Microsoft YouthSpark expands youth programs for computer science education

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Microsoft YouthSpark expands youth programs for computer science education

by Suzanne Choney, Microsoft News Center Staff as written on Microsoft.com
It gave Victoria Tran confidence and a possible career path. It’s giving Joey Cannon the opportunity he has long wanted. They’re among the high school students around the country benefitting from computer science education, something in short supply around the world, and in the U.S., where less than a quarter of high schools teach it.
On Wednesday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced an expansion of the YouthSpark program to increase access to computer science education for all youth worldwide, and especially for those from under-represented backgrounds, with a $75 million commitment in community investments over the next three years.
In the U.S., where the TEALS (Technology Education and Literacy in Schools) program brings computer science education to high school students and teachers, this flagship program of YouthSpark will increase mightily, going from 131 schools in 18 states to nearly 700 schools in 33 states in the next three years.
“If we are going to solve tomorrow’s global challenges, we must come together today to inspire young people everywhere with the promise of technology,” said Nadella. “We can’t leave anyone out.”

Excerpts from an interview conducted by computer science students, as part of Microsoft YouthSpark’s support of Roadtrip Nation.
YouthSpark is a global initiative to increase access for all youth to learn computer science, empowering them to achieve more for themselves, their families and their communities.
With the TEALS program, tech industry volunteers are needed to team-teach computer science to 30,000 students, a message Nadella shared during the annual Dreamforce conference hosted by Salesforce, where he called upon thousands of tech professionals to serve as TEALS volunteers.
Those TEALS volunteers create a ripple effect – you could even call it a tidal wave, really – with what they do. They teach not only students, but prep teachers as well to go on to lead their own computer science classes in subsequent years.
Since the program began in 2009, “We’ve had an amazing response from schools and teachers, as well as volunteers from across the industry, without which none of this would be possible,” says Kevin Wang, the very first volunteer, and the founder of TEALS who works for Microsoft.
Boston technology teacher Ingrid Roche says TEALS volunteers are superb. “Either that, or they’re magically phenomenal,” she says. “They have a ton of knowledge, and they are able to share it with me and the students without being condescending in any way, or judgmental.”
Roche teaches at the Boston Latin Academy, part of Boston Public Schools. The school has about 1,700 students in grades 7-12. The student population reflects the area’s diversity – including students who are black, white, Latino and Asian.
TEALS volunteers, Roche says, “have a sensitivity” to students from different backgrounds.
“That’s really helpful with TEALS having that on their radar,” Roche says. “If it’s always the student who went to computing summer camp raising his hand in class every single time, if he always gets called on – he’s going to get better, and the others won’t.”
By taking a TEALS class, Victoria Tran of San Francisco, and the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, learned about career paths she might not otherwise have considered – or been self-assured enough to try.
“I’m getting better and better. I feel more confident in my abilities. I’ve never been so sure of myself and what I can do,” says Tran, who is contemplating majoring in computer science or electrical engineering in college.
In the state of Washington, TEALS is in its second year at the public International School in Bellevue, where teacher Janet Roberts has been working with TEALS volunteers to teach computer science.
“I have some ancient programming experience in Fortran, and without the expertise of the TEALS people, it would have been very difficult to launch this course,” says Roberts, who also teaches math.
The TEALS volunteers, Roberts says, “have been amazing, dedicated and patient” in working with both her and the students. Last year, there were two classes in AP Computer Science offered, with 55 students in both classes at the high school, which has about 300 students.
Joey Cannon, 18, took the TEALS class last year at the International School and is helping with it this year as a teacher’s assistant.
Without the TEALS program, he says, the school’s AP Computer Science class “wouldn’t be possible,” Joey says. “Even if we just had one teacher who knew all of it really well, it would have been hard for them to be able to provide all the help that students needed.”
Making computer science education the rule and not the exception is achievable, but it takes everyone’s help.
Says TEALS founder Wang: “We need to get to a point where computer science classes are offered alongside other classes like biology, chemistry and physics. We have a long road ahead of us. Microsoft is sort of seeding this investment, but in order for this problem to be solved, we’ve got to have everybody joining us.
“You can think of this is as a movement, and Microsoft is supporting a movement,” Wang says. TEALS “is really there to help our local schools, all of our local schools, wherever they may be, to prepare our kids to make sure they’re ready for what comes next, no matter what they do with their lives.”
Microsoft extends this commitment to the workplace as well through its Explore Microsoft 12-week summer internship program, specifically designed for college students. Explore Microsoft offers a rotational experience that enables the students to gain experience in different software engineering roles.
That’s where Chuma Kabaghe, a native of Zambia attending the University of Illinois, got her start.
“The Explore program exposed me to the three core technology disciplines at Microsoft. I also learned about various areas in the technology sector,” said Kabaghe. “The Explore program allowed me to see what is possible and gave me an opportunity to prove to myself that I really do have what it takes to be a successful software engineer.”
And she does. Kabaghe has now joined Microsoft in that role.
Lead image: Victoria Tran at a TEALS coding event in San Francisco.

Source: http://news.microsoft.com/features/microsoft-youthspark-expands-youth-programs-for-computer-science-education/

Office 2016 Rollout Begins September 22

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Microsoft recently announced that Office 2016 rollout will start from September 22nd. Also, volume licensing customers can download Office 2016 from the Volume Licensing Service Center starting October 1st. To improve the upgrade and installation experience for Office 365 subscribers, Office team have made changes to how the 2016 apps are updated moving forward. Ina addition to that they are also delivering new tools and resources to help IT Admins prepare, deploy and manage Office.

Source: http://microsoft-news.com/office-2016-rollout-begins-september-22/

Today is the last day to enter to win the #UltimateUpgrade Sweepstakes! Upgrade to Windows 10 and you could be a VIP in NYC.

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#UltimateUpgrade Sweepstakes

The ultimate opportunity awaits.
Upgrade to the best Windows yet and enter to win the #UltimateUpgrade to New York City with Microsoft. We’re giving away tickets to NYC to celebrate the grand opening of Microsoft’s flagship store in the fall of 2015.
How to enter:
1. Upgrade to Windows 10†
2. Submit your online entry (below)
3. Share on social media for additional entries
Grand prize:
•Roundtrip airfare for two to NYC
•Hotel accommodations for two nights
•Ultimate tech upgrade featuring Surface Pro 3, Xbox One and Microsoft Band
•Front of line access at the opening of the Microsoft flagship store in NYC
•VIP concert tickets with a meet & greet with the band at the grand opening concert

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Microsoft is rolling out redesigned versions of Skype for iPhones, iPads and Android phones.

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Microsoft delivers redesigned Skype 6.0 apps for Android, iOS

As written by Mary Jo Foley for All About Microsoft on zdnet.com
The Skype 6.0 for Android release is rolled out September 3. And the Skype 6.0 for iPhones and iPads is already available now, according to a new Microsoft blog post.
The Skype 6.0 for Android release has been redesigned in a way inspired by Material Design and made easier to use on Android phones, Microsoft execs said. There's a new floating action button, improved search and enhancements to messaging to make it easier to see which messages users have read and haven't.
Skype 6.0 for iPhone and iPad also has been redesigned, officials said. The new navigation controls are meant to get users to their conversations faster. Swipe gestures can be used to make calls and manage messages.
Microsoft execs said the new version for iOS also makes it easier to share photos, web links and emoticons while on voice or video calls, as well as easier to find things using search.
The new 6.0 version of Skype for iPhone is available in the Apple iTunes store, as is Skype 6.0 for iPad. The 6.0 version of Skype for Android phones is available from the Google Play Store. All of these apps are free.
Microsoft also is working on new Skype apps for Windows 10 Mobile, as Microsoft officials have said previously, but today's blog post offers nothing new in terms of when testers and users will get to see the coming app or apps officially.

Source: http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-delivers-redesigned-skype-6-0-apps-for-android-ios/#ftag=CADcb5c631

Microsoft Partners With Mesosphere To Bring Mesos’ Container Orchestration To Windows Server

Microsoft recently announced that they are partnering with Mesosphere to bring the Windows Server ecosystem to the Mesos’ highly scalable and elastic container orchestration world by porting directly to Windows Server. Mesos is one of the most established and proven open source container orchestration technologies, used in very large scale production environments by several Fortune 500 companies. Apart from Mesos, Microsoft already supports Docker Swarm/Compose, Deis, and many others.
Mesos on Windows Server is an open source project and is part of the core Apache Mesos. While this is being developed by both Mesosphere and Microsoft, we’re inviting others in the community to join in the effort. The code will be freely available, making it easy to adopt by all users of Mesos as well as integrate with the Mesosphere DCOS, which is built atop Mesos. The latest version of Mesos on Windows Server is available in the Apache Mesos GitHub today.
Source: http://microsoft-news.com/microsoft-partners-with-mesosphere-to-bring-mesos-container-orchestration-to-windows-server/

Learn how to use Microsoft datacenters as an integral part of your Disaster Recovery Plan! Join us for a free, interactive event led by Microsoft experts in a city near you.

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Using Microsoft datacenters as an integral part of your Disaster Recovery Plan: Free, hands-on event

Please join us for a free, interactive event led by Microsoft experts.
•Do you want to learn about new disaster recovery options from Microsoft experts?
•Have you been putting off trying new technology due to time pressures or not knowing where to start?
•Do you think your disaster recovery strategy would benefit from a refresh?
•Have you considered refreshing your servers in the cloud instead of doing a hardware refresh?
If you answer yes to any of the questions above we may be able to help.
Your Microsoft IT Pro subject matter experts are coming to a city near you over the next couple of months to provide education on disaster recovery. You will see demos and walk through hands-on labs on the elements Microsoft provides to support a disaster recovery strategy.
The content is delivered in a fun, educational way, and we will even provide a free Azure pass to ensure it’s not costing you to learn with Azure.
Attend the event and you will learn:
•Replicate virtualized workloads to Microsoft's global data centers
•Back up data and protect workloads with nearly infinite scalability
•Implement a hybrid replication using both cloud and on-premises solutions
•Create a backup without needing to buy more tape
•Back up your Windows clients (including Windows 10) to remote storage
Seattle, WA Tuesday, September 1, 2015
San Francisco, CA Thursday, September 3, 2015
Houston, TX Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Charlotte, NC Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Malvern, PA Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Indianapolis, IN Wednesday, October 6, 2015
Tampa, FL Thursday, October 7, 2015
New York, NY Friday, October 8, 2015
Irvine, CA Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Dallas, TX Friday, October 16, 2015

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Nokia 222: Connect, capture, and share your world

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Today, Microsoft is introducing the Nokia 222 and Nokia 222 Dual SIM–two new Internet-enabled feature phones designed to connect more people to the Internet and allow them to capture and share their world in new ways.

Connect

The Nokia 222 and Nokia 222 Dual SIM open up a world where the Web is easily accessible from a mobile device that’s built to last the test of time.
With the Internet-ready Nokia 222, you can browse through your favorite sites using the Opera Mini Browser, or explore what the rest of the Web has to offer using Bing Search.
Dressing for the day or planning ahead needn’t be a gamble when it comes to the weather. MSN Weather is on hand to give you an accurate forecast of the day or for up to five days ahead.

Capture and share

Boasting a 2-megapixel camera, the Nokia 222 helps you to simply capture your world–just point and click.
Not only that, but thanks to Internet connectivity, those photographic moments can be shared with your friends and family using apps such as GroupMe by Skype, Facebook, Messenger, and Twitter.
Another way to share your photos would be to take advantage of the built-in SLAM technology. Just bring two SLAM-enabled devices together to send or receive files.

Explore and stay entertained

In terms of battery life, you’ll get up to 29 days of standby time for the Nokia 222 Single SIM and 21 days for the Nokia 222 Dual SIM, with a talk time of up to 20 hours talk time for both.
Love your music? The FM radio and built-in MP3 player will keep you entertained for days with the FM radio playback of up to 45 hours, and MP3 playback of up to 50 hours.
Gamers, rejoice! You’ll be able to download one free Gameloft game per month for a year and stay entertained with titles such as “Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood” or “Midnight Pool 3.”
When it comes to storing your photos, videos, or music files, the Nokia 222 supports MicroSD cards of up to 32 GB.
Incorporated into the Nokia 222 is also a flashlight, which is ideal if the power goes out or if you find yourself in an environment surrounded by nothing but total darkness. Let the Nokia 222 light the way!
Source: Microsoft

Microsoft Recognizes Managed Solution as a Top West Region Small and Midsize Business Cloud Partner

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Microsoft Recognizes Managed Solution as a Top West Region Small and Midsize Business Cloud Partner

San Diego, CA - August, 25 2015 - Managed Solution, a highly honored and tenured managed services company and pioneer in managed, utility-based cloud computing, recently announced its participation in the Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider Program. The program is designed to strengthen customer relationships and expand cloud sales opportunities by enabling partners to provide direct billing, sell combined offers and services, as well as directly provision, manage and support products and services. In appreciation of this program and their long term partnership, Microsoft awarded Managed Solution to recognize them as a Top West Region Small and Midsize Business Cloud Partner.
"Managed Solution is honored to be recognized as a Top West Region Small and Midsize Business Cloud Partner," says Sean Ferrel, president and CEO, Managed Solution. "Our long term partnership with Microsoft and participation in the Cloud Solution Provider program allows us to build stronger relationships with our customers and provide them with the best cloud solutions to empower their business,” says Ferrel.
Managed Solution makes moving to the cloud simple, with industry specific solutions designed to meet the compliance, security and performance needs of regulated organizations.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
About Managed Solution
Managed Solution is the premier provider of outsourced IT support and managed services for small to large size businesses. Founded in 2002, the company quickly grew into a market leader and is recognized as one of the fastest growing IT Companies in Southern California. Managed Solution continues to deliver award-winning services paired with leading business technologies to assist clients in running their business efficiently.
Managed Solution Press Contacts:
Jackie Luper, Vice President of Marketing jluper@managedsolution.com
Danielle Hamra, Creative Marketing Strategist dhamra@managedsolution.com