Welcome to Flint! This guide covers signing in, finding your way around, and getting help from Sparky.
In this article:
- How Sparky can help you learn
- How to sign in
- How to find your way around
- How to complete activities and chat with Sparky
How Sparky can help you learn
Sparky isn't just a chatbot — it has tools it can use to work through a problem with you. Here are some examples.
The animated examples below show an earlier interface. Follow the written steps later in this guide for current navigation. The video example opens a paused player; the recording has no audio.
You're stuck on a bug in your computer science project:
"I'm trying to write a Python function that calculates the average of a list, but it's not working. Can you help?"
Sparky can write code, explain it, and run it so you can see exactly what it does.
You've got an algebra test coming up:
"Can you help me make a study guide for my algebra test on quadratic equations?"
Sparky can:
- Work through solutions step by step
- Draw graphs and other visualisations
- Write a document you can download and keep
Photosynthesis didn't click in class today:
"Can you make a video explaining photosynthesis? I didn't understand it in class."
Sparky makes a short narrated video that breaks the idea into steps.
You're finishing a research paper on the Civil Rights Movement:
"Can you check if my source citations are formatted correctly for my history paper?"
Sparky can suggest citation-formatting fixes and search for sources. Check the original sources yourself before using a citation; the recording shows suggestions, not verified source details.
📌 Tip: Tools available when chatting with Sparky lists everything Sparky can do.
📌 Worth knowing: For student accounts, Sparky is instructed to guide you through a problem rather than produce work you could submit as your own. Check important answers and follow your teacher's rules for AI use.
How to sign in
Your teacher or school admin may have already set your account up, in which case you can just sign in.
- Go to app.flintk12.com.
- Choose how to sign in:
- Sign in with Google — use your school Google account
- Sign in with Microsoft — use your school Microsoft account
- Or type your school email address and click Next
📌 Tip: If your school uses Google or Microsoft, use those buttons. You won't need a separate Flint password.
If you type your email address and don't have an account yet, you'll see a form to create one:
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Enter a password, confirm it, and enter your full name.
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Click Create account.
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Check your inbox for a verification email from Flint.
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Click the link in that email to confirm your account.
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Follow any remaining setup prompts. If Flint lists schools, select yours. If it asks What best describes you?, choose Student.
If you have no school to join, or choose I don't see my school, you may be asked what you want to do next:
- I have a join code from my teacher — enter the code to open your teacher's activity, rather than create a separate school.
- I want to use Flint for learning — sets up a personal school for your own learning, where available. This is not your school's shared Flint; ask your teacher for access to assigned work.
These setup prompts also apply if you sign in with Google or Microsoft. Your region may require an age check before setup continues.
- Go to app.flintk12.com.
- Choose how to sign in:
- Sign in with Google — use your school Google account
- Sign in with Microsoft — use your school Microsoft account
- Or type your school email address, click Next, then enter your password
Stuck? Trouble signing in to Flint covers the usual causes, or ask your teacher.
How to find your way around
After setup, everything is in the sidebar on the left. A teacher's link or join code may take you straight to an activity instead of Home.
Your school may restrict personal chats for your grade level. Home or Start a chat may be unavailable, and Chats may open an existing class or tool chat instead. Assigned activities and class chats still work. Ask your teacher which entry point to use.
When personal chats are available, Home is your starting page once setup is complete, unless a link takes you straight to an activity. Sparky says hello and suggests a few things to get you started. It's a good place for a quick question.
Chats in the sidebar is where your own conversations with Sparky live. When personal chats are available, clicking it opens a fresh chat, and your earlier ones are listed under All recent chats. Start one to:
- Get help with homework
- Research a topic
- Practise a world language
- Make study guides
- And plenty more
Every chat is saved, so you can come back to it later.
Activities in the sidebar holds the learning activities your teachers have made for you: lessons with Sparky, tests or quizzes, and file-upload assignments. Open one to see how to start it.
Your classes are listed under Classes in the sidebar. A class is a digital version of a class you're in — your teacher adds you to it. Inside a class you'll find:
- The activities your teacher has put there
- The other people in the class
Complete activities and chat with Sparky
An assigned activity may be a conversation, a file upload, or a structured assessment. Your own chats are separate from all three.
Open an activity from Activities or from your class, then:
For a Lesson with Sparky, click Start a session, then type your answers in the message box. Sparky follows your teacher's instructions, and your session saves as you work. When you finish, click Submit session to hand it in for feedback and grading if enabled. Saving the conversation is not the same as submitting it. See Introduction to AI activity sessions.
For a File Upload assignment, click Submit work and upload the work your teacher requested.
For a Test or Quiz, click Start assessment. Answer the structured questions, then click Submit assessment to hand it in. Answers save as you work; follow any availability, due-date or time-limit notices. A started assessment may be submitted automatically when its deadline passes.
After submission, your teacher controls what you can see. Share results releases your scores and teacher feedback; answer-key release separately makes correct answers, grading guides and available AI analysis visible. You may need to wait for one or both before reviewing your work.
This older recording shows a teacher/owner starting a lesson session, not a student's activity page or a structured assessment. Students do not see the publishing and activity-editing controls shown here; follow the written steps above to start and submit your work.
Your teacher can see your work in their activities, including lesson conversations and assessment answers.
- When your school allows personal chats, click Chats in the sidebar. A fresh chat opens, and your earlier ones are listed under All recent chats.
- Type your question, or pick one of the suggestions.
- Sparky answers and offers to keep going. Start a chat begins another one when personal chats are available.
This recording uses the older My chats label. The current sidebar label is Chats.
Your own chats are good for:
- Homework help outside an assigned activity
- Exploring something you're curious about
- Practising a skill in your own time
Using chats in Flint goes into more detail.