What is Highlights? Follow
In this article:
Why is my teacher using Highlights?
How does Highlights help me learn?
When can my teacher use Highlights?
How will I know when Highlights is being used?
What can my teacher see with Highlights?
Does Highlights work on my personal device, such as a home computer?
We’re excited that you’re learning with Hāpara this year! Hāpara Highlights is a learning tool that helps you practice how to:
- Stay focused and progress with your learning
- Make responsible choices when learning online
- Safely use the internet
Why is my teacher using Highlights?
Highlights gives teachers visibility into your online browsing activity during learning.
In order to help you succeed, teachers need to understand your learning progress. That includes the activities you’re working on and any challenges you’re having. Highlights is a tool that helps teachers understand each step of your progress when learning online.
As a result, teachers can personalize learning for you and have a conversation with you about digital citizenship and internet safety when needed.
How does Highlights help me learn?
Highlights offers many features to help you as you learn. The following are features that your teacher may use to support you during lessons or activities.
Share links
For example, in Highlights, your teacher can instantly share website links or Google Classroom with you to help you with research or support you when you’re stuck.
When they share a link with you, it will automatically open the website in your browser.
Guide browsing
Your teacher can also guide your online browsing when an activity in class needs your full attention. That way you can stay focused and be more successful with your learning.
You can even talk to your teacher about a website that distracts you, and they can set up a browsing session that restricts that site for you.
They can also focus your browsing on a set of websites. When they do this, only those websites will appear on your device for a certain period of time. For example, your teacher may focus your browsing to two math websites to help you complete a ten minute warm-up at the beginning of class.
At the end of the guided browsing time period, your device will return back to open browsing.
Send messages and emails
In Highlights, your teacher can also send instant messages or emails to encourage you, give you a reminder or refocus your learning.
When they send you a message, it will instantly pop up on your screen.
After you read it, you can click OK to close it out.
Email notifications will show up in your Student Dashboard.
Click the notifications icon (the bell) to see them.
Send Snaps with feedback
Your teacher can also send you Snaps with feedback about how you’re learning online. What is a Snap? It’s a screenshot of your online activity with information such as a timeline of your browsing.
Teachers often send students a Snap as encouragement. For example, your teacher may notice that you are:
- Working hard while doing online research for an assignment
- Making a responsible choice online by staying focused on a task
- Collaborating well with other students on a group assignment
Your teacher can send you a Snap with a positive note to let you know they’ve noticed your good work. You can even include the Snap in a learning portfolio or share it with your parent or guardian during a conference.
You’ll see the feedback in your email. Here’s an example:
Your teacher may also notice that you need some help with a learning activity or need to be refocused. They can send you a Snap with feedback and start a conversation with you to help you get back on track.
Close a tab
Teachers can also close your browser tab if they see that you’re not focused on your learning activity. Before they close the tab, they’ll take a look at the website to double-check that it’s not related to the class activity.
If they do close the tab, they’ll provide a reason for closing it. This gives you the chance to better understand why they closed it.
The reason will appear on your screen in place of the website. Here’s an example of how it will look on your screen:
When can my teacher use Highlights?
Hāpara is a tool strictly for learning purposes. Therefore, student privacy is incredibly important.
Hāpara recommends that schools only use Highlights to monitor student activity during school hours. However, your school or district sets the specific times that your student account activity is monitored. So, your school may have different times set up for using Highlights.
Your school’s Acceptable Use Policy may include more information. Check the policy to find out when your school uses monitoring.
How will I know when Highlights is being used?
You’ll see the Highlights extension icon in the top right-hand corner of your Google Chrome browser. When your teacher is viewing Highlights, the Highlights icon will display in color. When Highlights is not being used, the icon will appear gray.
What can my teacher see with Highlights?
Your teacher can see which tabs are open in your browser while you are logged into your school Google account.
This could include anything you are viewing in your Chrome browser in real time. For example, they may see websites you are viewing or files you’re working on such as a Google Doc, Sheet, Slide, Form or Drawing.
Your teacher can see the name of the website or file and they can see a screenshot of what you are currently viewing in your Chrome browser. This helps them understand how you’re progressing with your learning.
Does Highlights work on my personal device, such as a home computer?
A big benefit of Hāpara tools is that you can learn on any device, including a home computer. Keep in mind that Highlights is tied to your school-issued account. So, if you’re logged into your school-issued account in Google Chrome on a personal device, Highlights can be used.
You can keep your school internet browsing separate from any personal browsing, though. That way Highlights can only be used for your school work.
If you want to complete school work on a personal device, here’s what we recommend:
- Log into your school account through a Google Chrome profile rather than just signing into Google
- Log out when you’re finished with your school work
Specifically signing in through Chrome lets the web browser keep your school and personal browsing information separate.
To learn how to log in through Chrome, visit Signing into Chrome vs. signing into your Google account.