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Summer is here in the Northern Hemisphere, and while classrooms may be quieter, the Hāpara team hasn’t taken a break! We’ve been busy working on new features that schools are going to love. This month, we sat down with Hāpara’s product manager, Megan Jakubec, about the exciting updates we have lined up. These updates reflect our dedication to making learning more accessible and flexible for schools everywhere.
Keep reading to get up to speed on the June Hāpara product update!
Hāpara’s new Spanish user interface
Expanding access and inclusivity is always at the forefront of our product development, and now we’re saying “¡Hola!” to a translated version of our tools. We are soon rolling out a Spanish-language user interface for Hāpara administrators, teachers and students.
Here’s how it will work: If a user sets their computer’s language to Spanish, Hāpara’s interface will automatically adapt.
Whether an administrator is using the Hāpara Admin Console, a teacher is using Hāpara Highlights or Teacher Dashboard, or a student is in a guided browsing session, Hāpara’s interface will appear in Spanish. For example, a student will see a Focus Session pop-up in Spanish or a teacher will see Hāpara buttons in Spanish.
This also allows for flexibility in classrooms with diverse learning needs. One student may have their device set to English, while another student may have their device set to Spanish, allowing for their Hāpara experience to be personalized.
This update is exciting news for any school with stakeholders whose primary language is Spanish. Whether you support a Spanish-inclusion school, are located in Latin America or Spain, or work with a diverse student population, we hope this update will make our tools more accessible.
Why you and your educators will love it:
- Improves accessibility for Spanish-speaking students
- Allows ELL paraprofessionals to support students they work with
- Makes classroom management easier for teachers working in bilingual or multilingual settings
- Opens new opportunities for schools in Spanish-speaking communities to adopt Hāpara
Microsoft Edge + Hāpara Highlights
We have great news for Microsoft for Education schools! Hāpara Highlights, our browser monitoring tool, will soon be available for Microsoft Edge. This will give teachers visibility into what students are doing in their Edge browsers, enabling teachers to see student screens in real time.
Here’s what you need to know about this update:
- Authentication method: Schools will authenticate via O365 for Education.
- Windows laptop devices will be supported.
- Installation: Hāpara Highlights will be installed on Edge for both teachers and students.
If your district has been waiting to adopt Hāpara because you’re a Microsoft district, this update is your green light.
Gaggle Web Filter updates for greater flexibility
We announced our partnership with Gaggle earlier this year, and the updates just keep getting better. Gaggle Web Filter is a real-time dynamic filter that offers a lot of flexibility for districts, making it easy to safeguard students across schools. Now Gaggle continues to add even more features to keep classrooms secure. So what’s new?
Warning system for questionable websites
Sometimes students aren’t trying to break the rules. They just don’t realize they’re venturing into areas online that they shouldn’t. Gaggle’s new system flags websites with potentially inappropriate content and gives students a warning to reconsider their choices. This feature aligns well with Hāpara’s focus on promoting digital citizenship development and educating students on making responsible choices. We’re looking forward to districts taking advantage of this new feature!
YouTube rating restrictions
Gaggle Web Filter now includes enhanced YouTube filtering. Schools can set different restriction levels for specific groups or organizational units. For example, elementary classes can have stricter controls than high school students, giving districts more flexibility.
Keep an eye out for even more features as we work through the summer. We’re just getting started, and we can’t wait to share what’s on the horizon for the rest of 2025.
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