Microsoft: Every Learner’s Best Friend

Nadul Mattan, programs manager, brought part of the Microsoft team to AISG to see how Microsoft Forms are used at our school. Microsoft Forms is new to the Microsoft family, allowing teachers and students to speedily and efficiently create tests, quizzes, registration forms, and questionnaires. Others can be invited to answer the form on web browsers or even mobile phones, and there will be features to analyze data. The Microsoft company is based in Beijing, but Microsoft Forms only kicked off a year ago.  The team had been acquainted with Mr. Bauer before, and had heard about the technology implemented in AISG, so they decided to visit us to see how Microsoft technology like One Note, Powerpoint, and Excel are used for assessments and classroom activities in such a technology-driven school.

When Mr. Mattan was asked what he does on a daily basis, he replied that he “think[s] of and envision[s] and talk to customers to come up with those features that you will go and use in your classrooms”. He conjures up scenarios in his head about new potential features, then conduct interviews to students, teachers, education experts, and ask them for suggestions.

The teachers had briefed him on the various assessments, and he was invited to listen in on some classes. For instance, Ms. Liddell’s class had students time-travel to create artifacts and share them using Microsoft powerpoint online. The students were looking at data and video embedded into a powerpoint, and they thought of how the products could further help her with that activity.

Mattan wanted to see the number of questions, type of questions, if the teachers are looking at the results as they come in, and whether the teachers are using data points or not, in other words “how are teachers thinking and how students are using the features”. During the luncheon, teachers also brought their laptops to show how Office 365 was used and provided suggestions on making it more user-friendly.