At the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) 2024, the conference focused on the use of technology in education. Google announced several new features for using Gemini in schools and Chrome. The Mountain View giant reported that Gemini AI will be available to students using a Workspace for Education account in more than 100 countries worldwide, noting that it is working to implement special data privacy protections at no additional cost to institutions.
But that’s not all: Google is, in fact, also testing the use of Gemini in Classroom to support teachers in planning lessons and content, and at the same time, plans to integrate the Read Along feature (already available as a standalone app on Android) to help children improve their reading skills with real-time artificial intelligence support. The new feature will include the ability for teachers to assign reading activities to children based on school level, phonics skills, and Lexile measurement. Read Along will also include a digital reading assistant to help students while giving access to over 800 fiction and nonfiction books.
AI to understand guys
Teachers can also view insights into children’s reading accuracy, speed, and comprehension. Read Along will be available in Google Classroom only in English for now, with support for other languages expected to arrive in the future (starting with Spanish). A version of Google Vids without generative artificial intelligence will also be available for students and teachers with the Google Workspace for Education Plus account. Meanwhile, Google is also working to make Meet and Assignments available in third-party learning management systems (LMSs), including Canvas and PowerSchool Schoology Learning.
In desktop Chrome, the Reading Mode side panel added a Read Aloud feature after the Android app gained a similar TTS capability. There are multiple voices with playback speeds ranging from 0.5x to 4x increments and the ability to turn offline-by-line highlights. You can play/pause with next/previous sentence controls. On ChromeOS, the Files app now “includes augmented image labels to help screen readers read unlabeled images on Chrome browser.” Like the Google Tasks integration, Google Classroom assignments will appear in the shelf calendar. This is rolling out in the coming weeks. Announced at the Chromebook Plus, with teacher-oriented devices available, event in May, Google says you’ll be able to control ChromeOS with facial expressions and head movements “later this year.”
Several classroom add-ons
According to Google: “We’re launching 17 new Classroom add-ons, expanding the app licensing program to include 6 new partners coming this fall and providing educators with a wider range of integrated tools to enrich the learning experience”. Expanding guardian access summaries will now enable parents and guardians to preview their students’ classwork pages, including assigned work and attachments provided by the teacher. Rolling out in the coming days, eSignature will make it easy for educators to draft contracts, request signatures in Docs and PDFs in Drive, and manage contract templates all in one place.
“As we work to bring the best of Google AI to education and build experiences customized for schools, we remain committed to leaning on the expertise and guidance of educators and institutions. We hope these tools can help enhance your impact and focus on what matters most. Reference this guide for each feature’s availability, including the Google Workspace for Education edition or add-on required to access them,” Google said.
