🗑 New guide: Google Gemini 101 for teachers

💻 Tech in Your Classroom? Your Voice Matters

Vivi is looking for your input on technology in the classroom!

Every educator has a valuable perspective. Will you share your unique insight with our team of education innovators so that we can better understand how teachers and students interact with common classroom tools?

Your answers will help us refine our solutions and help teachers like you achieve better outcomes for students everywhere.

This survey will only take two minutes, and your answers will remain anonymous.

📺 VIRTUAL TRAINING OPPORTUNITY 📺

💼 Marzano/Magana action research project

I just learned about this opportunity to get FREE virtual training with Drs. Robert Marzano and Sonny Magana and wanted to pass it along …

They’re wanting to conduct an action research project the impact of AI on learning — specifically, the impact of AI-powered inquiry sequences on student learning and achievement.

It sounds interesting to me. I had a call with Dr. Sonny Magana, an author (and friend!) who is partnering with Dr. Robert Marzano on this, and I’m intrigued!

They’re looking for teams of building principals and teachers … hoping that there’s synergy between leadership and the classroom to help it succeed.

Expectations for participation:

• Participate in 3 90-minute online workshops with Drs. Marzano and Magana at no cost (Wednesdays — Oct. 1, Oct. 8, Oct. 15)

• Anonymously share effect size data with the researchers

• Get the required text: Questioning Sequences in the Classroom (Marzano & Simms, 2014)

If it sounds interesting to you, check out the one-pager about it here.

If you’d like to register, fill out this form to be considered.

💡 THE BIG IDEA 💡

🤖 New guide: Google Gemini 101 for teachers

If your school uses Google, you’ve probably seen Google Gemini in more and more places.

There’s the Google Gemini app that you can get on the web — or on a mobile device like iOS (iPhone) and Android.

But now, it’s also integrated across so many of Google’s apps, like Docs, Slides, Gmail, and others. It’s even available in Google Classroom for teachers AND for students.

But … what can it do? How can it help teachers? What are the can’t-miss features?

We’ve got you covered. Today, we’re publishing our online guide — Google Gemini 101 for teachers — with all the basics you need, like:

• What is Google Gemini?

• How do I access Google Gemini?

• How can I use Google Gemini in the classroom?

• Getting the most out of Google Gemini in Docs, Slides and Sheets

• Do more with Google Gemini in Google Classroom

• Tips for prompting in Gemini

Check out the whole guide for all of the good stuff … but here are a few of my favorite takeaways, from most basic to more advanced:

1. Talk to Gemini in a conversational way.

If you’re new to Gemini, this is a good one to start with. When you open Gemini, it’ll look a bit like Google Search — with a simple text box. You might think, “OK, what do I do with this?”

Just describe to it what you want it to do for you. Use regular conversational wording. You don’t need any sort of formal instructions or coding or anything special. It’s designed to interact with you just like you would with anyone.

2. Gemini can help you brainstorm teaching ideas.

This is the place where most teachers get started! If you want support for teaching, just tell it …

• what kind of teacher you are

• what you’re getting ready to teach

• what you want it to create for you

• anything special or specific you want it to keep in mind

Remember: What AI creates for you is a rough draft. It’s not going to be perfect. If you’re able to make some small adjustments, what it creates for you is probably worth the time you invest into it.

Some suggestions:

• Brainstorm new ideas for teaching a concept in class

• Generate creative ways to teach something you've taught for a long time

• Come up with new ways for students to get repetitions with new content

• Identify possible misconceptions that students might have

• Create an analogy that will help students better understand a new idea

3. Have Gemini create images to help you teach.

This is one of my favorite things! In my high school Spanish classes, I’ll have Gemini make images that represent lots of my vocabulary words. Then, I’ll ask students lots of questions about that image to help them get repetitions with new content.

This goes for lots of grade levels and content areas. Ask it to create images to support what you teach. Note that it’s not great at some things, like creating math-based charts and images — as well as specific things that happened in history.

In the new Gemini guide, we have 10 things you can specify when making images to get what you’re looking for, like style, lighting, perspective/layout, labels/text, and more. 

4. Use a prompting framework when requesting things from Gemini.

Sometimes, when you open Gemini and see that blank text box, you might think: “Where do I even start? I don’t know what to write!”

That’s where a prompting framework can help. Prompting frameworks are a starting point to help you know what to include when asking AI for something. You don’t have to follow them exactly — and you don’t have to include everything in the framework. But they give you ideas on what to include.

You can use the PARTS framework, one suggested by Google for Education:

• Persona: Identify your role or the role you want Gemini to play.

• Act: Use a clear action word like "create," "rewrite," or "explain".

• Recipient: Say who the output is for (e.g., 5th grade students, parents).

• Theme: Add your specific topic or concept.

• Structure: Name the format you want, such as a lesson plan, rubric, or email.

Get more tips and ideas for maximizing Gemini

Our new Gemini guide has so much more to get you going, including suggestions on how to use Gemini inside other Google apps like Docs, Slides, and Sheets … and even how to use it in conjunction with Google Classroom. Check it out!

👋 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!