🗑 10+ Google updates for educators

💰 Teacher Survey: $200 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

Make your voice heard! Take a quick 5 min survey to share what YOU think is needed to ensure teachers feel successful in their classroom. ❤️

This research is so important to push the needle around teacher support so please share with friends as well! 

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Winners will be notified via email on February 12th. Submit today so you don’t miss out!

NOTE: The study is being led by The Learning Accelerator — a national non-profit focused on connecting teachers and leaders with the knowledge, tools, and networks they need to transform K-12 education - and supported by Vivi.

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💡 THE BIG IDEA 💡

💻 10+ Google updates for educators

A few times a year, Google provides a massive new feature drop for education.

You can usually count on these huge updates around back-to-school time and around two major conferences — the ISTE Conference (June) and the BETT Show (January).

The January BETT feature drop just happened. In it, Google shares lots of new features and updates — as well as reminders of recently released things that aren’t brand new (but are still newish).

In today’s 💡 Big Idea, I share 10 of my favorites …

… and yes, I do my best to highlight which of them are available for the free version (and what upgrades you need for the paid features).

Read more about them in these Google posts:

• New Google education tools for 2025

• 11 ways Google AI can help educators and students in 2025

• New Google for Education features for more personalized learning

1. New Google Slides templates

As educators, we’re all about a good template! (Hence the popularity of our free template library …)

Google has made some desperately needed updates to its Slides template library. And thankfully, it includes templates for education!

Templates (different from themes) can be found in the Slide menu in Google Slides.

Education-focused templates include class overview, class project, lesson, assignment, professional development, and educational games … plus more.

Availability: For all Google users.

2. A new handwriting font called Playwrite

Want to get certain educators riled up? Give them a hot take about your opinions on the importance (or obsolescence) of handwriting.

Regardless of your views, handwriting is still a big part of the school experience, and it’s still used every day in schools all around the world.

The problem? Not everyone around the world does handwriting the same. That’s why Google has released Playwrite, a handwriting font “superfamily” with 40+ handwriting variations.

To create a better handwriting font, Google researched handwriting customs and styles around the world. “Students are still often expected to write their work by hand,” said Veronika Burian of Typetogether. “Since handwriting is unique, like fingerprints, this is a way of verifying that what they wrote is actually theirs.”

You can use Playwrite in Google Workspace (Docs, Slides, etc.) and Google Classroom. Plus, you can download and use it on your computer, too. Read more here.

Availability: For all Google users.

3. Class tools help educators manage class

This new feature will let educators directly add to and control student Chromebooks:

• Send and pin educational content to student screens

• Remotely view students’ screens

• Turn on live captions and translations

• Create workbooks for students

Teachers can add students to a class tools session — or students can join with a code.

Class tools will work on managed Chromebooks (for both educators and students). It’s not available yet but is coming. Learn more here — and sign up to get notified when it’s available.

Availability: For Education Plus licenses.

4. Control Chromebooks with your face

This one might seem like an odd party trick — until you think about all of the people who can’t easily navigate a device with their hands.

Face control is an AI-powered accessibility feature for Chromebooks that enables people to control their mouse cursor and perform actions using facial movements and gestures.

The feature uses a series of machine learning models to generate a 3D mesh of 478 specific facial points, enabling precise, real-time gesture detection for hands-free control.

This innovative technology will ensure people with motor impairments can interact with their Chromebooks without relying solely on traditional input methods like keyboards and mice. Learn more here. Get instructions on how to use it here.

Availability: For Chromebooks. (Best with 8GB of RAM.)

5. Create student groups in Google Classroom

Student groups let teachers create pre-defined sets of students without having to tediously select individual students.

Now, teachers can differentiate content across sub-sections of their class based on their students' needs. For example, teachers can create groups based on reading levels and as their class adapts, they can edit members of a group or delete groups within their class. Learn more here. Get instructions here.

Availability: For users with Education Plus and the Teaching & Learning Upgrade.

6. Send a Classwork page link to guardians

Educators can now share a link to the Classwork page within Classroom so guardians can keep informed on assignments. Parents and guardians can also access the Classwork page via the weekly guardian email summary.

Availability: For Google Classroom users.

7. Set an automatic “draft grade” in Classroom

You can now customize what grade is posted when students don’t turn in an assignment by the due date.

If it’s unsubmitted — or if you’ve marked the assignment as missing — students will receive a “draft grade.” The default draft grade is zero, but if you’re using a “no zeroes” policy, you can adjust it.

Availability: For all Google Classroom users.

8. Educators can access NotebookLM Plus

NotebookLM (notebooklm.google) is Google’s AI-powered research assistant. Upload sources (PDFs, copied text, links, etc.) and ask it questions to get answers from those sources. Plus, it’ll create resources from your sources — like the incredible audio overviews that sound like custom podcasts. (I wrote about NotebookLM for teachers here.)

NotebookLM can be enabled for all Education users — and they can access NotebookLM Plus for no additional charge. It allows you to generate more audio overviews, the ability to further customize your notebook responses, and more.

Educators can upload their sources and then ask questions and generate summaries, lesson plans, study guides, discussion and quizzes — all with in-line citations to ensure accuracy.

Note: NotebookLM is for users aged 18+ … so it’s intended for adults and not for K-12 students (yet).

Availability: For all Education users.

9. Create audio and screencast video on Chromebooks

Your Chromebook has a built-in audio recorder and screencast video recorder. (Did you know that?!?)

With the Recorder app, you can record audio AND get a transcript of your recording. (Your OR your students can use it to record class and have a transcript of it afterward.) Chromebook Plus users can get an AI summary of the transcript. Learn how to use Recorder here.

With the Screencast app, you can record and share video with transcripts available in 50+ languages. Learn how to use Screencast here.

Availability: For all Chromebook users (if enabled).

10. Other Google updates and features to note …

There were too many things to mention to fit it in a list of 10!

• Gemini LTI lets users add AI-powered tools like Gemini, NotebookLM, Learn About, and Illuminate to their learning management systems — starting with Canvas and Powerschool. For Education Fundamentals, Standard, and Plus users. Learn more here.

• Google has a free Generative AI for Educators course available to all educators.

• Google Vids (Education Plus / Gemini Education) lets you easily create engaging videos. Educators can make pre-recorded lessons, video explainers, syllabus overviews, professional development and more. Students can make video book reports, video essays, and more. Learn more here. Take the Google Vids training course.

• FigJam has been added as a Google Classroom add-on — along with Education Perfect, Discovery Education, Toppan Holdings, Tinker CAD. (Education Plus / Teaching and Learning upgrade if you want to integrate these as official Google Classroom add-ons … but you’re still free to use them outside of Google Classroom without a Google account upgrade.)

• Read Along in Google Classroom will soon include Heggerty’s entire decodables library.

💻 TECH TIP 💻

📆 Join All4Ed’s Digital Learning Day 2025 on February 13!

All4Ed’s Digital Learning Day (DLDay) is back on February 13, 2025, celebrating the incredible ways technology connects and empowers learners. This year’s theme focuses on bringing “heart” into learning through technology and innovation. Whether you share a classroom success story, host a tech-infused activity, or join the LIVE broadcast, DLDay is an opportunity to showcase how digital learning fosters curiosity, creativity, and connection.

Get involved by creating a Digital Connection Card to share your story on social media using #DLDay, planning an engaging activity with your community, or tuning in to the LIVE broadcast to hear inspiring stories from educators and innovators. Together, let’s celebrate the love of teaching, learning, and the power of digital innovation!

Learn more and get involved: dlday.org

👋 How we can help

There are even more ways I can support you in the important work you do in education:

1. Read one of my six books about meaningful teaching with tech.

2. Take one of our online courses about practical and popular topics in education.

3. Bring me to your school, district or event to speak. I love working with educators!