This week celebrates #MECWeek so it only seems right to write a blog entry about the training aspect of the Microsoft Educator Community. When your asked to access training resources online, and then sit a short exam, you always think the worst, a boring text and multiple choice questions set to catch you out! The ‘Get Trained’ section on the MEC makes the learning enjoyable and is aimed at educators and teachers so you don’t have to have a degree…
I recently had this blog post featured on Microsoft UK School Blogs. I have been a keen user of a Microsoft Surface for a while and I think they are great devices. The style and design are far superior to its competitors and Microsoft keeps improving the Surface with every release. It is only very recently that I have realised how good the Surface Pen is. On my Surface Pro, I used the pen a handful of times but it was…
Today I was able to get my hands on a new Linx 1010 thanks to Simon de Senlis Primary School. This is a 10″ tablet, which is the company’s second release. The first edition of the Linx 10 seemed like a great tablet with great specs. The thing that let it down was the origami keyboard design and the cheap feel of it’s case. The Device: So have they overcome this and made the Linx 1010 better than its predecessor?…
In just over a month things have taken an exciting turn in my IT career. On the 15th of October I was involved in a Microsoft Redefine Learn event at Simon de Senlis Primary School, which involved me talking about how the school has implemented Office 365 and Windows 10. This was my first time speaking in front of a big audience so saying I was nervous is an understatement. Since this event I have been involved in other events…
As some of you might be aware I have recently been doing some work with Microsoft Education UK, which gave me the opportunity to talk at the #RedefineLearn event at Simon de Senlis. After the event, I was asked by Microsoft if I could write a blog about the deployment of Windows 10 and the schools story. Yesterday saw my blog go live on the Microsoft UK Schools Blog. To see my full blog post please visit the Microsoft UK Schools blog…
Ultra-thin, meticulously crafted, with incredible screen resolution. This is the ultimate laptop. The quote above is taken from Microsoft’s website and as you can see they are calling it the ‘Ultimate Laptop’. But is it really as good as they say? On the 9th October, I was invited to London for Microsoft’s #RedefineLearn conference. It was here that I was shown just how good Microsoft are saying the Surface Book will be. I was privileged by seeing the only Surface…
When talking about moving over to the cloud and using cloud services I usually get ask “But WHY?” You may be sitting there thinking “the way I use IT in my school works and meets the needs for the curriculum so why should I move over to using the cloud and Office 365?” Really the question you should be asking yourself is “why am I not using Office 365 and the cloud?” There are many advantages of using Office 365 and…
Well today brings a sense of victory. Since the beginning of September I have been working towards becoming a Google Educator Certified Trainer. For me to be able to become one I would have to take 4 core Google Apps exams and one nominated exam. Today marks the day where I have finally finished my 5 exams with a PASS grade. The next step for me now is to apply to Google to become a Certified Trainer but this can’t be…
Today Apple announced the release of the iPad Pro and people are already saying its a competitor for the Surface Pro 3. The specs of the new iPad Pro do sound good but why would you want an iPad that big and at that price. Apple now do give you the option of using a stylus and a keyboard so you could become more productive using one. The biggest flaw for me is that its still running an iOS. For…
Well I haven’t done a blog for a while as I’ve been busy with other things but with Windows 10 now out, I thought I should give my first opinions on it. I have been running Windows 10 on my Surface Pro since the first technical preview and have loved it. People are saying its the best operating system that Microsoft have ever released and I think they could be right. Since the early previews it has come on a long way…