[NotebookLM] Starting School DX✨ Part 4 Communication Edition: Questions for the school, interacting via chat!?

If you work at a school, you must have experienced this at least once...
The phone ringing in the staff room regardless of whether it's morning prep, during class, or after school...
"Um, I'd like to ask about such-and-such..."
"Where can I find that handout?"
"What time is dismissal today?"
These are the kinds of inquiries from various people.
Handling things over the phone or in person requires concentration to convey accurate information to the other party, and above all,"I wanted to do this right now!" having that task interruptedis subtly, or rather, quite painful, isn't it...! 😭
In particular, aren't inquiries to the school often things that have already been announced, or quite frequently "frequently asked questions"?
If many people are answering these questions every day, many times over... don't you think that's a significant waste of time and effort?
(To be honest, it's like, "It's on the website," or "Please look at the notices carefully! We sent it by email, so you can find it if you search!!")
For those who find it tedious to read, here you go! ↓

An era where communication also changes with "DX"! How do you deliver "information" via "chat"?

Over the past three installments, we have looked at how to DX "information utilization" for teachers, administrators, office staff, and school nurses using an AI called NotebookLM.
We talked about how tasks like searching for materials, understanding content, and creating reports can be made significantly more efficient with the power of AI!
(If you're thinking, "What was NotebookLM again?", please be sure to check out the past articles!)
➡️Part 1 Teacher Edition: A Dramatic Change in Teachers' "Teaching Material Research"!
➡️ Part 2 Administrator & Supervisor Edition: Education DX to Overcome Tough Documents and Assembly Responses
➡️Part 3 School Nurse & Office Staff Edition: Easy DX for Information Organization and Inquiry Handling!
NotebookLM was a tool that"answers questions in a chat format"about the materials you upload. It's like chatting with an excellent colleague who has perfectly read the materials!
By utilizing this NotebookLM "ask like a chat" function and the"shareable via link"function for search results, there is a possibility that we can change information sharing within the school, and perhaps even how information is provided to parents, just a little bit!

What does it mean to make NotebookLM your "chat partner"?

"Chatbot"might sound like a tool separate from NotebookLM. Indeed, full-scale school official chatbot systems often use specialized services.
However, NotebookLM can also be used as a simple "chatbot" in the sense that it"answers questions in a chat format about the materials you have uploaded"! Using NotebookLM is very simple.

1. Upload your materials: Upload school regulations, manuals, annual event schedules, document templates, etc., as PDFs or text files that you want NotebookLM to "know about."

2. Ask questions about the materials: Enter questions in a chat format about the uploaded materials. Just ask what you want to know, such as "Tell me about such-and-such" or "What are the main points of this document?"

3. Get answers based on the materials: NotebookLM understands the content of the materials and answers your questions. It also shows the parts of the materials that served as the basis for the answer, which is a good point for easily verifying the accuracy of the information!

It feels like chatting with anexcellent colleague or secretary who has perfectly read the materials and is ready to answer questions at any time. And, the "notebooks" created with this NotebookLM (collections of uploaded materials and related chat interactions) can also be
shared via a link!
(*This feature may be available to Google Workspace users or paid plan users such as Google One AI Premium. Please check the type of your Google account.) For example, you could share the results of researching specific regulations with NotebookLM or the results of summarizing materials with colleagues as a link to that notebook.
However, rather than sharing a real-time "chat," the image is more like
"sharing the chat portion where you can ask questions because the materials have been uploaded to NotebookLM". In this way, although NotebookLM is a little different from a full-scale chatbot, it is a very convenient tool that can be used as a simple chatbot that
"automatically responds to questions about specific materials in a chat format". By combining this "ask via chat" function and the "share via link" function, there is a possibility that it can be utilized for information sharing within the school and, albeit in a limited way, for providing information to parents.

Who uses NotebookLM chat sharing and how? ~Account barriers and realistic methods~

When sharing a notebook created with NotebookLM (including chat interactions) via a link, basically, the only people who can access that link areusers with a Google account permitted by the school (with NotebookLM usage rights). This is a major point and a "barrier" when using NotebookLM for school information dissemination.

In the case of information sharing within the school:

Since faculty and staff often have Google Workspace accounts issued by the Board of Education, it is effective to share NotebookLM notebooks among faculty and staff to share information about specific regulations or manuals, or to jointly read materials.

・Send a link saying, "I'm sharing the results of my research on such-and-such regulations using NotebookLM!"
・Share a notebook where committee members have uploaded related materials to NotebookLM, and proceed with preparations while checking the content via chat.

Such applications are conceivable.

In the case of providing information to parents:

This is the difficult part.Many parents do not have a Google account issued by the school. Therefore, even if you send a link to a NotebookLM notebook to parents, they almost always cannot access it because they do not have an account.
So, is there no way to utilize NotebookLM's "ask via chat" function for providing information to parents? As a realistic method, the following forms can be considered.

Access from student-distributed devices
Currently, one device is distributed to each student. If that device is operated under a school-managed Google Workspace account, and parents can also use some of the device's functions through that account (or a related mechanism), a method where parents access NotebookLM through their child's device can be considered. For example, a format where the school sets up a link to NotebookLM on a portal site prepared by the school, and parents log in and use it with their child's account.
If parents do not have a school account, this is one of the most realistic options for having parents use NotebookLM's functions directly. However, there are challenges such as whether parents are in a situation where they can freely use their child's device, or whether they can understand how to use it.

The school shares the results researched with NotebookLM through other means
Create an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page on the school website and post the results of the anticipated Q&A using NotebookLM.
Method:Simply instruct the NotebookLM, which has been loaded with information about annual schedules and events, to
'Create 10 FAQs about things that might be asked regarding this material'
and the FAQ will be created.
Create an FAQ page, copy the previous answers, and paste them to finish.
※Make sure to create the FAQ page in a prominent place.
While this method does not share the 'chat function itself' of NotebookLM, it can be said to be an effective utilization method in the sense that it provides the results of efficiently extracting information with NotebookLM in a form that is easy for parents to receive.
(Sorry to those who were expecting a chatbot.)

Now, let's look at what kind of chatbot functions are specifically useful in schools!

Chatbot functions that solve school 'troubles'!✨ Smooth information sharing among faculty and staff with in-school chatbots!

This is a chatbot that allows faculty and staff to immediately solve things they 'want to know a little bit about' in their daily work, such as information sharing between teachers, between teachers and the office/health room, and checking school regulations.

In-school regulations/manual search bot

'I want to know about the procedure for XX'
'I want to check section △△ of the crisis management manual'
The chatbot presents the relevant section or summary to questions like these. It saves the trouble of searching through thick files.
Materials to load:The vast amount of manuals distributed at the first meeting in April

In-school calendar/event content confirmation bot

'When is next week's meeting?'
'When was the music recital again?'
'When is the submission deadline for that proposal?'
Guides you to the latest school schedule for questions like these.
'Wait, is it today!?' can be prevented.
Materials to load:Annual event schedule, monthly schedule, weekly schedule, annual meeting schedule, documents distributed at meetings or for notices, etc. (If in table format, it may not provide correct answers.)

IT help desk bot

'The printer won't connect'
'How do I assign tasks in Classroom?'
'What is the procedure for uploading to the website?'
Automatically responds to common IT-related questions like these.
Reduces the burden on the teacher in charge of information!
Materials to load:Manuals for equipment in the school, manuals created by the municipality or within the school, etc.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Reduce inquiries to the school with a chatbot for parents!

Many of the inquiries parents want to make to the school are decided throughout the year.
By having the chatbot automatically answer these questions, it reduces the number of phone calls to the school and reduces the burden on faculty and staff. It is a pity that it cannot be used unless there is a student device at home...
※If a parent account has been issued, it can be put to practical use immediately.

School calendar/annual event schedule guide bot

'When is the next class observation?'
'What happens to the sports day in case of rain?' Guides you to the annual event schedule and related information for questions like these.
Saves the trouble of searching for notices from the school.
Materials to load:Annual event schedule, monthly schedule, event information documents distributed to parents

School lunch menu guide bot

'What is for lunch today?'
'I want to see next week's menu'
'I would like to know about allergy-friendly meals'
Guides you to menu information and information regarding allergy support for questions like these.
Materials to load:School lunch menu, allergy support table

School life FAQ bot

'Can I attach a keychain to my bag?'
'Please tell me about hairstyles'
'Can I bring a smartphone?'
Answers common questions about school life like these.
Materials to load:Documents about school rules such as life guidelines

How will schools change with the introduction of chatbots?

By introducing chatbots, the following benefits can be expected.

Reducing the burden on staff: The time and effort spent on routine inquiries will be significantly reduced. This allows more time to focus on students, lesson preparation, and school administration.
Improving convenience for parents/guardians: Information can be obtained immediately at any time, regardless of time or place. This lowers the barrier for inquiries to the school and facilitates smoother communication.
Standardizing information access: Regardless of who asks, the chatbot provides the same accurate information. This prevents errors and omissions in information delivery.
Analyzing inquiry content: By analyzing the questions asked to the chatbot, you can grasp needs such as "what parents are struggling with" or "what information staff are seeking," which can be used to improve school operations.
Automatically creating an FAQ: When you share a notebook in NotebookLM, the chat history within that notebook can be viewed by others who ask questions later. Since the questions and answers remain, it functions as an FAQ.

Points to consider when introducing (Let's get a bit serious here!)

Of course, introducing a chatbot doesn't solve everything! There are a few points to note.

The account barrier: As mentioned above, if parents do not have a school account, they cannot directly access the NotebookLM notebook. This is the biggest limitation.
Information freshness: If the materials loaded into NotebookLM are old, it will provide incorrect information. You must always keep the latest materials loaded.

Scope of support: NotebookLM answers based on the materials provided, but it cannot answer questions not covered in the materials or complex questions involving individual circumstances. Complex consultations or questions involving individual circumstances ultimately require human (staff) response. A mechanism for a smooth handover from the chatbot to a human is also important.
Security: Never load or share materials containing personal or confidential information with NotebookLM. It is extremely important to strictly adhere to information security policies and handle only information that is safe to disclose.

Communication for School DX starting with NotebookLM!

While NotebookLM is different from a full-scale school chatbot system, its "chat about materials" and "sharing" features are highly suggestive tools for rethinking how schools handle information access and communication.
Especially in information sharing among staff, utilizing NotebookLM can reduce information search time and allow quick access to necessary information. This directly leads to streamlining daily tasks for teachers and administrative staff, and contributes to work-style reform.
Although there are account limitations for providing information to parents, it is possible to indirectly leverage the benefits of NotebookLM by utilizing student-distributed devices or by disseminating information efficiently extracted via NotebookLM through other means.
School DX is not just about introducing expensive systems. Aiming for more efficient information utilization and better communication by wisely using familiar tools like NotebookLM is also a valid step toward DX.

In the final installment next time, I will summarize the NotebookLM use cases so far, as well as the chat and sharing features discussed this time, and talk about the future that school-wide DX aims for from a slightly broader perspective to conclude this series.

Please stay with me for just a little longer on this School DX journey! Look forward to it!✨