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For better or worse, a new technology is making its way from consumers' homes into America's classrooms: voice-controlled "smart speaker" systems from companies such as Amazon and Google.
The internet-enabled devices listen to what users say, send audio recordings to the cloud, translate that information into commands, and respond accordingly—providing users with a personal digital voice assistant such as Amazon's Alexa, which teachers are now using to help with everything from setting a classroom timer to leading a group of 3rd graders through a spelling test.
Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union are raising alarms about privacy.
"Should students be required to submit themselves to always-on voice-tracking and other third-party surveillance in order to get an education?" asked ACLU staff technologist Daniel Kahn Gillmor in an interview.
Still, the early K-12 adopters of smart speakers and digital voice assistants are generally enthusiastic.
