The Copilot Scenario Library for education is a great place to start for finding ideas on how to integrate AI into your daily workflow. It offers easy to follow day-in-the-life examples tailored to your role in education. Whether you’re designing personalized lesson content, collaborating with colleagues, or communicating with families, Copilot helps you save time and focus on supporting student success.

Additional Copilot Scenario Libraries provide targeted guidance and even more day-in-the-life examples:

• IT Management – Strengthen cybersecurity and optimize device management.
• Communications – Craft engaging content and improve communication.
• Operations – Boost efficiency in planning, reporting, and scheduling.
• Accessibility – Enhance digital accessibility and create inclusive environments.

Leverage these useful resources to get inspired and support success across your institution with Copilot.

Copilot Chat: Your AI assistant for education

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is the AI chat experience you can use every day. It’s powered by broad knowledge from the web, built on the latest AI models, and designed to be safe and secure. Copilot Chat includes free, secure AI chat powered by GPT-4o, agents accessible right in the chat, and IT controls, including enterprise data protection and agent management. In addition, pay-as-you-go agents are available through Copilot Chat.

While Copilot Chat is an excellent starting point for integrating AI into your day-to-day workflow, Microsoft 365 Copilot offers all the features of Copilot Chat and additional capabilities to transform educational experiences. Integrated into the apps you use every day, Copilot combines the power of the latest AI models with your institutional data—documents, presentations, emails, meetings, chats, and more—plus the web to deliver relevant responses with sources.

Schools using Copilot have seen tangible benefits. In fact, educators in Brisbane, Australia, reported saving an average of 9.3 hours per week on routine tasks. The time saved is especially crucial in a profession where burnout is a common challenge. As St Francis College Principal John Marinucci highlights, Copilot can transform education by streamlining administrative tasks that often overwhelm educators. This means teachers can now devote more energy and time to their core mission—helping students be successful.

Simplify daily tasks with Copilot Chat

From lesson planning to school operations, Copilot Chat can help you be more productive. Whether you’re personalizing instruction, gathering resources, communicating with stakeholders, or rolling out new technology, Copilot Chat simplifies everyday tasks—so you can focus on what matters most: helping students thrive. Let’s explore how Copilot Chat can assist you.

K-12 educator: Differentiate lesson plans

Personalizing instruction takes time, but Copilot Chat can help you adapt lesson plans faster. Quickly adjust activities by specifying accommodations, instructional strategies, and student needs. Try this sample prompt:

Adapt this text for a student who is struggling with reading. Address vocabulary issues, identify and define words to practice, and explain figurative language. Include a list of 5 corresponding comprehension questions. Here’s the original text: [copy and paste text]

K-12 special education assistant: Find appropriate resources for each student

Special education assistants and support staff work with students across multiple classrooms. Copilot Chat can streamline resource collection by helping you plan your day ahead and suggesting materials based on your input. Spend less time searching and more time supporting students.

Education leader: Communicate clearly with staff, families, and students

From morning greetings to school board updates, effective communication is essential for education leaders. Copilot Chat helps you draft clear, professional messages, so you can keep staff, families, and school communities informed without spending hours crafting communication.

IT professional: Create an onboarding plan

When introducing new technology, instructional coaches and IT leaders often need a structured rollout plan. Use Copilot Chat to create onboarding guides, find training resources, and outline step-by-step implementation plans. It can save hours of planning time while ensuring a smooth transition for staff and students.

Take it even further with Microsoft 365 Copilot

Microsoft 365 Copilot builds on the capabilities of Copilot Chat by connecting with your institutional data and is available in the apps you use every day. Whether you’re summarizing your day in Outlook, adapting lesson plans in Word, or analyzing data in Excel, Copilot can streamline your workflow—helping you stay organized, informed, and more efficient. Let’s explore how Copilot can further assist you.

K-12 educator: Prepare for meetings with families

Meeting with families is essential to supporting student growth, but preparing for these conversations takes time. With Copilot in PowerPoint, you can generate meeting-ready presentations that include key details—then customize them for each student. Reuse and remix templates to streamline your prep work and keep meetings focused.

K-12 special education assistant: Review and adapt lesson plans with ease

Collaboration between educators is key to supporting diverse learning needs, but time constraints often make it difficult to quickly review materials and provide feedback. Copilot in Word can help you streamline review of educator lesson plans in the context of individual student needs. You can then ask Copilot to suggest differentiated learning activities and adjust formative assessments to meet the needs of each student.

Education leader: Analysis and insights from budgets

Education leaders make strategic financial decisions to support student learning. Copilot in Excel helps track spending, identify variances, and optimize budgets. Need a quick analysis? Ask Copilot to insert a budget variance column, so you can easily spot trends and reallocate funds where they’re needed most.

IT professional: Align IT solutions with school priorities

IT teams play a vital role in keeping schools running smoothly. Copilot in Word helps you draft strategy documents that align IT solutions and projects with school and district goals—making it easier to secure approvals and drive long-term success.

Find your inspiration

Copilot is your AI assistant for everyday tasks—helping you support student learning outcomes, boost productivity, and save time. No matter your role, Copilot can help securely empower everyone at your institution, making it easier to work smarter and stay organized. Explore the Copilot Scenario Library for education for inspiration and prompts that you can start using today.

You can also use Copilot to find inspiration. For example, you could write a prompt explaining your role and what you need help with. Then, ask Copilot for use cases or examples of how others in similar roles have used AI to improve their daily workflow. This way, you can discover new ways to use AI to enhance your work, streamline your tasks, and achieve your goals with greater ease and creativity.

To help you and your team build competency with AI and Copilot, check out the Microsoft 363 Copilot learning path which walks you through the basics of Copilot.

The post Scenarios for success: Streamlining everyday tasks in education with Microsoft 365 Copilot appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Reading Coach, a standalone Learning Accelerator, helps students improve reading skills through personalized learning practice. Designed to support both independent and guided learning, Reading Coach uses AI-generated stories with customizable characters to engage students and focus them on reading practice to strengthen reading fluency. Follow this guide to learn how to use Reading Coach to help build literacy skills.

With tools for tailoring reading instruction and extending learning beyond the classroom, Reading Coach empowers students to practice reading at their own pace. Explore how you can integrate Reading Coach into your classroom or have students use it at home. 

Educator benefits:

• Personalize reading practice to meet individual student needs.
• Create an inclusive learning experience with Immersive Reader—a feature that helps to improve reading skills for people of nearly all ages and abilities—with practice passages in 81 languages.

Student benefits:

• Improve literacy with engaging AI-generated stories featuring customizable characters and settings.
• Focus on specific words to overcome fluency challenges.
• Celebrate progress with badges and motivational rewards.
• Independent practice and learn at their own pace.
• Easy access for students at school or home.

How to access Reading Coach

Reading Coach is available for free and can be accessed with school-issued credentials (Microsoft Entra ID) or any personal Microsoft account. To use the web app, follow these steps:

1. Go to coach.microsoft.com
2. Select Get started.
3. Sign in with your Microsoft school account or with your personal Microsoft account.
4. Choose a reading passage mode, then explore, practice, and enjoy!

You can also find the Reading Coach app in Microsoft 365 or download the Windows app.

If this is the first time using Reading Coach on a device, a pop-up will appear asking for microphone access so you may need to enable your web pop-up blocker. Select Allow to continue. After reading, students can easily review results, including pronunciation accuracy, reading time, and words to practice.

Tip: When students finish a reading passage, they’ll see the option to Keep reading or Read something else on their results page. If they don’t finish the passage, they’ll see the option to Read again.

Explore reading modes

Reading Coach offers three flexible ways for students to engage more deeply with their reading. By providing supportive, interactive formats, it helps students build confidence, improve comprehension, and strengthen fluency. Explore these three engaging modes to personalize their reading experience.

“Create a story” mode

With “Create a Story” mode, students can generate interactive, AI-powered stories by choosing characters, settings, and reading levels in 14 languages. Students decide what happens in each chapter, exploring practice words tailored to their needs to keep learning focused on each student’s interests and abilities. This mode fosters creativity and personalized learning, making reading engaging and fun. It also ensures AI-generated story content is moderated for age appropriateness and aligns with the Microsoft Responsible AI Standard.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Select Create a story using AI.
2. Choose a main character and a setting for the story.
3. Select a reading level.
4. Select Create my story!
5. Select Start reading to begin and select the red Stop reading button to end the recording.

When students finish reading, a pop-up will appear with choices for the next chapter of the story. They can select a choice to continue or See results to finish reading.

“Read a passage” mode

“Read a passage” mode provides students with a digital library from ReadWorks, featuring over 110-leveled texts organized by Lexile level, genre, and word count. This digital library supports students’ diverse reading abilities with topics including science, famous figures, nature, and more to provide engaging, educational content that aligns with students’ interests.

To get started in this mode:

1. Select Read a passage.
2. Choose a reading level and select a passage.
3. Select Start reading to begin and select the red Stop reading button to end the recording.

When students finish reading, a results page will appear and they can choose to read the passage again, read something else, or practice more challenging words.

“Add a passage” mode

“Add a passage” mode allows students to personalize their reading by uploading custom passages, like assigned articles, textbook excerpts, or their own writing. This mode supports individual learning needs and specific objectives, making practice more targeted and meaningful.

To upload your own passage:

1. Select Add a passage.
2. Enter a title in the text field.
3. Paste or type the passage into the text field.
4. Select Start reading to begin and select the red Stop reading button to end the recording.

When students finish reading, the results page will appear and they can choose to read the passage again, read something else, or practice more challenging words.

Tip: Encourage students to keep a reading log with their reading materials or device to track their reading level and progress, helping them stay motivated and see their improvement over time.

Support accessibility

Immersive Reader is embedded in Reading Coach to support inclusive learning for all students. When students select “Start reading,” they unlock a set of powerful accessibility tools that can help boost comprehension and keep them engaged.

• Text preferences: Adjust text size, spacing, font, and colors for easier reading.
• Grammar support: Break down syllables and highlight parts of speech to improve understanding.
• Reading scaffolds: Focus on one line at a time or use the Picture Dictionary in Immersive Reader for extra support.
• Word pronunciation: Select a word to hear its pronunciation and practice saying it correctly.

Tip: Before students dive in, take a moment to show them how Immersive Reader works. Let them explore the tools to figure out what works best for them to give them time to help them feel confident and maintain their focus.

Student progress and practicing challenging words

Each time students read a passage, they can see insights on their progress like accuracy, time spent reading, and words they should practice. They can also track progress toward unlocking new story elements or earning badges. Over time, the Achievements page gives a summary of their total reading time, number of reading sessions, average pronunciation accuracy, and average words per minute as well as any badges earned and characters or story settings they’ve unlocked.

After reading, students can focus on the words they found most challenging with the Word Practice feature. It’s personalized based on their progress, so they’re working on exactly what they need to improve their reading skills.

Here’s how it works:

1. After reading a passage, select Practice words in the results box.
2. Reading Coach will highlight five challenging words. Choose one to practice.
3. Break the word in syllables or listen to it being read aloud to hear the pronunciation.
4. Select the microphone to practice reading the word aloud.
5. The word and star fill level will change based on improvement. Keep practicing until both turn green.
6. Select Next word to practice the others.

When all the words are correct, a pop-up will appear. Select Close to continue or select I’m done to finish practicing.

Tip: Encourage students to take ownership of their learning by celebrating small wins. After practicing challenging words, have them reflect on their progress—what words were tricky, what strategies helped, and how their accuracy improved. This builds confidence and reinforces a growth mindset.

Earn badges and unlock story elements

Reading Coach motivates and rewards students throughout their reading journey. They can celebrate their progress by earning badges and unlocking characters or settings, providing a tangible representation of their hard work and accomplishments.

• Badges: As students progress, they earn badges for reaching milestones and accomplishments. These badges are visual symbols of success, such as reading with high accuracy or maintaining a consistent reading habit.
• Story elements: Each time a student spends 20 minutes reading with Reading Coach, they unlock a new character or story setting to use in AI-powered stories. They can choose to keep the unlocked element or swap it for another. And they can see all their story elements in “Create a story” mode or on their Achievements page.

Reading Coach is a free, powerful Learning Accelerator that supports personalized, engaging, and inclusive reading practice for students. Integrate it into your classroom or encourage families to use it at home to help students improve fluency, build confidence, and celebrate progress.

The post An educator’s guide to Reading Coach appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Copilot offers innovative and efficient ways to manage last-minute tasks and create dynamic classroom activities—which can be especially helpful during these transitional times of year. Explore these prompts to discover how Copilot can help you boost learning and create efficiencies to finish the term strong.

1. Create sentence starters for student self-assessments

Offering time for students to reflect on their growth amidst end of term tests can encourage self-assessment, help them set goals, and provide valuable insights for your planning. Sentence starters are a great way to guide students in reflecting on their successes, challenges, and areas of improvement.

Copy and paste the following prompt into m365copilot.com. You can adjust the prompt as needed to fit your age or grade level.

Create 12 sentence starters for fourth graders to reflect on their academic progress, successes, and challenges during the first half of the school year. Group them into three categories: Academic Progress, Successes, and Challenges.

Easily customize your sentence starters by adjusting the prompt. For example:

• Ask Copilot to create sentence starters in a fun way—like imagining students as superheroes reflecting on their “learning superpowers” and “areas to strengthen.”
• Tell Copilot to create full sentences with blanks, offering Multilingual Learners of English (MLEs) extra support with clues to help complete the sentence.

Copilot can assist you in providing ways to enhance student self-reflection that encourage student agency of their learning and offer you insights into their progress.

2. Develop tiered assignments for frustration-free practice at home

When breaks arrive, families often seek additional assignments to reinforce learning at home. Creating tiered assignments can help meet the diverse learning needs of your students. Copilot simplifies this process by quickly generating differentiated, engaging assignments for home practice. You can offer students personalized and enjoyable activities, even during breaks, without spending extensive time on planning.

Here’s an example prompt for creating a differentiated assignment for a middle school math class studying linear expressions. Consider how you might adjust the prompt to work for your subject area.

Create a fun winter break activity for seventh graders to determine if linear expressions are equivalent or inequivalent. Include 3-5 tasks using real-world applications, like comparing prices or deals on items, and demonstrate why this skill is important. Design a three-tiered assignment with tasks at varying difficulty levels, incorporating both equivalent and inequivalent linear expressions. For each task, provide 3-5 practice expressions.

Here are some ideas to customize your assignment further:

• Have Copilot create clear instructions that guide students to select a tier with problems that they can confidently solve with minimal help.
• Ask Copilot to create a scenario where students act as “math detectives,” using linear expressions to solve mysteries—turning tasks into a fun narrative where students follow clues to solve real-world problems.

Copilot saves time and helps you get started by generating ideas to help you create adaptable resources for various subjects and student needs.

3. Recommend your students’ next favorite book

School breaks often include passive activities like watching TV and playing video games. Offer students options for their free time by recommending books that match their interests. Simply share a student’s interests, preferred genres, or authors with Copilot for suggestions on personalized reading recommendations.

A book recommendation prompt might start off like this:

Recommend 10 science fiction novels for a tenth-grade student who is interested in computer science, featuring a strong female protagonist. Include diverse authors and the title of the book, author, and a short summary paragraph laid out in a table.

Follow up Copilot’s response with additional expectations that personalize the book recommendations for individual students. For example:

• Create a “choose your own adventure” book list, where students pick based on their mood: “Feeling adventurous? Try this book. Want a futuristic escape? Check out this one!”
• Ask Copilot to add discussion questions or reflection prompts for each book to foster critical thinking, like: “How does the protagonist’s journey mirror real-world challenges?”

Copilot helps you quickly generate personalized learning ideas, making it easy to tailor activities to student interests and increase engagement.

4. Generate fun pictures for engaging writing activities

As students count down the days until break, encourage engagement with fun and creative learning experiences. Copilot helps by generating eye-catching visuals, enhancing activities and sparking inspiration.

Here’s a prompt to create an image with Copilot:

Create a whimsical winter woodland scene where animals like foxes, rabbits, and hedgehogs are dressed in stylish human winter clothes. The scene should be snowy with tall, frosted trees and a path winding through the forest. The animals should be engaged in various activities like ice skating, having a tea party, sipping cocoa, and reading books.

Adding specific details will help Copilot generate a more accurate and vivid image. Customize the image with these ideas:

• Direct Copilot to provide detailed instructions for a creative writing assignment that uses the generated image. For example, “Write a story about your adventure in this enchanted forest. What secrets of the forest do they share with you? How do you join in their winter festivities?”
• Ask Copilot to generate an image in a completely different style such as a cartoon or a futuristic digital piece to inspire more creative writing responses.

Easily create interesting images with Copilot for your lessons to capture students’ attention and inspire creativity.

5. Draft a letter that shows families how to use Copilot

Copilot is a great tool for families, too. Enlist Copilot’s help to draft a winter break letter that shows caregivers how to generate ideas for fun activities or ways to recharge over school break using Copilot.

Try this prompt to get a starting point for your letter:

Draft a warm letter that thanks families for supporting their students during the first part of the school year. Highlight the importance of balancing relaxation with continued practice of classroom skills. Include a section explaining Microsoft Copilot with simple steps for using it on the web. Provide 3-5 prompt starters for creating fun, educational at-home activities.

Make sure to customize the prompt so that the letter reflects what you hope students will do over break. For example, you could:

• Have Copilot come up with prompt starters in a particular subject area like math, language arts, science, or social studies, giving families targeted ways to continue skill building.
• Ask Copilot to come up with prompt starters for family activities that encourage cooperation and collaboration, like “Plan a science experiment together.”

Quickly draft personalized communication with Copilot, making it easier to create messages that support families and save time during busy periods.

Integrate Copilot into your daily classroom routines

Copilot is here to support you as school breaks approach. Use the prompts in this post as a starting point and adapt them for your unique classroom needs. If you’re new to Copilot and want to learn more about how to get started, check out these resources to start making the most of your AI-powered assistant:

• Meet your AI assistant for education: Microsoft Copilot
• Enhance teaching and learning with Microsoft Copilot – Training
• Copilot Lab

Not heading into a break? Copilot can still be a valuable, everyday tool in your classroom. Explore these posts for more ways to integrate it into your daily routines:

• 5 ways Copilot can help you start the school year
• 6 ways to use Microsoft Copilot for end-of-school-year tasks
• Five quick prompting tips to get more from your AI assistant

Discover the endless possibilities of using Copilot as your AI classroom assistant today!

The post 5 ways Microsoft Copilot can help you finish your school term strong appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

As an IT professional, your role is vital in protecting sensitive school data, securing devices, and maintaining safe learning environments. Microsoft cybersecurity solutions like passwordless multifactor authentication (MFA), Defender for Endpoint P2-Students, and Copilot for Security are designed to help you defend your school’s devices and data. Additionally, information from the latest Cyber Signals report can assist in creating a secure environment that persists through any cybersecurity challenges that might arise.

Assessing the cyber signals in K-20 education

The latest edition of Microsoft’s Cyber Signals report covers cybersecurity challenges facing classrooms and campuses everywhere and the urgent need for robust defenses and proactive security measures. The digital footprint made by schools, colleges, and universities has multiplied exponentially—from virtual classes to classified research stored in the cloud—requiring IT professionals to remain vigilant and focused on emerging cyberthreats.

Education continues to be one of the most targeted industries for cyberattacks and social engineering exploits that trick people into disclosing personally identifiable information (PII). According to the report:

• Education was the third most targeted industry for cybercriminals over the past three months. The US had the greatest threat activity.
• Over 15,000 phishing messages with malicious QR codes were sent each day to people in the education sector.
• Higher education institutions encounter an average of 2,507 cyberattacks each week.

These signals reinforce what you already know: the education community is the “tip of the spear” for cybercriminals because of its data-rich environments, legacy infrastructure, and the security risks created by people who are often extremely busy. Despite these hurdles, there are steps you can take to strengthen your institution’s security posture. Discover a few tips that you can implement today.

1. Secure all accounts with passwordless MFA

K-12 schools, colleges, and universities are increasingly adopting passwordless MFA as a more secure way to protect accounts when people like young students don’t have a phone or secondary device. The solution uses MFA techniques and a temporary access pass (TAP) for verification, eliminating the chance of a weak, overused password becoming compromised.

Passwordless authentication also helps create efficiencies and saves you time. Your students, faculty, and staff don’t have to remember complex passwords, and you spend less time resetting passwords when they are forgotten.

PII, such as social security numbers (SSNs) in the US, are attractive for cybercriminals to steal from K-12 school districts because the relatively little-used SSNs of a child might be usable for widespread fraud well before the identity theft is detected.

Cyber Signals Issue 8, October 2024

Microsoft Entra ID can enable passwordless MFA for everyone at all education levels using device-bound services like Windows Hello that aren’t transmitted or stored on outside platforms. This type of MFA involves sharing a TAP that onboards students to passwordless sign-in methods. Even if a cybercriminal steals a TAP, they can’t access the account on another device because of the device-bound requirements.

By adopting passwordless MFA, your school or institution can enhance overall security and also meet the stringent requirements for cyber insurance. K-12 schools can also take advantage of funding opportunities like the FCC’s $200 million Cybersecurity Pilot Program for schools in the US.

To get started using passwordless MFA for students, check out these resources:

• Empowering secure and seamless learning: Learn more about using MFA without a smartphone and leveraging passwordless device access instead.
• Passwordless authentication options: Explore the different methods available for Microsoft Entra ID.

2. Secure student devices with Defender for Endpoint P2-Students

Students face cyberthreats when they use a connected device, browse the Internet, or check their messages—even if the cyberthreats aren’t apparent to them. Cybercriminals are pivoting to new attack methods like using QR codes to deliver malware through email and even campus fliers. This opens new security loopholes because QR codes are often scanned with unprotected personal devices.

Recently the United States Federal Trade Commission issued a consumer alert on the rising threat of malicious QR codes being used to steal log-in credentials or deliver malware.

Cyber Signals Issue 8, October 2024

You can ensure secure learning experiences with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2-Students. This highly discounted, comprehensive solution secures endpoint devices with industry-leading, multiplatform threat detection and response. It works in concert with Microsoft 365 to stop phishing, ransomware, and malware even if the attacks originate from a nontraditional method like a QR code image. With Defender for Endpoint P2-Students, you’ll be able to:

• Detect and prevent threats.
• Disrupt attacks automatically.
• Offer more secure web browsing.
• Encrypt device data and protect privacy.
• Maintain security with continuous updates.

By implementing Defender for Endpoint P2-Students, your school can significantly enhance its cybersecurity posture while giving students the protection they need to learn in a safe digital environment.

Explore this tool in more depth in Defend against threats with Microsoft 365, a learning path designed to help you use Microsoft Defender to the fullest.

3. Extend your threat-fighting capabilities with Copilot for Security

Cybercriminals often target sensitive financial, health, and personal data stored by schools and institutions alike. The consequences of a data breach in higher education are particularly worrisome—many universities handle federally funded research and sensitive intellectual property that’s valuable to nation-state actors. Unauthorized access not only puts institutional security and reputation at risk, but it also can have implications for our nation’s security when the data is part of a defense contract or when the research involves intellectual property from a company sponsor.

The types of threats that we’re seeing, the types of events that are occurring in higher education, are much more aggressive by cyber adversaries.

David McMorries, Chief Information Security Officer at Oregon State University

Copilot for Security can help you discover, analyze, detect, and remediate your organization’s cyberthreats. Simply ask Copilot a question, and it will return an actionable response in seconds that helps you tackle common security tasks. Copilot for Security allows you to effortlessly and seamlessly:

• Analyze threats.
• Learn about security incidents.
• Generate profiles of threat actors.
• Summarize threat intelligence.
• Create policies and configure devices.
• Discover users who might be at risk for data exploitation.

By integrating Copilot for Security into your daily operations, you receive customized guidance based on signals from each of your security tools and Microsoft’s industry-leading threat intelligence. It also minimizes much of the research and legwork that goes into investigating and remediating cybersecurity issues which saves you time so that you can focus on other IT responsibilities.

Use the Get started with Microsoft Copilot for Security learning path on Microsoft Learn to discover how Copilot for Security helps IT professionals address end-to-end cybersecurity scenarios. Looking for ways to empower your student-led security operations center (SOC) with security AI? Check out these best practices for maximizing the potential of your student-led SOC with Copilot for Security.

For Cybersecurity Month 2024, explore Microsoft solutions like passwordless MFA, Defender for Endpoint P2-Students, and Copilot for Security to help you stay ahead of emerging threats. To build practical skills, dive into learning paths for IT professionals to gain in-depth knowledge about all of our cybersecurity, compliance, and identity solutions. These tools and resources can support you in securing your school’s digital infrastructure and creating a safer learning environment one step at a time.

The post Three tips for IT professionals for Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2024 appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Cybersecurity isn’t just about computer programs that prevent bad actors from accessing devices and systems, it’s also about empowering students, educators, and staff with the knowledge to stay informed and vigilant. Understanding how cyber criminals target schools, the tricks they use to sneak in, and what you can do to stop them in their tracks is key to keeping your community more secure.

This October, let’s “Secure Our World” together. From conversation tips to hands-on experiences like Minecraft Education worlds, you’ll find cybersecurity resources to enhance your classroom instruction.

Starting the cybersecurity conversation

Starting a conversation about cybersecurity with students is a simple and effective way to build cyber habits that keep everyone safer online. Cyber criminals often use clever social engineering tactics to trick someone into downloading malicious software or revealing their personal information. Students might be more at risk because they’re still learning to spot the difference between legitimate messages and potential threats.

Key points to discuss about phishing

Phishing is a common tactic used by cybercriminals to trick individuals into revealing personal information. Here are some essential points to cover with your students:

• Avoid clicking unknown links: Hackers use phishing links to infiltrate your life. These links can appear in text messages, emails, QR codes, search engines, websites, social media posts, and direct messages.
• Don’t access QR codes that seem too good to be true: Hackers have started using QR codes, a technique called Quishing, that direct unsuspecting users to a data harvesting or phishing page to collect personal data. Often they’re disguised as free giveaways or other compelling offers.
• Be aware of social engineering: Hackers may impersonate family members, friends, teachers, or authority figures to gain your trust and extract information.
• Recognize red flags: Phishing messages often contain misspellings, convey a sense of urgency, or offer fake rewards. Always hover over links to see where they lead before clicking.

Examples of when to be extra vigilant

It’s important to teach students to be extra cautious in certain scenarios. Here are some examples for both primary and secondary level students:

Primary school students

• Researching information for a class report.
• Looking for online math tutoring courses.
• Searching for online videos and citing unverified information in schoolwork.
• Messaging a teacher with a question.

Secondary school students

• Differentiating between ads and organic posts on social media.
• Receiving messages asking for passwords or threatening account lockouts.
• Being direct messaged with unknown links and urged to click them.
• Searching for jobs and applying to scam companies.
• Researching and applying for college or trade school.
• Receiving friend requests from duplicated profiles of known individuals.

Even a quick 10-minute discussion about cybersecurity can significantly boost your school’s overall safety. You might also want to share these tips with families so that they can reinforce these important lessons at home.

Hands-on, minds-on experiences with Minecraft Education

Teaching cybersecurity concepts to students is easy with the Minecraft Education Cyber and Digital Citizenship collection of worlds and accompanying educator guides. The worlds include a progression of standards-aligned lessons that span elementary through post-secondary education. Just like other Minecraft Education experiences, students immerse themselves in a virtual world where they accomplish tasks, collaborate with others, and engage in activities that teach cyber safety and security—all while having a lot of fun!

Minecraft cyber education content has been downloaded more than 80 million times, and the CyberSafe series is also available for Bedrock players on the Minecraft Marketplace. The Cyber and Digital Citizenship collection is broken down into four age-appropriate bands:

• CyberSafe (ages 7-11): Introduces students to basic cybersecurity concepts like online safety, healthy gaming interactions, and digital citizenship practices.
• Cyber Fundamentals (ages 10-14): Expands students’ knowledge about cybersecurity by covering malware, personally identifiable information (PII) threat analysis, and data protection steps.
• Cyber Expert (ages 13-18): Deepens understanding with a focus on social engineering, ransomware, and the importance of using backup software.
• Cyber Defense (ages 14-18, 18 and older): Offers an advanced look at access control systems, cybersecurity careers, and ways to earn cybersecurity certificates.

In our largely online world, learners need to develop the skills they’ll need to navigate online spaces safely, and confidently. Educators also need the right tools to empower their students to be cyber safe. Minecraft Education’s cybersecurity curriculum helps learners of all ages become cyber heroes—protecting their data, using the Internet safely, and modeling digital citizenship. Stay tuned for new cyber content in Minecraft Education for Safer Internet Day—a global day of celebration in February each year.

If you’re new to Minecraft Education or need a refresher, sign up for a one-hour training as part of Minecraft Teacher Academy. Explore more professional learning, either on-demand or with a live cohort.

Inspiring cybersecurity champions

In addition to cybersecurity resources for the classroom, we also offer unique opportunities for students who are interested in pursuing careers in cybersecurity. With Microsoft, your students can:

• Discover diverse mentorship opportunities: Explore the many learning and mentorship opportunities Microsoft and partner organizations provide so that all students can see themselves in cybersecurity.
• Explore educational opportunities: Discover how Microsoft and the Last Mile Fund can help students earn a cybersecurity degree through scholarships for financial assistance and cybersecurity exam costs.
• Get certified to fight cybercrime: Eligible students can get their Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals certification for free and earn college credit while doing so. Visit the Microsoft Learn Student Hub: Student certifications to learn about all the available certifications and how to enroll.

Build your knowledge with cybersecurity training for educators

Your own cybersecurity awareness and knowledge plays a critical role in your school’s overall security strategy. Cyber criminals know that educators are busy and may quickly respond to urgent messages or irresistible deals. By learning to distinguish between legitimate and suspicious messages or links, you are less likely to fall victim to social engineering tactics designed to steal private information.

To help strengthen your cybersecurity skills, Microsoft offers cybersecurity training modules for educators. “Build cybersecurity resilience in K-12 classrooms with Microsoft tools” is a comprehensive introduction designed for educators. This module covers essential concepts like how to anticipate cyber threats and secure your device, identity, and online activities. It includes:

• Explanations of common threats like phishing, malware, and ransomware.
• Tips for protecting your passwords and PII.
• Strategies for maintaining privacy when working online.
• Steps to take if you fall victim to a cyber-attack.
• Ideas for teaching cybersecurity to students.
• Information on joining cybersecurity groups that offer educator resources.

If you’re interested in using Minecraft Education to teach cybersecurity, be sure to check out “Minecraft Education lessons: Teach cybersecurity concepts with Minecraft Education.” This Microsoft Learn module covers:

• Explanations of Minecraft worlds that provide cybersecurity instruction to K-12 students.
• Overview of the differences between resources for upper elementary, middle school, high school, and post-secondary students.
• Topics featured in the Minecraft cybersecurity worlds.
• Types of activities that students complete while learning in Minecraft.

By joining Microsoft for Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2024, you’re not just protecting your school—you’re empowering the next generation of cybersecurity champions. Dive into the tools and resources to spark student interest and help them build their skills to thrive in the digital world. Together, let’s make your classroom a community of cyber-savvy learners. Stay safe and inspire those future cyber heroes!

The post Teach cybersecurity with Microsoft and Minecraft Education appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Educator benefits:

• Streamline public speaking instruction and identify focus areas.
• Provide automatic, personalized feedback on qualities like pace, pitch, filler words, and more.
• Examine skill development over time for individuals, classes, grade or year levels, and schools.

Student benefits:

• Build confidence in public speaking through AI-powered real-time coaching.
• Offer a private space to practice and refine presentation delivery.
• Develop critical foundational and future-ready communication skills.

How to create a Speaker Progress assignment

Creating engaging speaking assignments for your students is quick and easy with Speaker Progress. All you need is a class in Microsoft Teams for Education to get started. Here’s how to set up your first assignment:

• Open Microsoft Teams for Education and go to Assignments in a class channel.
• Select Create.
• Select Learning Accelerators and then Speaker Progress.

Check out the Getting started with Speaker Progress for educators article from Microsoft Support for more details.

Tip: If you already have an assignment created, you can also add a Speaker Progress activity by selecting Learning Accelerators from the New assignment screen. This is helpful when you already have existing content that might benefit from a presentation practice session.

Customize the assignment

When you add a Speaker Progress assignment, you can customize how students practice their presentation. You determine important parameters like how much time is spent practicing, how many attempts can be made, and how students receive feedback.

To customize a Speaker Progress assignment:

• Choose an engaging Presentation title that reflects the assignment’s purpose. Consider using the name of the presentation that students will practice.
• Determine the Number of attempts a student can practice their presentation before submitting the assignment.
• Set the time limit that students can practice their presentation during each attempt. Time ranges are between 1-10 minutes.
• Decide if you want to Require video when students complete the assignment. If selected, a recording of the attempt is made with the student’s internal camera and shared with you when submitted. If you want to include body language feedback, you need to choose this option.
• Decide whether to release a rehearsal report to students at the end of each attempt. The rehearsal report contains AI-generated feedback on communication skills listed as strengths and opportunities for improvement.

Tip: The first time you create a Speaker Progress assignment, you’ll receive a short overview of what Speaker Progress is and how to use it. Take a moment to review the overview.

Choose feedback types

When you create the Speaker Progress assignment, you will be prompted to choose the aspects of public speaking that you want students to focus on while practicing. Speaker Progress uses AI to assess qualities like pitch, pace, and pronunciation to help evaluate students as they speak. Tips are provided in real time, helping learners make adjustments and overcome challenges in the moment. Simply toggle the switches next to the feedback types to learn more and apply them to the assignment.

You can select all the feedback types or choose from:

• Pace
• Filler Words
• Pitch
• Pronunciation
• Inclusiveness
• Repetitive language
• Body language

Tip: Selecting feedback types allows you to create a personalized experience that targets the exact skills your students need to develop. You must select at least one to create the assignment, so take a moment to review the cards that appear on screen or check out Getting started with Speaker Progress for educators: What students are evaluated on.

Finalize and send the assignment

The last step before assigning practice to students involves finalizing the Speaker Progress assignment in Microsoft Teams for Education. Just like all other assignments in Microsoft Teams, you can adjust when it’s delivered, who should complete the assignment, and what additional resources to include. You can also add a point value for grading and include any directions for students. Check out the training course Organize content, create assignments, and assess learners’ understanding in Microsoft Teams if you need help completing any of the fields.

You might consider adding a rubric and a Microsoft Reflect check-in if this is your students’ first time using Speaker Progress. A rubric will clarify how you plan to evaluate their speaking skills, and a short Reflect check-in can provide you with insights on how students feel using Speaker Progress.

When you’re finished customizing the assignments, be sure to choose Assign.

Tip: Built-in AI in assignments can help you generate instructions and enrich your content. Get suggestions for 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.

How students complete Speaker Progress assignments

When students receive a Speaker Progress assignment, they select the Speaker Progress link in the My work section. Students will be prompted to check their microphone and video settings before beginning their rehearsal. They can also view the time limit and number of attempts that you set up when creating the assignment.

What makes Speaker Progress assignments so beneficial is that students do not need an audience or someone to assess their speech. Students immediately receive AI-generated feedback when they start speaking. The feedback includes words of encouragement and coaching tips that appear as pop-ups on their computer screen. Students can mute this feedback if it’s distracting and opt to see it in the rehearsal report once they’re done practicing.

A bar above the recording lets learners know when they’re reaching the end of their session. If the assignment has a time limit, the bar changes to red to let students know they have 30 seconds remaining. When they’re finished, students select the stop button. The session automatically ends once the time limit expires. Learn more about the student experience in the support article Getting started with Speaker Progress for students.

Tip: For more accurate feedback, encourage students to find a quiet, distraction-free space to complete Speaker Progress assignments.

Review the rehearsal

When students finish rehearsing, they can choose to:

• Try again if you allowed more than one attempt when creating the Speaker Progress assignment. If learners try again, their current recording is erased and replaced with a new recording. Learners can’t recover and submit a previous recording.
• View the rehearsal report if you allowed students to review the report before grading and returning the assignment.
• Attach the recording to their assignment. If students are on their last try and viewing their report isn’t allowed, their last recorded attempt is automatically attached to their assignment.

The rehearsal report includes a breakdown of strengths and opportunities for improvement based on the AI feedback. Suggestions are designed to be actionable so students can immediately make changes to their delivery. Students can also re-watch their rehearsal by playing the recording and listening for feedback instances.

Tip: Directing students to re-watch a rehearsal and identify when they used filler words or repetitive language can help them take steps to improve their delivery.

Assess an assignment

When you open a student’s completed Speaker Progress assignment, you automatically receive the rehearsal report along with the rehearsal recording. If a student previously completed Speaker Progress assignments, the insights cards in the report include comparison data from their most recent assignment. A plus sign (+) indicates an increase in occurrences in a specific feedback type, and a minus sign (-) indicates a decline.

After reviewing the report and insights, you can use Speed Grader to share your feedback and assign a grade. Use the dropdown menu to Return the assignment to the student or Return for revision if students need to practice more.

Tip: Share a copy of the Speaker Progress Presentation Tips infographic with students so that they have a resource to reference when rehearsing or after you return a Speaker Progress assignment.

Speaker Progress is available for you to use with any age or subject area. Open Microsoft Teams for Education, create an assignment, and start helping students develop speaking skills. To learn more about Speaker Progress, take the Develop confident presenters with Speaker Progress training course on Microsoft Learn.

The post Develop confident communicators: A guide to Speaker Progress for educators appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Khanmigo for Teachers helps generate fresh lesson ideas, personalizes student assignments, and provides resources for educators to enhance their knowledge and stay current on content area topics. It’s quick to set up and even quicker to use. Khanmigo for Teachers helps you inject new life into learning experiences and streamline your prep work so that you can focus more on connecting with students and watching those “aha!” moments unfold.

Designed for educators

Khanmigo for Teachers is designed for educators (by a team of educators!) and requires no prompting. While AI assistants like Microsoft Copilot excel at helping you write letters, explain a concept, create an image, or analyze a file, Khanmigo focuses specifically on providing tailored educational experiences for you to get started with. Watch the Empowering teachers with AI video to see how one chemistry teacher uses Khanmigo to engage students in the classroom.

Khanmigo is designed to make your job less about paperwork and more about teaching. It’s built to understand the challenges you face in the classroom and to be user-friendly. Khanmigo offers over 25 educator-specific tools to save you time and enhance your teaching expertise. Simply type in your topic or pick from the suggestions, and you get innovative and interesting lesson plans, activities, and more.

How to get started with Khanmigo for Teachers

Getting started with Khanmigo for Teachers is easy. In just a few simple steps, you’ll be on your way. To set up your account:

1. Go to khanmigo.ai/teachers
2. Select “Teacher” as your account type.
3. Choose your preferred option for creating an account (i.e., using email or a social media account).
4. Fill out the required information on the form.
5. Select “Sign up” and you’ll be ready to get started.

After you sign into your account, you’ll be guided through a brief tour and have access to the features and resources available on Khanmigo.

Get to know the Khanmigo dashboard

The Khanmigo dashboard is your starting point for managing your students’ assignments, supporting your instructional needs, and accessing curated resources. Explore the tabs at the top of the dashboard for easy access to Khanmigo’s features.

• Khanmigo Tools: Find AI-powered tools to help you innovate and create.
• Classes: Create your classes and obtain a class snapshot of your students’ performance over the past week, including learning time, assignment completion, and mastery progress.
• Students: Manage student accounts quickly and easily and set reading levels and default language.
• Resources: Get access to ready-to-use printables for students and families, all the documents you create, and professional learning videos and tips in one easy place.

Use Khanmigo to lighten your load

The Khanmigo for Teachers tools can be organized into five categories—Plan, Create, Differentiate, Support, and Learn—to help you easily find what you need to enhance learning experiences.

• Plan: Tools designed to enhance instructional planning and classroom management. They can help you:
  • Review student performance trends.
  • Craft meaningful discussion prompts.
  • Create quick end-of-lesson assessments, and more.

• Create: Tools designed to enhance classroom communication, streamline assessments, and support instructional planning. Use this collection to:
  • Generate concise easy-to-follow directions for assignments.
  • Create detailed rubrics for setting expectations.
  • Design engaging class newsletters.

• Differentiate: Tools to tailor instruction and meet diverse student interests and needs. Use these tools to help you:
  • Break up complex texts.
  • Adjust text complexity.
  • Link lesson content to students’ lives and interests.
  • Enhance engagement and comprehension.

• Support: Tools to streamline and enhance student support services, designed to help you:
  • Streamline the creation of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
  • Create SMART goals with ease (Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, and Time-bound).

• Learn: Tools to enhance your professional knowledge and skills. Use these to:
  • Refresh your content knowledge in various subject areas through quizzing or conversing with Khanmigo.
  • Get resources, such as videos, articles, and practice exercises, to help you get up to speed on the selected topic.

All Khanmigo’s tools feature intuitive prompts to help you get started quickly. Simply tell Khanmigo your grade or year level and a few key details, and it’ll effortlessly provide you with what you need. Now, let’s take a closer look at how some of the tools work.

Spark your students’ curiosity

Capturing students’ interest in the content being covered is key to ensuring their enthusiasm and engagement. Khanmigo tools like Lesson Hook, Make it Relevant, and Real-World Context Generator can help you brainstorm ways to spark excitement and make content relevant.

• Lesson Hook: Generate several compelling ideas by providing the grade or year level, lesson topic, and context. This tool helps you create an engaging opening to your lessons that captures students’ attention right from the start.
• Make it Relevant!: Connect lesson topics to your students’ lives or interests. Input your learning objectives and a brief profile of your class, and this tool will offer several ideas to boost engagement by making the content more relatable.
• Real-World Context Generator: Link lesson topics to real-world examples and applications. By entering the grade level and topic, Khanmigo provides relevant connections, making the material more meaningful and practical for your students.

Streamline your workflows

You can easily make your workflows more efficient and save time with Khanmigo tools. Get a head start on essential administrative and instructional tasks with tools like Class Newsletter, Report Card Comments, Question Generator, and Recommended Assignments. The tools help you save time by providing you with starting content that you can build on.

• Class Newsletter: Imagine turning your bullet points into a stylish newsletter in a snap! Just list the week’s highlights, upcoming events, and key announcements. Khanmigo whips up a draft and can even translate it. Pro tip: Always double-check those translations before hitting send!
• Report Card Comments: No more staring at a blank screen! Feed Khanmigo a list of strengths and areas for growth, and watch it spin out thoughtful, actionable comments that you can personalize for your students.
• Question Generator: Need discussion starters or quiz questions? Just give Khanmigo the grade or year level, number of questions (up to 10), and up to 4,500 words of text, and you’ve got a question bank to build from.
• Recommend Assignments: Receive assignment suggestions based on your students’ performance data. Customize these tasks or assign them directly to address areas where students need more practice or can excel.

These are just a few of the ways Khanmigo for Teachers can help you get ahead this year. If you’re ready to jump in, sign up for Khanmigo for Teachers today and be sure to reference our Khanmigo for Teachers Quick Guide as you’re getting started!

The post Khanmigo for Teachers: Your free AI-powered teaching tool appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Whether you need a starting point for a welcome back letter or enhancements to existing lesson plans, Copilot is ready to assist. Simply tell Copilot what you want to create, and it will help you generate new content in seconds. With simple knowledge about how Copilot works, and some example prompts you can use, getting started is easy!

Working with Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft Copilot is a generative AI tool that produces new content from your instructions, known as prompts. You can use natural language—whether typed or spoken—to ask for what you need from Copilot.

If you’re new to Copilot, review Meet your AI assistant for education: Microsoft Copilot so that you understand its features, options, and ways you can optimize your prompts. To get started, simply open m365copilot.com or select the Copilot icon in your Microsoft Edge browser.

Throughout this post, you’ll find sample prompts that demonstrate how Copilot can help you with your back-to-school tasks. We recommend borrowing inspiration from them and adjusting the prompts based on your role, subject area, and the students you support. Or, if you’re just beginning, you can use the prompts without modifications.

Now let’s learn how Copilot can help you complete five common back-to-school tasks.

1. Create classroom setup checklists

Setting up a classroom involves everything from organizing furniture and materials to making sure that anything a student needs to learn is visible, accessible, and distraction-free. Copilot can offer ideas to consider when creating a welcoming and organized classroom with a prompt like this:

You are a first-year, middle school art teacher who is setting up a classroom for the first time. Create a checklist that includes 5 examples or ideas for each of the following: ways to set up a classroom for student collaboration, strategies for establishing quiet work areas, methods to ensure art supplies are accessible, and ideas to facilitate whole group instruction.

If you already know how you’ll lay out your classroom, you might consider asking Copilot to create a checklist of common hazards in classrooms and ways to make your classroom safer for students. Try using a prompt like, “Create a checklist of 10 common hazards found in classrooms and ways to fix the issue so that the classroom is safe for students.”

2. Generate bulletin board ideas

Creating a bulletin board display requires educators to come up with ideas that are developmentally appropriate, aligned to classroom activities, and engaging for people who visit the display. Luckily, Copilot can help you brainstorm ideas! Here’s a prompt that generates suggestions for bulletin boards that are standards-based and interactive:

You are a second-grade teacher in New York state who follows the English language arts standards in the New York Next-Generation State Standards initiative. Create a list of 10 bulletin board ideas that creatively incorporates Anchor Standard L1: “Demonstrate command of the conventions of academic English grammar and usage when writing or speaking” that students will learn in grade 2. The bulletin board ideas should include a way for students to interact with the bulletin board.

Customize the state, country, and learning standards in your content area to get relevant, personalized ideas for your students. You can also ask Copilot to generate ideas based on a classroom theme. Try adding a sentence like, “Each bulletin board idea should incorporate frogs, tadpoles, or lily pads.” Swap out amphibian-related terms for more relevant topics if they don’t align with your classroom’s theme. If decorating your classroom isn’t standard practice, try asking Copilot for ideas on creating an engaging classroom environment that’s relevant to your space and learning themes.

3. Write a welcome letter to families

Many educators send a welcome back to school letter to students and families before the first day of school. It’s a great way to introduce yourself and provide important reminders so that students are ready for school on day one. A prompt for generating a welcome letter with Copilot might resemble this:

You are an advisor who works with a small group of incoming first-year and new high school students. Write a welcome letter that introduces yourself to the students, shares times when students can meet you before school begins, provides reminders about things to complete before the end of summer, and includes what to bring on the first day of school. Conclude the letter with a paragraph about how to contact you with any questions. Write the letter using short, succinct paragraphs that are readable by all ages.

For best results, personalize the prompt by specifying your role and the students you support—you’ll get a more relevant response from Copilot. If your roster includes multilingual students with families who may prefer communication in a language other than English, Copilot can draft content in multiple languages. Add something like, “Re-write this letter in Spanish” after Copilot finishes and it will generate a Spanish version of the letter for you. Just make sure to review the translation with someone who’s fluent in the chosen language so that you know it’s accurate and culturally appropriate.

4. Enhance inclusivity in lesson plans

Each school year brings new initiatives and priorities that educators must put into practice in their classrooms. School leaders often emphasize inclusive practices like differentiation or Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for educators to use to support diverse learning needs. Copilot can offer relevant suggestions and ways to enhance lessons based on research-based learning approaches like these. Whether you want to align a lesson to standards or refresh existing lessons with new resources or activities, Copilot can help!

To analyze a lesson, you need to know how to add a file to a Copilot prompt.

1. Go to m365copilot.com
2. Log into Copilot with a school-issued Microsoft account so that commercial data protection is enabled.
3. Select the Add a file button.
4. Browse your device for a lesson plan and select Open. The file size limit is 1 MB unless your school has a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license (then the limit is 10 MB, with unlimited uploads).
5. Add a prompt like the one below in the Ask me anything field and select the Submit button.

You are an instructional designer who specializes in universal design for learning (UDL) in self-contained classrooms. Analyze the attached lesson plan and provide two suggestions for optimizing individual choice and autonomy (checkpoint 7.1), two suggestions for optimizing relevance, value, and authenticity (checkpoint 7.2), and two suggestions for minimizing threats and distractions (checkpoint 7.3).

Notice how the prompt referenced the attached lesson plan to guide Copilot towards a more relevant response. Make sure to include this type of direction when you write your own prompt. You can also ask Copilot to provide suggestions based on student interests. Try including, “Provide at least one suggestion that incorporates video, coding, and art.”

5. Develop assessments to understand students’ strengths

Pre-assessing students’ knowledge and skills helps identify what students already know before starting new instruction. This is especially important at the beginning of a new school year when students’ strengths and needs are largely unknown. Plus, a solid pre-assessment allows you to modify instruction so that it addresses what’s most relevant and applicable for your students. For example:

You are an experienced high school math teacher specializing in AP Precalculus. Create a pre-assessment designed to evaluate students’ understanding for the first unit on Polynomial and Rational Functions. The pre-assessment should include 10 open-ended problems that effectively identify areas where students excel and where they need improvement. Provide a detailed answer key with the correct solutions and step-by-step explanations for each problem.

Another approach is to ask Copilot to create questions based on common misconceptions for a particular topic or subject area. Copilot is flexible enough to generate sample questions with or without standards-based guidance, but you should always check the citations and evaluate the accuracy of the response.

Explore more ways Copilot can help

Copilot is a versatile AI tool that adapts to your specific needs and can help you prepare to welcome students into your classroom. Remember, the prompts in this post are just starting points. Iterate on each example, try adding new instructions, and personalize what you tell Copilot. Customized prompts will produce more relevant content for your classroom.

Ready to learn more? For a deeper understanding of Copilot’s capabilities, check out the following resources:

• Smart learning: AI resources every educator should know
• AI for educators learning path on Microsoft Learn
• Microsoft Copilot resources for education – Microsoft Adoption

These resources cover many ways that Copilot can help you become more efficient in your classroom. Give Microsoft Copilot a try and see how it can enhance your teaching capabilities!

The post 5 ways Copilot can help you start the school year 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.

Microsoft Education prioritizes providing solutions and tools to help you be cybersafe. Learn five ways that you can prioritize cybersecurity—from using AI for school cybersecurity reports to implementing role access—to help keep your school and users safe during the school year.

• Assess vulnerabilities with Microsoft Defender XRD and Defender Vulnerability Management.
• Generate complex security reports with Microsoft Copilot for Security.
• Manage threats with Microsoft Defender, Sentinel, and SecOps.
• Implement role-based access with Microsoft Entra ID.
• Safeguard student devices with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students.

1. Assess vulnerabilities

It’s critical to regularly evaluate systems for vulnerabilities and security risks in addition to strategically setting up proactive controls and resilient infrastructure. Because school cyberthreats like phishing, malware, and data exfiltration deliberately seek and target known vulnerabilities, prioritize closing existing security gaps with vulnerability and risk assessments.

Microsoft Defender XDR offers various features to identify risks and vulnerabilities, complementing your existing Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solution, based on your subscription including Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management. Play the video to learn how you can gain real-time insights for threat discovery.

2. Generate complex security reports with custom promptbooks

Microsoft Copilot for Security helps you increase your defense efficiency, capabilities, and outcomes at machine speed and scale, while remaining compliant with responsible AI principles. 

This natural language, assistive experience can support you in end-to-end scenarios such as incident response, threat hunting, intelligence gathering, and posture management. Watch the video for a more comprehensive understanding of how Copilot for Security can help you use AI for cybersecurity in your school.

Copilot for Security includes built-in promptbooks—predefined sets of prompts that automate common, repeatable workstreams that generate complex security reports—and includes these time-saving features.

• Suspicious script analysis: Analyze the intent, intelligence, threat actors, and impacts of a suspicious script.
• Microsoft Defender incident investigation: Learn about a specific incident, with related alerts, reputation scores, users, and devices.
• Threat actor profile: Profile a known actor with suggestions for protecting against common tools and tactics.
• Vulnerability impact assessment: Summarize the intelligence for a known vulnerability and how to address it.
• Microsoft Sentinel incident investigation: Explore a specific incident, along with related alerts, reputation scores, users, and devices.

Explore the Get started with Microsoft Copilot for Security learning path on Microsoft Learn to discover prompting tips and more.

3. Manage threats

Schools must identify and mitigate known threats and vulnerabilities. A cybersecurity framework (CSF) assists in managing risks, identifying threats, safeguarding infrastructure, and communicating initiatives. You can rely on Microsoft’s security solutions like Microsoft Defender, Sentinel, and SecOps platform to meet these needs.

• Microsoft Defender XDR: Secures endpoints, identities, workloads, and data, and protects against cyberthreats.
• Microsoft Sentinel: Responds to cyberthreats through data analysis, automation, and machine learning.
• SecOps platform: Unifies XDR and SIEM capabilities for real-time threat detection, exposure management, and AI-driven response.

4. Implement role-based access

Access control is a vital component of security strategy because it helps keep sensitive information from falling into the hands of bad actors. It’s one of the best tools that you can use to minimize the security risk of unauthorized access to data—particularly data stored in the cloud.

As schools use more endpoints, the risk of unauthorized access increases, highlighting the need for comprehensive access control policies. Identity and access management solutions, like Microsoft Entra ID, can simplify the administration of these policies. Recognizing the need to govern how and when data is accessed is the first step.

• Connect on goals: Align with stakeholders on the importance of access control solutions.
• Set strong policies: Design policies to grant, limit, or block access as needed.
• Follow best practices: Set up emergency accounts, apply policies to all apps, test before enforcing, standardize naming, and plan for disruptions.

Explore ways that you can use Microsoft Entra ID for app management, authentication, and more.

5. Secure student devices

Safeguarding student devices against malicious activity has never been more crucial, and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students is here to help. Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students delivers enhanced cybersecurity for students, including device protection that shields students’ devices from phishing, malware, and other attacks. Microsoft integrates advanced cybersecurity measures with Microsoft 365 and other classroom applications to mitigate risks and ensure a secure learning environment for everyone.

Read our blog post about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students to learn more.

In today’s rapidly changing landscape, embracing cybersecurity innovation is crucial. Microsoft is committed to making cybersecurity accessible and affordable for schools by assessing vulnerabilities, generating security reports, managing threats, implementing role-based access, and safeguarding student devices. Learn more with the Secure K-12 school IT practices and systems with Microsoft tools training module on Microsoft Learn.

Join us in creating a safer, more resilient learning environment for students, educators, and staff everywhere.

The post Five tips for IT teams to enhance school cybersecurity this summer appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Editor’s note: This blog was updated on September 11, 2024, to include additional AI tools.

Developments in AI are happening quickly, with many exciting new products and features launching. Wondering where to get started with AI tools in education? We’ve got you covered! We’ve compiled a list of free AI tools and offers to kickstart your AI journey.

AI offers opportunities to reshape how we approach creativity, problem-solving, learning, and communication in a time where these skills are more important than ever. It can help educators grow and focus on what matters most and help prepare students for a future where AI will play an increasingly important role in many careers. It’s also important to teach students how to use AI tools in a safe and responsible way, making sure they understand the benefits and potential impacts.

In addition to leveraging new products below, we recommend first building a strong foundation for understanding AI in education with our free training courses and resources. Take the courses in the AI for educators learning path to understand essential AI concepts and applications for your classroom. Use the Classroom Toolkit: Unlock generative AI safely and responsibly to help students gain skills like fact-checking, cultivating good digital hygiene habits, safeguarding their data privacy, and adopting strategies to manage their mental wellbeing effectively.

Take a step toward a more informed and inclusive future with AI. Let curiosity be your guide and explore these free AI tools from Microsoft.

1. Microsoft Copilot

Learn all about Microsoft Copilot, your AI assistant for education. Copilot offers AI-powered web chat, using the latest AI models, with sources and enterprise data protection. It’s available to education staff, faculty, and higher education students aged 18 and older at no additional cost. Get an overview of how to use Copilot, as well as ideas and inspiration for how you can use Copilot to save time, differentiate instruction, and enhance student learning.

• Read Meet your AI assistant for education: Microsoft Copilot to get started.
• Save or print this Copilot Quick Guide to refer back to as needed.

2. GitHub Copilot

GitHub Education brings tech and open-source collaboration to students and educators worldwide. To empower the next generation, GitHub Copilot is free for all verified educators and students aged 13 and above. GitHub Copilot suggests code and entire functions in real-time from your editor, allowing you and your students to focus on solving bigger problems and building better software.

With GitHub Copilot Chat, students and teachers can not only get code suggestions, but also ask questions, get explanations, offer prompts for code, and more, all in the integrated development environment (IDE) while staying in the flow.

• Visit GitHub Education to start your journey.
• Read more about GitHub Copilot Chat for students and teachers.

3. Learning Accelerators

Learning Accelerators can help students catch up, keep up, and get ahead. With these powerful tools included in Microsoft 365 Education, students can start practicing right away, and you can start gathering data to help them build their skills.

• Use Reading Coach to provide personalized, engaging, consistent, and independent reading fluency practice. It allows learners to create unique AI-generated stories by choosing characters and settings from a curated collection of options. Reading Coach is available for free as a Windows application and a web app to use in the classroom or at home with a Microsoft account.
• Leverage Search Progress and Search Coach, two information literacy tools, to empower students to seek, evaluate, and use online sources responsibly—a critical step in helping them navigate AI-generated content and the wider information ecosystem with confidence.
• Try Speaker Progress to help develop students’ public speaking with AI-powered real-time coaching. It helps students build confidence, offer a private space to practice and refine presentation delivery, and develop critical communication skills. And as an educator, you can create, customize, and assign speaking projects to your students and collect insights about their performance over time.
• Visit Learning Accelerators: Tools for Students to get started with these powerful tools in your classroom.

4. Microsoft Teams for Education

New AI-powered features in Microsoft Teams for Education, a free communication app for schools, are available to all educators for no additional cost. They leverage AI to draft content like rubrics, assignment instructions, personalized reading passages, and learning objectives, all while keeping the educator in control.  

• In Assignments, get multiple suggestions for how to enrich your content, including creating rubrics and assignment instructions. After the content is created, you can make edits and generate different options. 
• Use Reading Progress, a powerful reading fluency tool, to track students’ reading skills, get actionable insights quickly, and focus students on specific areas for improvement. New enhancements in the tool—AI passage generation and AI comprehension questions generation—can help you save time and personalize learning.
• Visit Microsoft Teams for Schools and Students to download Teams and get started.

5. Minecraft Education AI Foundations

Build AI literacy and digital citizenship with Minecraft Education’s learning content and teaching resources. In fun, immersive worlds and videos, students explore how AI can help us solve real-world problems, demystify the risks and opportunities of AI, and build confidence through game-based learning. Use Minecraft’s lesson planning resources to spark classroom engagement and inspire AI learning.

• Watch and share AI Adventurers, a new animated video series with classroom-ready teaching materials, a parent guide, and free movie poster to capture young imaginations and spark discussion.
• Discover Fantastic Fairgrounds, the new Minecraft world for students ages 8-14, to bring AI concepts to life through fun, values-driven gameplay.
• Teach standards-aligned STEM lessons that build AI literacy like Hour of Code: Generation AI, AI for Earth, and Hour of Code: AI for Good.
• Use the Minecraft Prompt Lab for educators to learn how to use Copilot with sample prompts to create engaging game-based learning lessons and assessment materials.
• Visit aka.ms/MinecraftAI to get started!

6. Khanmigo for Teachers

Khanmigo for Teachers, a pilot AI-powered teaching assistant, is free for educators in more than 40 countries in English due to our new partnership with Khan Academy. Khanmigo streamlines class prep and gives teachers more time and energy to spend with students. As your planning ally and instructional collaborator, Khanmigo leverages Khan Academy content to simplify AI for teachers. No prompting is required. Khanmigo will help create engaging lesson hooks, provide insights on student performance, recommended assignments, and support for refreshing your knowledge.

• Read the article Enhancing the future of education with Khan Academy to learn more and get started today.
• Save or print this quick guide to Khanmigo for Teachers to refer back to as needed.

AI tools are quickly transforming the way schools foster creativity, approach challenges, and enhance learning. We’re here to help you find the tools and resources to feel inspired and level up your teaching skills. Get started with these free AI tools from Microsoft and seamlessly integrate AI into your teaching and learning.

The post Get started with free AI tools from Microsoft Education appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

If you’re new to AI assistants and Microsoft Copilot, read more in Meet your AI assistant for education: Microsoft Copilot.

Elements of a good prompt

The Elements of a Good Prompt PDF in the Classroom toolkit: Unlocking generative AI safely and responsibly provides all the basics you need to start writing prompts effectively. These five key elements can be applied to any AI assistant. The more elements you incorporate, the better your results will match your query—saving time and limiting irrelevant results.

In addition to the elements of a good prompt here are five tips to getting better responses from your AI assistant.

1. Set the tone

When using AI assistants like Copilot, setting the tone is necessary to get the best results. Copilot offers you a choice between three conversation styles:

• Creative: Perfect for unique story ideas, poems, artistic expressions, and brainstorming creative solutions.
• Balanced: A middle ground that excels in casual conversations, summarizing news or articles, and giving practical advice.
• Precise: Ideal for concise, factual responses like writing code snippets, defining terms, or answering specific questions.

Setting the tone will guide the AI tool in creating responses with the desired voice, saving you time and effort.

2. Give specific instructions

Good prompting requires providing details about what you need and the context around the request. Select the hyperlinks in the examples to see how Copilot delivers different content based on the instructions in the prompt.

The prompt “Create a lesson plan for an art class” lacks specific instruction and will likely result in a less helpful response.

The prompt “Create a comprehensive 7th grade lesson plan for an art class focused on telling a story through a collage. Include detailed objectives, materials needed, step-by-step instructions, classroom activities, and differentiation strategies for diverse learners. Provide background information on the artistic techniques and notable examples of storytelling through collage from art history“ offers details and instructions for the type of response needed.

Remember, the more information you provide your AI assistant in a prompt, the better it can return useful results. Prompting is an iterative process. Start with a prompt and then iterate and build on it to refine your results.

3. Tailor for a point of view or audience

Sharing more details about your audience can help your AI assistant deliver what you need quicker. Mentioning education demographics like age, grade level, subject, and personal interests can result in relevant, creative outputs that will engage your audience and enhance their understanding of a concept.

4. Specify length

Specify the length of the response you want from your AI assistant. Do you need key points in a bulleted list, a summary in a few sentences, or detailed paragraphs with a technical explanation? Setting this metric in your prompt will help you get results that are more ready-to-use and require less editing.

5. Specify format

Most AI assistants can format your results to suit your needs. Try requesting the results to be formatted in a table, a diagram, or an outline. Visit Microsoft Copilot resources for education and bookmark the How to write a prompt PDF for quick reference to all five of these tips.

Support your AI journey

At Microsoft Education, we want to ensure you have all the tools you need to succeed on your AI journey. No matter your experience level with AI tools, we’ve got you covered at every stage.

Boost your prompting skills

• Dig into what Copilot can help you do in your role with Microsoft Copilot resources for education.
• The Enhance teaching and learning with Microsoft Copilot training module on Microsoft Learn includes a unit on designing prompts for learning. Learn more tips on crafting prompts to help you fully leverage the power of Copilot.
• Embrace innovation with Prompt Lab for Minecraft Educators. This series of resources shows you how to use Copilot with Minecraft Education to create amazing learning experiences.

Elevate your AI literacy for teaching and learning

• Explore Smart learning: AI resources every educator should know for eleven curated resources to help educators like you boost their AI literacy.
• Use the Classroom Toolkit: Unlock generative AI safely and responsibly to help you start important conversations about responsible AI practices, including content fabrications, privacy considerations, bias awareness, and mental well-being.

The more you practice prompting, the easier it will be to get helpful results from AI assistants like Copilot. By learning to refine your prompts and build on them, you’ll save time and get more precise results. Dive in, experiment, and see how AI assistants can give you time and energy back to focus on what matters most.

The post Five quick prompting tips to get more from your AI assistant appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.