LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GoGuardian®, the Silicon Beach technology startup that provides Chromebook management tools to 44,000 educators and over 4 million students, introduced an artificial intelligence update to their award-winning web filtering and analytics tool GoGuardian Admin™.
As technology has become ubiquitous in the classroom, so has the demand for effective digital citizenship guidance. With Admin 2.0, GoGuardian has responded to that demand by making it easier for educators to understand the content that students are accessing on the Internet, while still empowering students to explore and learn digital citizenship. Admin 2.0 provides filtering settings unique to each student, offering them the best and safest environment in which they can explore. The new product also gives educators the ability to provide tailored feedback to each student when they get off track, which has important implications for the future of personalized learning and behavior modification.
“The true power of the Internet lies in letting students learn and explore on their own, with technology helping educators provide guidance so that students can learn better habits and be more successful,” said GoGuardian’s CEO and Co-founder Aza Steel. “Admin 2.0 keeps the Internet as open as possible, but as safe as needed, for students as they learn digital citizenship.”
Leveraging the Power of A.I. to Predict and Improve Student behavior
A key feature of Admin 2.0 is Smart Alerts, which leverages the power of machine learning to provide administrators with a more accurate understanding of student online behavior. GoGuardian’s Head of Innovation, Tyler Shaddix, said, “Smart Alerts uses A.I. to truly grasp the content of the web page and identify inappropriate content. When you fully understand the content of the web page, the insights into student needs become more actionable. Smart Alerts’ A.I. technology provides educators with proper context and the most accurate information available...accuracy is of course of dire importance for educators dealing with issues like preventing student suicides and self-harm.”
Admin 2.0’s Smart Alerts also was designed to inspire behavioral self-modification among students as they become more aware of their online behavior. Through sending students personalized messages while they are browsing, Smart Alerts empowers students to be better digital citizens and modify their behavior appropriately. In beta-testing, GoGuardian has found that Smart Alerts enables students to improve their behavior by a factor of 5:1.
Context-Aware Filtering that Reflects Personalized Learning
Admin 2.0’s filtering supports the paradigm shift to personalized learning that has taken place in our nation’s schools.
Admin 2.0’s Product Manager Cody Rice said, “Admin 2.0 was built around the concept that the needs of students in the digital classroom are just as variant and complex as the needs of students in the classroom. A high-schooler needs different filtering than a middle-schooler. A middle-schooler needs different filtering when using the Internet at home... than a middle-schooler using the Internet at school. A student who is highly focused needs different filtering than a student managing problems with attention…”
Admin 2.0’s filtering is tailored to these nuances and enables students to thrive through supporting the unique needs of each individual student.
In addition to Smart Alerts and improved filtering, Admin 2.0 offers robust theft recovery for Google Chromebooks, which was designed to bring value to IT administrators by putting all the information needed for lost and stolen Chromebooks in one place.
Admin 2.0 has received an overwhelmingly positive response from both alpha and beta users. Said Mitch Dowhower, Technology Director at Spencer Community Schools and a beta user of Admin 2.0, “Admin 2.0 brings many of the changes we as school IT administrators have been asking for and then some. Product updates such as Smart Alerts will change the way that school administrators approach student online safety and behavior. This update is a game-changer for education."
Mike Daugherty, Director of Technology & Information Systems at Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools, had this to say about Admin 2.0’s AI feature Smart Alerts, “I received a Smart Alert last night. The alert referenced a student with a history of trouble who is already in a ‘white-list’ only" situation. The smart alert was able to detect an issue of serious concern with this student, who had managed to find a way to circumvent some of the restrictions. I am confident that without GoGuardian, we would not have been able to discover this. Smart Alerts and machine learning are going to help reshape how schools handle content filters!”
Admin 2.0’s improved features were informed by the insights and feedback from 2500+ customers and hundreds of alpha users.
Admin 2.0 Launch & Availability
Admin 2.0 is publicly available now, and interested schools can sign up online for a 14-day free trial here.
Advait Shinde, GoGuardian’s CTO and Co-Founder, said today, “We are thrilled to be launching Admin 2.0 publicly and to give our customers a tool which represents the future of digital citizenship in the classroom.”
About GoGuardian
As more and more schools turn to Chromebooks for their 1:1 technology programs, the need for device management software is greater than ever.
That’s where GoGuardian comes in.
With a suite of products that addresses a wide range of specific needs across a district, GoGuardian helps educators protect their students online while improving student engagement and simplifying technology deployments. GoGuardian currently serves over 4 million students and 43,600 educators nationwide.
Visit us online at goguardian.com for more info or to start a free trial of any of our products.