AI is dramatically changing classrooms, with tools like Microsoft Immersive Reader boosting student focus and engagement. This nationwide revolution in AI skills is significantly driven by Microsoft Elevate, Microsoft’s initiative to empower educators and students across Thailand.
Through this program, teachers are experiencing a transformation. AI-powered tools free them from routine tasks, allowing more time to focus on student growth and progress.
Wattana Wittaya Academy, Thailand’s oldest girls’ boarding school, exemplifies this shift. By joining the Microsoft Showcase School program under Microsoft Elevate, the school enhances “digital competitiveness of both our teachers and students,” according to Manager Lantip Dvadasin.
Committed to digital equity, Microsoft delivers Elevate through strong partnerships with government agencies like OBEC and OVEC. Their ambitious goal: train and certify over 150,000 educators this year, amplifying digital capabilities nationwide.
The initiative has already shown tangible results. Teachers are gaining valuable AI skills, creating engaging lessons and dynamic worksheets in minutes, not hours. A recent AI Impact Survey found 67.2% of 1,414 educators use AI in classrooms, saving an average of four hours weekly – equivalent to 95 full-time teachers annually. This frees time for student-focused learning.
Beyond efficiency, 76.3% report increased student engagement, and 88.6% of schools are developing AI guidelines, signaling a clear shift towards practical, responsible AI integration. Students are also using AI to brainstorm, summarize, and show improved exam performance.
In schools like Dhammajarinee Wittaya, Microsoft Elevate empowers visual, interactive learning, from creative Cover Dance to Python coding, with students achieving national recognition.
AI, facilitated by the program, also upgrades teacher skills, shifting their role to guiding students in critical thinking, data evaluation, and ethical AI use. Teachers also emphasize teaching students to “use AI responsibly.”
The School Director Dr. Aunampai Passakchai concludes: “The Microsoft Elevate program is definitely designed to help address this need,” equipping students with essential AI skills for a successful, self-reliant future.