina will become the largest customer to adopt the program out of all 9,000 IT Academy customers worldwide.

VIDEO FROM DR. JUNE ATKINSON 6ec74ea123af.

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