Microsoft Gives Teachers Free Resources to Address Classroom Challenges Due to the...

Microsoft Gives Teachers Free Resources to Address Classroom Challenges Due to
the Impact of H1N1 Flu Virus
Office Live Workspace answers Department of Education's call to help teachers
and students stay connected virtually anytime, anywhere.

REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- It's the start of the
school year, and there are already empty seats in classrooms and lecture halls
because of unfortunate outbreaks of the H1N1 flu virus. Today, Microsoft Corp.
is furthering its commitment to the U.S. Department of Education and schools
and universities across the nation by offering a free technology resource that
will help educators stay connected with their students and continue the
learning process if they are forced to stay home from school or miss class.
Microsoft Office Live Workspace allows educators to create an online class
workspace where they can share assignments, handouts and manage collaborative
group projects so that students can access course work virtually anytime and
anywhere with just an Internet connection. This tool and other H1N1 resources
are available today at http://www.microsoft.com/education/h1n1.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

"We can all work to keep ourselves healthy now by practicing prevention, close
monitoring and common sense," said Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education.
"We know that some students may be affected by H1N1, and our top priority is
making sure that they have a way to get well, stay well and to keep learning.
We're providing a menu of strategies for educators to help ensure that the
learning process will continue."

Microsoft's H1N1 resources for educators include access to Office Live
Workspace, how-to videos for training and to see how other educators are using
the software in the classroom, tips to spur collaboration, and other free and
simple technologies to make classroom content more engaging online.

Learning Goes Online in Alabama When H1N1 Strikes
There have already been cases of the H1N1 flu virus at St. Paul's Episcopal
School in Mobile, Ala., since the opening of school this year. Kelli Etheredge
is the school's Tech & Learning Resources Director and a World Literature
teacher and says a few students are absent from her class each day due to the
virus. Following Etheredge's success using Office Live Workspace last year,
she immediately set up a class workspace so her students could collaborate to
create virtual tours of ancient medieval epic heroes while away from the
classroom. The online tool not only connects her students in various locations
but also teaches her students about what it means to work as a team and how to
accomplish goals together.

"This resource has helped my students stay connected to me and to the rest of
their class," Etheredge said. "Through collaborative projects and online
resources, my students have been able to continue their learning of the
ancient and medieval epics as well as work on their museum projects in a team
environment and not miss a beat."

Educators and students can access documents on their class workspace from
virtually any computer with Internet access -- even if not connected to the
school network. Educators and students can work collaboratively on projects in
a safe environment that is password-protected and invitation-only. Even if
they don't have a desktop version of Microsoft Office at home, they can still
view and work on documents in a browser.

"We're concerned for the students and families impacted by the H1N1 virus and
understand this could be a difficult time for students worried about their
health and that they could fall behind in their studies," said Anthony
Salcito, vice president of Worldwide Public Sector Education at Microsoft. "We
are happy to be able to provide affordable and accessible technology solutions
that educators and students can use to mitigate any disruptions in the
classroom due to a possible outbreak of the H1N1 flu virus."

More information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/education/h1n1.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software,
services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full
potential.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.

Kari Sherrodd, +1-425-638-7000, ksherrodd@waggeneredstrom.com, or Rapid
Response Team, +1-503-443-7070, rrt@waggeneredstrom.com, both of Waggener
Edstrom Worldwide for Microsoft Corp.