This article was published on January 21, 2025. This article was last updated July 22, 2026.
In this article you will learn about...
Why Sparky has a stand-alone chat
📌 For a more comprehensive comparison between ChatGPT and Flint, see here.
Most Flint activities have specific learning objectives in mind. If teachers or students want to ask more general questions they can access Sparky outside of an activity. The perks of having students use this instead of ChatGPT or similar tools include:
Access to the best models for free (we use the latest Claude model)
Ability to use tons of content generation and research tools. Learn more here: Tools available when chatting with Sparky
Data privacy (free tools like ChatGPT feed all conversations back into their training for new models, whereas in Flint, no conversations are sent back to model providers like OpenAI)
Administrator oversight (admins at your school can see all the conversations students are having and inappropriate/dangerous messages are flagged by Flint for admins to review)
Where you can access the stand-alone chats
You can start and access a chat in three different areas in Flint:
The input bar
The input bar
The input bar that can be found at the bottom on your homepage gives you quick access to starting a chat with Sparky, your AI assistant in Flint. Here, you can type in or speak any question or request, as well as attach content for Sparky to reference.
Chat shortcuts
Chat shortcuts
Alternatively, you can start a chat by selecting one of our chat shortcuts. These will start you off with a beginning message to Sparky and guide you in providing the necessary information to get an output you want.
"My chats" page
"My chats" page
Finally, you can also create a new chat on the "My chats" page. Here, you can also see and continue previous chats within Flint.
Chats within Classes
Chats within Classes
Chats have been added to classes so a teacher or student can ask any questions about the class and Sparky will have the context of the curriculum, content, and curriculum incorporated into the class. This will mean less prompting is required to make sure the user gets exactly what they need for that class.
Access chats by clicking on the class you want to utilize and then click on the chats feature on the left navigation bar.
Chatting with Sparky
Using Sparky outside of an activity
Using Sparky outside of an activity
You can chat about anything within Flint chats, including asking about current events, asking various questions, or requesting image, rubric, or worksheet creation.
If your school has distinguished between users (teacher vs student) through an LMS/SIS integration, then this chat will treat those roles differently. Sparky will be more like a helpful assistant to teachers and act more like a responsible tutor to students. This means, with students, Sparky will not write essays/responses for them and would guide them on how to solve problems rather than outright giving answers.
Voice conversations
Speak directly to Sparky using voice input
Speak directly to Sparky using voice input
Click the microphone icon to start talking, and Sparky can respond with audio output for a more natural conversation experience.
Multi-file generation
Create multiple types of content in a single request
Create multiple types of content in a single request
For example, you can ask Sparky to generate a lesson plan, a worksheet, and a grading rubric all at once — just describe what you need in one message.
Examples of multi-file requests:
"Create a lesson plan on the water cycle, a student worksheet with fill-in-the-blank questions, and a rubric to grade the worksheet"
"Generate a presentation on photosynthesis along with a video that explains the key concepts"
"Make a vocabulary quiz and a study guide for my unit on the American Revolution"
Each generated file will appear in your chat and can be downloaded, exported to Google Drive, or printed individually.
Connect your Google Drive or OneDrive to easily access and work with your existing files. Sparky can read documents, analyze spreadsheets, and help you build on your existing materials.
Viewing past sessions with Sparky
Admins of the school can view all chat sessions throughout the school. Editors/owners of a class can view the chats within a class that a participant has made. Everyone else will be able to view their own past conversations only.
Viewing your own sessions
Viewing your own sessions
You can view your own sessions on the "My chats" page. You can navigate to this page using the "My chats" button on the left-hand sidebar on the homepage.
Viewing other users' sessions (only for school admins or teachers within class)
Viewing other users' sessions (only for school admins or teachers within class)
Owners of the school can search through and view all activities and chats within the school. Similarly, a teacher can use the search feature to view all activities and chats that have taken place within their class.
Admin - Searching for activities or chats within a School
Click "Search" in the sidebar
In the Search menu, chat sessions are listed at the bottom based on recency. Click on "See all session results" to expand this list and see more items.
Type in the "Search" bar at the top a name or keywords to narrow down your search.
If you are a teacher and want to view the chats within your class, simply go into your class, click on "Chats" and then
