Mini is good at her job, says Dr. Liesel Carlson, the School Improvement Data Integration Specialist for the Lansing School District in Michigan. 

Over a three-month period last school year, Mini sent more than 9,000 texts to parents, personally answering their questions about attendance-related topics, including preschool enrollment levels, upcoming board of ed meetings, days off, and more. 

More than 96 percent of the time, Mini could answer the questions on her own but when the question was more complex, say if a student was having trouble with a device or a parent had concerns about how their child was adjusting to remote learning, Mini would refer that question to a team of educators within the school district. 

“What she did for us was it gave us the opportunity to focus our valuable, limited human resources on those requests and questions that needed that intensive support,” Carlson says. “It’s so funny how we refer to her in a very personified way.” 

Mini‘s full name is Mini the Minutes Matter Chatbot. “She” was named by the Lansing School District but created by AllHere, a company that uses a chatbot or virtual advisor to fight chronic absenteeism by connecting families with resources and answers to questions 24/7. The chatbot’s text-based interventions are based on Dr. Peter Bergman’s research into how text messaging can increase student retention. 

Over the past few years, chatbots have become common in higher ed, helping students apply to college and for financial aid, among other functions. Now, AI-powered chatbots are being utilized more often in K-12. Proponents say the digital assistants can help districts utilize their human resources more efficiently and promote equity in the process. 

Chatbots and Equity 

AtlasRTX provides chatbots, or digital assistants, to colleges and K-12, and recently partnered with Instructure to provide chatbot support for users of the company’s popular Canvas LMS. 

Chatbots can increase access to school services in the nation’s more than 13,000 school districts, suggests AtlasRTX president Dr. Mike Bills. “Many of these districts, many of these schools, many of these neighborhoods, they simply don't have the human capital to support students,” he says. “And so a digital assistant can be there 24/7 365, and it costs about the same as one staff member each year.” 

By answering the easy and common questions students and their parents have in more than 100 languages, chatbots free up educators and administrators to focus on deeper questions. “We're not trying to replace humans,” Bills says. “There are just nowhere near enough humans in education. We are trying to be the assistant to those staff members and faculty so that they can focus on just those high-value tasks.”

The Lansing School District’s use of Mini provides an example of how chatbots can help schools promote equity, says Joanna Smith, founder and CEO of AllHere and a former middle school math teacher and director of engagement at a charter school in Boston. “It freed up hundreds of hours of teacher and school- and system-level leader time and resulted in Lansing reaching more families where they prefer to communicate, which is via text.” 

She adds, “We really envision this as serving as a personalized advisor for every single student in every single family that can respond to their questions in real-time and proactively nudge them throughout their journey in school.”

Chatbot Limitations  

It’s important to remember that all chatbots are not created equal and can’t do everything. 

“People use the term ‘chatbot' and they mean, everything from a live chat widget on a web page where you're literally just chatting with a human being to basic things that are just designed to deflect and then connect you to the right human, all the way to things that are science fiction, and that aren't even possible,” Bills says. 

Real-world chatbots are good at answering specific questions. For instance, you can ask AtlasRTX’s higher ed digital assistants questions such as whether you need to submit SAT scores to apply, or what your minimum GPA needs to be. You can also ask about the town and about student life and clubs. However, ask it what the meaning of life is and the answer you receive will likely be less satisfactory. 

Answers to the questions the chatbot can answer can often be found on a school or university website but not with ease. “Those answers are probably on 50 different pages that you'd have to mine through,” Bills says. 

Chatbot Advice for School Leaders  

If you’re looking to bring a chatbot to your school district, you may encounter resistance from staff who say the ideal solution is to have students face-to-face with teachers. “Frankly, I'd say that they're right,” Bills says. “But we can't let perfect be the enemy of good. If you focus on just that ideal scenario, you're going to have so many students who just can't be there in person. But if we use technology, we can improve the present state.” 

You also want to make sure you are working with an evidence-based platform and that the chatbot is AI-powered and not just a system that can respond with simple answers to simple prompts, Smith says. A robust AI-powered chatbot is able to parse human language and learn from previous conversations to improve accuracy. “A chatbot’s ability to handle multiple languages, to understand run-on questions, handle misspellings, and deal with emojis are all key indicators of a chatbot that is powered by AI,” she says. 

Carlson, from the Lansing School District, was not overly familiar with AI technology before her district started working with AllHere, but she says chatbots are more common in our lives than we realize -- think Siri and Alexa. 

“We now ask our phone to get us directions to a friend's house or the closest restaurant or whatever we're looking for, so we’re more and more able to use technology to serve human need, and really preserve human capital for the things that matter most,” she says. “In education we tend to just add more and more things to our staffs’ plates, but chatbots are a take-off strategy so that staff can focus on the things that are most important for humans to do.” 

• How Artificial Intelligence (AI) Is Being Used in Higher Ed
• AI Writing Programs Are Getting Better. Is That a Good Thing?

Google Jamboard is a smart combination of hardware and software that allows teachers to digitize the classroom in a powerful way. The idea is to offer a digital version of what is being taught so that it can be accessible online, and also transfer between classes, rooms, groups and even years.

While Jamboard is a helpful way to teach the class for a teacher, it can also be a useful collaborative tool for students. Since this works as a mobile app, or on a 55-inch cloud-connected digital whiteboard, it makes interactivity super simple. And that goes for in the classroom across devices as well as beyond the room.

Despite all this, Google is sunsetting Jamboard on Dec. 31, 2024. In its place, Google recommends users try whiteboarding tools such as FigJam by Figma, Lucidspark by Lucid, and Miro. More on this below.

While it's still available as a Google tool, it's super easy to use, works with lots of other apps, and makes pulling in media from Google searches a very easy process. This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about Jamboard for your classroom.

What is Google Jamboard?

Google Jamboard is an innovative tool that allows teachers to interact with students with a whiteboard-style experience, only digitally without being in the same room. It's essentially a giant digital whiteboard that can be used by any teacher for any subject, making it a great tool for schools to use right across the -- ahem -- board.

Jokes aside, Jamboard does require a hardware investment be made for the full 55-inch 4K touchscreen experience. This offers 16 simultaneous points of touch contact and wifi connectivity, plus handwriting and shape recognition. A Full HD webcam and two styluses are available, with an optional rolling stand that ideal for moving between classrooms.

However, Jamboard also works digitally as an app so it can be used on tablets, phones, and other devices. It'll even work via the web using Google Drive, so it is really widely accessible. Of course, it also runs on Chromebooks, albeit without the shape or stylus support, but it's still a very capable presentation platform.

• Best Tools for Teachers
• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Google Jamboard Lesson Plan

While Jamboard was designed with business use in mind, with a presentation kind of feel, it has been adapted widely and works well as a teaching tool. Lots of apps work with the platform, from Screencastify to EquatIO. So it need not be a from-scratch creative effort.

What's new in Google Jamboard?

As mentioned, Google is sunsetting Jamboard on Dec. 31, 2024. In its place, Google recommends users try whiteboarding tools such as FigJam by Figma, Lucidspark by Lucid, and Miro. Starting on October 1, 2024, the Jamboard app will become view-only. You’ll no longer be able to create new or edit existing Jams on any platform, including the web, iPhone, iPad, Android, and Jamboard devices. We will also start converting Jams to PDF.

Over time, Google Jamboard has had regular updates. Recently, the new homescreen update lets you now view all your Jams as a list or as a grid for the easiest access to suit your needs as a teacher. And should you wish to share these Jams, that's easy now with a simple link generated that you can share in whatever way is easiest for you.

Other updates have included redesigned drawing tools, the ability to star or copy a jam from the homescreen, a new homescreen design, and enhanced app usability.

How to Use Google Jamboard

At its most basic, Jamboard is a great way to work through information with a class. This can be done remotely using the app, and could even be used with multiple devices to also incorporate Google Meet, as if you were all in the room together.

Of course Google Jamboard is also a great tool for integrating with Google Classroom since it is able to utilize Google Drive materials that are likely already being used by those who work with Classroom.

To access Jamboard, simply sign into your Google account, or sign-up for free. Then, when in Google Drive select the "+" icon and go down to "More" at the bottom, then down to select "Google Jamboard."

Alternatively, you can download the app for iOS, Android, or using the Jamboard web app. Create a Jam and add up to 20 pages per Jam that can be shared with up to 50 students at once in real time.

Jamboard works with many apps, a process called app smashing. Here are some great examples that can help make teaching more engaging.

How to Create a Jam

To create a new Jam, find your way into the Jamboard app online, via the app, or using the physical Jamboard hardware.

In the board hardware, you simply need to tap the display when in screensaver mode to create a new Jam.

For mobile users, open the app and tap the "+" to get a new Jam started.

When using the web-based online platform, open the Jamboard program and you'll see a "+" which can be selected to get your new Jam up and running.

Your Jam will automatically save to your account, and can be edited as needed.

Getting Started with Google Jamboard

As a teacher using Jamboard it's good to start by being open and being ready to take a risk. This is a new technology that allows you to be creative and to try new things.

Let the class know you're trying something new, that you're vulnerable but you're doing it anyway. Lead by example so they feel they too can express themselves even when it may feel uncomfortable or they risk failure. That's the next tip: Don't be afraid to get it wrong!

Share what you're doing with Google Classroom – more on that below – so that even children away from class that day will be able to see what they missed.

When working in groups be sure to label each frame so that students can refer back and easily find the page they're working on.

This sample Google Jamboard lesson plan is designed to implement the tool into instruction.

Top Tips for Easier Jamboard Use in Class

Using the Jamboard is relatively simple, and there are lots of shortcuts available to help make it more interesting and engaging for students.

Here are some useful tips:

• Use pinch to zoom to make pictures larger to quickly zoom in.
• When searching for an image, look for "GIF" to get moving images that kids love.
• Use handwriting recognition to input rather than keyboard for speed.
• If another teacher accidentally shares to your board, double tap the power button to cut it off.
• Use the palm of your hand to quickly erase anything on the Jamboard.
• Use Auto Draw, which will take your attempts at doodles and make them look better.

Google Jamboard and Google Classroom

Google Jamboard is part of the G Suite of apps so it integrates nicely with Google Classroom.

Teachers can share a Jam as an assignment in Classroom, allowing students to view, collaborate, or independently work on it as with any other Google file.

For example, create an assignment in Classroom, attach a math lesson Jam file as "Make a copy for each student." Google does the rest. You can also select "Students can view," which allows read-only access to a single Jam, if that's the way you need to work.

Google Jamboard and Screencastify

Screencastify is a Chrome extension available from the Chrome Web Store that can be used to record teachers using video. This is a great way to walk through a presentation, such as solving an equation, so the kids get the experience as if the teacher is really there by the whiteboard.

An easy way to use this is to create a new Jam as a whiteboard with a notebook or graph-style background. Then write math problems to be worked through on each separate page. Screencastify can then be used to record the process and that can be attached to each separate page so students have a specific guide video for each separate problem you present.

Google Jamboard with EquatIO

If you go into Texthelp in the Chrome Web Store you can get the extension EquatIO to use with Jamboard. That is an ideal way for math and physics teachers to interact with the class.

Create a Google Doc and name it after a lesson or book chapter. Then use EquatIO to create math problems and insert each into the Google Doc as an image. Then all you need to do is copy and paste the images into page on a Jam and you've got yourself a digital worksheet.

Google Jamboard best tips and tricks

Use shapes to highlight
Integrate the frame boxes to highlight certain words or numbers with color so these pop out at students and draw attention as you need.

Annotate
Use annotation to screen grab text and drag it in with comment boxes created for students to interact and add feedback.

Write as a class
Have students work as a group adding images and text to build a story as a group, in which the ending is a natural and creative effort as a team.

• Best Tools for Teachers
• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Google Jamboard Lesson Plan

Google Meet is a very popular free-to-use video conferencing tool that replaces Google Hangouts. It's proved to be a super valuable way to hold group or one-to-one video chats with stable clear video and audio without paying a cent. 

As such, it's ideal for schools where budget may be an issue but video interaction is needed to support the likes of Google Classroom. For example, educators can now create a unique Meet link and share it in the Classroom Stream or Classwork pages for students to easily access. 

So here are the Google Meet tips and tricks you need to get the most out of the platform.

• 6 Tips for Teaching with Google Meet
• Google Classroom review

How to Use Google Meet Grid View

• Options (three vertical dots) > Change Layout > Tiled

One of the commonly asked about features is Google Meet grid view, aka tile view. In this mode, multiple screens are displayed at once, allowing you to see everyone in the video chat at the same time. While this isn't a feature made for the small screens of smartphones, it is an ideal option for larger laptop and desktop computer screens.

For teachers, this provides a good way to keep an eye on the entire class at once, and helpful for making sure everyone is present and paying attention.

This is also a nice way to keep an eye on certain students while remaining focused on the entire class. It offers a handy perspective of how students, and the class as a whole, are responding to your teaching.

This grid view is actually called "Tiled." To enter that mode you need to click on the options button that is the three vertical dots, then select "Change Layout" before picking "Tiled."

Mute Students in Google Meet

• PC/MAC: On the person's thumbnail select the three vertical dots > Mute
• Mobile: People > Mute

As the teacher leading a Google Meet call with a class, it is possible to control the students' privileges as your participants. One such option is to mute students. Options to pin and remove students are also available, but more on that below.

If you mute a student, they won't be able to unmute themselves. They also won't be heard by you or anyone else in the Google Meet video call. To do this on Mac or PC go to the person's thumbnail image and within that window select options, which is the three vertical dots in the corner, then select "Mute." On mobile, you need to tap the "People" tab then select the participant and select "Mute." 

To pin a participant, which keeps their video always in focus, select the participant's thumbnail and the pin icon. This is a Mac- and PC-only option.

If you want to remove a student so they can no longer participate in the video or audio, this is an option, too. On Mac or PC select the back arrow icon, select the student, then select "Remove." On a mobile you'll need to tap the person's name and then the remove button (–).

Share Your Screen in Google Meet

• PC/Mac: Present Now > Entire Screen > Share
• Mobile: Vertical dots icon > Present Screen > Screen Broadcast

If you want to give a presentation or perhaps show a resource to the whole class at once, screen sharing is a great option in Google Meet. A top tip here is to make sure beforehand you have any personal information or windows/tabs closed so when the screen does share, there is no chance of inadvertently showing more than you plan. Ideally, have the presentation or document open before following these next steps.

On Mac or PC, go to the bottom right of the screen and select the "Present Now" option. Then pick if you want to share "entire screen," "a window," or a "Chrome tab." To confirm, you must then click "Share." To end, you can select "Stop Presenting."

On mobile, you can share by selecting the options button (three vertical dots), then "Present Screen." Tap "Screen Broadcast" to confirm and begin. To end select "Stop Broadcast."

Another really useful option is to join only to screen share. This means your students will only see the presentation and not you. No audio or video will be sent, but you are able to see what the class is doing during the presentation. For this, select "Start a Meeting" from meet.google.com, the enter a meeting code, click "Present," select the window or app you're presenting, then "Share."

Keyboard Shortcuts for Google Meet

If you want to really command your Google Meet experience, it's all about keyboard shortcuts. These allow you to quickly select options without the need to look for and manipulate the mouse – ideal when focused on the class. 

• Turn camera on and off: Cmd (Ctrl) + E
• Mute and unmute your microphone: Cmd (Ctrl) + D
• Announce who is currently speaking: Shift + Cmd (Ctrl) + Alt + A, then S
• Announce current information about the room: Shift + Cmd (Ctrl) + Alt + A, then /

• 6 Tips for Teaching with Google Meet
• Google Classroom review

Want to get some new ideas for new tools or resources you can use in the New Year to make teaching and learning more effective? Then join us for our monthly Twitter chat at 7:00 pm EST where #NYCSchoolsTech educators will share the favorite #EdTech tools they've been using this year.

#NYCSchoolTech teacher Eileen Lennon moderates with me throwing in my two cents. We will also be joined by some leading ed tech companies who will share what you can look forward to in 2018.

You can prepare for the conversation by thinking about answers to these questions:

Q1 Share your favorite #edtech tool for this school year w/a link & why you love it. #NYCSchoolsTechChat

Q2 Look at the #EdTech 11 tools fr @CommonSenseEd. Share which you <3 the best & why #NYCSchoolsTechChat https://www.commonsense.org/education/blog/the-edtech-eleven-this-months-must-know-tools

Q3 Connect w/ someone who has shared an #edtech tool you’re interested in by asking them a question abt the tool #NYCSchoolsTechChat

Q4 What are the most important factors you look at when choosing #edtech tools? https://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2016/12/choosing-right-edtech-resources.html #NYCSchoolsTechChat

Q5 Give a shout out by RT, like, or reply to someone who has inspired you in today's #NYCSchoolsTechChat

Chat details are below:

• Date: Thursday, January 4
• Time: 7:00 pm
• Topic: New #EdTech tools for the new year.
• Your Host: @eileen_lennon (@NYCSchools)
• Co-Host: @InnovativeEdu (@NYCSchools)

Remember to respond using the hashtag #NYCSchoolsTechChat and include the number of the question you are answering in your response i.e. A1 and your answer.

We hope you can view the chat live, but if you are unable, please visit our archive at https://www.participate.com/chats/nycschoolstechchat. You can also participate in the chat at that link or if you have an iPhone download the app at https://www.participate.com/apps (coming to Android soon).

Lisa Nielsen writes for and speaks to audiences across the globe about learning innovatively and is frequently covered by local and national media for her views on “Passion (not data) Driven Learning,” "Thinking Outside the Ban" to harness the power of technology for learning, and using the power of social media to provide a voice to educators and students. Ms. Nielsen has worked for more than a decade in various capacities to support learning in real and innovative ways that will prepare students for success. In addition to her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator, Ms. Nielsen’s writing is featured in places such as Huffington Post, Tech & Learning, ISTE Connects, ASCD Wholechild, MindShift, Leading & Learning, The Unplugged Mom, and is the author the book Teaching Generation Text.

Disclaimer: The information shared here is strictly that of the author and does not reflect the opinions or endorsement of her employer.