A quick micro-post for everyone. Bill Gates announced today at the Government Leaders Forum – Americas that DreamSpark is available for university and high school students. (The third video in the playlist features Max Zuckerman interviewing Bill about DreamSpark.)

So, what's is this DreamSpark of which you mention?
Simple: it is a program that provides no-cost access to Microsoft's tools as well as training to high school (as of today) and college students. DreamSpark is supported worldwide and is designed to help students learn and develop skills in science, technology, engineering, math and design. Higher education students at the college or university level can verify their status directly and access the software straight from the site. High school students gain access to the software through their teachers, who verify their school and have access to the software, which they can then provide to students.

Cool! So what do students get?
Students get access to most of our development and design tools (Visual Studio 2008 Professional, XNA Studio, Robotics Studio, Expression Studio and more). They also get access to select server products (SQL Server 2008 Developer Edition and Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition) to help with development and testing. Training Resources are also provided (free eBooks, training videos, and more) to help students learn about Microsoft tools and technologies, as well as provide insights into product certification.

Wow! What do I do next?
This is a pretty amazing resource for students. Visit DreamSpark, learn more, and tell your high school administrators and science, math, computer, and physics teachers about it. Let's help our children learn about math, science and technology – and equip them to impact the future of all of us.