Microsoft Elevate for Educators helps teachers build AI literacy, earn credentials, and connect with a global peer community, while Behind the Chat: A Human Guide to Safe AI Conversations provides classroom-ready resources to help students think critically, protect their privacy, and make responsible choices when using AI
Microsoft launched Microsoft Elevate for Educators, the AI Classroom Toolkit resource suite, and Behind the Chat: A Human Guide to Safe AI Conversations in the Philippines on November 5, 2026. Together, they bring educator training, professional recognition, and practical digital safety resources to help teachers prepare students for an increasingly AI-powered world.
Delivered in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) for public school teachers, the launch brought around 100 senior high school teachers to the Microsoft Philippines office in Makati for a full day of hands-on training. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and ChildFund Philippines also supported the event, joining the morning program to share their perspectives on keeping young people safe online.
As digital technologies become more embedded in how young people learn, create, and connect, educators play a critical role in helping students develop not only technical skills, but also the judgment to navigate online spaces safely and responsibly. The two initiatives support that role. Microsoft Elevate for Educators helps teachers build confidence and capability in using AI for teaching and learning, while Behind the Chat and the AI Classroom Toolkit provide relatable, classroom-ready resources for conversations about privacy, critical thinking, overreliance, and emotional boundaries.
“Through our work with the Department of Education, we are seeing how AI is changing what is possible in education, from how teachers design learning experiences to how students explore ideas and prepare for future opportunities,” said Caroline Foo, managing director of Microsoft Philippines. “But the future will demand more than knowing how to use new tools. It will require judgment, adaptability and a strong sense of responsibility. By investing in educators today, we can help ensure technology expands opportunity while giving young people the judgment, awareness and guidance to navigate it safely and responsibly.”
The launch builds on the next phase of partnership between DepEd and Microsoft announced in August 2026, under which Microsoft will provide 1 million Filipino public school teachers with access to Microsoft Copilot. Microsoft Elevate for Educators and Behind the Chat complement that commitment by equipping teachers with the resources to build the skills and judgment to use AI responsibly, and to guide their students to do the same.
BUILDING EDUCATOR CONFIDENCE FOR THE AI ERA
Microsoft Elevate for Educators connects teachers and school leaders with professional development, a global peer community, and pathways to credentials and recognition. Its learning experiences are designed to help educators understand where AI can support teaching, where human oversight remains essential, and how to communicate responsible practices with students, colleagues, and families.
The new Elevate for Educators platform, which went live in October, brings learning, peer connection, and recognition into one guided experience:
- Educators begin as Explorers and can progress to Expert and Fellow.
- Schools join as Pathfinders and can work toward Showcase and Beacon status.
Educators can also earn a free Microsoft Elevate for Educators credential developed with ISTE+ASCD and aligned to the AI Literacy Framework, and join a global community of more than 100,000 educators.
In the Philippines, the program is designed for DepEd’s public school teachers and delivered with Audentes Technologies, a Microsoft Elevate training partner. Over the coming months, Microsoft and Audentes will train and credential 2,000 educators in AI literacy through instructor-led training and digital badges, and build a local community of practice that connects Filipino teachers with peers worldwide. Community activities will run through April 2027, leading up to a Recognition Day for participating educators planned for May 2027.
“AI literacy is fast becoming a core professional skill for every teacher, and educators learn best from one another,” said Supahrat Juramongkol, director of Microsoft Elevate Capacity Building Solution (ASEAN). “Through Microsoft Elevate for Educators, Filipino teachers can build their skills, earn recognition for their expertise and join a global community of peers, so that good practice in one classroom can be shared with schools across the country.”
“The Department of Education is preparing learners not only for the technologies of today, but for the opportunities and responsibilities that will shape their future,” said Ana Kristelle Garcia-Ortiz, director III of the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) at DepEd. “At NEAP, that means supporting teachers with the knowledge and practical resources to guide students, strengthen critical thinking and promote responsible behavior across digital environments. Partnerships such as this can complement our efforts to build future-ready schools across the Philippines where innovation and learner wellbeing advance together.”
TURNING DIGITAL SAFETY INTO EVERYDAY CONVERSATIONS
Behind the Chat is a set of scenario-based resources designed for teens, as well as educators, parents, and caregivers. Developed with Cyberlite and informed by co-design workshops with 131 students aged 12 to 18 across nine schools in India and Singapore, it follows three fictional young people as they encounter situations involving privacy and oversharing, AI-guided decision-making, and emotional attachment.
Each scenario is designed to create a safe distance for discussion, allowing young people to engage with complex digital safety topics without having to disclose anything personal about themselves. The resources also support parents and educators with conversation starters, classroom prompts, and practical ways to help teens reflect on how they use AI, whether for schoolwork, advice, emotional support, or everyday tasks.
Teachers also worked hands-on with the AI Classroom Toolkit: Unlocking Generative AI Safely and Responsibly, developed with Cyberlite. Expanded in October during Global Media and Information Literacy Week, the toolkit gives educators a practical roadmap for bringing conversations about AI safety and critical thinking into the classroom, with new lessons on verification and media and AI literacy.
“Educators are among the most trusted guides in a young person’s digital life, and they need resources that reflect the realities students are navigating now,” said Madeline Shepherd, director of Microsoft Public Policy and Digital Safety. “That is why education and empowerment are a core pillar of Microsoft’s Safe Participation Framework. Responsible AI education is not only about explaining how technology works. It is about helping young people pause, question what they see, protect their privacy, maintain healthy boundaries and know when to turn to a person they trust. Behind the Chat gives teachers an accessible starting point for those important conversations.”
INSIDE THE LAUNCH PROGRAM
At the launch, Jane C. Cacacho, director IV of NEAP, delivered the DepEd keynote. Juramongkol then joined Garcia-Ortiz; Christine Apple Pre, division chief of CIECSD at the DICT’s Cybersecurity Bureau; and Carol Estuesta, program manager at ChildFund Philippines, in a fireside chat on preparing, protecting, and empowering the next generation online. After the fireside chat, Audentes Technologies led a hands-on workshop where teachers tried the resources for themselves.
WHAT COMES NEXT
Following the launch, the training will continue through two virtual sessions in November 2026, followed by eight live learning sessions from January to May 2027. In total, the program aims to train and credential 2,000 DepEd educators in AI literacy through Microsoft Elevate for Educators, with every participant also learning to use Behind the Chat and the AI Classroom Toolkit with their students.
The Philippine program is part of a wider rollout across ASEAN, with similar teacher programs under way in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, and is jointly supported by Microsoft Elevate and Microsoft’s Digital Safety Unit.
Educators, school leaders, and parents can join Microsoft Elevate for Educators and access the full suite of Behind the Chat and AI Classroom Toolkit resources to begin building AI capability and safer digital habits in classrooms and communities.