Intelligent virtual assistants (IVA) or intelligent personal assistants (IPA) have become extremely popular over the past decade. By definition, they are "software agents that can perform tasks or services for an individual based on commands or questions." (Wikipedia). In more practical terms, they are a form of software that help us complete a multitude of various daily tasks, and will be referred to as "smart assistants". In 2019 these smart assistants were operating on over 100 million devices, and estimates predict this number will be over 500 million by this year (2023) (Festerling & Siraj, 2020). Considering this, they are evidently becoming characteristic of many environments that students connect with. The aim of this website is to explore educational applications of these smart assistants, and how they have already, and may continue to change as technology advances. 

Information can be explored through the following pages:

The Big Three - Although more and more smart assistants continue to be created, there are three that still dominate the market. This page focuses on differentiating Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, and the Google Assistant from an educational perspective.

Current Educational Research & Applications - Many educators are already exploring and using smart assistants in creative ways. This page shares current educational uses of smart assistants, and points out some of the current research being done on smart assistants in education.

Potential Risk - This page shares an excerpt of an article that discusses potential privacy issues surrounding smart assistants in education.

What's Next? - Smart assistants have changed immensely over the past decade. As artificial intelligence continues to improve, so does the potential of Smart assistants. What may be next for smart assistants that may improve use for educators?

Conversation - Interested in discussing this topic further? The conversation page shares questions, and is a place where you can add your own thoughts to the topic.