As the technology director and data privacy officer for Gananda Central School District near Rochester, N.Y., I’m very interested in learning how our schools could benefit from AI. So, I leaned into what was available through Microsoft 365, our primary education platform. Microsoft Copilot Chat is available as an application within Microsoft 365, which means I did not have to navigate an unfamiliar platform, nor sift through templates to benefit from AI — I simply opened the Copilot app as I would Microsoft Word and began writing prompts. This is ideal from both an IT and instructional technology perspective, as ease of access is the first and most important barrier to overcome when implementing a new technology.
RELATED: Microsoft Education CIO discusses the role of AI in K–12 schools.
With Microsoft Copilot Chat, Educators Can Personalize Learning
For educators, Copilot is a game changer for standards-aligned lesson planning as teachers can radically reduce the amount of time they spend developing lessons. However, beyond standards alignment and learning targets, I see instructional technology integrators using Copilot to support educators in generating lesson plans that incorporate more advanced frameworks, such as Universal Design for Learning, with Microsoft Learning Accelerators to personalize learning.
Since Microsoft’s age 13-plus pilot program is underway, I don’t yet have insights to share about how the app would impact our K–12 students. However, I do know that Microsoft is gathering feedback to help guide student interactions with AI. This, paired with Copilot’s promise to deliver a secure, AI-powered chat service for K–12, creates a safe environment for students to explore.
LEARN MORE: How to get ready for a Microsoft Copilot deployment.
Copilot Agents Take Productivity to the Next Level
The paid version of Microsoft 365 Copilot, which integrates the AI assistant across several Microsoft tools, could be a productivity booster for the entire school staff — from superintendents to administrative assistants and everyone in between. It allows users to summarize meetings, documents, email threads and other types of information in just minutes, instead of getting bogged down in an inbox or OneDrive.
Educators can also use Copilot Studio to push productivity to the next level by building agents. AI agents can be programmed to autonomously complete certain tasks. Imagine a schoolwide instructional initiative where educators engage in professional learning, and then have an agent loaded with resources waiting to support their daily instruction.
As school districts build their AI strategy, the rapidly evolving Microsoft Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot make a powerful and intuitive addition.
