Based on feedback from leaders and educators in the field, we’ve made key updates to the AI Toolkit. From role-specific entry points to new AI Navigators, these enhancements are designed to empower your institution’s AI journey at every stage. Whether your institution is just getting started or looking to expand, you’ll find tools and resources you need to confidently advance your AI adoption.

Read on to discover the latest enhancements to the AI Toolkit.

AI Snapshots: Choose your path to AI success

Sometimes just getting started with AI is the hardest part. Our expanded AI Snapshots make adopting AI more accessible than ever. These strategic entry points provide step-by-step guidance for a variety of roles in your institution, ensuring that no matter your position, you can confidently integrate AI into your work.

AI snapshots offer ready-to-use solutions to everyday challenges. You’ll find helpful instructions, starting prompts, and iteration ideas to assist you in utilizing Microsoft AI tools effectively to achieve your goals. From generating data-driven student support recommendations to creating custom cybersecurity promptbooks, these AI Snapshots unlock powerful ways to enhance AI integration across your institution.

AI Navigators: Learn from real-world AI success stories

Curious about how other education institutions are adopting AI? The AI Navigators section of the toolkit highlights real-world examples of education institutions leading the way in AI adoption. These profiles offer insights into each Navigator’s research, experimentation, testing, and deployment of generative AI solutions, helping you follow in their footsteps and apply those lessons to your own institution.

We’ve added two new case studies to give you more inspiration: Auburn University and the Education University of Hong Kong Jockey Club Primary School. These navigators showcase how AI can enhance learning, boost efficiency, and build a culture of innovation. Use their stories to inspire your own AI strategy as you take your first steps towards AI adoption.

Take a closer look at how Auburn University empowers thousands of students, faculty, and staff to explore new ways of using AI with Microsoft Copilot. Play the video to get a glimpse of their AI journey in action.

Discover more insights from these stories in the toolkit and check out the following videos to get inspiration on how to implement AI at your own institution:

• Learn how the Northern Ireland Education Authority leverages Copilot to drive equity across their schools.
• Uncover how the University of Sydney utilizes the power of Azure OpenAI to allow professors to create their own AI assistants.
• Reveal how Coquitlam School District #43 partners with Microsoft to build secure infrastructure and enhance data insights.

Technical implementation guides: Optimize your AI rollout

One of the most important aspects of AI implementation is ensuring that your institution’s technology infrastructure can support it. We’ve expanded our collection of technical implementation guides, which provide detailed support for IT and education leaders. These guides outline the technical steps necessary to implement Microsoft AI solutions effectively and securely, helping you overcome common challenges and optimize the rollout process.

These detailed guides provide step-by-step instructions to ensure a smooth and secure rollout of Microsoft AI solutions like Microsoft 365 Copilot and Azure AI Studio. Each guide includes a dedicated “How to use” section, providing practical insights to help your team quickly and confidently get started using these AI tools.

The guides cover a range of Microsoft AI solutions, including:

• Microsoft Copilot
• Microsoft 365 Copilot
• Copilot in Windows
• Copilot for Security
• Azure AI Studio
• Microsoft Dynamics 365
• GitHub Copilot

Empower your IT team and leaders to implement Microsoft AI solutions across your institution.

Discover more ways to advance your AI journey

In addition to the AI Toolkit, these training resources offer practical insights and guidance that support your institution’s AI strategy. Whether you’re focused on classroom integration, technical skills, or exploring new AI-driven possibilities, these resources can help you build a strong foundation for success.

• AI for education resources and learning opportunities: Engage with a variety of resources and training modules on how to use AI for educational purposes with Microsoft.
• AI for educators learning pathway: Explore the potential of AI in education, enhance teaching and learning with Copilot, and equip and support learners.
• AI classroom Toolkit: Support educators with a creative learning resource that helps teach students how to use generative AI safely and responsibly.
• Microsoft Copilot scenario library: Get inspired with guidance by roles and departments such as IT, HR, Legal, Communications, Operations, and more.
• Copilot technical skilling resources: Use this collection of kits, learning paths, Microsoft Mechanics videos, resources for developers, and upcoming events for Microsoft 365 Copilot to dive deeper into the technical aspects of Copilot.

Whether you’re just starting with AI or refining your existing strategy, the updated Microsoft Education AI Toolkit has everything you need to integrate AI seamlessly into your institution. Take the next steps to unlock AI’s full potential in education.

The post Strengthen your AI strategy with the updated Microsoft Education AI Toolkit appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Through Minecraft’s Hour of Code activities, students of all ages can dive into computer science in fun, interactive ways that spark creativity, develop problem-solving and critical thinking, and build a foundational knowledge of basic coding.

Microsoft is empowering classrooms worldwide to connect through the power of computer science. Together, with Code.org, we’ve brought programs like Minecraft Hour of Code to students around the world, making coding fun, accessible, and engaging. The impact has been huge with Minecraft Hour of Code reaching nearly 300 million sessions since 2016.

Code the show, save the day with Minecraft

Step into a vibrant theater world to help save the day in Minecraft’s Hour of Code 2024: The Show Must Go On! In this new Hour of Code adventure, students will explore the theater to find the missing star, the Agent, while solving fun coding puzzles and interacting with lively characters. They will unlock hidden gags, customize the show, and plan an unforgettable performance.

Students can help the Agent overcome stage fright as they navigate backstage areas like the Dance Studio and Prop Department. For the grand finale, they will customize the stage show with their creative input and watch their coding skills come to life!

In this year’s exciting Hour of Code experience, students will: 

• Explore the theater to find the missing Agent and help them find their coding confidence. 
• Solve engaging coding puzzles throughout the venue.
• Team up with the Agent to create the Minecraft Hour of Code Extravaganza.
• Share their unique vision and grand finale with their friends.

While navigating the theater and discovering various departments, students will use the power of code to: 

• Compose toe-tapping tunes in the Recording Studio. 
• Choreograph dazzling dance routines in the Dance Studio.   
• Craft eye-catching props in the Prop Department. 
• Create show-stopping costumes in the Wardrobe. 

Explore Minecraft’s Hour of Code 2024: The Show Must Go On! today, and plan to join millions of students worldwide to celebrate the power of code during Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek) December 9-15, 2024.

Join the global Hour of Code movement

In addition to this year’s new adventure, explore our growing collection of Minecraft Hour of Code activities that are available throughout the year. Each self-guided activity is approximately one hour long and can serve as a fun and creative introduction to coding and computer science.

• Generation AI: Venture through time to create AI-powered inventions. Students learn about the principles of Responsible AI through problem solving, creativity, and computational thinking.
• Escape Estate: Use coding and computational thinking to solve puzzles and escape from Dr. Breakowski’s mysterious mansion.
• Minecraft Timecraft: Travel back in time to save the future. Students choose their adventure and learn basic coding concepts to correct mysterious mishaps throughout history.
• Minecraft Tale of Two Villages: Leverage the power of code to bring the two villages together. Students develop cooperation and empathy while learning computer science skills.

Throughout the entire collection, students can develop core coding skills like:

• Problem solving: Develop logical thinking to create unique solutions.
• Debugging: Identify and resolve errors in code.
• Computational thinking: Create strategies and structures to solve challenges.

These fun coding activities bring a unique opportunity for you and your students to learn and play together while practicing interdisciplinary skills like collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

Minecraft Education resources to support teaching and learning

If you’re new to Minecraft Education or need a refresher, our training materials will help you navigate the platform with ease, understand its features, and guide your students through engaging activities. These resources can help you design meaningful tasks, set clear objectives, and effectively assess learning. Tailored for all experience levels, you can use these tools to incorporate Minecraft Education into your teaching practice and confidently lead your students through an Hour of Code.

Explore these popular resources to get started:

• Minecraft Education Teacher Academy: This four-part series, led by Microsoft Certified Educator Michael Barrett, will teach you pedagogical strategies for planning, assessing, and structuring Minecraft Education activities.
• Minecraft Trainer Academy: This module guides you through best practices for preparing and facilitating Minecraft Education training for your organization.
• Facilitate a Minecraft Hour of Code experience: This module equips you to successfully lead an Hour of Code session using Minecraft Education.
• Minecraft block coding academy: This learning path teaches you how to use Minecraft Education to teach programming skills and concepts to learners at all levels.

Deepen learning and student engagement with Minecraft Education

With Minecraft Education, Kent School District students are building critical skills for the future, such as AI literacy and coding. Recognizing Minecraft Education’s value, the district invested in scaled professional development to enable educators to effectively use this platform for teaching and learning. This initiative drove the integration of Minecraft Education across the curriculum in subjects ranging from chemistry and geography to library use as well as computer classes and English Language Arts (ELA). Since incorporating Minecraft Education as part of their Microsoft licensing agreement, Kent School District has seen a significant increase in student engagement.

“Every single time I use Minecraft, it makes my job easier,” says Mike Cline, an educator with Kent School District. “I see my students doing what they love and being creative. They have a spark in their eyes when they have the opportunity to show themselves—who they really are—or learn something new in Minecraft. Minecraft is another useful tool for my students, one that can make learning more fun: allowing them to do amazing things that help make the world a better place.”

Hour of Code is a perfect opportunity to ignite your students’ passion for coding—whether during CSEdWeek or anytime throughout the year. With Minecraft’s Hour of Code 2024: The Show Must Go On!, your students can experience the excitement of coding while developing essential future-ready skills. Join millions of students worldwide in celebrating the global Hour of Code movement and watch your students bring their ideas to life—one line of code at a time!

The post Code, create, and take the spotlight: Minecraft’s Hour of Code 2024 appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

We’re over the moon to introduce two new stellar additions to our universe: the James Webb Space Telescope Challenge and Artemis: Moon Base One. These exciting new worlds join our existing Artemis mission series, creating an out-of-this-world journey that will take students from Earth to the Moon and beyond.

Unveiling the Universe with the James Webb Space Telescope

Have you ever gazed up at the night sky and wondered what secrets the universe holds?  Now you can introduce your students to the wonders of space with the new James Webb Space Telescope Challenge. Developed in collaboration with NASA and aligned with global science curricula for ages 8-14, this immersive lesson offers a hands-on journey through space exploration. Students will learn about the telescope’s mission, star formation, planets, galaxies, and exoplanet, as well as participate in a creative solar system-building challenge.

As students embark on their cosmic adventure, they’ll tackle essential questions that drive real astronomers: What exactly is the James Webb Space Telescope, and what can it do? How do stars and planets differ? And how can we model the vast structures of our universe?

Imagine walking into a virtual Solar System Room, where a magnificent diorama of our cosmic neighborhood awaits. With a simple click, students can interact with each celestial body, uncovering the secrets of planet sizes, types, and even their distinctive colors. Did you know that Mars is red due to iron oxide on its surface, or that Uranus appears cyan because of methane in its atmosphere? These are just a few of the fascinating facts students will discover.

But the journey doesn’t stop at our solar system. In the Star Formation and Types module, learners will dive into the lifecycle of stars, from birth in nebulae to their eventual fate. They’ll explore the characteristics of different star classes, from the scorching blue-white O-class stars like Zeta Ophiuchi to the cooler, orange K-class stars like Aldebaran.

The adventure continues in the Galaxy Room, where students meet the charismatic NPC Dr. Ceres. Under her guidance, they’ll unravel the mysteries of our Milky Way and venture into the realm of other galaxies. Black holes, nebulae, and the grand structures of the universe all come to life in this captivating virtual space.

But the real excitement begins with the Build Challenge. Here, students become cosmic architects, designing their own solar systems or even galaxies! They’ll grapple with decisions that mirror those of real planetary scientists: What type of central star (or black hole!) will anchor their system? How many planets will orbit it? Will there be asteroid belts? As they build, they’ll apply everything they’ve learned about planet types, sizes, and compositions.

Throughout their journey, students can document their discoveries using in-game cameras and journals, creating a record of their cosmic explorations. This simulated scientific expedition takes them to the farthest reaches of the universe, all from the comfort of their classroom or home.

The James Webb Space Telescope Challenge ignites curiosity, fosters scientific thinking, and inspires the next generation of space explorers. By the end of this experience, students will have gained not only knowledge but also a genuine sense of wonder at the vastness and complexity of our universe.

Sign up for a Special Classroom Event

Join us with your class for a special webinar with leaders from NASA and Minecraft to learn about this incredible tool and dive into astronomy with the pros. Sessions available in English, Spanish, and Arabic.

To the Moon and Beyond: The Artemis Missions

But why stop at observing from afar? With our Artemis mission series, students can take one giant leap for education and experience lunar exploration firsthand.

Our partnership with NASA brings the excitement of the Artemis program to life in the blocky world of Minecraft. Students will follow in the footsteps of astronauts, from the thrill of rocket launches to the challenges of establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon.

A New Frontier: Moon Base One – The Ultimate Artemis Challenge

Imagine stepping onto the lunar surface, your heart racing as you contemplate the monumental task ahead: building humanity’s first permanent Moon base. This isn’t a scene from a sci-fi movie – it’s the thrilling finale of our Artemis series in Minecraft Education.

Artemis: Moon Base One brings the ultimate goal of NASA’s Artemis program to life in the blocky, imaginative world of Minecraft. Just as Artemis 3 aims to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon, our latest world challenges students to do the same, all while grappling with the real scientific and logistical challenges of lunar living.

We’ve designed Moon Base One as a rich, role-playing experience that puts students in the astronaut’s boots. Why? Because when learners step into the role of lunar pioneers, something magical happens. Suddenly, they’re not just reading about space exploration – they’re living it. The challenges of producing oxygen, generating power, growing food, and protecting against radiation become personal puzzles to solve. This approach ignites imagination, fosters empathy, and allows students to tackle real-world problems in a safe, virtual environment.

The beauty of Moon Base One lies in its flexibility. Students can choose to brave the lunar frontier solo, fostering independence and self-reliance, or team up with classmates to build a collaborative lunar colony. The choice between survival mode and creative mode adds another layer of customization. In survival mode, every decision counts as players manage limited resources and confront unexpected challenges. It’s a true test of problem-solving skills and resilience. Creative mode, on the other hand, gives free rein to students’ imaginations, allowing them to design ambitious lunar colonies without resource constraints – perfect for those big, bold ideas that could shape our future in space.

As students explore their lunar home, they’ll find themselves pondering questions that real NASA scientists grapple with daily: How can we sustain human life in such a harsh environment? What resources can we use on the Moon? How does reduced gravity affect our construction plans? What groundbreaking research could we conduct from our lunar base? These questions drive the experience, pushing students to think critically and creatively about the future of space exploration.

But Moon Base One goes beyond just building a cool space base (although that’s definitely part of it!). This experience develops crucial skills that are vital not just for space exploration, but for any future career. Resource management, scientific thinking, engineering design, collaboration, communication, adaptability, problem-solving – all these skills and more are honed as students work to make their lunar base a success.

By the time students complete their Moon Base One mission, they’ll have gained a deep appreciation for the complexities of space exploration and the incredible ingenuity required to make it possible. They’ll understand why establishing a lunar base is such a crucial steppingstone for humanity’s journey into space, paving the way for even more ambitious missions, like a journey to Mars.

Who knows? The lunar habitats your students design today might just inspire the real Moon bases of tomorrow. With Moon Base One, we’re skilling the next generation become part of humanity’s greatest adventure.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Explorers

The Minecraft Education and NASA partnership is predicated on the innate curiosity we have about the stars and the experiences on earth needed to cultivate the skills and mindset needed for the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers. Critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and creativity are all put to the test as students navigate these cosmic challenges.

By bringing cutting-edge space science into the familiar, engaging world of Minecraft, we’re making these complex topics accessible and exciting for learners of all backgrounds. Who knows? The first person to set foot on Mars might be inspired by building their first Moon base in Minecraft!

Ready for Launch?

The James Webb Space Telescope Challenge and all Artemis missions, including the new Moon Base One, are available now for Minecraft Education. We can’t wait to see the incredible discoveries and creations your students will make as they explore these new frontiers.

So, are you ready to launch your classroom into space? Download these cosmic learning experiences today and prepare for an educational adventure that’s truly out of this world. Let’s inspire the next generation of space explorers, one block at a time!

The post Craft the Cosmos: Inspire Tomorrow’s Space Explorers with Minecraft’s New NASA inspired Worlds appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

“We teamed with Microsoft because we share a fundamental belief: that educators must be at the center of technological integration so AI supplements, rather than substitutes, the human connection that is the cornerstone of teaching and learning,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “This symposium is just the beginning of an ongoing collaboration between AFT, Microsoft, and other stakeholders within the AI and education communities, and will ensure the dialogue continues well beyond 2024.”

“AI presents an opportunity to enhance worker experience, giving teachers more time to get back to their true passion—educating young people,” said Amy Pannoni, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, HR at Microsoft. “That focus is what made this symposium unique. The gathering brought educators together with technology leaders to learn how to leverage new AI tools and provide feedback on their development and deployment. The symposium was a launch point for AI learning and dialogue and part of a broader set of commitments between Microsoft and the AFL-CIO.”

By fostering collaboration between educators and technology leaders, we aim to ensure that AI tools are developed with the needs of teachers and students in mind. This ongoing collaboration underscores Microsoft’s commitment to empowering educators and enhancing the learning experience through innovative technology.

Leveraging AI to support educators

At the AI Symposium, we heard from educators and leaders that a key concern is educator burnout and heavy workloads. We believe that technology and AI offers a way forward. During the event, teachers let us know that they’re already using AI tools that boost their creativity like Microsoft Copilot and Khanmigo for Teachers for content development.

The promise of AI can go farther by supporting teachers in some of their most complex and time-consuming challenges:

• Curriculum planning is a popular use case for AI. With Copilot and AI-powered tools like Khanmigo for Teachers, educators can quickly build lesson plans, find references and resources, and deliver standards-aligned weekly calendars of activities and content.
• Differentiating instruction: Transforming existing materials is a powerful way to enhance teaching with AI. Whether it’s adding complexity to a reading passage to keep students engaged, personalizing materials for learners to build confidence, or even adjusting the language or pedagogical style of worksheets and other materials, transforming content is a great way to leverage AI tools. 
• Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are critical for documentation and planning to ensure all students are supported. However, they take a tremendous amount of time for teachers to develop and customize. Tools like the IEP generator in Khanmigo for Teachers can help save time by simplifying the process. Educators can add their ideas, reference a broad set of historical IEPs, and quickly develop personalized plans for each student.
• Preparing students for the future: Educators can support students in building future-ready skills like AI literacy so that they can thrive in a rapidly changing work landscape. AI-powered tools can play a crucial role in this process, helping students develop the competencies they need for success.
• AI for brainstorming: By prompting Copilot or other AI-powered tools to take on the role of a pedagogical expert or other type of advisor to help with brainstorming, educators can develop their ideas further and more quickly, helping to bridge the gap from idea to classroom.

A collaborative approach

Use of AI in education requires attention to privacy, fairness, and transparency. Microsoft’s partnership with AFT creates a collaborative approach to developing trustworthy AI. By keeping teachers and students at the center of development educational technology, AI can continue to be a tool for support, creativity, and productivity that includes everyone in the opportunities and benefits of AI.

“Our members know their students best. And that expertise is what’s needed to make AI work for everyone,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten.

By bringing together thought leaders, educators, and technologists to explore the potential of AI in education, we can ensure the trustworthy and equitable use of AI. AI can enhance teaching and learning experiences when teachers’ voices lead the conversation. We look forward to building an expanding collaboration with educators as we meet the possibilities of AI in education together.

The post Teachers lead the way in co-creating AI solutions that empower education appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

AI is reshaping education, and institutions need a plan. With new education insights from the 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Survey, it’s clear that AI use in education is here with 71% of education professionals using it at work. At the same time, 63% reported their institutions lack a vision and plan to implement AI, likely contributing to 81% of education professionals not using tools provided to them—but instead choosing to bring their own AI to work (BYOAI).

As the future of work and education continues to evolve with AI innovation, it’s increasingly important to ensure that educators and students are engaged and encouraged to build AI literacy. 77% of business leaders say with AI, early-in-career talent will be given greater responsibilities, yet many education professionals express reluctance to admit to using AI and say they don’t know how to use it effectively. Learn more about the need for bridging the AI literacy gap and starting AI conversations in our AI in Education Report.

Enhancing Microsoft Copilot with enterprise data protection

Microsoft Copilot is your AI assistant for education, providing secure access to advanced AI models for free so you can focus on what matters most. We’ll continue bringing new models to Copilot, now including GPT-4o, and capabilities like recent chats to reference or continue previous chats. In August 2024, we shared several additional updates to enhance data security, privacy, compliance, and user experience which begins rolling out today. While signed in with a school account, Copilot will offer enterprise data protection (EDP) in a simplified, ad-free interface that can be accessed at Microsoft.com/copilot, in the Microsoft 365 app, and will soon be available in Microsoft Teams and Outlook. 

Enterprise data protection means that your Copilot prompts and responses are protected by the same terms and commitments that are widely trusted by our customers—not only for Microsoft 365 Copilot, but also for emails in Exchange and files in SharePoint. With EDP, we secure your data, your data is private, and your access controls and policies apply based on the underlying subscription plan. Additionally, we help safeguard against AI-focused risks such as harmful content and prompt injections, and your data isn’t used to train foundation models.

Education institutions like Wichita Public Schools and Auburn University have already leveraged Copilot to empower students, faculty, staff, and researchers. We look forward to continuing to support institutions worldwide in their mission to provide equitable AI access and learning about where Copilot is improving educational outcomes.

These updates will be available to all educators, staff, and higher education students aged 18 and older over the next month. We’re also excited to continue our private preview program for students 13 and older, now with enterprise data protection. For more information, review the enterprise data protection FAQ.

Microsoft Copilot Wave 2 innovation

Microsoft 365 Copilot, integrated into the apps you use every day and available as an add-on, has added 150 new features and capabilities since general availability and more than 700 product updates based on customer feedback. We’ve announced three key updates: Business Chat and Copilot Pages, transforming Copilot in the Microsoft 365 apps, and Copilot agents.

Business Chat and Copilot Pages

• Business Chat (BizChat) is a central hub that brings together all your data—web data, work data, and line of business data—with the rich capabilities of the Microsoft 365 apps. BizChat is where you can work with Copilot like a partner, turning organizational content into a rich database of information and insight.
• Copilot Pages is a dynamic, persistent canvas in BizChat designed for AI collaboration to ensure the data in your organization is persistent, accessible, and valuable. You and your team can work collaboratively in a Page with Copilot, seeing everyone’s work in real time. In the coming weeks, we’re also bringing Pages to the free Microsoft Copilot when signed in with a Microsoft Entra account.

Updates to Copilot in the Microsoft 365 apps

• Copilot in Excel is now generally available with new skills, and we announced Copilot in Excel with Python—empowering anyone to conduct advance analysis or visualize complex data—all using natural language, no coding required. 
• Copilot in PowerPoint now offers Narrative Builder, helping you to iterate with Copilot to build a great first draft in minutes and with Brand manager, Copilot can leverage your organization’s branded templates.
• Copilot in Teams can now reason over both the meeting transcript and the meeting chat to give you a complete picture of what was discussed and leave no question, idea, or contribution behind.
• Copilot in Outlook helps you quickly get to the messages that matter with Prioritize My Inbox, which analyzes your inbox and soon, you’ll even be able to teach Copilot the specific topics, keywords, or people that are important to you.
• Copilot in Word will enable you to quickly reference not only Word, PowerPoint, PDFs, and encrypted documents, but also emails and meetings, and offers the ability to partner with Copilot inline as you work on specific sections of your document.
• Copilot in OneDrive is rolling out now and makes it easy to gain insights, summarize, and compare up to five files with a clear, easy-to-ready summary of the details and differences within your files—without opening a file.

Copilot agents

• Now generally available in BizChat, Copilot agents run the spectrum from simple, prompt-and-response agents that anyone can build, to more advanced, fully autonomous agents.
• Simple and secure to manage, all agents have the same Responsible AI and enterprise data protection promises—your data never leaves the Microsoft 365 trust boundary, and everything happens within your tenant.
• To make it even easier to build custom agents, we announced agent builder. It’s a new, simplified experience that complements Copilot Studio to enable easy creation of custom agents and realize the value of your organizational data.

Copilot is transforming productivity in the workplace, empowering customers to accelerate research on rare diseases, save customer service agents hours each week, or go from content ideation to production significantly faster, and more.

In education, institutions like the University of South Florida are preparing students for this new future of work and are already seeing the value for their faculty and staff. We’ll also continue to enhance the value of Microsoft 365 Copilot with capabilities built for students and educators.

Get started on your AI journey

With new innovations and improvements coming every day, one constant is the importance of providing guidance, learning opportunities, and resources. We’ve compiled a relevant list below to help you get started.

Learn from more educators, and students:

• Discover Smart ways students are using AI responsibly at every level to enhance learning and avoid potential pitfalls.
• Hear from O’Dea High School and Indiana University educators on how Educators and students now have a secure AI ‘scaffolding’ to support them in the classroom.

Explore and share AI resources:

• Microsoft Education AI Toolkit: Designed to guide school leaders through the process of integrating AI into their school’s operations and building robust plans for your organization.
• AI for educators learning pathway: Explore the potential of AI in education, enhance teaching and learning with Microsoft Copilot, and equip and support learners.
• AI Classroom Toolkit: A creative resource that blends engaging narrative stories with instructional information to create an immersive learning experience.
• Microsoft Copilot Scenario Library: Get inspired with guidance by departments such as IT, HR, Legal, Communications, Operations, and more.
• Copilot technical skilling resources: A collection of kits, learning paths, Microsoft Mechanics videos, resources for developers, and upcoming events for Microsoft 365 Copilot.
• Worklab: explore the latest research insights on the future of work and generative AI
• Minecraft Education AI Foundations: A set of accessible, engaging materials for building AI literacy with Minecraft for students, educators, and families.
• AI Guidance for Schools Toolkit from TeachAI: Designed to help education authorities, school leaders, and teachers create thoughtful guidance.

The post Bringing a new wave of Copilot innovation to education appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Fresno Unified School District (FUSD) is the third largest school district in the state of California, US, serving approximately 71,000 students. In August 2023, FUSD launched a literary initiative to help get students reading on grade level by the end of first grade.

To support this initiative, FUSD adopted innovative literacy tools like Reading Progress, a Learning Accelerator from Microsoft. Reading Progress is a powerful reading fluency tool that tracks a student’s reading skills, helping them to focus on specific areas of improvement, while quickly providing actionable insights for educators.

Integrated seamlessly into Microsoft Teams for Education, Reading Progress simplifies the process of creating, reviewing, and analyzing reading assignments. It offers educators and reading specialists valuable data visualizations for both class and individual performance and growth. New enhancements including AI passage generation and AI comprehension questions generation help educators to save time while personalizing learning experiences for students’ needs.

Measuring impact on student achievement

To gain a clearer picture of Reading Progress in the classroom, Microsoft partnered with LearnPlatform to evaluate the impact of the tool on FUSD K-6 students’ reading achievement. Read the full Reading Progress in Fresno Unified School District (2023-24) study.

The results were promising. The study found a positive correlation between consistent Reading Progress usage and improved reading outcomes for kindergarten through sixth-grade students. In fact, students who regularly engaged with Reading Progress demonstrated two key improvements: higher reading accuracy and faster reading speeds.

Reading Progress makes my job easier. I used to do fluency individually with the students and it took so much valuable class time. With Reading Progress, they can push themselves to read independently.

Idia Elegbede-Abode, Teacher, Aynesworth Elementary, Fresno, California, US

Study methodology

To ensure the findings about Reading Progress were reliable, researchers utilized an approach that meets the rigorous evidence standards for Level II (Moderate Evidence) under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The research employed a quasi-experimental design, a common approach in educational research. This approach compared students who used Reading Progress to those who did not. To enhance the study’s rigor, propensity score matching was used to create comparable groups of students, helping to mitigate potential biases.

The study focused on:

• 1,404 kindergarten through 6th grade students
• 702 who used Reading Progress
• 702 who did not

Researchers collected and analyzed data on:

• Reading Progress usage
• i-Ready reading assessments scores
• Student demographics

The analysis showed that Reading Progress had a positive impact on student reading achievement. This was particularly noticeable for two cases: when students increased usage, and for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Let’s dig deeper into the results.

Higher gains

Students using Reading Progress consistently showed significantly higher gains in iReady reading scores for both K-2 and grades 3-6 students compared to non-users.

The average i-Ready score among Reading Progress users was 454: significantly higher than the average non-user score of 448.

To put this in perspective, if a student at the 50^th percentile had used Reading Progress, they would be expected to perform at the 54^th percentile. While this may seem like a modest gain, it represents meaningful progress in reading achievement.

A reading equalizer

Reading Progress was shown to benefit English language learners and students who qualified for free/reduced lunch.

The average full year i-Ready score among English learners who used Reading Progress was 440, significantly higher than the average non-user score of 429.

This difference is significant. An English learner at the 50^th percentile using Reading Progress would be expected to perform at the 59^th percentile: a jump equivalent to roughly one full grade level.

For Reading Progress users who qualified for free/reduced price lunch, their score was 451 as opposed to the average non-user score of 444. This translates to a possible 50^th percentile to 55^th percentile jump, indicating that Reading Progress can be a valuable tool in supporting diverse learner populations.

According to elementary school teacher Idia Elegbede-Abode, “Reading Progress makes my job easier. I used to do fluency individually with the students and it took so much valuable class time. With Reading Progress, they can push themselves to read independently. At the end of the day, I look and see where they are, and it helps me to better group the students. Reading Progress has also improved my students’ motivation. And since I assign it as homework, the parents have even been getting involved! In Fourth Grade, you’re not learning how to read, you’re reading to learn. With Reading Progress taking care of fluency, we can use precious class time to focus on comprehension.”

Consistency is key

Students who used Reading Progress more frequently demonstrated higher reading accuracy and faster reading speeds.

Seventy-eight percent of K-2 Reading Progress users submitted between two and five assignments per month that were, on average, 38% accurate. Those who submitted more assignments, however, had a 10% higher average accuracy percentage across their assignments.

For me, the benefits of Reading Progress are that I can have alone time with every kid without having to have alone time with every kid! I can see my students on the screen, I can hear their voices, and I know exactly how they’re reading.

Errin Topolovec, Teacher, Ayer Elementary, Fresno, California, US

Meanwhile, 83% of grade 3-6 Reading Progress users submitted 20 or fewer assignments, with those submitting more assignments scoring six points higher on their full year i-Ready Reading assessment.

These findings suggest that increased engagement with Reading Progress correlates with improved reading performance, highlighting the potential benefits of consistent use.

Errin Topolovec, another elementary school teacher said, “For me, the benefits of Reading Progress are that I can have alone time with every kid without having to have alone time with every kid! I can see my students on the screen, I can hear their voices, and I know exactly how they’re reading. Reading Progress also really helps to drive my instruction. I can look at it and I start taking notes, then pick a targeted group, pull them over, and hit what they really need to learn to become exceptional readers. For my students, they’ve become much better readers because they are far more aware of their own reading.”

How to get started with Reading Progress

Reading Progress is a valuable tool for improving literacy rates across grade levels. This study confirms that consistent use of Reading Progress maximized student benefits and enabled educators to leverage data to inform instruction and provide differentiated support to students. It even shows potential in reducing achievement gaps.

Integrating Reading Progress into a literacy curriculum is simple. Here’s how to get started:

1. Create assignments: Educators can easily create an assignment within Microsoft Teams for Education using Reading Progress.
2. Student engagement: Students complete the assignment by reading a passage, while recording their voice, and optionally, their video.  
3. Fluency analysis: Reading Progress then analyzes student reading fluency, checking for pronunciation, inserted words, omitted words, and repeated words.
4. Data-driven instruction: Educators then receive data that includes an accuracy percentage and the identified words so that they can tailor instruction accordingly.

Create assignments in Microsoft Teams

Educators can easily create a practice assignment with Reading Progress through Assignments in Microsoft Teams for Education. You can use your own Word or PDF file from your computer, OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, Class Notebook or select a passage from the embedded ReadWorks library or use the new passage generator tool.

Personalize passages and assessments with AI-enabled features

Two AI-powered features have been added to Reading Progress, passage and comprehension question generation.

• Passage generation allows educators to create custom passages tailored to the specific needs and reading levels of their students.
• Comprehension questions generation analyzes a specific reading passage and creates true or false, multiple-choice, and fill-in-the-blank questions. You can then customize, add, or delete these questions

Strengthen reading fluency

The standalone Reading Coach Preview app, another Learning Accelerator, complements Reading Progress by providing personalized and engaging reading fluency practice: even at home. It keeps learners motivated by allowing them to create unique AI-generated stories with customizable characters and settings from a curated collection. Reading Coach is available for free as a web app and a Windows app to use in the classroom or at home with a Microsoft account.

Enhance accuracy and track growth in assignments

Reviewing your students’ practice assignments in Reading Progress is straightforward. Easily jump to specific words in the video or audio recording and listen to individual students’ pronunciations.

Reading Progress data is available through the Education Insights dashboard, revealing crucial trends and patterns. Education Insights shows individual, class, or schoolwide student data to help inform targeted initiatives, personalize interventions, and identify areas for improvement in students. This comprehensive data analysis supports administrators in making informed decisions to enhance student outcomes.

Learn more about how Reading Progress can boost literacy in the classroom with these powerful resources.

• Get started today with the Reading Progress Quick Guide and Reading Coach Quick Guide PDFs.
• Download 5 things to know about Microsoft Reading Progress and Reading Coach.
• Check out Building reading foundational skills: A guide to Reading Progress and Reading Coach in Teams for educators.
• Read how Milton Area School District (US) uses Reading Progress in Microsoft Teams to track students’ reading skills and focus on areas for improvement.
• Learn how The Stour Academy Trust uses Reading Progress and Reading Coach to support students with reading difficulties.
• Take the free training Support reading fluency practice with Reading Progress on Microsoft Learn.

The post New study shows improved reading scores by using Reading Progress appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

With Learning Accelerators, students can practice and build their skills in engaging and interactive ways, while you can gather data and insights to help them improve. These powerful tools included in Microsoft 365 Education can help you personalize learning for your students—and new AI-powered capabilities can help you prepare, review, and analyze their assignments more efficiently. Read on to explore the latest AI features in Learning Accelerators.

Support reading comprehension with Reading Progress

Reading Progress tracks your students’ reading skills, gives you actionable insights quickly, and focuses students on specific areas for improvement. It provides actionable insights at the student-level and the class-level, allowing you to tailor your lessons more easily. The latest AI features in Reading Progress include:

• Passage generation: Generate a passage directly in Reading Progress and leverage insights to personalize it based on the needs of your class and individual students. Select a topic, age, length, and language, and easily adjust the complexity of the passage once it has been generated.
• Comprehension questions: Generate comprehension questions based on specific reading passages. Specify the number of questions you want to generate and customize the passage complexity. Reading Progress uses AI to draft an initial question set that you can review and tailor to your students’ needs.

Get started with Reading Progress in Microsoft Teams for Education. To learn more, check out the following resources:

• A guide to Reading Progress and Reading Coach in Teams for educators
• Reading Progress Quick Guide PDF
• Reading Progress product guide – Microsoft Learn Educator Center
• Support reading fluency practice with Reading Progress – Training

Personalize reading practice with Reading Coach

Reading Coach Preview provides personalized, engaging AI-powered reading fluency practice for all learners. This powerful tool helps students develop literacy skills by earning achievements and unlocking new story elements as they read, driving continuous engagement. The AI features in Reading Coach include:

• AI-generated stories: Students can create their own stories by choosing a character, setting, and reading level, and follow their own path through the story by choosing what happens in each chapter.  
• Passage library and adding your own content: Students can choose from a curated, reading level-appropriate library of passages from ReadWorks. They can also add their own content to practice reading.
• Personalized and engaged practice: For every 20 minutes of reading any content, students can unlock a new character for their next story. Each reading session is also followed by targeted practice and coaching on challenging words.

Reading Coach Preview is currently available for free to use at school with a Microsoft Entra ID (school account) or at home using a personal Microsoft account. Get started with Reading Coach online or download the Windows app and use these resources to learn more:

• Reading Coach with AI stories Quick Guide PDF
• Build reading fluency with Reading Coach – Training

Develop confident communicators with Speaker Progress

Speaker Progress is now generally available! This innovative real-time coaching tool makes it easy to create presentation assignments that can help your students build their speaking skills. Students can boost their confidence by practicing in private—helping to reduce anxiety by removing the pressures of a full audience. The AI-powered features in Speaker Progress support you and your students by making learning more personalized and effective.

• Real-time presentation evaluation: AI helps evaluate the presenter with feedback on their presentation skills, including pace, pitch, filler words, body language, and more. Tips are provided in real time, helping learners make adjustments and overcome challenges in the moment.
• Personalized rehearsal report: An AI-generated rehearsal report provides detailed analysis of each presentation. This report allows students to review their performance and improve their verbal delivery with each attempt.

These features also offer additional opportunities for independent practice, empowering your students to continually improve their presentation skills and boost their confidence. Get started with Speaker Progress in Microsoft Teams for Education. Explore these resources to learn more:

• Getting started with Speaker Progress for educators – Microsoft Support
• Getting started with Speaker Progress for students – Microsoft Support
• Develop confident presenters with Speaker Progress – Training

New AI features in Microsoft Teams for Education

In addition to the exciting AI-powered enhancements in Learning Accelerators, we’re pleased to share new capabilities in Microsoft Teams for Education. Designed to improve your workflow and maximize your instructional time, these updates use AI to help you draft content like rubrics and assignment instructions.

• Create rubrics in Assignments: With generative AI integrated into Assignments, enter what you want the rubric to assess, and Assignments will suggest criteria and draft the rubric for you.
• Create instructions in Assignments: Get multiple suggestions for how to enrich the content, such as adding more details, adding learning objectives, emphasizing key concepts, and even making your assignments more interesting. After the content is created, you can make further edits and updates as you go.

Download Microsoft Teams for Education to get started and check out the Teams for Education hub in the Microsoft Learn Educator Center for trainings, demos, and more.

Unlock the potential of the latest AI features for Learning Accelerators in your classroom today. In addition to leveraging the AI features above, we recommend building a strong foundation for understanding AI in education with the free AI for educators training courses and resources from the Microsoft Learn Educator Center.

The post Explore new AI features in Learning Accelerators appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Poor security practices can lead to significant consequences, from identity theft and unauthorized access to students’ personal and academic information, to severe breaches across education networks and systems. While schools have focused on encouraging a more proactive access control approach—such as creating stronger unique passwords—success ultimately depends on the students. Protect your school’s devices and data with Microsoft’s industry-leading cybersecurity solutions that bring the digital security needs of your students, teachers, and school districts to the forefront.

MFA without a smartphone: a convenient and secure option

Traditional MFA processes are unrealistic for students, as institutions from primary schools to universities cannot expect every student to have a phone or device to deploy legacy MFA options. Additionally, using personal devices for authentication comes with even more privacy and security concerns for educational institutions. However, studies have shown that an account is more than 99.9% less likely to be compromised if using MFA. So, what can schools do?

Luckily, hope is on the horizon—Microsoft has pioneered a passwordless approach using MFA without a smartphone that ensures students can easily access their learning environments securely. With no phone required for authentication, this is the first passwordless MFA solution from an industry-leading security and education solution provider for primary and secondary (K-12), and higher education students. Without having to rely on a homegrown or third-party identity provider (IdP), credentials can be set and distributed to students that may not have a phone to complete the setup. Additionally, this passwordless approach helps schools meet stringent cyber insurance requirements and qualify for a variety of government funding opportunities and cyber grant programs around the world, such as the recently announced $200 million FCC Cybersecurity Pilot Program for schools in the US.

By replacing passwords with your choice of convenient and secure options for passwordless authentication, you can transform the security of your entry points with best-in-class technology and increase your IT team’s productivity.

Why use MFA to go passwordless?

Passwords are often the weakest link in security protocols and can be easily guessed, stolen, or forgotten. As we grow more predictable in our password generation and choices, our vulnerability increases. According to a recent study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), more than 68% of primary school students and 81% of middle school and high school students reuse the same password across multiple accounts, making them vulnerable to identity theft and attacks. Even strong passwords are vulnerable because they are often reused across multiple sites—there have been a number of high-profile data breaches exposing millions of user passwords, and just one recycled password can give hackers the ability to conduct attacks across websites.

Unfortunately, students in particular may be more likely to use weak passwords or reuse passwords as they’re less aware of or concerned about security best practices. While traditional MFA does add an additional layer of protection, it’s still reliant on the use of a password and a second device.

Passwordless authentication helps minimize the threat of password theft while enabling easy sign-in security that achieves leading industry standards—all while providing a smooth and efficient experience for students, faculty, and IT. Passwordless authentication also doesn’t require a phone for use (FIDO2-compliant security keys can be used instead of apps, SMS, or voice calls) yet still leverages advanced technologies like biometrics and PINs, which are more secure, user-friendly, and popular based on feedback from end users.

Passwordless authentication with Microsoft adds multiple layers of safety for student data. For example, if biometrics are used as part of the Windows Hello face authentication system, the biometric data never leaves the device—the data is hashed and stored locally instead of on the cloud. Also, if using a PIN with Windows Hello, the PIN is tied to the specific device on which it is set up—so if a malicious actor obtains the PIN, they can’t use it to access the account from another device.

How to implement passwordless MFA

There are three main steps to planning, implementing, and managing passwordless MFA for students.

The first step is distributing Temporary Access Passes (TAP) which are often generated when passwords are provided to students for the first time or when students receive new devices. By using authentication methods in Microsoft Entra ID, you can control what MFA methods students are prompted to set up and use.

The second step is configuring devices. Depending on the device and system, passwordless sign-in methods can be configured for each operating system to meet your requirements:

• For Microsoft Intune-managed devices, there are two methods for configuring Windows Hello for Business: tenant-wide Windows Hello for Business policies or targeted policies. For more information, see Configure Windows Hello for Business.
• To use passwordless credentials on macOS, you can set up Platform SSO with secure enclave. For more information about setting up Platform SSO with Intune, see Configure Platform SSO for macOS devices.

Each operating system has a different implementation for device-bound passwordless credentials. For more detailed information on hardware requirements and bioinformatic information needed, see the Microsoft 365 Education documentation Passwordless for Students.

If you’re requiring students to use Microsoft Entra ID for authentication, configuring Conditional Access can ensure that only trusted individuals—in this case, students—can access managed devices with passwordless credentials. A Conditional Access policy can be configured with specific settings for Name, Target, and Grant. For more information, see Overview of Microsoft Entra authentication strength.

The third and final step is to maintain vigilance and quickly address any compromised devices. While passwordless credentials are unaffected by password changes, resets, or policies, if a device is compromised or stolen, there are a few options to resolve the incident. Some common actions include triggering a remote wipe of the compromised device, deleting the associated passwordless credential from the comprised device, and removing the authentication method associated with a user account.

Join the passwordless MFA movement

Transitioning to passwordless MFA without a smartphone is a significant step toward securing student data and enhancing the overall educational experience. By leveraging Microsoft’s robust tools and resources, educational institutions can create a safer, more efficient learning environment.

• For a detailed step-by-step guide on implementing passwordless authentication in your institution, visit Microsoft’s Passwordless Authentication for Education on Microsoft Learn.
• Learn more about MFA on the Microsoft Entra MFA page on the Microsoft Security website.
• For more information about passwordless authentication and Microsoft Entra ID, see Microsoft Entra passwordless sign-in.
• Take Microsoft Learn’s School Cybersecurity Leadership trainings to implement CISA-recommended cybersecurity practices for your institution.
• Stay connected with the latest in educational technology by following the Education Blog on the Microsoft Community Hub.

The post Empowering secure and seamless learning: Multifactor authentication without a smartphone appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

The game allows kids aged 8 or older to challenge a friend, neighbor, family member, or themselves. Players can complete fun challenge tasks from a variety of categories including:

• English Language Arts
• Art and music
• Social Studies
• Science
• Math
• Coding

These tasks are designed to reach and engage every learner, from aspiring coders to reluctant comic artists. Keep learning going this summer with our free Leaps and Logs game! Download Leaps and Logs to get started with summer learning activities from Microsoft Education.

Play digitally or on paper

The learning activities in Leaps and Logs can be completed by students of most ages (age 8 or older recommended). Players may aim to complete one or two rounds of play a day, continuing their game play until the start of the new school year.

Leaps and Logs is versatile and can be played digitally or on paper. Full game directions and a game board can be found by downloading Leaps and Logs.

• Playing digitally involves downloading the game board and task lists then uploading them into Microsoft Whiteboard.
• Playing on paper involves downloading and printing the game board. The challenge tasks can also be printed, but students will need a digital version to access the embedded links.

Also, check out some tips for sharing the game with students in our blog post Leap into summer learning with a game from Microsoft.

Join the fun and continue learning

To help you get started, we’re highlighting a few of the fun learning activities in the Leaps and Logs game. Explore ways kids can have a blast while letting their creativity shine as they learn and grow!

Create a comic book in 5 easy steps

Try your hand at creating your own manga-style comic book. Dazzle your friends and family with thousands of graphics and animations that make your comic come alive!

1. Create a short outline of your story or brainstorm a storyline with Microsoft Copilot.¹
2. Open the Microsoft PowerPoint comic template.
3. Go to New Slide and select a comic layout.
4. Customize your frames with colors, characters, and text.
5. Share your story!

Build your own instrument and hold a concert

Express your musical creativity by building a musical instrument using items you have at home. Then set the stage and entertain everyone with your DIY creation!

1. Ask Copilot¹ for steps to build your favorite instrument or get inspiration from homemade musical instruments other people have made.
2. Gather the supplies and items you’ll need to make the instrument.
3. Follow the steps to build your instrument.
4. Test your instrument by playing a song.
5. Hold a concert or recital!

Create a plan to improve your community

Enhance your neighborhood by making plans to improve your community. Learn how to create an action plan with the Neighborhood Good game from iCivics.

1. Visit https://www.icivics.org/games/neighborhood-good
2. Select “New Game.”
3. Pick an issue that resonates with you and your community.
4. Make a plan of action by playing the game and then choosing the Who, What, and How details.
5. Share your plan with people in your community!

Recreate a famous landmark in Minecraft Education

Explore the world by researching famous landmarks. Use Seach Coach in Microsoft Teams for Education learn about a landmark and build a digital version of it in Minecraft Education.

1. Choose a famous landmark you want to learn more about.
2. With your school account, use Search Coach in Microsoft Teams for Education to research the landmark.
3. Plan your replica from at least two different angles on paper.
4. Explore and build the landmark with the Replicating Landmarks world from Minecraft Education.
5. Share what you learned by building it with your friends and family!

Continue learning all summer long with these fun and engaging activities. Curious about the other challenge tasks included in Leaps and Logs? Explore the game to see how students can build AI-powered inventions in Minecraft Hour of Code: Generation AI, personalize their own story using Reading Coach online, or organize a trip within a specific budget using Microsoft Copilot.¹ There are a variety of tasks to choose from that will encourage students to be creative and think critically.

Keep kids entertained this summer and help them prepare for a new school year with our free Leaps and Logs game! Download Leaps and Logs to get started with summer learning activities from Microsoft Education.

¹ Students under 18 years of age will not have access to Microsoft Copilot and will need adult supervision to access these activities.

The post Extend summer learning with a free game from Microsoft appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Reading Coach, available in public preview, provides personalized and engaging reading fluency practice. It features safe, one-of-a-kind AI-generated stories, access to fully accessible Immersive Reader, targeted practice on challenging words, and rewards that keep learners inspired and motivated. Reading Coach can help your students practice reading throughout the school year—and all summer long!

How to use Reading Coach

Follow these quick steps to help students get started with Reading Coach online in any browser. Reading Coach is also available by downloading the Windows app.

1. Go to https://coach.microsoft.com/webapp
2. Sign in with your Microsoft personal account as an individual learner at home or with your school account (if your school has enabled Reading Coach). Note: School IT leaders can enable Reading Coach by signing up for the preview and following the enablement instructions. Students or educators can then sign in with their school Microsoft account.
3. Explore, practice, and enjoy!

Try these features in Reading Coach to challenge and engage students:

• Let students choose what happens in each story chapter, charting their own reading journey through the AI-generated story.
• Provide choice through fiction and non-fiction passages in the leveled library.
• Support all learners by using the fully accessible Immersive Reader.
• Boost learning with coaching on challenging words.
• Personalize reading by adding your own content for students to read based on their interests.
• Watch as students check out their progress and earn badges, unlocking new characters and settings for the next story.

Learn more and get started with our Reading Coach with AI Stories quick guide.

Three modes in Reading Coach for endless reading possibilities

Reading Coach offers students three reading modes, including generating a story with AI, reading a passage from its digital library, or using text from an article or textbook.

• “Create a story” mode features 15 main characters, ranging from dogs to dragons, and seven diverse locations. Students choose one character and one location, then set their reading level, from kindergarten to middle school. With these selections, the AI generates a complete story with a captivating beginning, middle, and ending. AI-generated story content is moderated for content quality, safety, and age appropriateness following Microsoft’s Responsible AI Standard.
• “Read a passage” mode provides students with a digital library powered by Readworks. The library is categorized by Lexile level and word count, allowing students at all stages of reading proficiency to access text and improve their reading fluency.
• “Add a passage” mode enables students to add their own text from articles, textbooks, or other sources. This supports reading any passage and offers students practice on challenging words within that text.

Join the Reading Coach Summer Reading Quest

Looking for an exciting way to keep your students reading all summer long? Bingo! Encourage your students to take the Reading Coach Summer Reading Quest to meet their summer reading practice goals and earn exclusive stickers and posters!

Here’s how it works:

Download the resources.

• Access the Reading Coach Summer Reading Quest bingo card and related information, available in four languages, in the Reading Coach Materials OneDrive folder.
• Find everything you need to help students and families get started, including instructions, email templates, and additional resources.

Engage in summer reading.

• Have students read and complete tasks from their bingo board throughout the summer.
• Each task focuses students on a different aspect of reading including repetition, consistency, performance, word practice, and real-world reading.

Log your classroom’s activity.

• At the start of the new school year, fill out a form to log your classroom’s reading activity and request swag.

Stay tuned for more!

• To stay tuned for updates and get swag for completing the quest, join the Reading Coach Educator Community or the Reading Coach Family Community.

Whether you’re in the northern hemisphere enjoying summer break or elsewhere in the world, Reading Coach is an excellent tool to provide students with personalized and engaging reading fluency practice and real-time coaching. Join us in the Reading Coach Summer Reading Quest to support your students’ summer reading practice. Learn more about how to get started with Reading Coach in the Build reading fluency with Reading Coach training module on Microsoft Learn.

The post Boost summer literacy skills with Reading Coach appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

More than two thousand presenters crowded the Colorado Convention Center, with hundreds of sessions, workshops, and keynotes covering a wide range of topics. The predominant theme was, perhaps unsurprisingly, AI and strategies for using it in the classroom. The real-world examples of AI and authentic stories of schools solving their own problems utilizing AI-enabled tools was inspiring, and I’d like to share a few things that I learned.

Exploring AI in education with Microsoft  

Our team from Microsoft Education was on hand to share how AI can enhance learning experiences with exciting updates to our powerful tools, including Microsoft Copilot which helps educators save time and inspire creativity. We were also proud to announce the latest updates to the Microsoft Education AI Toolkit!

Explore my seven standout moments from ISTELive24: 

1. AI-powered tools for schools

Microsoft booth 1300 was abuzz with presentations and conversations detailing over 20 Microsoft-related updates and resources and we were able to show them in action! They included enhancements to Copilot for Microsoft 365, a new Minecraft Education Lesson Crafter, Learning Accelerators and Microsoft Teams for Education news, free access to Figma through our new partnership, and more value coming to Microsoft Education.

Some of the new AI-powered features coming to Copilot for Microsoft 365 allow educators to:

• Create assignments, lesson plans, and presentations using guided content generation.
• Generate quizzes with answer keys and step-by-step solutions for students.
• Receive suggested feedback on student work based on rubrics and instructions.
• Utilize data from Microsoft Teams for Education for a more personalized experience.

One of the exciting new pieces of value coming to Microsoft 365 A3 and A5 users is Clipchamp, a video editing tool that makes creation easy for learners and educators. Whether you’re recording experiments or producing awesome multimedia projects, Clipchamp is a great way to enhance student engagement!

2. Impact of Microsoft Education solutions

We were able to showcase the evidence and research that highlights the impact many of our tools are having on teachers and students. This included Microsoft Teams for Education being awarded the ISTE Seal for usability, pedagogy, and alignment to the ISTE Standards. De Wereldreiziger (The world Traveler), a primary school in Antwerp, Belgium saw its students make significant progress after starting to use Reading Progress. “Children are much more motivated to read, we can give much more feedback and the teacher can help 15-16 children at a time. For example, we see that children catch up on reading for six months or a year in 3 weeks, and some even for a year and a half,” says Jef Groffen, Principal of De Wereldreiziger. Congratulations to principal Groffen for recently winning the first EU AI in Education award.

3. Advancing AI in Teacher Preparation Programs with ISTE

I was thrilled to see the press release from ISTE on our new work together to support pre-service teachers through the Transforming Teacher Preparation initiative. Our goal is to help equip future teachers to effectively use new AI tools to ultimately enhance student and community impact. We’ll be working with ISTE to create a scalable AI module to reach thousands of pre-service teachers and hundreds of faculty members teaching in Education Preparation Programs. As a result, hundreds of thousands of elementary and secondary students around the world will benefit from the higher quality of instruction and learning experiences, as their teachers gain a deeper understanding of how to effectively use AI in their classrooms.

4. Khanmigo for Teachers, now free in the US

We recently announced an exciting new partnership with Khan Academy to bring Khanmigo for Teachers—an array of AI-powered teaching tools with no prompting required—to all US educators for free. It was great to see educators getting hands-on with these tools throughout the Khan Academy sessions at our booth, and to hear that availability is expanding soon. Learn more and get started with our Khanmigo for Teachers Quick Guide.

5. A toolkit for effective AI implementation and inspiration 

We were proud to announce many updates to our Microsoft Education AI Toolkit. These revisions and updates make the toolkit easier to use and even more indispensable. These updates include: 

• New AI Navigators and customer stories. 
• New implementation guides.
• Additional research reports and information.
• Improved accessibility throughout.
• A new “Quick Wins” section to help education leaders get started and be successful with AI.

To me, the most exciting aspect of ISTELive 24 was hearing from school systems and their forward-looking educators who are harnessing the power and potential of Microsoft Education tools and putting them to practical use in real classrooms. At ISTELive 24, we highlighted some of these Microsoft AI Navigators including the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and Wichita Public Schools with panels on “Accelerate and personalize learning experiences at scale with AI” and “The road to implementation: Navigating AI.”

6. Esports, AI, and big updates from Minecraft Education

Minecraft Education made a big blocky splash at ISTELive 24. There were coding sessions, cyber safety workshops, AI demos and—for the very first time—a special “Battle in the Rocks” esports showcase on the ISTE main stage that featured four teams of students in a live Minecraft build battle. The team previewed Minecraft Lesson Crafter (an AI powered lesson generator), GameCode (a new Computer Science curriculum) and accredited AP Computer Science Principles course, and showcased AI literacy resources for teaching and learning. ICYMI (in case you missed it) Minecraft Education also just launched cloud storage in OneDrive, a new credentialing partnership with Prodigy Learning, and an esports playbook!

7. Entirely new and powerful AI experiences  

Last month, Microsoft also unveiled Copilot+ PCs: the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever built. With access to the most advanced AI models, Copilot+ PCs enable educators to do things they simply can’t on any other PC. We had a lot of interesting conversations with district leaders about the potential of Copilots in PCs, and—as these tools become more readily available in the market—we look forward to seeing how schools leverage them to better support educators and leaders in their organizations.

ISTELive 24 is just further confirmation of the potential for AI to bring opportunity to life in education: especially with these edu-relevant advancements! Enjoy your summer and we will see you soon with more ways to help all students to reach their highest potential. Be sure to learn more about all of Microsoft’s exciting announcements for education, coming to classrooms soon!

The post Seven standout moments from ISTELive 24 appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

We’re thrilled to share over 20 updates and resources and show them in action next week at ISTELive 24 in Denver, Colorado, US. Join us at the show to learn more and hear about the latest from Microsoft Education at our booth and in dozens of sessions.

Enhancing Copilot for Microsoft 365 in education

We’ve loved seeing the early adoption and benefits from education institutions already using Microsoft Copilot, our no-cost AI-powered chat with data protection, and Copilot for Microsoft 365, an add-on for AI assistance integrated with the apps you use every day. We’re excited to now bring even more value to education in Copilot for Microsoft 365 with a new set of capabilities designed for relevant and powerful use by educators and students. These features will be included in Copilot for Microsoft 365 and will be in private previews over the coming months. Education institutions with any academic license are eligible to purchase Copilot for Microsoft 365, with no minimum, for their faculty, staff, and students aged 18 and older.

Educators will be able to use a guided content generation experience to easily kickstart materials like assignments, lesson plans, lecture slides, and more based on pedagogical requirements across Microsoft 365 apps such as Teams, Word, and PowerPoint. This includes the ability to align content to over five million education standards from 35 countries for both public and private institutions through EdGate.

Additionally, educators now have access to quiz generation through Copilot in Forms which allows them to generate quizzes and correct answers, support students with step-by-step solutions for each question, and easily assign quizzes to classes in Teams for Education. Educators can use Copilot to generate quizzes based on their own files or pasted text. Later this year, educators will be able to align the quizzes to education standards. 

Our recent research found that students are already using AI to quickly receive initial feedback on their work. We’re excited to help educators do the same in meaningful ways with suggested AI feedback. Educators review, edit, or discard suggested student feedback, which is based on individual student progress, rubrics selections, or assignment instructions. Educators can start by selecting initial rubric scores and then add the corresponding draft feedback directly into student Word documents in the form of comments or share overall feedback in a Teams Assignment.

AI has the potential to further support students by accelerating and deepening their learning process in engaging ways. Interactive practice experiences will be available for educators to create and share with their students, or for students to generate on their own to help them save time and increase subject matter retention on their specific learning content. They’ll be able to use Copilot functionality across Microsoft 365 apps like OneNote to easily build study materials like flashcards and guided chat experiences based on their learning content. The guided chat experience is designed to help learners walk through and engage with the content to ask questions, get immediate feedback, and test their knowledge. 

To better support educators and students with their daily tasks, we’ll be launching built-in learning and teaching extensions to help guide them through relevant activities and provide contextual, persona-based support in Copilot. They’ll see custom prompts to get started with tasks like building an interactive lecture or receiving initial feedback on their work.

For staff, educators, and students to be able to maximize the value of Copilot for Microsoft 365, it’s essential to have access to relevant data and files. We’re introducing education data integration to generate more helpful responses, insights, and content based on personal and organizational information. This will include data from Teams for Education such as Classwork, Assignments, Grades, class rosters, and more. We’ll also interoperate data from Learning Management Systems (LMS) in the future for simpler, connected, experiences across platforms including many of these new AI-powered capabilities.

Read more about guided content generation, standards-alignment, suggested AI feedback, interactive practice experiences, learning and teaching extensions, and education data integration in the June Edition of What’s New in Microsoft EDU.

Getting started on your AI journey for free

To help get started on your AI journey, we’re excited to continue offering free tools and resources. Read about products available at no cost for educators and students like Copilot, GitHub Copilot, and more in our recent blog on our free AI offers.

Last month we announced that Khanmigo for Teachers is free for all US educators thanks to our new partnership with Khan Academy. We’ve heard from educators around the world who look forward to using Khanmigo for Teachers, and we’re excited to share that we’ll be expanding free availability globally in the coming weeks. Educators can sign up to be notified regarding availability in their country. Khanmigo for Teachers is an AI-powered teaching assistant that helps streamline class prep with no prompting required. Learn more from our Khanmigo for Teachers Quick Guide.

Minecraft Education will be previewing its new Lesson Crafter web tool at ISTE, which will be available for free in the coming months. Lesson Crafter allows educators to generate custom easy-to-teach lesson plans for Minecraft Education tailored to the needs of their learners on any topic and age range. Lesson Crafter will make it easier to get started teaching with Minecraft and give more teachers the opportunity to bring fun, immersive game-based learning into their classrooms.

In addition to these free tools, we believe in the importance of building a foundation of AI literacy for everyone. Get started today with the following resources:

• For pre-service educators: Next week at ISTELive 24, we’ll be sharing a new collaboration with ISTE and ASCD focused on AI skills for pre-service educators. Stay tuned for more details coming soon.
• For educators: AI for educators learning path, AI Classroom Toolkit, AI literacy resources from Minecraft Education including lessons, PD, and Minecraft Prompt Lab playbook.
• For educators, guardians, and IT: Microsoft Copilot resources for education.
• For education leaders and IT: Microsoft Education AI Toolkit now refreshed with updates including use cases from AI Navigators and more research and resources.

Empowering educators and learners with Learning Accelerators, Teams for Education, and Learning Management Systems

Our newest Learning Accelerator, Speaker Progress, will be generally available by July! Speaker Progress helps students build confidence in their presentation skills with real-time feedback. Educators can create presentation assignments where students will receive real-time coaching on their public speaking skills like their pace, pitch, filler words, and more. Students and educators can view a rehearsal report of top strengths and top opportunities with targeted feedback to help students improve.

Math Progress, coming to preview in July, enhances numeracy gains by streamlining the creation, review, and analysis of math practice for educators and providing feedback to students on the problems they did not solve correctly. Both Speaker Progress and Math Progress provide actionable insights to help educators collect and visualize presentation and numeracy data to track progress and improve student outcomes. 

To ensure convenient access to all education institutions, we’re bringing the Learning Accelerators and Teams Assignments to your LMS through a new LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability) private preview. Educators will be able to use all the capabilities of Teams Assignments within their LMS and sync content like files and grades. Learn more from our blog about existing LMS integrations.

Partnering with Figma to help prepare students for the future

Now more than ever, skills like collaboration, creativity, and strategic planning are critical for students in an ever-changing world. That’s just one of the reasons we’re excited to announce a new partnership with Figma to provide free access to Figma and FigJam enterprise tiers for all Microsoft K-12 educators and students. Figma and FigJam are design and collaboration software used by professional designers, engineers, and makers of all kinds. They can support students in building together—in a fun, interactive space that simultaneously prepares them for future career opportunities. Figma’s education offering through Microsoft 365 schools will be available in the US, UK, and Japan today, with plans for future international expansions. Admins and school leaders can apply here to get started.

We’re thrilled to partner with Microsoft to bring Figma into more classrooms. Currently, Figma is available in over 5,000 K-12 schools through our free education plan, and teaming up with Microsoft will help even more students across the world access Figma. Today’s students are tomorrow’s product builders, designers, developers and problem solvers—and we want to equip them with the best tools to bring their ideas from imagination to reality.

Yuhki Yamashita, Chief Product Officer, Figma

Bringing more value to Microsoft Education

• Clipchamp is coming to Microsoft 365 A3 and A5 licenses at no additional cost, starting next month. In today’s digital world, communication skills are increasingly important. Clipchamp equips educators and students with the ability to convey ideas visually, fostering essential skills for success—from the classroom to future careers. Integrated with Microsoft 365, Clipchamp makes video editing easily accessible. To learn more, visit the Clipchamp webpage and Clipchamp Support. 

• Preview exciting updates from Minecraft Education coming for Back to School including a new Computer Science curriculum and AP CS Principles course launching at CSTA next month, esports program playbook, credentialing with Prodigy Learning, and new product updates including cloud storage on OneDrive and an AI-powered Lesson Crafter. Visit the Minecraft Education blog for details, and sign up for free summer training to learn how to bring Minecraft into your classroom or district.

• Visual Studio Code for Education, an online computer science education platform, is now available for free to empower the next generation of developers. It helps students learn to code at their own pace, develop in-demand skills with the same platform used by professionals, and bring their ideas to life. Visit the Visual Studio Code for Education webpage for more information.

• Microsoft Defender for Endpoint – Student (MDE P2 – Students) is an affordably priced version of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2, tailored specifically for student devices that are covered by an A5 license. It encompasses the comprehensive range of features that Microsoft Defender for Endpoint offers. With a focus on the security of students, Microsoft ensures that student devices receive the same robust protection as faculty devices do with MDE P2. This initiative is designed to protect student devices against vulnerabilities, proactively neutralize threats, halt attacks, facilitate swift investigation and remediation, and provide access to threat intelligence. Read more in our blog on ensuring secure learning experiences with MDE P2 – Students.

In such an exciting time for technology innovation, we look forward to continuing to share our progress, new capabilities, and resources to help you make the most of them. Check out the Microsoft Education Blog for the latest news and come join us next week at ISTELive 24 to explore AI in education!

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