Learn the way Microsoft collaborates with academics to create AI options that empower educators and improve studying experiences.
In August 2024, Microsoft teamed up with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) for a pathbreaking symposium on AI in schooling in Chicago, Illinois, US. This sensible, two-day occasion served to coach and empower educators to share their experience with builders and obtain hands-on expertise to grasp and introduce rising AI applied sciences. The creativity and productiveness that AI brings to academics empowers them to give attention to their college students, as a substitute of their paperwork.
“We teamed with Microsoft as a result of we share a basic perception: that educators should be on the middle of technological integration so AI dietary supplements, slightly than substitutes, the human connection that’s the cornerstone of instructing and studying,” mentioned AFT President Randi Weingarten. “This symposium is just the start of an ongoing collaboration between AFT, Microsoft, and different stakeholders inside the AI and schooling communities, and can make sure the dialogue continues effectively past 2024.”
“AI presents a possibility to boost employee expertise, giving academics extra time to get again to their true ardour—educating younger individuals,” mentioned Amy Pannoni, Vice President and Deputy Normal Counsel, HR at Microsoft. “That focus is what made this symposium distinctive. The gathering introduced educators along with know-how leaders to discover ways to leverage new AI instruments and supply suggestions on their improvement and deployment. The symposium was a launch level for AI studying and dialogue and a part of a broader set of commitments between Microsoft and the AFL-CIO.”
By fostering collaboration between educators and know-how leaders, we purpose to make sure that AI tools are developed with the wants of academics and college students in thoughts. This ongoing collaboration underscores Microsoft’s dedication to empowering educators and enhancing the educational expertise via modern know-how.
Leveraging AI to assist educators
On the AI Symposium, we heard from educators and leaders {that a} key concern is educator burnout and heavy workloads. We imagine that know-how and AI gives a method ahead. Through the occasion, academics tell us that they’re already utilizing AI instruments that increase their creativity like Microsoft Copilot and Khanmigo for Academics for content material improvement.
The promise of AI can go farther by supporting academics in a few of their most advanced and time-consuming challenges:
- Curriculum planning is a well-liked use case for AI. With Copilot and AI-powered instruments like Khanmigo for Academics, educators can quickly build lesson plans, discover references and assets, and ship standards-aligned weekly calendars of actions and content material.
- Differentiating instruction: Reworking present supplies is a robust strategy to improve instructing with AI. Whether or not it’s including complexity to a studying passage to maintain college students engaged, personalizing supplies for learners to construct confidence, and even adjusting the language or pedagogical model of worksheets and different supplies, remodeling content material is an effective way to leverage AI instruments.
- Individualized Training Packages (IEPs) are vital for documentation and planning to make sure all college students are supported. Nonetheless, they take an amazing period of time for academics to develop and customise. Instruments just like the IEP generator in Khanmigo for Academics might help save time by simplifying the method. Educators can add their concepts, reference a broad set of historic IEPs, and shortly develop personalised plans for every scholar.
- Getting ready college students for the longer term: Educators can assist college students in constructing future-ready abilities like AI literacy in order that they will thrive in a quickly altering work panorama. AI-powered instruments can play an important position on this course of, serving to college students develop the competencies they want for achievement.
- AI for brainstorming: By prompting Copilot or different AI-powered instruments to tackle the position of a pedagogical skilled or different sort of advisor to assist with brainstorming, educators can develop their concepts additional and extra shortly, serving to to bridge the hole from thought to classroom.
A collaborative strategy
Use of AI in schooling requires consideration to privateness, equity, and transparency. Microsoft’s partnership with AFT creates a collaborative strategy to creating reliable AI. By maintaining academics and college students on the middle of improvement educational technology, AI can proceed to be a instrument for assist, creativity, and productiveness that features everybody within the alternatives and advantages of AI.
“Our members know their college students finest. And that experience is what’s wanted to make AI work for everybody,” mentioned AFT President Randi Weingarten.
By bringing collectively thought leaders, educators, and technologists to discover the potential of AI in schooling, we are able to make sure the reliable and equitable use of AI. AI can improve instructing and studying experiences when academics’ voices lead the dialog. We look ahead to constructing an increasing collaboration with educators as we meet the probabilities of AI in schooling collectively.
