At the recent ISTE 2024 education conference, Google revealed new Chrome features including Read Aloud in Reading Mode and Gemini for Schools. Gemini, available on gemini.google.com, will be accessible to teenage students across more than 100 countries using Workspace for Education accounts. It is already live for personal users and will provide additional data protection for education users for free in the near future.
Google Classroom is currently testing Gemini to assist educators in lesson and content planning, as well as utilizing Keep reading to help younger students improve their reading skills with AI-supported real-time support. Educators can assign reading activities based on student Lexile® measure, grade level, or phonics skills, with access to over 800 books from sources such as Heggerty and ReadWorks. Teachers will also be able to track reading accuracy, speed, and comprehension, with a future capability of generating personalized stories for individual student needs. Read Along on Google Classroom is set to be available globally in English, with additional languages to follow.
Google is set to offer a version of Google Videos without Generative AI to students and teachers using Google Workspace for Education Plus. Additionally, Meet and Assignments will be accessible on third-party learning management systems such as Canvas and PowerSchool Schoology Learning.
The desktop Chrome reading mode side panel now includes a read aloud feature, akin to the TTS capability on the Android app. Users can choose from multiple voices and adjust playback speeds, with the ability to toggle line-by-line highlights on or off. Play/pause controls are available, as well as next/previous sentence options.
ChromeOS also sees updates, such as the Files app now featuring augmented image tags for screen readers to interpret untagged images in the Chrome browser. Similar to Google Tasks Integration, Google Classroom assignments will now display on the shelf calendar, a change expected to take place in the coming weeks.
The Chromebook Plus was mentioned during the announcement, with Google promising teacher-oriented devices in May, along with the ability to control ChromeOS using facial expressions and head movements later in the year. Overall, these updates aim to enhance the educational experience for students and educators using Google’s platforms and tools.
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https://9to5google.com/2024/06/24/google-education-iste-2024/