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www.office.com/setup Blogs: Today, we are pleased to announce the availability of Microsoft Forms for our Office 365 Education customers. Forms is the result of direct feedback from educators that they want to have a quizzing function with Office 365 Education. Educators told us they need an easy way to assess student progress on an ongoing basis. They also told us they want an assessment solution that will save them time, help differentiate instruction for all students and provide quiz takers with real-time personalized feedback. We designed Forms to be super easy so that anyone could confidently create a form and easily see results as they come in. Forms lets anyone with an Office 365 Education account create and/or respond to quizzes. What makes Forms unique and so valuable for educators is the automatic grading and in-quiz feedback functionality. Automatic grading does exactly what the name implies and greatly reduces the time spent grading. In-quiz feedback is a feature that lets quiz authors personalize messages depending how a student answers a question. For example, if a student answers a question incorrectly they may get a message, such as: "The answer is incorrect. I suggest you review chapter four as this will be on the final." HOW FORMS WORKS When an instructor wants to assess how well the students understand a given topic, they can quickly author a quiz directly from their desktop or mobile web browser. The instructor simply determines the questions they would like to ask and then chooses an answer type, such as multiple choice, text or a rating. The Forms authors can then send a link or QR code to quiz takers or embed the quiz into a web page, blog or Learning Management System (LMS), and recipients can complete the quiz on phones, tablets or PCs. And with the real-time feedback in Forms, the instructor can very quickly see where the class may need additional instruction or could advance more rapidly. Forms responses can also be exported to Mi

It is very important to understand school safety when becoming a tecaher. All schools have different policies, but this overview is good to read

An online teaching magazine with various information for teachers. Bills and Laws, Legislation, top places to work, books, and news.

Teacher Magazine is a leading information source for k-12 teacher leaders. We cover instruction, school environment, classroom technology, curriculum, and other aspects of school reform and the teaching profession.

Article addressing changes in the future for school systems under new president Barack Obama

How to Use the New Microsoft Forms - www.office.com/setup www.office.com/setup Blogs: Have you seen the new Microsoft Forms? One of the most popular articles on my blog in the last 12 months was related to its predecessor - Excel Surveys. Not only did that post get a lot of views, but it also got a lot of comments from people with questions about the features of Excel Surveys, or more importantly for some, the features it did not have. You can still use Excel Surveys, but Microsoft are in the process of transitioning to something better - Microsoft Forms. This version includes automatic grading and built-in student feedback. Here's what you need to know. GETTING STARTED You can find the homepage for Microsoft Forms by going to forms.office.com, or you may see Forms listed in the Office 365 App Launcher. Both links go to the same place. Technically, Forms is still in Preview but you can sign in with your Office 365 Education account today and start creating surveys and quizzes. The new Microsoft Forms work on desktop and mobile browsers. Once you are logged in, click the New button to create your first form. Replace Untitled Form with a title of your choice, and add a description underneath if you want to provide any directions or information for students or parents who are filling out your Form. BUILDING A FORM Tapping the Add Question button gives you access to the question types that are available to you in this new version of Microsoft Forms. The options include: Choice: for creating multiple choice questions! Tap or click the slider to allow people to select multiple answers. You can also tap or click the ellipses button to shuffle answers. Quiz: a multiple choice question that you allows you to select a correct answer for automatic grading. Tapping the comment icon on each answer choice lets you add student feedback for each selection. Multiple answers and shuffled answers are also available to you when working on Quiz questions. Text: to collect

www.office.com/setup Blogs: Microsoft Forms is a new part of Office 365 Education that allows teachers and students to quickly and easily create custom quizzes, surveys, questionnaires, registrations and more. When you create a quiz or form, you can invite others to respond to it using any web browser, even on mobile devices. As results are submitted, you can use built-in analytics to evaluate responses. Form data, such as quiz results, can be easily exported to Excel for additional analysis or grading. WHAT YOU'LL NEED An Office 365 Education subscription. If you're not sure you have this, please contact your IT administrator to verify. An organizational or school ID account for yourself with permissions to use Microsoft Forms. Screenshot showing monitor with form open - www.office.com/setup Create forms in minutes Screenshot showing three people sharing a form - www.office.com/setup Send forms to anyone Screenshot of a monitor displaying charts for a form - www.office.com/setup See results in real time Why can't I log in to Microsoft Forms? Microsoft Forms is available only to Office 365 Education subscribers using a school or organization ID account. GET STARTED QUICKLY Clipboard Bring together teachers and students. Get more done! Create a form or quiz with questions, define settings, share your form, and check the results-in a few easy steps. Step 1: Sign in and create a new form or quiz Step 2: Adjust settings for your form or quiz Step 3: Send your form or quiz to others and collect responses Step 4: Check your form results or quiz results Are you an admin? Learn about security and privacy, Microsoft Forms data storage, and how to turn on or turn off Microsoft Forms in your organization. ADD PICTURES AND VIDEOS TO YOUR FORM OR QUIZ People Enhance your quizzes and forms with pictures and videos. Want to add a logo to your form or display pictures or videos next to quiz questions? You can do all of these tasks quickly in Microsoft Forms. Add a picture

www.office.com/setup Blogs: Office 2016 for Mac is here, so we bring you everything you need to know about the new version of Office for Mac 2016, including Office 365, UK pricing, new features and more. OFFICE FOR MAC 2016 FIRST LAUNCHED AS PART OF OFFICE 365 IN JULY OF 2015, BUT MAC USERS WANTING TO BUY A COPY OUTRIGHT, RATHER THAN SUBSCRIBE, HAD TO WAIT FOR MICROSOFT TO LAUNCH THE BOXED VERSION. THAT FINALLY HAPPENED IN SEPTEMBER 2015, WHEN THOSE MAC USERS GOT THEIR WISH AND OFFICE 2016 FOR MAC BECAME AVAILABLE FOR £119.99 UPFRONT. HERE, WE TALK YOU THROUGH THE FEATURES IN OFFICE FOR MAC 2016, AND HELP YOU DECIDE WHETHER TO SUBSCRIBE TO OFFICE 365 OR BUY A COPY OUTRIGHT. PLUS, WE SHARE OFFICE FOR MAC 2016 UK PRICING FOR EACH VERSION. A number of new features for the MacBook Pro Touch Bar have been added as of February 2017, these are discussed here. Don't expect Microsoft Office for Mac 2017 anytime soon (or at all, for that matter). There was a five year gap between this current version of Office for Mac and its predecessor, Microsoft Office for Mac 2011. However, those with an Office 365 account will get regular, automatic updates since it is an online subscription. If you buy Office outright as a one-time software download, you won't get these benefits, so something to bear in mind. MICROSOFT OFFICE FOR MAC 2016 UK PRICE: HOW MUCH DOES OFFICE FOR MAC 2016 COST? Office Home & Student 2016 for Mac costs £119.99 ($149.99) and includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. It's available to buy from Microsoft UK here or Microsoft US here. Office Home & Business 2016 for Mac costs £229.99 ($229.99) and includes Outlook as well as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. It's available to buy from Microsoft UK here or Microsoft US here. These versions are only available for one Mac. To install on more than one Mac Microsoft appears to be pushing users towards the 365 subscription model. If you buy a copy outright, you will only be able to install the copy on

www.office.com/setup Blogs: Sway: Microsoft Office presentation software. PowerPoint: Microsoft Office presentation software. So what's the difference? You're watching Jeopardy! when the presenter utters the following answer in keeping with the game show's famous format: "A software tool from Microsoft for creating presentations, web-based reports and projects." Quick as a flash you spit out the question in unison with the contestant: "What is PowerPoint?" To your astonishment, presenter Alex Trebek shakes his head and utters a curt "No". The correct question was "What is Sway?" To the best of our knowledge, that scenario has yet to surface on the American quiz show, but it's hypothetically possible. After all, there are a number of similarities between PowerPoint and Sway on first inspection: Both are part of Microsoft Office Both can be used to create rich presentations Both support multimedia including video, audio and images Both feature customisable templates There's no disputing that there are areas where PowerPoint and Sway overlap. But if you're thinking Sway is just a web-based clone of PowerPoint, think again - each piece of software has highly specific functions. It's well worth familiarising yourself with the differences between the two, cos if you Sway when you're meant to PowerPoint, you're gonna have a bad time. POWERPOINT IN A PARAGRAPH As the world's preeminent slideshow software, PowerPoint requires no introduction. From classroom projects to delivering keynote addresses, Microsoft's easy to use presentation software has graced overhead projectors on every continent. Slides; audience handouts; speaker's notes. Whatever you choose to create and however you choose to deliver your story, PowerPoint makes it simple. SWAY IN SUMMARY Sway is an online presentation and storytelling app that's free for anyone with a Microsoft or Office 365 account. The newest addition to Microsoft Office, Sway helps

www.office.com/setup Blogs: As new Office 365 features become available, they are sometimes rolled out over a period of time to all subscribers. If you have an Office 365 work or school account, the timing of when you receive new features may also depend on your organization's settings. Eventually, all Office 365 subscribers will receive the new features. If you don't see a feature you're expecting in your Office apps, there's no need to worry-it's on its way! NOTE: New builds are also rolled out this way. This means when a build becomes available, not all customers will receive the new features right away. However, you can expect it to come to your device soon. Who gets new features? All new features are included for free as part of your Office 365 subscription. If you have a work or school account, your administrator may control when you see new features. If you have a one-time purchase of Office 2016, you will receive security and performance updates but no new features. How do I get new features? You will get them automatically as they are rolled out. You can also check for and install updates manually. (This does not guarantee that you will receive the newest features right away.) When will new features arrive in my Office? We don't publish an exact day when the updates occur because that day can vary, and multiple updates could happen in a month. All Office 365 subscribers will eventually get the new features. However, if you'd like to get them sooner, you can join the Office Insider program. HOW ARE OFFICE UPDATES ROLLED OUT? If you've joined the Office Insider program, you get preview builds for the latest features, security updates, and performance fixes that Microsoft releases before anyone else. For the Windows, Mac, and Windows Mobile Office Insider programs, there are two tracks: Office Insider Fast and Office Insider Slow. Office Insider for iOS has fast, while Android currently only has slow. When new features and updates are distribu

www.office.com/setup Blogs: The OneNote API team is pleased to announce that we have enabled application-level permissions support for the OneNote API. Until now, OneNote API calls could only be made with user-delegated permissions. This meant that your application would be restricted to scenarios that required a user to be signed in. With application-level permissions support, your application now supports scenarios that do not require a user to be signed in! Read the MSDN article for details of the OneNote API application-level permissions support. With the availability of OneNote API application-level permissions support, many new scenarios that weren't possible earlier are now enabled. Some example scenarios include: Analytics (based on OneNote metadata and content exposed by the OneNote API). Dashboards (based on OneNote metadata and content exposed by the OneNote API). Background provisioning of OneNote content. Background update of OneNote content. During the development process of building the new application-level permissions support for OneNote API, our Product Management and Engineering teams worked closely with third-party partners to ensure that relevant and key education scenarios were implemented. We also ensured that our API would work well with new and upcoming third-party solutions. One of these education companies we worked closely with during the API development was Hapara. "The Hapara Dashboard provides educators with a bird's-eye view into student work across the Office 365 platform. With Dashboard, educators view and access student work from OneDrive and OneNote Class Notebooks from a central hub, making it easier to engage with students and their work across the Office 365 platform. Hapara relies on the new OneNote API to help co-teachers, counselors, coaches and school administrators gain appropriate access to student work in any classroom, something that previously required manual sharing and significant administrative effort by th

This is a blog that describes a common practice for most elementary schools called morning meeting

This video is part of a presentation by Ken Robinson on how schools might be stifling personal creativity and the true human capacity of its students. He uses some great examples as well as personal anecdotes to make his point, and is very interesting to listen to.

This is the official website of the National Writing Project, whose aim is to improve literacy in America's schools. There are a lot of useful links on the site including research, ways to get involved, and the results of past endeavors.

This site provides everything a teacher could be looking for. There are lesson plans, ideas for technology integration, and solutions to school issues.

Teaching website. Has lesson plan ideas, how to develop as a professional, information on the administration, technology integration, school issues you may face, and more.

Under scrutiny, technology supplier shelves plan for outfitting California students with high-tech badges. A CNET article by Alorie Gilbert, Staff Writer, CNET News. Published on February 17, 2005 2:14 PM PST.

This is a website for an organization that helps students to stand up for the books that they enjoy reading that are banned by their schools, parents, and communities.

What is Censorship?

This essay comes from the blog of Jo McLeay, a secondary school teacher in Australia. Ms. McLeay explores the idea of using Twitter and similar microblogging technology as a way of enhancing a student's learning and help integrate technology into the classroom.