Microsoft unveils immersive education solutions to inspire educators in reimagining learning experiences

• New technological
  solutions including Reading Progress, Minecraft Education and Supervised Chat
  in Teams will support educators in keeping students engaged and safe in digital
  classrooms.
• 71% of K-12 educators
  say technology has helped them improve their instruction and expanded their
  teaching capacity.

SINGAPORE – Media
OutReach – 5 May 2021 – Microsoft today introduced new technological
tools and updates designed to support the 5 key areas educators require to
create a holistic learning environment and move education forward: student
centricity, skills focus, social learning, safety, security and scalability.

In
partnership with YouGov, Microsoft found that 71% of K-12 educators felt
technology has helped them improve their instruction and expanded their
teaching capacity.^[1] With the rise of
digital classrooms and hybrid learning environments, Microsoft recognizes how
crucial it is to help teachers find new ways to engage students remotely. New
tools and solutions launched include Reading Progress, to enhance students reading
skills remotely, and features like Group Assignments and third-party app
integrations in Microsoft Teams that will empower educators and support
students in their classroom experience. Other updates
include the availability of
Minecraft: Education Edition outside the classroom and the launch of Reflect,
a Microsoft Teams app that provides teachers with capabilities that support
their students’ well-being virtually.

“We are grateful for the resilience and
commitment educators have displayed in evolving their teaching styles over the
past year, and we aim to keep supporting them to deliver quality education for
their students during these challenging times. At the beginning of the pandemic
technology often served as a much-needed lifeline between students, teachers,
and parents enabling remote and hybrid learning. As time moved forward many
educators transformed their teaching, their pedagogy, their professional development,
and more, with technology often being a critical component enabling that
change.  Innovation will continue to
transform learning experiences and stands to help prepare students for their
futures – we are honored to partner with educators and schools across Asia in
our mission to help every student on the planet achieve more,” said Larry
Nelson, Regional General Manager, Education, Microsoft Asia.

Enabling student-centered learning with
Reading Progress

Studies show that reading skills
have declined for some students due to the pandemic. To reverse learning loss,
educators are seeking ways to evaluate their students’ progress, and help them
advance at their own pace. With this in mind, Microsoft is introducing Reading
Progress, a free tool designed to support readers who are learning a new
language or educators trying to raise students’ general comprehension.

With Reading Progress, educators can:

• Save time by creating reading fluency assignments for
  either the entire class or for individual students to complete independently.
  Teachers can also review assignments with built-in auto-detect features for
  English language that analyze results and jump to any part of the recording to
  review detected words and passages.
• Visualize reading progress with a holistic view
  of data and insights, including accuracy rate and actionable feedback useful
  for guiding class progress.
• Engage students in independent practice on their own time
  where students can work at their own pace, record as many times as they like,
  and make progress without pressure.

Available prior to the next school year, Reading
Progress is free for all students and teachers using Microsoft Teams for
Education, and is compliant with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
(FERPA).

 

New tools to support student engagement in
the classroom

Microsoft is also enhancing Teams and other tools to
help educators unlock digital experiences that complement and enrich in-person
learning. These new free offerings will be available ahead of the next school
year and were inspired by insights from education experts, system leaders,
educators, and students alike.

• Group
  assignments: Educators
  can now organize their students into assignment groups so they can work
  together to create, collaborate, and submit the same work.
• Use your
  favorite apps in Assignments:
  Teachers will now be able to issue assignments from a variety of third-party
  apps directly in Teams, saving time and increasing student creativity.
• Calendar
  integrations: New
  calendar integrations allow students to see when their classes are and when
  assignments are due in the Teams and Outlook calendars – all in one place.
• Learning Management System (LMS) Updates: Microsoft is working with LMS providers such
  as Instructure and Blackboard to improve integrations between LMS and Microsoft
  Teams, Teams meetings, and OneDrive, providing a more seamless experience for
  educators.

Making learning more engaging and fun

Educators are recognizing how pivotal immersive
experiences can be to engage students on a deeper level. To support them in seeking
different ways to keep students actively engaged, Microsoft is releasing new
features to Minecraft: Education Edition. This will provide more opportunities
for students to play and learn in the classroom and out.

• Integrating Minecraft Education Edition with Teams and
  Flipgrid:
  Educators can now embed a Flipgrid topic, Forms quiz, or assessment tool using
  new Resource links within a Minecraft world or lesson. Students on the other
  hand, can open a Flipgrid Topic, record and share their creation, and invite
  others to join a world they have created—with just a few clicks.
• Minecraft Education
  Edition for Camps and Clubs:
  Beginning this summer, camps, clubs, homeschool organizations, and nonprofits
  can purchase licenses for Minecraft: Education Edition to support critical
  thinking, collaboration, and game-based learning for all ages outside of the
  classroom.

Supporting student well-being

Emotional well-being is key to student success and
research shows that approaches to support student well-being are in high
demand, but low supply.^[2]
New tools to equip educators with the ability to understand the complexities
students face, and their emotional state, as they guide them in navigating the
challenges of today have also been introduced.

• Reflect, a free app in
  Microsoft Teams, provides a way for educators to
  create regular check-ins in with individual students or classes to share how
  they are feeling, and help learners better understand how their emotions
  may impact their learning.
• Embedded tools in
  OneNote and Teams, such as praise badges and sticker packs, help students
  and educators feel more connected and foster the growth of effective
  relationships.

These will be critical in helping build students’ confidence and
enabling educators to facilitate valuable learning conversations in and beyond
the classroom.

 

Enabling safe and secure classrooms

Lastly, with more learning taking place outside the
physical school, the increase in digital traffic and the number of connected
devices brings new challenges: from malicious attacks to uninvited guests in
the digital classroom. 

 

To ensure students’ safety in digital and physical
spaces, Microsoft is launching Supervised Chat in Teams.  Available later this month, this feature allows
designated educators to initiate chats with students, while preventing students
from starting new chats unless an appropriate educator is present — meaning
students can engage in safe discussions.

 

For more information on the latest features, please see here.