Microsoft 365<\/a> to each of its user accounts. The team had initially planned a gradual roll-out of the next stages of deployment, but external circumstances caused a change of plan.<\/p>\n\u201cWhen the global COVID-19 pandemic struck, we knew we had to act fast to ensure that teaching and learning wasn\u2019t disrupted,\u201d Sabine M\u00fcller says. \u201cWe accelerated the implementation of our digital concept to prepare for the new educational landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n
In just two weeks, they implemented Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams across the whole school, initially trialing it with a small selection of classes as they worked out the requirements needed. \u201cWe were nervous about implementing this new environment,\u201d she admits, \u201cbut in fact, it was a very quick, smooth transition and it\u2019s brought more benefits to the school than we imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hybrid learning and teaching proves beneficial<\/h2>\n
Mittelschule Kirchdorf opted for Microsoft Intune to manage all its devices from a centralized system. \u201cMicrosoft Intune has proved to be simple and easy to manage,\u201d Schnetzer says, \u201cstudents can open their devices, and everything is set up and ready for them to use.\u201d Within Intune, they created two groups to reflect the different needs of teachers and students and distributed relevant programs and settings.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur teachers have completed mandatory face-to-face, online training courses and 1:1 coaching,\u201d Schnetzer explains. \u201cIt has improved their digital skills and empowered them to teach with confidence in this new hybrid way.\u201d Communication between teachers and administration has also greatly improved, as staff have benefited from a simpler, clearer structure and digital conference rooms.<\/p>\n
Teachers can also join the Microsoft Educator Community, a platform which helps them to learn, grow and connect with each other. Through this initiative, Schnetzer has become a certified Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert (MIEE), which champions global educator visionaries.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m thrilled to be part of the community of MIEEs,\u201d Schnetzer says. \u201cIf I have any questions, I post it on Microsoft Teams and receive support from everyone. It really helps me and my school to find solutions to any problems I encounter.\u201d<\/p>\n
For daily teaching, educators now upload documents, assignments and instructions onto OneNote, so students can learn regardless of where they are, even when absent from school due to sickness. Considering the COVID-19 social distancing orders, the school devised a shift-based timetable, which alternates small groups of students working at the school. Those who are at home, simply log in to Microsoft Teams and can see their teachers live and ask them questions.<\/p>\n
Aside from the ability to learn from any location, the new technology has played a vital role in the wellbeing of the children. \u201cStudents are now able to connect seamlessly to the digital world via Microsoft Teams,\u201d Schnetzer says. \u201cAfter lessons, the students can go into breakout rooms and chat with each other. This social exchange has helped children feel less alone and isolated.\u201d<\/p>\n
The future of education innovation<\/h2>\n
Although it\u2019s difficult to predict what lies ahead for society, those at Mittelschule Kirchdorf hope that the Austrian ministry and the local municipality will continue to support schools in their digitalization efforts in the long-term. In the meantime, the school is always looking for ways to improve and innovate.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are now part of a new government-led strategy called the \u2018eight-point plan\u2019, starting in September,\u201d Schnetzer explains \u201cThe children in the first and second grades can get a device from the Austrian government and learn how to use the new technology we have implemented. It\u2019s a great initiative.\u201d<\/p>\n
But for those who work or attend Mittelschule Kirchdorf, it\u2019s clear that the decision to go beyond simply distributing devices to students is what really led to their success story.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope that other schools in Austria and across Europe feel inspired not only to equip their students with devices where possible, but also to create their own holistic digital concept that can support student-centered and hybrid learning and teaching, and improve the wellbeing of both employees and students,\u201d says Schnetzer.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of all,\u201d Schnetzer continues, \u201cwe hope other schools see how simple and easy a digital transformation can be. Educators don\u2019t need to be afraid of integrating new technology and instead, we encourage schools to give it a try and see for themselves what amazing results they can achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cWhat we really wanted to achieve was simplicity for both our students and our educators. Through our digitalization efforts, we\u2019ve seen that using technology to complement traditional teaching and learning is an investment for the future, not just for children, but for everyone.\u201d Martin Schnetzer, teacher and IT admin at Mittelschule Kirchdorf, Austria, reflects on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":792,"featured_media":484823,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1804,1911],"class_list":["post-484808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-customer-stories-en","category-digital-transformation-en","specials-transform-en","verticalIndustries-education-en","stories-how-can-i-make-my-company-more-innovative","stories-innovation-en","businessPriorities-digital-transformation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484808"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/792"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=484808"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484808\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":710680,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484808\/revisions\/710680"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/484823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=484808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=484808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}