Microsoft Elevate for Educators kicks off to train teachers and school leaders

The event was also an opportunity to further consolidate Microsoft Italia's collaboration with the Fondazione Mondo Digitale on the subject of new skills, which sees the two entities engaged on two different fronts:
Ital.IA LAB for School, a widespread laboratory designed to promote an ethical, inclusive and aware adoption of artificial intelligence in Italian schools. Aimed at teachers from schools of all levels, the project is based on a "by teachers for teachers" approach. It offers flexible and modular webinars (online on the Fondazione Mondo Digitale platform) that propose concrete applications to innovate teaching, in line with the Ministry's Guidelines, and an online video course in 9 modules that includes practical activities for teachers to carry out in the classroom with students. At the end of each module, participants receive teaching sheets and operational materials, and can also obtain micro-certificates attesting to the practical skills they have acquired.
Smart & Safe, idedicated to the digital safety of students and involving over 160 volunteers from Microsoft Italia. The initiative saw a busy schedule of 90-minute training sessions held online or directly at the institutes by Microsoft experts who helped the students to move in the digital world with more awareness, tackling topical issues such as account protection, creating effective passwords, recognising scams and phishing, and the risks associated with deepfakes. The project involved over 3,000 students from almost 150 classes throughout Italy.
"Synergies such as these are part of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale's broader commitment to the promotion of an aware digital citizenship, based on education, participation and well-being, right from the school years. The projects developed alongside Microsoft are intended to accompany children and adolescents as they grow within the virtual space, where the physical and digital dimensions intertwine every day, in the conviction that the protection of minors requires educational care capable of involving the entire educating community," says Mirta Michilli, Director General of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale.

During the plenary, Maurizio Adamo Chiappa, Headmaster of the ITI Guglielmo Marconi in Dalmine (BG), spoke: 'The school is entering a new phase in its evolution: no longer just a place for the transmission of knowledge, but a real In occasion of the event The School of the Future, taking place today at the Microsoft House in Milan, Microsoft Italia confirmed its commitment to the digital transformation of the education system, announcing Microsoft Elevate for Educators, a new training initiative on artificial intelligence dedicated to the world of schools.

"We are convinced that technology can and should be a powerful ally for the school world, but only if teachers and managers are enabled to use it with awareness and competence. Artificial intelligence is not meant to replace teachers, but to enhance their impact, freeing up precious time and promoting more personalised and inclusive learning for each student," said Federica Rossi, AI Skills Director Microsoft Elevate in Italia. "With the launch of Microsoft Elevate for Educators we want to offer a concrete and multilevel support to the entire school system in Italia, to face the challenges of the knowledge economy with confidence and vision."

In detail, Microsoft Elevate for Educators is a global programme, free for all teachers, that aims to create a community of educators and school leaders ready to confidently transform teaching and learning with AI. It offers access to skills-building resources, training courses (online on-demand on the Microsoft Learn platform) and internationally recognised certifications. The programme is structured on several levels of recognition (Explorer, Expert, Fellow) and enables the development of a true global community aimed at enhancing and connecting teachers and institutes from all over the world, fostering the sharing of best practices for the effective, safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence. The course is part of Microsoft Elevate, a global initiative that leverages Microsoft's solutions, expertise and research to expand access to new technologies, providing individuals and organisations with the training, tools and support they need to thrive in an AI-driven economy. In Italia, Microsoft Elevate aims to turn today's innovations into growth opportunities for the country and train more than 400,000 people over the next two years.

The announcement was the centrepiece of an event attended by institutions, school leaders, teachers and students, who gathered for a discussion on the opportunities that AI offers to rethink teaching, learning and the governance of institutions.

Also among the participants was Licia Cianfriglia, Head of Partnerships and Institutional Relations at ANP (Associazione Nazionale Presidi), who emphasised the fundamental role of school leadership in the face of the challenge of artificial intelligence. According to Cianfriglia, the issue is not only one of technology, but also and above all one of responsibility, and it places every school at a crossroads: either passively submit to innovation or take an active role in governing it. In this scenario, the headmaster acts as a guarantor of choices, data management and educational consequences, invoking principles of transparency and human oversight as indicated by the AI Act. The adoption of AI, he concluded, redefines the professional profiles within the school - with the teacher becoming a 'designer' of educational experiences and the manager a 'leader' of change - and imposes a deep reflection on what new skills are needed in the school sector.

"We are training students for a future that we cannot imagine jobs that do not yet exist, with tools that are constantly changing. In this scenario, the school has only one real alternative: to suffer innovation or to govern it. And a school that suffers stops educating. This is why the role of the headmaster is changing profoundly: he is no longer just a manager, he is a leader of the transformation, called upon to ensure that no technological choice enters the school without a pedagogical vision behind it, to protect student data, to build culture. Because every technological choice is, first and foremost, an educational choice,' commented Licia Cianfriglia, Head of Partnership and Institutional Relations at ANP.

Among the speeches was one by Andrea Benassi, research technologist at INDIRE (Istituto Nazionale Documentazione Innovazione Ricerca Educativa), who illustrated the path, just begun, of a thematic network on AI of 26 schools belonging to the Avanguardie Educative and Piccole Scuole movements. Four main profiles emerge in relation to attitudes towards AI: the 'explorers', where use is still individual and spontaneous; the 'prudents', very focused on policy, privacy and regulation before use; the 'experimenters', who have begun to involve students in dedicated teaching activities; and the still rare 'systemic' schools, where AI enters fully into the design and overall functioning of the institution. An initial study shows that today AI is still mainly seen as a personal assistant to teachers to increase their productivity, not yet as a lever to transform teaching. A central need highlighted is the search for legitimacy on the part of schools: the current AI guidelines require educational institutions to take on significant responsibilities, making it difficult to go it alone. Schools feel the need for a network context in which to move forward together, with a shared reference in the innovation journey. "Students already use artificial intelligence, at home, to do their homework and prepare for lessons. And this is a phenomenon that schools can no longer leave unattended: they need to start governing it seriously,' said Benassi. The experimentation with the network of schools will continue for the next school year with a structured agenda that will lead each school to design and test its own AI-supported teaching activity, with the help of an online community where ideas, practices and results can be shared.

The event was also an opportunity to further consolidate Microsoft Italia's collaboration with Fondazione Mondo Digitale on the topic of new skills, which sees the two entities engaged on two different fronts:

- Ital.IA LAB for School, a widespread workshop designed to promote an ethical, inclusive and aware adoption of artificial intelligence in schools in Italia. Aimed at teachers from schools of all levels, the project is based on a "by teachers for teachers" approach. It offers flexible and modular webinars (online on the Fondazione Mondo Digitale platform) that propose concrete applications to innovate teaching, in line with the Ministry's Guidelines, and an online video course in 9 modules that includes practical activities for teachers to carry out in the classroom with students. At the end of each module, participants receive teaching sheets and operational materials, and can also obtain micro-certificates certifying the practical skills acquired.

- Smart & Safe, dedicated to the digital safety of students and involving over 160 volunteers from Microsoft Italia. The initiative saw a busy schedule of 90-minute training sessions held online or directly at the institutes by Microsoft experts who helped the students to move in the digital world with more awareness, tackling topical issues such as account protection, creating effective passwords, recognising scams and phishing, and the risks associated with deepfakes. The project involved over 3,000 students from almost 150 classes throughout Italy.

"Synergies such as these are part of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale's broader commitment to the promotion of a conscious digital citizenship, based on education, participation and well-being, right from the years of schooling. The projects developed alongside Microsoft are intended to accompany children and adolescents as they grow within the virtual space, where the physical and digital dimensions intertwine every day, in the conviction that the protection of minors requires educational care capable of involving the entire educating community," says Mirta Michilli, Director General of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale.

Protagonists of The School of the Future are also teachers and school leaders who are successfully integrating AI into their everyday life at school.

At the event The School of the Future, held today at Microsoft House in Milan, Microsoft Italia confirmed its commitment to the digital transformation of the education system, announcing Microsoft Elevate for Educators, a new training initiative on artificial intelligence dedicated to the world of education.

"We are convinced that technology can and should be a powerful ally for the school world, but only if teachers and managers are enabled to use it with awareness and competence. Artificial intelligence is not meant to replace teachers, but to enhance their impact, freeing up precious time and promoting more personalised and inclusive learning for each student," said Federica Rossi, AI Skills Director Microsoft Elevate in Italia. "With the launch of Microsoft Elevate for Educators we want to offer a concrete and multilevel support to the entire school system in Italia, to face the challenges of the knowledge economy with confidence and vision."

In detail, Microsoft Elevate for Educators is a global programme, free for all teachers, that aims to create a community of educators and school leaders ready to confidently transform teaching and learning with AI. It offers access to skills-building resources, training courses (online on-demand on the Microsoft Learn platform) and internationally recognised certifications. The programme is structured on several levels of recognition (Explorer, Expert, Fellow) and enables the development of a true global community aimed at enhancing and connecting teachers and institutes from all over the world, fostering the sharing of best practices for the effective, safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence. The course is part of Microsoft Elevate, a global initiative that leverages Microsoft's solutions, expertise and research to expand access to new technologies, providing individuals and organisations with the training, tools and support they need to thrive in an AI-driven economy. In Italia, Microsoft Elevate aims to turn today's innovations into growth opportunities for the country and train more than 400,000 people over the next two years.

The announcement was the centrepiece of an event attended by institutions, school leaders, teachers and students, who gathered for a discussion on the opportunities that AI offers to rethink teaching, learning and the governance of institutions.

Also among the participants was Licia Cianfriglia, Head of Partnerships and Institutional Relations at ANP (Associazione Nazionale Presidi), who emphasised the fundamental role of school leadership in the face of the challenge of artificial intelligence. According to Cianfriglia, the issue is not only one of technology, but also and above all one of responsibility, and it places every school at a crossroads: either passively submit to innovation or take an active role in governing it. In this scenario, the headmaster acts as a guarantor of choices, data management and educational consequences, invoking principles of transparency and human oversight as indicated by the AI Act. The adoption of AI, he concluded, redefines the professional profiles within the school - with the teacher becoming a 'designer' of educational experiences and the manager a 'leader' of change - and imposes a deep reflection on what new skills are needed in the school sector.

"We are training students for a future that we cannot imagine jobs that do not yet exist, with tools that are constantly changing. In this scenario, the school has only one real alternative: to suffer innovation or to govern it. And a school that suffers stops educating. This is why the role of the headmaster is changing profoundly: he is no longer just a manager, he is a leader of the transformation, called upon to ensure that no technological choice enters the school without a pedagogical vision behind it, to protect student data, to build culture. Because every technological choice is, first and foremost, an educational choice,' commented Licia Cianfriglia, Head of Partnership and Institutional Relations at ANP.

Among the speeches was one by Andrea Benassi, research technologist at INDIRE (Istituto Nazionale Documentazione Innovazione Ricerca Educativa), who illustrated the path, just begun, of a thematic network on AI of 26 schools belonging to the Avanguardie Educative and Piccole Scuole movements. Four main profiles emerge in relation to attitudes towards AI: the 'explorers', where use is still individual and spontaneous; the 'prudents', very focused on policy, privacy and regulation before use; the 'experimenters', who have begun to involve students in dedicated teaching activities; and the still rare 'systemic' schools, where AI enters fully into the design and overall functioning of the institution. An initial study shows that today AI is still mainly seen as a personal assistant to teachers to increase their productivity, not yet as a lever to transform teaching. A central need highlighted is the search for legitimacy on the part of schools: the current AI guidelines require educational institutions to take on significant responsibilities, making it difficult to go it alone. Schools feel the need for a network context in which to move forward together, with a shared reference in the innovation journey. "Students already use artificial intelligence, at home, to do their homework and prepare for lessons. And this is a phenomenon that schools can no longer leave unattended: they need to start governing it seriously,' said Benassi. The experimentation with the network of schools will continue for the next school year with a structured agenda that will lead each school to design and test its own AI-supported teaching activity, with the help of an online community where ideas, practices and results can be shared.

The event was also an opportunity to further consolidate Microsoft Italia's collaboration with Fondazione Mondo Digitale on the topic of new skills, which sees the two entities engaged on two different fronts:

- Ital.IA LAB for School, a widespread workshop designed to promote an ethical, inclusive and aware adoption of artificial intelligence in schools in Italia. Aimed at teachers from schools of all levels, the project is based on a "by teachers for teachers" approach. It offers flexible and modular webinars (online on the Fondazione Mondo Digitale platform) that propose concrete applications to innovate teaching, in line with the Ministry's Guidelines, and an online video course in 9 modules that includes practical activities for teachers to carry out in the classroom with students. At the end of each module, participants receive teaching sheets and operational materials, and can also obtain micro-certificates certifying the practical skills acquired.

- Smart & Safe, dedicated to the digital safety of students and involving over 160 volunteers from Microsoft Italia. The initiative saw a busy schedule of 90-minute training sessions held online or directly at the institutes by Microsoft experts who helped the students to move in the digital world with more awareness, tackling topical issues such as account protection, creating effective passwords, recognising scams and phishing, and the risks associated with deepfakes. The project involved over 3,000 students from almost 150 classes throughout Italy.
"Synergies such as these are part of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale's broader commitment to the promotion of an aware digital citizenship, based on education, participation and well-being, right from the school years. The projects developed alongside Microsoft are intended to accompany children and adolescents as they grow within the virtual space, where the physical and digital dimensions intertwine every day, in the conviction that the protection of minors requires educational care capable of involving the entire educating community," says Mirta Michilli, Director General of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale.

In fact, Maurizio Adamo Chiappa, Headmaster of the ITI Guglielmo Marconi in Dalmine (BG), spoke during the plenary: 'The school is entering a new phase in its evolution: no longer just a place for the transmission of knowledge, but a true learning organisation, capable of continuous learning and improvement. The introduction of artificial intelligence agents is not intended to replace the work of teachers, but to reinforce it, offering tools that support instructional design, professional collaboration and continuous reflection. Our model integrates the principles of Peter Senge's Fifth Discipline, Diana Laurillard's vision of teaching as a science of design and the OECD's guidance on teacher well-being'.

Offering the perspective of the teaching world was Cristiana Pivetta, teacher of Literary Disciplines and Latin at the IIS G. Asproni in Iglesias, who analysed the new perimeter of the teacher's action in the light of the Ministry's Guidelines. Pivetta reiterated how artificial intelligence does not replace the teacher, but transforms his or her role into that of a 'mediator' who orients the learning experience in a cognitive environment that has become more complex. This new professionalism, according to the rapporteur, is based on a threefold responsibility: the 'epistemic presidency', i.e. the ability to help students to distinguish, interpret and contextualise the enormous amount of information; the 'pedagogical direction', which remains firmly in the hands of the teacher in defining objectives, paths and assessment; and the 'cultural and civil responsibility', which aims to educate students to adopt technology in a critical manner. If AI automates the production of information, the educational relationship and the construction of a path of meaning therefore remain the exclusive domain of the teacher.

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