Microsoft AI Course Notes

 Examples of AI within Microsoft

o Use PowerPoint Designer to make better slides
o Can ask questions in Excel so that a long formula doesn’t have to be typed out
o Within documents, better suggested editing features by Microsoft Editor

History
AI: “the ability of a computer or other machine to perform those activities [or tasks] that are
normally thought to require intelligence”

 Originally started in 1936 when Alan Turing created a computer (also called the
Universal Machine)
 The term “artificial intelligence” was first used by John McCarthy in 1955
 AI has continued to evolve, starting with beating Gary Kasparov in a chess match (1997),
to ChatGPT (2022) and through 2023 with many companies utilizing different forms of AI
to accomplish various tasks

Definitions (all terms and definitions directly copied from the course)
Data: facts that can analyzed or used in an effort to gain knowledge or make decisions;
information
Algorithm: a finite set of unambiguous instructions that, given some set of initial conditions,
can be performed in a prescribed sequence to achieve a certain goal and that has a recognizable
set of end conditions
Model: a function produced after it has been trained to recognize certain types of patterns in
data
Training: the process of providing the model with an algorithm that it can use to reason over
and learn from a set of data

 AI can be used to help individuals students learning needs, create ways of learning that
are more engaging, data can be more easily analyzed, information can more easily
accessed and understood, and the curriculum and content can be more personalized

Generative AI

 “AI systems that generate various forms of novel output, including text, code, graphics,
or audio”
  It is generated based on the patterns that it observes over many data sets (deep
learning)
 All about creating new content or examples
o Because of this and this type of AI is newer, it is important that teachers check
the accuracy of its content
 Ways it can be used in the classroom
o Create questions for writing or discussing
o Summarization of text
o Evaluate assignments for areas of improvement
o Create quiz/ test questions
o Break down complex topics into things that are easier to understand

Large Language Models

 AI “that are trained on massive amounts of text and can generate human- like responses
on the spot by predicting what words come next in a phrase”
 Includes ChatGPT or OpenAI
o ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer)
 Tasks it can do
o Classification
o Summarization
o Translation
o Content generation
o Dialogue
 Responses are pulled from many types of sources (books, websites, etc.)
 Prompts, or text, are put in by the user and then they are given an answer
o The more detailed the better
o Use “new topic” when you are still using it but want to change subjects
 Bing Chat can be helpful while browsing in Bing
 Always check the accuracy of statements because they may not all be true or complete
 Usually don’t work as well for wanting specific details from a larger data set

AI Image Generation

 Ways to use
o When students are creating stories, they can add illustrations and images to go
along with their text
o Have images for things that maybe aren’t able to easily pictured (like scientific
models or historical events)
 o Students can create projects that use different types of media and find which
style they like to use
o Presentations or other visual aspects can be more specific with images that
better fit it
o Brainstorming and coming up with starting points
o Facts and data can be communicated with more visual aspects
 Microsoft Designer is a tool that can be used to create visuals or suggestions on
presentations by typing in a prompt
 Bing Image Creator allows the user to type in a prompt and decide the art style and then
an image is created
o Use: adjective + noun + verb + style
o Example: “dramatic, volcanic eruption, showcasing lava flows, nature painting”
 Make sure to tell students when it is and isn’t okay to use this tool

AI in Education

 Important to incorporate to some extent since students will probably use when they
start working
 Accelerate learning
o More engaging lessons
 Inclusively designed
 Improve efficiency
Features within Microsoft

 Read aloud feature with Outlook, Microsoft Edge, and PowerPoint

 Languages translation in Microsoft Translator within Teams and/ or Outlook
 Speech to text with Windows and Xbox
 Image captioning on Edge, PowerPoint, and Seeing AI
 Optical Character Recognition (OCR); printed or handwritten text that can converted to
digital text and read aloud on Microsoft Lens
 Microsoft Learning Accelerators
Data Analysis

 More personalized learning with feedback and higher engagement

 Microsoft Insights gives teachers more data that allows teachers to track student’s
progress
 Data can be filtered
Impacts and Limitations

 Always check if the information is accurate

 Be careful with security and privacy things
 Have conversations with students about good and bad usage