Check out these featured resources developed by teachers, for teachers. Sign up for updates to be alerted when new lesson plans are highlighted.

Office OneNote and learning styles: a perfect match

Those who know about the effectiveness of learning styles often hunt high and low for a learning tool that lets them exploit the potential of learning styles. When using technology in the classroom, educators tend to alternate between various Microsoft programs, and they frequently face difficulties when trying to connect and combine their learning materials. For many, the Microsoft Office OneNote 2007 note-taking application is the solution to easily and effectively cater to different learning styles. Learn more >

Here are some other great educator references for Office OneNote:

• Office OneNote for educators site
  Download the teacher toolkit. The toolkit is an Office OneNote notebook with templates, how-to articles, training videos, examples, and other resources to help teachers start and then master the use of Office OneNote in the classroom.
• Microsoft Office Online: OneNote 2007
  Get a 60-day free trial of Office OneNote 2007 and access free templates and other product information and resources.
• Teacher how-to with Office OneNote 2007
  Watch this online product demo to find out all kinds of tips and tricks for Office OneNote.

Out of the classroom and beyond

E-portfolios that function as collaborative, personalized learning spaces rather than just personal showcases provide deeper educational experiences. They offer a means of assessment that can support generative learning and build the skills essential for twenty-first-century students. Gary Brown, Nils Peterson, Adrian Wilson, and Jim Ptaszynski identify the challenges and discuss some lessons learned in the Washington State University effort to adopt an e-portfolio program based on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. The emerging technology supporting e-portfolios and personal learning environments presents opportunities to engage students and external stakeholders more fully by making learning visible. View complete white paper >

Personalized Learning Can Help Students Think Critically and Become Lifelong Learners

Read this Partners-in-Learning report on Enquiring Minds, a three-year research-and-development program that explores alternatives to traditional teaching and learning methods in the United Kingdom. The goal of the program was to empower students to take a more active role in their own education and to develop important lifelong learning skills such as creative thinking, teamwork, problem solving, and conducting independent research. Download report >

Lesson plan: Plan and take a road trip

In this lesson, students learn about the geography of their state (or other states) while they create a travel plan, construct a map with Microsoft MapPoint business mapping software, research various locations throughout the selected states, calculate distances, and write postcards to send home. Learn more >

Lesson plan: Save a species

In this lesson, students gain an understanding of how human activity is threatening biodiversity—and what that might mean to the health of the planet. Students explore the risks posed to lesser-known endangered species and argue for a plan to save them. Learn more >.

Get Microsoft Education products in your school.

Do you need assistance getting Microsoft Education products in your school? We can help.

Because your school is already operating genuine Microsoft software, it may be eligible for volume licensing discounts, making these products very affordable.

Meet other innovative educators.

Join the Innovative Teachers Network

• Unites a global community of educators interested in twenty-first-century learning.
• Enables collaboration and sharing of methodologies, strategies, and content.
• Includes a huge library of lesson plans and other downloads.
• Offers detailed Microsoft Education product tutorials and how-to articles.
• Helps connect educational institutions to the resources they need.

Download Learning Essentials 2.0 for free. Or, to learn more, watch the demo now.

Learning Essentials 2.0 helps you get the most out of your existing Microsoft Office XP, Office 2003, or the 2007 Microsoft Office system (sold separately) applications as an educator. The free download includes access to more than 117 templates and 38 tutorials, helping you:

• Save time on administrative tasks, including creating handouts, presentations, grading rubrics, and more.
• Discover new classroom strategies and activities for Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies.
• Includes a huge library of lesson plans and other downloads.
• Create tests and quizzes without any formatting issues.
• Customize your Office application toolbars for fast access to education-specific tools.

Download now for free!

Dream Spark

High schools and colleges, give your students professional-level development and design tools. Register now and provide your students with access to all twelve DreamSpark product offers.

Student Tech Clubs

Also, for your tech savvy students, there are a host of Student Tech Clubs that can connect them with top-rated user groups, meetings, community sites, blogs, forums, events and breaking news. In 30 seconds they can create a personalized technology resource center, customized with content suggested by like-minded students and student-developers. Student Tech Clubs isn't a search engine or a content repository. It’s a place for students and student-developers to share and promote top-notch content and community resources. Learn more>