Microsoft’s AI reading lesson tool is now available as a stand-alone app

Microsoft is releasing Reading Coach as a standalone app, expanding its features for educators in Microsoft Teams. The new software will be part of its Reading Progress suite, which aims to help children improve their reading both in the classroom and at home. The tool will employ artificial intelligence to provide users with personalized feedback on how to improve reading scores, as well as precise tips for improving pronunciation. It will be free for all users who have a Microsoft account. With repeated use, the AI tool will highlight certain terms that a reader commonly mispronounces or misunderstands while reading. To keep children involved, the program will also allow a reader to choose prompts that can vary a plot with progress.

Microsoft claims teachers will be able to incorporate its program into classrooms through learning platforms beginning in the spring. However, instructors can preview the tool this month. The program’s Reflect tool will allow teachers to track how students feel about assignments. This type of feedback can assist an educator discover which assignments students are most passionate about and which lessons are not working. In addition to tracking student performance, the new tools in Microsoft’s Teams for Education package will assist teachers in creating lesson content, such as passages and tasks for students to complete.

Microsoft also added new features to its Teams for Education tool, which enables educators to personalize material for digital learning platforms. The Classwork tool will employ artificial intelligence to emphasize specific themes in assignment instructions based on an educator’s class goals. The Assignments tool will employ AI to speed up the rubric generation process. A teacher can adapt outlines based on grade level, evaluation scale, and other considerations.