Microsoft launched Microsoft 365 Education package at this years Innovation Africa event in Mozambique. Also signed up a new Education country partner.
MOU Signing between Microsoft Education and the Ministry of Education in Mozambique at Innovation Africa 2017. ?: @MicrosoftAfrica
At Innovation Africa 2017 conference held in Maputo, Mozambique Microsoft introduced the recently announced Microsoft 365 Package for education. The event brings together ministries and industry partners from across African continent in the fields of ICT, education and innovation.
Microsoft 365 Education is a technology solution built for education. It comes as a bundled package of Office 365, Windows 10, Intune for Education, Minecraft Education Edition and Enterprise Mobility + Security all in a single cloud based package.
Microsoft also partnered with the ministry of education in Mozambique.
Making it the 20th education partner country in Africa. Microsoft says they are committed to empowering the next generation of workers in Mozambique by helping building skills and providing access to technology. As part of the agreement Microsoft will provide technology solutions, training, devices and more delivered by Microsoft partners in the country.
So what does Microsoft want to achieve with the Microsoft 365 Education package in Africa?
Microsoft says;
“the aim of Microsoft 365 Education is to get schools up and running faster through simplified acquisition and deployment. This eliminates wasted time and delivers new capabilities to teachers and students to help them learn and work in new ways.
We know that schools want simple to purchase, simple to manage, secure and efficient systems. Microsoft 365 Education is designed to deliver on that need.
Millions of teachers and students are already using Office 365 for Education to communicate and collaborate with each other every day. With Microsoft 365 Education, we are providing a complete solution for schools in a single purchase that is a less expensive option than purchasing the same products individually. It’s also part of our drive to simplify and modernize our licensing programs.” – Mark East, Microsoft Regional Leader for Education in Europe Middle East and Africa.
The new Microsoft 365 Education package unlocks three major achievements, these include;
Unlocking creativity in each student with immersive and engaging apps like Minecraft: Education Edition. Enhance independence and efficiency for students of all abilities using intelligent tools built into Office apps
Promoting teamwork with a single hub for classes using Microsoft Teams. Make it easier to work together in real-time with co-authoring in Office, while providing a universal toolkit to connect, share and communicate
Providing a simple, safe experience for everyone while managing users, data and devices in a single dashboard. Protect identity, apps, data and devices with intelligent security
For more information on Microsoft 365 Education read more about it here
From Left: Mark East, Warren La Fleur at the Microsoft booth answering questions ?: @MicrosoftAfrica
Microsoft leads Education panel session on Investing in ICT’s for Digital Skills
At the innovation Africa conference, Microsoft’s Regional Education Manager, Warren La Fleur chaired a panel session on Investing in ICT’s for Digital Skills. Speaking as chair he said;
Digital Transformation is changing many important functional elements of societies, businesses and governments. Jobs and lifestyles are changing and our future generation of leaders and citizens need to be given the skills necessary.
Educators are training children on systems that they were trained on and this is not providing students with adequate skills. The challenge therefore is to create two systems.
Educators be able to retrain themselves by up-skilling in a way that aligns to becoming more digitally capable.
Offer a curriculum for students that unlocks foundational skills such as creativity, critical thinking and collaboration.
The Outcome – they will be able to function in tech driven world, doing jobs that will become vastly different from what they currently are.
We partnered with the Ministry of Education in Rwanda, through its Partners in Learning program. We helped teachers and schools improve students’ experiences and skills through technology. To date, the program has benefitted more than 1.3 million students in sub-Saharan Africa.
This just shows that we believe in the power of technology to harness the potential of educators and students in learning environments.
We believe in the transformative power of technology in education to create social and economic opportunities. Immersive learning, enabled by technology, improves experiences and education outcomes for teachers and learners.
More and better education, combined with early access to the tools and skills used in the workplace are proven to help create healthier communities, economies and workers.
Microsoft’s investments in education continue under various programs including the 4Afrika and YouthSpark initiaives. Through the 4Afrika initiative, Microsoft has already upskilled over 800,000 Africans.
This just shows that we believe in the power of tech to harness the potential of educators and students in learning environments.
Mahala is a Microsoft education initiative that provides students with access to free Microsoft Office 365 and 1TB of OneDrive
Speaking at LEADEREX 2017 event, Microsoft South Africa MD spoke about many initiatives including Mahala.
Mahala is an education partnership between Microsoft South Africa and 2enable. The initiative seeks to offer all South African school learners from the ages of 8 and above free access to Microsoft Office across all their devices as well as 1TB of OneDrive storage.
Microsoft South Africa says; with the platform, we have simplified the process for signing up for Office 365 for Education. We have extended the benefits that we supply. By using the Mahala.MS platform to register you will receive the following;
Install of Office 365 Pro Plus (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote & Outlook) across multiple different devices across all platforms (iOS, Android & Windows)
1TB of OneDrive storage
Office Online applications that work across all browsers (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote & Sway)
So what’s the difference between signing up via Microsoft Education and Mahala.ms? Microsoft SA says;
We’ve simplified the signup process to remove blockers such as lack of Academic email address. We have extended the benefits to include the installed version of Office instead of limiting to web access only.
How and what do you need to get started?
You must be a full or part-time student at an academic institution in South Africa, between the ages of 8 and 22. You will need the following information while signing up on the platform.
South African ID number (can be found on the birth certificate or ID book)
Internet access
Private email address, used for correspondence of Mahala.MS log in details.
What will happen when the access expires? If you are still eligible, you can re-apply. But if it’s not your documents will still be available to view but not editable.
Visit the Mahala page and register for the offer. Are you in South Africa and excited about this? Tell us what you think in the comments.
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Check out other stories making the news in the technology ecosystem in Africa and the Middle East.
Digital Education can empower the next generation, Chinenye Ezeakor Microsoft Nigeria Education Programs Assistant shares her thoughts on how.
Chinenye talks about how digital literacy can be a catalyst for the curious youth in this generation and the next. She says the truth of the matter is we live in a digital world and companies of all sizes have a growing need for technology experts. There’s a huge need to get more African youths, including girls, into STEM subjects, particularly technology and computing.
When the education system provides students with the skills they need to thrive, they are more likely to stay and help their country prosper, rather than migrating for better educational or economic opportunities.
As Education Programs Assistant for Microsoft Nigeria, Chinenye Ezeakor and the Education Programs team push for greater digital literacy in Nigeria’s schools through the Microsoft Imagine Academy initiative. She says this kind of support is particularly vital in developing countries. When the education system provides students with the skills they need to thrive, they are more likely to stay and help their country prosper, rather than migrating for better educational or economic opportunities.
Digital Education must be practical
An electrical and electronic engineering graduate from University of Port Harcourt, Chinenye says to fight the trend, you’ve got to start early to foster interests in STEM. Children love to get hands-on, whether they are building sandcastles or playing with Lego. So it’s essential that we translate STEM subjects into practical, hands-on experiences. Due to the type of educational system, we don’t really get to experiment with science. When you can’t see the practical application of something in real-life, you’re not going to see the relevance or the possibilities it might hold for you.
It is essential that we translate STEM subjects into practical experiences. When you can’t see the practical application of something in real-life, you’re not going to see the possibilities it holds.
This takes on an added level of urgency when you consider how important digital technologies are becoming to Africa’s prosperity and growth. A few years ago, people in Nigeria were unsure about using e-commerce; now it’s a huge component of our economy. This is partly due to the rapid pace at which mobile technology is evolving in Africa, but it also comes down to digital literacy.
Read more on Chinenye Ezeakor’s take on Digital Education and how it can cause economic growths. What’s you take on digital literacy and how it can impact our lives. Do join the conversation and share your thoughts in the comments.
Over 50 educators from across the African sub region participated in this years Microsoft Educator Exchange Africa event in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Microsoft Educator Exchange E², is an educational event that recognises and celebrates the achievements of educators. Who combine content, pedagogy, and technology in ways to prepare students for success.
This event brings together innovative educators to collaborate, create and share their experiences on how to integrate technology and pedagogy to advance learning. They also discover new ways to implement effective program-based learning to achieve student outcomes, and transform education. The event also provides insight into the latest trends in education.
Microsoft says they are always committed to helping educators and students create and share in new ways.
Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) is the foundation of our kid’s education. – Sonja Delafosse
Sonja Delafosse of Microsoft World Wide Education, spoke during the keynote on STEAM and its use in education. Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) is the foundation of our kid’s education. We are able to connect and stay connected, making the world a smaller place. Teachers should let their students do problem solving exercises everyday.
Minecraft education edition gives students an immersive way to learn while tackling problems. – Stephen Reid
Stephen Reid, Immersive Minds shared on game based learning in the classroom, of Games in Education.
From a statistics he shared 56% of parents say video games positively affect their children. Some very interesting games that can be used in teaching children include LittleBigPlanet, Ico, From Dust, and Valiant Hearts. They are some of the best games used to teach kids about all sorts of things.
Don’t forget about Microsoft’s strides with Minecraft in education and how that is rapidly being adopted and used in the class room. There was a demo of the Minecraft Education edition. On how by using Minecraft as a platform for learning, educators can motivate and inspire every student to achieve more and ignite a passion for learning.
La deuxième édition du concours RFI Challenge App Afrique à lancé à Abidjan et le concours favorises l’intégration des nouvelles technologies dans le domaine de l’éducation des filles en Afrique.
La deuxième edition du concours RFI Challenge App Afrique était lancé à Abidjan.
Le compétition vise à développer des solutions mobiles ou d’autre innovations numérique en Afrique qui donne l’opportunité de savoir. Organisée par France Médias Monde à travers l’émission 7 milliards de voisins de RFI avec ses partenaires Microsoft, Facebook, Orange et L’organisation internationale de la francophonie(OIF). C’est aussi en partenariat avec des incubateurs africains (CTIC, Woelab) et d’autres acteurs tels que Plan International, Onu Femmes CIV et la French Tech Abidjan.
Cette année le concours favorises l’intégration des nouvelles technologies dans le domaine de l’éducation des filles en Afrique.
Le but de cette compétition est de favoriser l’éducation des filles en particulier en Afrique à travers le développement d’applications mobiles ou de tout autre service numérique permettant de développer l’accès à la connaissance et au savoir.
Les inscriptions du concours sont ouvertes à tous les entrepreneurs, organisations et médias africains à partir du 27 avril au 30 juin 2017. Le lauréat bénéficiera d’une dotation de 15000 euros pour développer son projet.
“Ensemble, nous pouvons relever le défi de l’éducation des filles avec le numérique.” – Emmanuelle Bastide
(Présentatrice de 7 Milliards de Voisins sur RFI)
Allez sur le site RFI Challenge App Afrique pour en savoir plus. Aussi lisez le règlement complet ici
