Selected as a Microsoft Innovative Educator expert for 2020-2021

I was really excited to receive this badge today as a result of applying to become a Microsoft innovative educator Expert for the 2020-2021 cohort. I have been participating in this program since 2008, and I deem it a great honour to have been selected. Thank you Microsoft!

Learners of this badge are educators who have been selected as Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Experts for 2020-2021. They are self-driven educators who are passionate about teaching and learning. They inspire students with creative thinking, and work in a collaborative spirit to share their learning with the world. Resourceful and entrepreneurial, they relish the role of change agent, and work to achieve excellence in education using Microsoft technologies paired with innovative teaching.

 

Earners of this badge are educators who have been selected as Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Experts for 2020-2021. They are self-driven educators who are passionate about teaching and learning. They inspire students with creative thinking, and work in a collaborative spirit to share their learning with the world. Resourceful and entrepreneurial, they relish the role of change agent, and work to achieve excellence in education using Microsoft technologies paired with innovative teaching.

Microsoft honours teachers

Microsoft really honours and celebrates teachers. The organisation has done a lot for me.

• In 2008 I was chosen as one of 10 South African finalists in the Microsoft competition which was then called 'Partners in Learning'. My project-based project was called 'Leaders are readers'.
• In 2009 I was chosen as one of ten finalists again, and this time I became a winner in the collaboration section with a project called 'Bonding through Blogging'. This win took me to the Paun African finals in Mauritius where I achieved second place, and to the World Finals in Brazil. All that happened in 2009.
• In 2010 I was once again one of ten finalusts in the Microsoft Innovative Teacher competition as it was now called with a roect where I got every class in the school partnered with an overseas class (in a number of countries0 in a project-based learning project.
• In 2011 I was selected along with 50 other teachers world-wide to attend a week long inaugural 'Microsoft Learning Academy' in Seattle.

All these events were amazing confidence-builders for me. Thereafter Microsoft intorduced the MIEExpert concept where you had to fulfill certain obligations to become a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert. For example, for this badge you had to fulfill the following obligations.

Skills

• 21st Century Teaching Practices
• Change Agent
• Education Technology
• Global Learning And Teaching

 

Earning Criteria

• Joined the Microsoft Educator Community.
• Successfully passed 2 hours of courses on MEC (or from a trainer and redeemed the corresponding code) and earned the Certified MIE badge.
• Created a video or Sway that demonstrates evidence of incorporating Microsoft technologies into teaching and learning in innovative ways.
• Completed and submitted an MIE Expert self-nomination form that includes MEC transcript and video/Sway and was accepted by Microsoft into the program.