The Google Home Policy Epiphany

One of the burning questions people asked me this summer was What are you going to do with the Google Home next fall? Last year my class spent a considerable amount of time creating a Responsible Use Policy for our Google Home based off the district Responsible Use Policy. They also created class guidelines to go along with the policy. The rich conversations around policy and educational technology from 5^th graders were impressive. I had not thought about the best way to approach the Google Home in the fall when the question was originally posed.

One night this summer I was having a conversation with a friend about policy and the importance of reading it and staying updated when I had an epiphany. Schools do not rewrite policy from the ground up once they are written. They revise them every year. Policy work is fluid. It can be changed when the governing group feels it needs to be altered, adapted, adjusted, etc.

This morning I introduced my 5^th graders to the idea of policy. We Googled the word and discussed its definition. Then we delved into the district’s policy, highlighting and discussing important points. Students asked how they can harass and stalk online, which is a great question since those are words students might be unfamiliar with.

We transitioned to the Google Home work students completed last year. We learned about the Google Home, its features, and how and why we will use it in our class. Students then took a look at the policy and guidelines written last year for it and had an opportunity to make revisions. They only asked that we add to unplug it when done using it since it records everything, and we want to protect our privacy rights.

Students then had an opportunity to try out the Google Home, asking it questions. Students wanted to know the highest mountain in the world, the tallest person and shortest person’s height, information about light particles, and who will win the Super Bowl. The Google Home continues to be part of our classroom culture, and I cannot wait to see how students use this as a tool to enhance their learning.