24 February 2015
Fiona Sims, Office 365 Education Marketing Manager
As a parent, I see technology becoming more integrated with Australian curriculum, and I want to make sure that when I send my child to school, I am giving her the right tools that empower her to reach her full potential. This is why I love my job – because at Microsoft we provide students and teachers with technology that is both engaging and collaborative, allowing them to communicate simply and easily with other teachers and classmates.
Just over a year ago, we announced Student Advantage, at a time when there are more BYOD initiatives than ever for Australian schools – allowing eligible students to get Office 365 ProPlus from their school for free. A year later we extended the benefit to teachers and staff and today we’re making it easy to access free Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and more with a self-service model.
The new self-service model means that teachers and students can now sign up for an Office 365 account themselves and install free Office. Up until this point, the school has had to initiate the service, create the account, and order the Office 365 license on behalf of the teacher or student. Today Microsoft is simplifying the process, taking the burden off the IT managers (whilst still allowing them to maintain control, flexibility and security) and allowing teachers and students to be connected in and out of the classroom
The free service provides teachers and students with the latest versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and more, allowing them to install on up to five PCs or Macs, 5 tablets including iPad and other mobile devices. They will also receive 1 Terabyte of OneDrive for Business cloud storage (soon to be unlimited!) for those important assignments, resources and class notes, plus access to Office Online.
Office capabilities are highly sought after with employers – meaning that students who use Office 365 ProPlus will have the most up-to-date versions of the productivity tools and necessary skills they need to excel in both the classroom and the workforce. So as my child prepares for school, and the workforce later down the track, her skills – learnt on Microsoft’s productivity platform – will be invaluable.
To check your eligibility and learn more about the Office 365 ProPlus Benefit, go to office.com/getoffice365.
