If you're an innovative educator you might be wondering which device is best to set up your smart home or classroom. How do you decide which device is right for you? While all devices have other smart gadgets they can interact with, below are the basics to get you started on figuring out what will work best for you.
Amazon's Alexa Echo
You love: Amazon
Purchasing: Amazon is your go to place for purchasing
Books: You like Audible
Television: You like Firestick
Music: You like Amazon Music
Google's Home
You love: Google
Purchasing: You like Google Store
Books: You like Google Play Audio Books
Television: You like Chromecast
Music: You like Google Play Music, YouTube Music, and Spotify
Apple's HomePod with Siri
You love: Apple
Purchasing: Doesn't seem to have an online purchasing partner
Books: You like Apple Books / iBooks
Television: You like AppleTV
Music: You like iTunes and Apple Music
It all depends on the ecosystem you have bought into. If you love Apple, go for the HomePod with Siri. You'll get your Apple Music with great sound, but it's not as smart as the competitors. If you love the ease of Amazon, enjoy instant purchases, use Audible and Amazon Music, then Alexa is right for you. If you have bought into the Google ecosystem, use Google Books, Google Music, Spotify, or YouTube Music, and enjoy shopping on Google, then go with Google home.
If you use one platform, the nice thing is that all your devices can pick up where you left off and sync with one another. However, if you like of little of each, go cross-platform and use each with that which they're compatible.
Lisa Nielsen (@InnovativeEdu) has worked as a public-school educator and administrator since 1997. She is a prolific writer best known for her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator. Nielsen is the author of several booksand her writing has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times,The Wall Street Journal, Tech&Learning, and T.H.E. Journal.
