CBSE, Microsoft India join hands to build up capacity for artificial intelligence learning for schools

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced that it will conduct Capacity Building Programs for high school teachers in association with Microsoft India with an aim to integrate cloud-powered technology in K12 teaching. Meant for teachers of grades 8-10, the program will be conducted in 10 cities across the country, starting 11 September 2019.

Artificial intelligence and intelligent technologies are becoming all-pervasive today, transforming organizations across sectors and redefining the way we work. To equip the workforce of tomorrow, it is critical to the ramp up the institutional set-up and build capability among educators as well as integrate advanced technologies into the teaching process.

This program will provide teachers better access to the latest Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools and help them to integrate technology into teaching in a safe and secure manner, thereby enhancing the learning experience and 21st century skills of all students. The 1000 teachers nominated by CBSE will undergo a 3-day project-based training for practical, hands-on knowledge of Microsoft 365 tools such as OneNote, Flipgrid, Teams, Outlook & Minecraft and Paint3D Microsoft.

They will also learn about digital story telling; creation of personalized learning experiences for diverse learners; use of Teams for virtual lessons and how to leverage Artificial intelligence tools to create BOTS and demystify concepts around Artificial Intelligence. The program will also offer them the opportunity to become Microsoft Innovative Educators. With this they will have access to free resources, tools and software; as well as mentoring sessions and discussions with global educators. Please read more about it here.

In the next phase the program will be extended to cover skilling workshops for 400 CBSE School on the Microsoft K-12 Education Transformation Framework. Please read more about it here.

Manish Prakash, general manager, Microsoft India said: “AI has become a strategic lever for economic growth across nations around the world. Through this initiative, we are empowering institutions, educators and students of India to acquire early education/skills in new technologies like AI and cloud to lead that growth in that rapidly changing world. We are excited at the opportunity to partner with CBSE, as our very first endeavour in any country, to transform the education eco-system with the power of AI and cloud.”