Microsoft 365 and Future Ready Skills

Presented by : Buenavides P. Gerundio Jr.

Microsoft Education Ambassador 2021
Wakelet Ambassador

“The world is rapidly changing. Advances in technology are creating new knowledge, new experiences, and new
opportunities. Educational systems are challenged with moving learning forward without leaving students behind,”
Sir Gerundio Jr, said. It is indeed a good platform for us educators on how to cope with changes most especially in
the world of education. In addition, he gives us how education evolves, with regard of pedagogy or the art of
teaching. Also, a question that needs to be addressed, Future Readiness : What does the future look like?

He discussed the knowledge economy, to be successful in a knowledge economy means students need to acquire
an innovator’s mindset, meaning the opposite of success is not failure, rather failure is everything that comes
before success. Knowledge economy follows these standards like learn and unlearn quickly, metacognition and
innovation. This implies that we are living in a 21 st century, who immersed in technology and described by
diversity in key areas. One of the standards in knowledge economy is learn and unlearn quickly, literally speaking
learn is to gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in (something) by study, experience or being taught, while unlearn
means to disregard (something) learned, especially false or outdated information, pedagogic from one's memory.
So, it is imperative to learn and unlearn for us to enable new develop skills and abilities that help us achieve
success.

He stressed the following key details such as a paradigm shift : The world in 2023 and beyond, soft skill come into
sharp focus, students want personalization not automation, the role of teachers is amplified, technology creates
opportunity, characteristics of a 21st Century Educator and a 21st Century Student. Learning environment in the 21st
Century, it focuses on learning centered (paradigm), attentive to students’ skills, attitudes and beliefs (educators),
encourage to ask questions and engaged in social discourse (students), co-construtor and facilitator of knowledge
(educator role). In all aspects, educators must have the drive to go beyond and work outside the box, so that
teachers and students reach willingness to learn and a quality education as well.

The presenter, Mr. Gerundio Jr, asked a question, how do we empower and support educators to design learning
environments, so that students can develop skills required for the 21 st Century?. “Tomorrow is here today,” he also
added. He presented different platforms on how students engaged in the learning process like Al Powered
Applications and Content Creation Tools. He gives us a link to download and to navigate. The following are
examples of Al Powered Applications, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Math Solver and
Microsoft Translator.

Below are glimpse of the aforementioned Al Powered Applications ;

A. Microsoft word - Microsoft Editor runs for Microsoft 365 to analyze your document and offer suggestions for
spelling, grammar and stylistic issues, like making sentences more concise, choosing simpler words, or writing
with more formality.

B. Microsoft Excel - Ideas in Excel empowers you to understand your data through natural language queries that
allow you to ask questions about the data without having tow rite complicated formulas. In addition, ideas analyzes
and provides high - level visual summaries, trends, and patterns.

Submitted by : Jomar Francisco Fabros

Licensed Professional Teacher