Microsoft announced ‘Teams for Education’ features to engage and prepare students and teachers for new remote and hybrid learning formats in the upcoming school year. These features include

expanded audience view of up to 49 participants, custom backgrounds, class insights, and virtual breakout rooms, among other new features.

Surveying nearly 500 members of the Microsoft Education community, comprising teachers and institutional leaders from around the world, Microsoft found that there has been a strong uptake in

the use of remote learning tools. 61 percent expect to begin the next school year in a hybrid learning environment-a mix of remote and in-person learning-and 87 percent said they expect to use

technology more in physical classrooms.

Microsoft's academic solutions are enabling learning and continuity schools in India. The British School in New Delhi moved to Microsoft Teams to enable its teachers and students interact and collaborate

in remote learning scenarios. Others such as The Ardee School in New Friends Colony (NFC) had started with remote learning via Teams even before the schools were shut due to the COVID-19

pandemic. Moving further, Teams have provided teachers new tools to engage with their students remotely while some teachers are using Kahoot quizzes at the end of their classes, others are

encouraging students to create and share content using Sway, Buncee, and Paint 3D. To replicate the test environment, teachers are also sharing Microsoft Forms on Teams, which they need to fill and

send back.

“Many teachers and faculty have been incorporating new tools into their lessons, often for the first time and students are experiencing new methods of learning, which will have an important, lasting

impact on their future. With this transition, it has become clear that with the required physical distance between teachers and students is more important than ever to help educators find ways

to connect with students and keep them engaged, motivated, and safe in a digital world. It is inspiring to see how technology is helping educators and students maintain learning continuity,” said

Manish Prakash, Country General Manager-Public Sector, Health and Education, Microsoft India.