NYS+Teacher+Centers+Partner+with+Microsoft

[|**Press Release: Microsoft and Intel Help Bring Technology Access to 300,000 New York State** **Teachers**] Tech4Teachers Program offers access to low-cost PCs, software, technology training and professional development support. REDMOND, Wash., and NEW YORK — Sept. 27, 2011 — Today Microsoft Corp., in collaboration with Intel Corporation and the New York State Teachers Centers, launched the Tech4Teachers Program, which offers K–12 teachers in New York the ability to purchase deeply discounted technology products and provides tools and training to enhance their technical proficiency. The program aims to increase teachers’ personal sophistication with technology so that they can more easily incorporate it into the classroom to enhance student learning. New York is the first state to launch an official program of this kind, developed through a public-private partnership, as a way to encourage technology adoption. The program includes the following components: • Professional development, technology training and free technology tools from Microsoft Partners in Learning and Intel Teach, made accessible through any of the more than 400 New York State Teachers Centers sites for more than 300,000 educators. • Teachers will be able to purchase discounted technology through an online store, available today, which offers a range of Microsoft software products and computing devices, including PCs, laptops, slates and tablets from a number of manufacturers.• The Tech4Teachers Program is accessible to any public, private or pre-service teacher who is or becomes a member of the New York State Teachers Centers.• The Teachers Centers will help subsidize the cost of required professional development and technology training for participating teachers to maintain their certification. = [|From Education Week, September 28, 2011] = ==== Microsoft announced today a program that will give teachers throughout New York State access to discounts for technology purchases.The program, called Tech4Teachers, will run through [|New York State Teacher Centers] and give the centers' members access to an [|online catalog] of discounted Microsoft software and various manufacturers' PCs, laptops, slates, and tablets. The steeper discounts appear to be on software products, on which a cut of 50 percent or more off the retail price appears to be the norm.====

==== Microsoft, along with help from computer semiconductor chip manufacturer Intel, hope to scale the program nationally, according to a [|press release], though no specifics of such plans have been announced.Both public and private school teachers who belong to the centers will have access to the catalog, as well as teachers completing their preservice education. And [|Microsoft Partners in Learning] will team with [|Intel Teach] to offer professional development through the centers. ====

==== The program is an extension of Microsoft's [|Shape the Future] program, announced last week with the stated goal of providing 1 million U.S. students from low-income families with access to discounted hardware, software, and broadband Internet service. ==== = **From the Rome Teacher Center** = = Watch for more information on this partnership. While you are waiting check out the offers for teachers at [] =