Microsoft has an academically rich education site at Microsoft.com/education. A wide range of free educational materials, including free lesson plans, are available for both the student and teacher to access, and numerous downloads and enhancements are available for either group to peruse. When landing on the main site at Microsoft.com/education, one will immediately notice that the site is very intuitive. Every clickable link is clearly labeled and adequately explained, which makes browsing extremely user-friendly and allows a person to find the materials they are looking for in as little time as possible. A teacher can access free lessons plans for Geography, History, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Technology, and Social Studies with the click of a button. Several main topics are highlighted on the main lesson plan portal, but a search feature is also present. The search feature will allow an educator to search the free lesson plans and how-to articles for keywords and to limit the search to a specific grade level and subject heading. These lessons plans explore their topics through the use of computer programs and supplemental web-sites. Teachers can also access free clip art and media, educational templates, gradebook templates, academic calendars, newsletter templates, a professional development tool, and free posters for their classroom!

However, teachers aren’t the only ones who will find handy resources at Microsoft.com/education. Students can access a wide-range of materials to further their education, both at school and independently. A studies tab on the student section of the web-site presents a variety of well-organized tutorials, templates, and personal stories. These materials will help any student become a more efficient and organized learner, and provide them with handy tips and tricks to expedite basic tasks in Microsoft programs such as Word. The Microsoft DreamSpark section of the student portal provides access to numerous Microsoft program downloads for the purpose of education and personal enhancement. The software available will help students learn design and technology skills, math, science, and engineering activities. Any person who is enrolled at an accredited school and a verified student is free to download and use these programs. The Microsoft.com/education web-site provides a wealth of material for students and teachers. Much of the material presented utilizes a mixture of traditional education and technology, making it a real treasure for any teacher who wishes to expand the multimedia aspects of their lessons and for students who want to remain on the cutting edge of learning opportunities.

The Microsoft keynote at this year’s RSA security conference in San Francisco featured Tandem for Schools to demo its new identification system called Geneva which provides authenticated information on a user (claims) to a third party application from the school’s existing information database (Active Directory). The third party app can then determine the permission level of the individual as it relates to the application based on this information. For instance Tandem for Schools can authenticate that an individual is a teacher from information received through Geneva from the school’s Active Directory and then grant them permission to add events to the school calendar.

Microsoft’s keynote at the 2009 RSA Conference by Scott Charney, VP of Trustworthy Computing, described Microsoft’s integration of the Geneva identification system with Tandem for Schools (you can view the keynote here which discusses Tandem at the 27:00 mark).

Security is important to everyone, and we here at Intand are dedicated to making sure that we are providing an easy, but safe, way for a school district to connect with their community. With the help of Microsoft’s Geneva Server, it becomes much easier for the IT staff at a district to manage the different identities and levels of permissions across their entire staff and community. This is a HUGE win for those at a school district in the IT department.

Intand is the first third party application to be tested with Microsoft’s new identity technology. Microsoft is currently piloting the system at the Lake Washington School District, which includes 50 schools and nearly 24,000 students.

According to Ariel Gordon from Microsoft’s Identity and Security Division, “What Intand has done is modify their application so that it can consume the claims that are coming from the district’s Active Directory through the Geneva server which conveys the users identities and rights and privileges. They have also made it possible for users to use an information card to sign in so they don’t need to type anything to access the app.”

When Geneva server is released by Microsoft, it will allow schools to manage security permissions for multiple third party applications from a single personnel database which can save the IT team significant time and energy.

Read more about Microsoft’s Identity Technology test with Tandem for Schools:

Microsoft tests identity technology in schools CNET

Microsoft tests online ID system in its hometown school district TechFlash

Microsoft: Internet, PCs Need New Security Model InternetNews

photo via ZDNet