Microsoft Corp. today announced that the company has talked 10 K–12 school districts and higher-education institutions into adopting Windows 8 for more than 540,000 students and faculty to prepare students for futures in college and careers. Microsoft's expanding community of Windows 8 education adopters now includes Apollo Group, Atlanta Public Schools, Barry University, Fargo Public Schools, Fresno Unified School District, Jackson-Madison County School System, Pace University, San Antonio Independent School District, Thomas College and Tuckahoe Common School District.
"Microsoft recognizes that in order to be prepared for future success in today's competitive global economy, students must have technology skills employers demand, plus relevant, 21st century skills, such as critical thinking, communication and collaborations abilities, problem-solving, and greater awareness of the global community," said Margo Day, Vice President of U.S. Education, Microsoft. "Windows 8 is helping schools modernize learning by supporting new education standards, online assessments and the move to digital learning by providing a powerful platform where content can be easily consumed and created, and a connection to the cloud where collaboration opportunities can be reimagined."
In addition to improving learning experiences that are needed in the work place, Windows 8 provides students with a beautiful, modern way to consume content, and allows them the freedom to create, collaborate, produce and share across a range of devices, with flexibility for pen, mouse and keyboard inputs. It also saves schools time and money, reducing IT and ongoing maintenance costs and providing enterprise-ready security, reliability and management fundamentals.
"We chose Windows 8 because we need much more than a consumption-only device for online assessments to help prepare students for success," said Chuck Jones, Chief of Technology at Jackson-Madison County School System. "On another operating system, the IT and app management of 1,200 separate devices for teachers would have been too overwhelming."
