Earlier today we announced a number of new and exciting elements in the next phase of Windows 10. With a wide range of experiences as well as two new devices - the Windows experience is now being extended across devices and scenarios - from large screens to no screens at all. For a comprehensive recap of today’s news please check out this blog post from our executive vice president, Operating Systems Group – Terry Myerson

At BETT today, Microsoft is launching a series of educational aids it has developed in partnership with teaching school Broadclyst Primary in Devon, using BBC Earth Films’ 3D spectacular, Enchanted Kingdom. These introduce ‘project based learning’ into the classroom – a method of teaching that encourages students to improve their engagement in the curriculum by exploring the world around them, developing solutions to challenges in a creative and collaborative learning environment. Broadclyst has developed the lesson plans within the education aids and tested them in a classroom environment. They cover topics from across the curriculum from the humanities to the sciences, and coding. From today, this innovative new project based learning toolkit is now available to schools and educators up and down the country.

Enchanted Kingdom is ‘the most ambitious 3D nature film ever made’, taking audiences on a journey of discovery through the wilds of Africa. Narrated by Idris Elba, star of The Wire, Luther and Oscar-nominated Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, the movie brings together cutting edge 3D technology, Hollywood production expertise and the best nature film making to bring to life the incredible wonders, stories and characters of our planet. Enchanted Kingdom, set to be released in cinema and on Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray and DVD in the UK later this year, was released in Japan in 2014 and was the third top grossing film of the year.

Jonathan Bishop, Headteacher at Broadclyst, explains: “Our partnership with Microsoft has allowed us to extend the magic of this film to the classroom. The broad range of landscapes, creatures and behaviours covered in the film make it an incredibly rich resource for education.”

“The projects we have developed have captured the imagination of our students. As an example, one of the scenes in the film is set in the ‘frozen spires’ of Mount Kenya. We tasked our students with designing a camera case that could withstand such a frozen environment and encouraged them to use software packages to work together and create a solution. Students use Microsoft cloud-based collaboration tools such as Office 365, Office Mix, OneNote and Skype in the Classroom to debate, discuss, problem solve, and connect with other classrooms. There are eight phases in the film, which takes place in Africa, set in some of the wettest, driest, hottest and coldest environments the world has to offer – the teaching aids cover all of this not only put the onus on the students think more deeply about the world around them but also teach them the value of working collaboratively.”

Neil Nightingale, Director of Enchanted Kingdom & Creative Director of BBC Earth adds: “When we set out to produce Enchanted Kingdom, our vision was to create the most enchanting nature film ever made and we wanted it to change the way that our audience sees the world. Partnering with Microsoft enables us to take this vision of the film one step further and encourage children to think differently about the world around them and challenge themselves to discover more and problem solve.”

Microsoft is also enabling teachers to connect, collaborate and share Enchanted Kingdom projects on the Microsoft Educator Network. This will host a community of educators all looking to take advantage of new approaches to teaching and learning, using technology to help students develop more relevant skills for the 21st century. Many of the Enchanted Kingdom projects also feature apps from the Windows Store, which can be used to view film images, videos and reference materials. There will also be a collection of Enchanted Kingdom lessons on Skype in the Classroom where educators can post their own Enchanted Kingdom-based learning sessions to connect and collaborate with other schools across the UK and internationally. They’ll also be able to find BBC film makers to join their classrooms as guest speakers through Skype. Microsoft and BBC Earth will host additional supporting content for teachers and schools such as live Q&As with the film makers.

To read more about Enchanted Kingdom please follow this link

As primary schools reopen their doors to begin the second term of teaching the new computing curriculum, a survey conducted by Microsoft and CAS has confirmed that 69% of teachers enjoy teaching the subject, which is now compulsory for all pupils from the age of five. However, the results also reveal that there is still some way to go before teachers feel fully confident about delivering computing lessons to classes of tech-savvy youngsters, as 81% have called for more training, development and learning materials.

Today, QuickStart Computing, a new set of resources developed by CAS and jointly funded by Microsoft and the Department for Education become available for the first time. The materials are designed to help teachers get the most of the curriculum, and can be downloaded at www.quickstartcomputing.org. Resources include videos, interactive tools and a teacher’s handbook.

The demand for these resources has been underpinned by data collected from the survey, which investigates pupil and teacher attitudes towards computing in the classroom. The results, released today, also reveal that two thirds of primary and secondary teachers are concerned that their pupils still have a better understanding of computing than they do, and many teachers lack the confidence that they need to deliver the new curriculum. The issue becomes even more clear when combined with results from a second survey, which showed that nearly half (47%) of young people aged 9-16 years claim that their teachers needed more training and 41% admitted to regularly helping their teachers use technology.

The changes made to the curriculum in September 2014 are good news for the UK’s technology industry, and hold the key to helping develop a strong pipeline of talent to fill the growing number of jobs which require knowledge of computer science and coding. The UKCES predicts (Careers of the Future, Nov 2014) there will be 146,000 job openings in IT between 2012 and 2022, with jobs commanding an average salary of £38K. By supporting the development of these new resources, Microsoft hopes to be able to help teachers get more out of the new curriculum, in turn opening the eyes of more young people to the exciting career possibilities available to them.

Microsoft’s UK CEO, Michel Van der Bel remarks: “There is a moment of magic when you see a young person make something totally unique happen on a screen. Something they had imagined and then made real through code. But to get to that moment we need passionate people who have the right skills and knowledge to help give young people the building blocks they need.”

Microsoft provided well over £300,000 for the QuickStart Computing initiative in order to support teachers in creating modern, exciting and engaging lessons that will inspire a new generation of digital stars.

“We should be very proud of our teachers, who are engaging so positively with the new computing, and are now inspiring and exciting children about computing in schools up and down the country,” said Simon Peyton Jones, Chairman of CAS. “CAS believes in the value of high quality, continuous professional development for teachers, and the role of working groups like CAS in instilling confidence and sharing ideas and best practice. We are delighted that from today we can share QuickStart Computing with all schools and teachers that need it.”

The QuickStart Computing materials are available for free and we urge teachers to visit the QuickStart Computing website today to see how they can start getting even more out of the new curriculum.