AI guide · Microsoft Copilot
Copilot is already on many centre laptops, built into Windows, Edge, Bing and Microsoft 365. Paste a note in and you will get a learning story back in seconds. Before you do, it is worth knowing that Copilot on a personal Microsoft account and Copilot on a centre's work account handle what you type differently, and that both privacy regulators on our side of the Tasman recommend keeping children's personal information out of public AI tools.
Start with what actually happened: one action, quote, attempt, change, or question. A polished observation is never required.
StoryLoop drafts and checks. The educator reviews, edits, decides what is true, and chooses whether anything is shared.
Reviewed 27 October 2026 · Written by Leo, who builds StoryLoop, in Ōtautahi Christchurch
What StoryLoop does with a note
A real note an educator typed, and the start of the draft StoryLoop wrote from it, unedited, with the Te Whāriki links, learning and next steps to follow.
Aroha tried to put her shoes on before going outside. Velcro kept folding over. Asked 'help me' then pushed my hand away and did the second one herself. Stood up and stomped both feet.
Putting on her own shoes
Before going outside, Aroha tried to put her shoes on by herself. The Velcro kept folding over, making the job trickier. Aroha asked, "help me", letting us know clearly that she needed support.
When help was offered, Aroha pushed the adult hand away and did the second shoe herself. Once both shoes were on, she stood up and stomped both feet. This looked like Aroha checking that her shoes were on and feeling the result with her whole body.
Type what you saw today. StoryLoop writes the draft here, with Te Whāriki or EYLF V2.0 links, and shows you exactly what it is built on. Use first names only: demo notes are not saved to any account and are never used to train AI.
No signup for your first try. Use a first name or initial only.
Your draft appears here, with curriculum links that only claim what your note shows, usually in under a minute.
Tip: what the child did, one thing they said, and what happened next. Three lines is plenty.
Want to keep it? Start free: 3 stories a month, no card. You check every word before anything is shared.
Microsoft says it may use conversations from consumer Copilot, when you are signed in with a personal Microsoft account, to train its AI models unless you opt out in your privacy settings. Copilot through a centre's work or school account (Microsoft 365 Copilot or Copilot Chat with enterprise data protection) is covered by your organisation's agreement instead. Check which one you are signed in to.
Australia's OAIC recommends not entering personal information, particularly sensitive information, into publicly available generative AI tools. New Zealand's Privacy Commissioner recommends not uploading personal or confidential information unless the provider confirms it is not kept or disclosed. A child's name, age, family details and photos are personal information.
Like any general chatbot, Copilot fills gaps with things nobody saw: feelings, intentions, and curriculum links the note does not support. Every sentence has to be checked against what you actually observed.
Look at the account in the top corner of Copilot or Edge. A centre email address usually means a work account covered by your organisation's agreement; a personal Outlook, Hotmail or Live address means consumer Copilot.
On a personal account, Copilot's settings include a privacy section where you can turn off the use of your conversations for model training. Microsoft says it can take time for that change to apply.
Not sure? Ask whoever manages your centre's Microsoft 365. They can tell you whether Copilot is covered by enterprise data protection.
Check your service's policy first. Some services do not allow general AI tools for anything about children, and that decision is theirs to make.
If it is allowed: describe what happened, not who it happened to. Use [child] instead of the name, leave out ages, family details, health information and anything distinctive, and never paste photos.
Ask for structure, not judgement, and name your framework: "Organise this note into a learning story with the moment, the learning, one Te Whāriki link the note supports, and a next step."
Then read every sentence against your note. Delete anything you did not see, anything about the child's feelings you cannot back up, and any link the moment does not show.
"You are helping an early childhood teacher in [New Zealand / Australia]. Using only the note below, write a learning story with: what happened, the learning we noticed, one or two links to [Te Whāriki / EYLF V2.0] that the note clearly shows, a next step a teacher could do tomorrow, and a short family link. Quote the child's words exactly as written. Do not add feelings, intentions or details that are not in the note, and do not use diagnosis language. Use [NZ / Australian] spelling. Note: [your note, with [child] instead of the name]"
More prompts for next steps, family versions and curriculum checks are on our prompt page.
If you write one learning story a month, a careful prompt and a careful read may be all you need. If you write ten a week, the checking adds up, and so does the risk of a child's details sitting in a chat history.
StoryLoop was built for that: your note goes in, the draft comes back with what every claim is built on, the child's words checked against your note, the right curriculum for your country, and a list of what to check. Notes stay in Sydney and are never used for training. Three stories a month are free.
Try it on a real note from your week. StoryLoop writes the learning story, usually in under a minute, with the child's words kept exactly. No signup.
Try a noteOfficial references
These sources inform this guide. StoryLoop is independent and does not claim endorsement.
FAQ
On a personal Microsoft account, Microsoft says consumer Copilot conversations may be used for training unless you opt out in Copilot's privacy settings. On a work or school account with enterprise data protection, Microsoft says prompts are not used to train its foundation models. Settings and terms change, so check the current ones for the account you use.
It is a much better starting point than a personal account, because your organisation's agreement applies. It still does nothing for accuracy, and your service's own policy decides what may be entered. Many services allow notes without names and keep identifying details out entirely.
Sometimes. It often mixes frameworks, uses outcome wording that is not in EYLF V2.0, or links a moment to every strand that sounds plausible. Name the framework in your prompt and check each link against the moment yourself.
StoryLoop is built only for learning stories. It uses the right curriculum for your country, checks every quote against your note, shows what each claim is built on, keeps notes in Sydney, and its AI providers' business terms do not allow your notes to be used for training. You still edit and sign off every word.
No. StoryLoop supports drafting and structure, while educators remain responsible for observation, interpretation, reflection, final editing, and sign-off.
Yes. Stories are editable after generation and saved in history, so educators can add context, adjust wording, copy, export, or regenerate from the original observation.
StoryLoop is designed to avoid generic, poetic AI wording. It asks for real observations, keeps claims evidence-based, and links curriculum only when the observation supports it.
The free plan includes 3 learning stories per month. Upgrade prompts are dismissible, and existing history remains available even if the free limit is reached.