14 DAY TRIAL // These last years, Microsoft has released several free eBooks and guides, for the home-users, students, teachers and IT Administrators, so that they could have the necessary tools to get more from their computers.
Most of the free releases are part of the In the Classroom Series, and allow children as well as teachers to learn new things and use Microsoft technology at its full potential.
This generosity from the company is rather beneficial for everybody, and in a few years we will be looking at a new generation of Microsoft Do It Yourself fans.
A short presentation of some of the books and guides imposes itself, starting with the Teacher Guides from The Classroom Series, published by Microsoft Education:
Bing comes first and it shows new ways to seek and actually find what you are looking for, in a dynamic and organized way.
Long story short, Bing is not a simple search engine, and it can help teachers find content to better engage students, make more dynamic lesson plans and also take students on virtual field trips.
Having access to information on a large scale is great and it is possible with today's technology but the real challenge now is to select the information you need and to make sure that you evaluate this info critically.
This is where Microsoft's Critical Thinking comes in, and helps students improve their search skills, analyze the data they find and include their findings in their work.
Everybody loves a good story and now, the traditional storytelling merges with the digital era.
With the help of Digital Storytelling, when students create a movie or a slide show to tell their story, learning is a better assimilated process.
Thanks to this software, students can release their creative side, improve their writing and actually have a voice with a bigger impact.
Teachers can work on their students creativity with Free tools, motivate and inspire them by engaging with multimedia and even work together with students and parents.
Because teachers have full days every week, with students to manage and papers to grade, the Microsoft Office can be of great help to them.
It simplifies writing, organizing, presenting and communicating and allows teachers to keep up with the very alert pace of the school calendar.
Sometimes, teachers that have several student classes have difficulties keeping their thoughts and idea together, well organized, so Microsoft found a solution: OneNote.
The software helps you organize mostly everything, from class notes, to web articles, videos and other multimedia content.
One of the most helpful and useful Microsoft apps is Office Web Apps, as it allows students and teachers to view, edit and share Microsoft Office documents from virtually anywhere, as long as there is an Internet connection.
Among things every teacher should have in the classroom is also Windows 7, which simplifies tasks, makes all lessons interactive and saves a lot of time.
Finally there is the well-known Windows Live Movie Maker, the fastest way of turning photos and videos into slide shows and movies, and share them on the Web or on DVDs.
Microsoft thought of teenagers too and created Own Your Space-Keep Yourself and Your Stuff Safe Online digital book for teens.
This first edition was written by Linda McCarthy, after her two teenagers managed to break down what she thought was a very secure home computer network, by simply doing what every adolescent does on the Internet.
For all IT passionate Introducing Windows Server 2008 R2 is available and downloadable for free.
By simply signing in to Windows Live you can learn about the features of Windows Server 2008 R2 concerning the virtualization, management, the web application platform, scalability and reliability, and interoperability with Windows 7.
Deploying Windows 7 - Essential Guidance from the Windows 7 Resource Kit and TechNet Magazine will share with you the knowledge and experience of industry experts Mitch Tulloch, Tony Northrup, Jerry Honeycutt, Ed Wilson, and the Windows 7 Team, with exclusive Windows 7 articles from TechNet Magazine.
Finally, the eBook everyone should read, Build a Web site That Sells offers tips, techniques, and tools to help you have an effective and engaging Web site, with ever more Web site traffic, maximized search engine results, and a more secure online experience.
Who ever said that Microsoft was a huge corporation that only wants to make profit and never helps others?
