A step-by-step tutorial on how to use Microsoft Learning Zone, an AI-powered app designed for Copilot+ PCs that helps educators quickly create interactive lessons that engage every learner. In this tutorial, you’ll see how Learning Zone uses AI to generate lesson content, student activities, and practice—all in one place—so you can spend less time building materials and more time teaching. Whether you’re planning tomorrow’s lesson or building reusable activities for the year, Microsoft Learning Zone helps streamline lesson creation while keeping students engaged. 📌 Best for: educators using Copilot+ PCs 🧠 Powered by: AI built into Windows ⏱️ Goal: Faster lesson creation, better engagement ✅ Learning Zone web site: https://LearningZone.Microsoft.com ✅ Launch blog: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/educationblog/learning-zone-made-to-engage-built-for-student-growth/4470379 ✅ Support documentation: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/getting-started-with-microsoft-learning-zone-ff2fc08f-b3a0-43b7-823c-5d04516baa5e 📝 Table of contents 0:00 Introduction 0:18 Tour of Learning Zone 1:30 Creating a lesson 8:03 Assigning a lesson 9:04 Student works on lesson 10:59 Educator Insights 12:15 Partner content 13:39 Wrap up NOTE: This is a personal project and the opinions expressed in this video are my own, not those of my employer (Microsoft) 🔔 Subscribe to my Channel: https://aka.ms/MikeYouTubeSubscribe *Connect with me on Social: X: https://twitter.com/mtholfsen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miketholfsen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mtholfsen Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/miketholfsen TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mtholfsen Wakelet: https://www.wakelet.com/@mtholfsen #Microsoft #copilotpc #MicrosoftEDU

We might think we have an AI adoption story, but the reality is different: we still have a huge AI understanding gap! Here are some key stats from the report that honestly made me do a double-take: ▪️99% of education leaders, 87% of educators worldwide & 93% of US students have already used generative-AI for school at least once or twice! ▪️Yet only 44% of those educators worldwide & 41% of those US students say they “know a lot about AI.” ‼️this means our usage is far outpacing our understanding & that’s a significant gap! When such powerful tools are used without real fluency, we would see: ▪️complicated implementation with no shared strategy (sounds familiar?)! ▪️anxious students who’d fear being accused of cheating (I've heard this from so many students!) ▪️overwhelmed teachers who feel alone, unsupported & unprepared (this one is a common concern by some of my teacher friends)! The takeaway that jumped out at me: ▪️the schools that win won't be the ones that adopt AI the fastest, but the ones that adopt it the wisest! So here's what I’d think we should consider: ✅building a "learning-first" culture across institutions & understanding when AI supports our learning vs. when it gets in the way! ▪️more like, we need to swap the question "Are we using AI?" for "Can we show any learning gains?" ⚠️so, what shifts does this report data point us to? Here is my takeaway: ✅Building real AI fluency: ▪️moving beyond simple "prompting hacks" to true literacy that includes understanding ethics, biases & pedagogical purposes, ▪️this may need an AI Council of faculty, IT, learners & others working together to develop institution-wide policies on when AI helps or harms our learning, ▪️it's about building shared wisdom, not just industry-ready skills ✅Creating collaborative infrastructure: ▪️the "every teacher for themselves" approach seems to be failing, ▪️shared guidelines, inclusive AI Councils & a culture of open conversation are now needed to bridge this huge gap! ✅Shifting focus from "using AI tools" to "achieving learning outcomes": ▪️this one really resonated with me because unlike other tech rollouts we've witnessed, AI directly affects how our students think & learn, ▪️our institutions need coordinated assessments tracking whether AI use makes our learners better thinkers or just faster task completers! The goal that keeps coming back to us ▪️isn't to get every student using AI! ▪️but to make sure every learner & teacher really understands it! ⁉️I’m curious, where is your institution on this journey? 1️⃣ individual use: everyone is figuring it out on their own (been there!) 2️⃣ shared guidelines: we have policies, but they're not yet deeply integrated (getting closer!) 3️⃣ fully integrated strategy: we have a unified approach with a learning-first, outcome-tracked focus (this is the goal!) | 24 comments on LinkedIn