It sneaks up on me
every year. One minute, my family is fully ensconced in summer break, the next
we’re deep into school supply lists and pre-work to prep for the first day
back.
This year, as I’ve
helped my own students get ready to go back to school, I’ve been thinking about
all the cool (and free!) offerings Microsoft provides to bridge the technology
gap for student developers. We’re committed to empowering the next generation
of creators with access to technology and training – after all, our future is
in their hands! – and we have a little healthy competition thrown in for good
measure. Here are a few of the offers that students can take advantage of today
and throughout their educations:
One of the newest
additions to our lineup, developer hub GitHub offers their Student Developer Pack, which provides access
to the best real-world developer tools and training. Students who join the Pack
receive GitHub
Pro at no charge while in school, plus exclusive offers from
GitHub Education partners, including Microsoft.
Microsoft Azure for Students offers a free annual
renewal subscription to our top cloud services, plus access to dozens of other
Azure and artificial intelligence (AI) tools and training. Students can build
skills in trending tech including data science, AI, machine learning and other
areas with access to professional developer tools like Visual StudioCode.
Microsoft Education
has a plethora of resources available for students and educators, who can
get Office 365 free as well, which includes
powerful tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and now Microsoft Teams
and a lot more. This isn’t a trial – it’s a full-featured product that is free
while the student is in school and offered at a big discount after graduation.
Educators also have a wealth of resources available to them to help students engage with STEM, from customized
training opportunities to unique Minecraft editions to access to special guest
speakers.
For college and
university students, the annual Imagine Cup competition is now open for
entry. I’m continually impressed by the impactful ideas that come out of
Imagine Cup – many of which go on to become full-fledged products. But big
ideas that make a difference aren’t born in a vacuum, and they can’t be
achieved alone. I think that’s one of the things that makes Imagine Cup so
special. Students learn how to work together, be resourceful, meet deadlines
and a select few receive funding to help take their ideas to the next level.
This year’s Imagine
Cup theme is AI for Good. Driven by inspiration and a growing
sense of purpose, we’ve seen student competitors create applications tackling
some of the world’s biggest social, environmental and health challenges – one
user at a time – and that’s what Imagine Cup is all about! So, it only makes
sense that there is a stronger focus on AI this year. It’s one of the most
promising ways technology can help us be more inclusive, effective and
productive. I encourage students with a dream of a better future and an idea to
sign up and get to work. I’m excited to see where the competitors take
the challenge this year – and where the competition takes them.
Students who want to
be a force for good and make a difference in their communities – while learning
and sharing Microsoft technologies with their peers – can apply to be a MicrosoftStudent Partner, a program that lets student leaders gain
experiences, access exclusive resources and gather real-world technical and
career skills.
Finally, LinkedIn offers
a wide variety of networking and educational opportunities to support students
when it comes time to look for a job, learn a new skill or connect with
classmates. A current and accurate LinkedIn profile is one of the best ways to
build and maintain a career network.
Our goal is for all
students to have access to the technology and support they need to make their
dreams come true. Please share these offerings with the students in your life,
and if you are a student, I hope you’ll take advantage of one or more of them
to take your ideas to the next level this year.
FOR MORE INFO: VISIT US
CALL US: +1-800-201-4243
Comments
Post a Comment