February 2025 - Instructional Technology Newsletter

Long Time, No See.

As many of you know, I've been using and providing training for the various tools in the Google Education space for many years. There has been a significant shift lately in how Google is approaching their current tools and new tools that they are either acquiring or developing; AI is everywhere. Many of the recent updates to Google tools have been along the lines of "use Gemini in [insert Google app name] to do [a useful task that AI can do now]." In fact, last spring one of my blog posts was dedicated to the subject. You may recall the AI-pril 2024 - Instructional Technology Newsletter. In this newsletter I would like to bring your attention to the many new ways that Google is implementing AI into its workspace tools.

Google Gemini

Google has made some recent improvements to the generic Gemini app. The main improvement is the addition of Gemini "Gems." Gemini Gems are custom versions of Gemini that you can create to help you with specific tasks or provide expertise in certain areas. You can think of them as specialized assistants that you can tailor to your needs. For example, you could create a Gem that helps you translate languages, write different kinds of creative content, or answer questions about a particular topic. You can even upload files to give your Gem more context and make it even more helpful. Here is the link to my Gemini Tutorial playlist on YouTube.

Google Classroom AI

Google Classroom offers a suite of AI-powered tools designed to streamline tasks and enhance the learning experience. Teachers can leverage AI to generate lesson plans, craft engaging hooks to capture student interest, and create quizzes aligned with their instruction. Additionally, AI can assist in re-leveling text for varying reading abilities and generating vocabulary lists for specific topics. By automating these tasks, teachers can free up valuable time to focus on individual student needs and foster a more dynamic and interactive classroom environment.

Google Vids

Google Vids is a new AI-powered video creation app within Google Workspace that

allows users to easily create engaging videos for various purposes. It offers features like AI-assisted script writing, voiceover generation, and access to a library of stock images and videos. Teachers might find Google Vids useful for creating dynamic lesson introductions, recording video instructions for assignments, or producing engaging educational content to supplement their teaching. The app's collaborative features also make it easy for teachers to work with colleagues or even students on video projects. Here is a link to my Google Vids playlist on YouTube. This is what I am currently working on, so this playlist will have new tutorials added to it frequently over the next month or so.

Notebook LM

NotebookLM is an AI-powered tool that helps users analyze and synthesize information from various sources, including Google Docs, PDFs, and even YouTube videos. It allows users to ask questions about their uploaded documents and  receive AI-generated summaries, insights, and even suggested related topics. Teachers can leverage NotebookLM to quickly grasp the key concepts from lengthy research articles, efficiently create reading lists for students on specific topics, or even help students analyze complex texts by generating summaries and answering their questions about the material. This can save teachers valuable time in preparing lessons and provide students with personalized support in understanding challenging content. I do not have any Notebook LM tutorials yet, but my plan is to begin making them as soon as I am finished with Google Vids. To stay up-to-date, consider subscribing to my YouTube channel to make sure you don't miss these tutorials when they begin being published.

Get a Gemini for Education License

After my introductory training session to Gemini last fall, the Superintendent agreed to provide a Gemini Education license to any teacher that wanted one. They offer many more features in the Workspace environment than the typical version available to everyone. If you're interested in obtaining such a license, please reach out to Superintendent Brooks.