Innovative Teachers Program

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Are you familiar with Microsoft’s Innovative Teachers program? This program is for all teachers and not just computer science or other technology teachers. The goals of the program are (borrowed from the website):

Program Goals

The Microsoft Innovative Teachers program is dedicated to providing classroom teaching and professional learning resources that:

  • Bring together a community of teachers as learners.
  • Facilitate the creation of collective knowledge.
  • Create a platform for the advancement of best practices and adoption of innovation.
  • Provide training and access to technology resources.
  • Deliver integration confidence to teachers using technology in the learning process.
  • Engage teachers intellectually and offering opportunities for them to be active stakeholders in their profession.

One of the important parts of this program is the Innovative Teachers Forum. The Forum is a recognition of success using technology in education and involves a meeting of teaching teams at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond Washington.

The 2006 U.S. Innovative Teachers Forum will recognize and reward outstanding examples of educators working collaboratively, to share expertise and build collective knowledge leading to professional growth and improved student outcomes.

The U.S. Innovative Teachers Forum, supported by Microsoft along with the National Staff Development Council and the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, will bring together exemplary K-12 learning teams for two days, September 21-22, 2006, on the Microsoft corporate campus in Redmond, Washington.

The Forum will provide learning teams with the opportunity to share expertise, engage collaboratively with their peers, and grow professionally through a series of learning projects. In addition, Forum attendees will have the opportunity to develop ongoing professional relationships with their peers from around the country—relationships extending beyond the conclusion of the Forum

Be sure to check out the Frequently Asked Questions and answers page to learn more about this exciting event. Proposals for attendance are now being accepted through midnight Pacific Time, July 31st, 2006. The learning teams who are selected (and who will have their way paid) will be notified by August 15th, 2006.