Are Voice Assistants Ready for Education? Are Educators Voice Ready?

Are Voice Assistants Ready for Education?

• Is now the time for districts to be considering voice assistants for educational purposes? There has never been a time in recent history where school systems have had to adjust, adapt, and acknowledge their weaknesses as they have right now. COVID-19 thrust the concept of future education into a realm that many districts were not prepared for. Now is the time for districts to be considering many different innovative ways to meet student needs in low cost, no cost solutions that can adjust to possible “at home” learning.
• In a time where low touch/no touch is valued, are IT departments truly considering all the options that might best meet needs? It is fair to say that most districts have said a hard “no” to the use of voice assistants in the classroom environment due to both valid and invalid reasons. Are IT departments continuing to critically consider voice as an option to meet needs forward based on the current requirements for the way schools must educate students safely? Could voice have an immediate impact on connectivity of students to information in a way that creates less concern for spreading viruses? I believe the answer is yes! Many school systems are facing major budget cuts and will need to truly look for innovative opportunities that have the highest impact per student because of funding. Systems would be remiss in not considering placing a $30–60 device in a classroom that connects all students to outside information via voice interface instead at this point and time.
• Should educators be tapping into the devices already immersed in homes across the nation? According to April 2020 research by Voicebot.ai, “Nearly 90 Million U.S. Adults Have Smart Speakers, Adoption Now Exceeds One-Third of Consumers” (https://voicebot.ai/2020/04/28/nearly-90-million-u-s-adults-have-smart-speakers-adoption-now-exceeds-one-third-of-consumers/). If this is the case and students might be faced with quarantined learning again in the future, how might education utilize these tools forward? In a recent educational Twitter chat I took part in, a teacher mentioned “why aren’t we utilizing the fact that over 77% of the US population has a smart phone when we are considering how to best meet student needs during quarantine learning?”(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_smartphone_penetration). I wholeheartedly agree, and did you know that students can have access to Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa using the app even if they don’t own an actual device? Meet the people where they are and encourage them to use the tools they are familiar with (especially at home)!
• What would it take for school districts to trust a voice assistant? When the world moved to quarantined learning, the use of video conferencing to stay connected to students skyrocketed. The news was full of stories about Zoom hackers and security breaches but educators adapted and carried on for the most part. In the educators mind, what is the difference between the adoption of voice assistants to meet needs and video conferencing? As companies like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant strive to create the consumer feel more comfortable with their privacy practices. I appreciate companies that hear the concerns of the public and adapt their product forward. Posts like this by Amazon Alexa and this by Google Assistant show that these companies are striving to give consumers what they want. And there are always things an educator can do on their side to make sure the device is student privacy friendly.
• Are voice assistants robust enough to make a difference in the classroom environment? I believe everyday the answer is becoming more and more YES. I’ve had the opportunity to interview many edtech voice developers over the last year and a half on The Voice in Education podcast and as an educator I see the value these companies are bringing to voice technology through skills, actions, and capsules. I am also a firm believer that educators themselves have the ability to easily make their programs for voice assistants that personalize to the needs of their students. This can be done through templates like the Alexa Blueprints or using third-party platforms like VoiceFlow, Witlingo, and others to meet these needs.

School districts, now is the time to look for innovative solutions for the future of education! I believe strongly that voice technology has a place in this discussion.

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