Other potential benefits of using voice assistants in the classroom include:
- Digital equity: For around $50, schools can place one device in the classroom for all students to access
- Communal learning: Using a voice assistant allows everyone in the classroom to hear the same information at the same time. This means students can maintain eye contact instead of looking down at a computer screen if they need to look up something.
- Connected communication: Many students and their families are already familiar with voice assistants. But for those who don’t have a smart speaker with a voice assistant, there are apps they can use to access the same technology, specifically for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
- Personalization: Both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa have templates and blueprints that help teachers use them for specific classroom activities.
READ MORE: Learn how AI can revolutionize the K–12 experience for both teachers and students.
Key Considerations When Using Voice Assistants
But before educators add voice assistants to their toolbox, it’s important to remember that today’s popular smart speakers and virtual assistant devices were not made for educational purposes. For this reason, student privacy and data collection should be top of mind for any school staff using voice assistants in the classroom.
Educators who decide to use the devices will have to jump through some hoops to be compliant with student privacy regulations. For example, while the Amazon Echo Dot Kid’s Edition and any Alexa device that has Amazon FreeTime is considered compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, they still need to be set up properly. Teachers need to go through the settings on both platforms and enable features such as “turn off voice learning,” “delete the recordings” and “turn off location services.” They should also get permission from parents and district IT staff before using a voice assistant and explain how they plan to leverage it in the classroom.
Additionally, IT professionals should keep in mind that voice assistants on the market today may not work well — if at all — on a school district network because they were made for consumer use. They should also be aware of the latest updates voice assistant companies are making to help users feel more comfortable with companies’ use and knowledge of users’ personally identifiable information. For instance, Google recently sent out an email to Google Assistant owners to let them know they will no longer be storing voice recordings unless users opt in for that. This move toward transparency and trust is the type of change we need to see in order for this technology to break into education and have a larger impact.
There’s no denying that voice assistants and conversational AI are playing an increasingly important role in our personal lives and will soon find their way into other areas, including education. Educators can either sit back and watch this play out or become active in how it will impact student learning. By speaking into the space of voice technology, educators can ensure it is adapted for the educational realm. To quote a meaningful bumper sticker, educators need to “be a voice, not an echo.”