Submission + - K-12 Teachers Urged to Spread AI Gospel Using Microsoft 'Communications Toolkit'
The toolkit urges K-12 teachers participating in December's Hour of AI event — which is sponsored by Microsoft and run by the Microsoft-backed nonprofit Code.org — to use Microsoft-crafted messaging to extend the Hour of AI campaign by evangelizing AI and Microsoft Minecraft Education software in post-event social media posts, school and classroom newsletter messages, and direct messages to families (sample: "Today, our classroom took part in Hour of AI with Minecraft Education’s First Night, and it was incredible!").
The Hour of AI is replacing Code.org's Hour of Code, which was the premier event of Computer Science Education Week from 2013-2024. Microsoft last year boasted of reaching K-12 students with 300 million sessions of its Minecraft Hour of Code tutorials, presumedly helping Minecraft become the first video game to hit 300 million in sales in 2023. The activities for the new Hour of AI include six Microsoft Minecraft Education titles. "Just like the Hour of Code helped families see the promise of computer science," a Code.org press release announcing the activities explained, "the Hour of AI will give parents the tools to make sure our children can use this technology to build, create, and lead. This isn't optional-it's essential if we want our kids to thrive in a future that's already here."