AI is rapidly transforming the education landscape, opening doors to new possibilities and innovative approaches to teaching and learning. With any major innovation comes many products and services seeking to catch your attention and work their way into your school’s identity. Which product(s) you choose is never a simple decision.
Is it safe?
Does it work?
Will we even use it?
How will it help us accomplish our mission?
And of course: how much does it cost?
While these questions are complex, for Google for Education schools, much of the answer already lies within your existing tools.
As a Google for Education school, regardless of your subscription level, you have a powerful and safe AI agent waiting to change the way you do things. Google Gemini is a powerful, safe, and engaging AI tool included as a core service with your Google account. As a bonus, you have a powerful partner to Gemini, NotebookLM.
Let’s look at the four questions I asked earlier and explore how Gemini answers them.
Is it safe?
When discussing safety in a technology like AI, we are usually talking about data privacy and harmful misinformation.
Like all Google for Education core services, Gemini is protected by enterprise-level data protection. This means that anything added to Gemini chats accessed using your school account credentials stays within your organization. No prompt or item uploaded to Gemini is ever reviewed by a human or used to train the AI model. This helps ensure your interactions with Gemini are compliant with both COPPA and FERPA.
Misinformation, hallucinations, and bias continue to be a struggle for all AI models. While this threat continues to become less and less prevalent among the big competitors, there is little sign that an always-perfect model is on the horizon. The truth is that critically evaluating content produced by any AI agent will always be the responsibility of the user. Thankfully, Gemini assists in this process by allowing users to double-check responses. The Double-check feature uses Google Search to find sources that either reinforce or contradict Gemini’s output. Portions of the response highlighted in green are those reinforced by the follow-up search, while those in red have potential contradictions in the search. Users can use a dropdown near the highlighted text to find and explore the sources of potential contradictions to evaluate the credibility of Gemini’s output.
Does it work?
Gemini comes with a host of features and uses to help streamline teacher workflow, support students, and enhance curriculum.
First, the current model (Gemini 2.5) is a significant improvement over previous models on a variety of tasks. From recalling information in long conversations, to assisting with coding, to mathematical reasoning, Gemini 2.5 is closely trailing or exceeding competitors’ benchmark scores.
Deep research allows users to generate in-depth reports on almost any topic imaginable. Simply select the deep research option on your prompt, ask a question, and Gemini will present a research plan. From there, you can edit the plan or have Gemini start researching. Within a few minutes, you will have a finalized report with cited resources.
Canvas allows users to take a more collaborative approach with Google Gemini. By selecting the Canvas option and asking Gemini to write a newsletter or create an app, you open up an editing window that contains Gemini’s response. Within that window, you can manually edit the output, ask Gemini to update or explain specific sections, and review the output.
Gems allow users to create user-specific versions of Gemini that make their regularly completed tasks happen with added ease and consistency. Teachers can load lesson plan templates into a custom Gem and achieve their desired output with a prompt of their goals for the week. A parent newsletter Gem can be used to provide a consistent format with ease.
A new addition to the Gemini features library, Audio Overview allows users to create podcast-style audio reviews of any documents they’ve added to the chat. Imagine sharing a podcast that uses your lesson plans to give students a 5-minute overview of the week ahead! Or summarizing a long reading in an engaging way for your students who struggle with comprehension!
Though not technically part of Gemini, Notebook LM is another generative AI tool available as a core service on all Google Workspace for Education accounts. NotebookLM is an isolated AI agent designed specifically for learning. By ‘isolated’ I mean that it does not use information from outside the instance. The only resources it has available to it are those that you provide. So, when you add your unit plans to a notebook, every output in that notebook will come directly from those unit plans. This not only helps minimize instances of hallucinations and bias but ensures that the focus remains on your learning goals and objectives.
Finally, native connection to other Google core services means that you can move from drafting an email in Gemini to sending it in Gmail with minimal clicks. The same is true for exporting your results to Google Docs or Sheets.
Will we even use it?
One of the biggest hurdles teachers face when using a new tool is ease of use. Gemini’s native connection to your current toolset significantly reduces that burden. No additional login, permission approvals, or window switching is required. Gemini is there, in your Chrome browser, waiting to be used.
Workflow becomes seamless when teachers connect Google Workspace apps to their Gemini chats for easy reference. They can save clicks and time by typing “@Google Docs summarize my lesson plans for next week” or “@Google Calendar set up a meeting with my PLN next Tuesday at 3pm”.
Additionally, your Google Admin panel will provide analytics to how often Gemini is being used and by whom. These analytics could help you understand usage patterns, inform training needs, and make decisions about future licensing.
How will it help us accomplish our mission?
Achieving a school’s mission hinges on two key factors: consistency and momentum. Gemini serves as a catalyst for both, empowering educators and enhancing the learning experience in tangible ways.
By reducing the barriers in teacher workflow, Gemini helps maintain momentum towards educational goals. Features like drafting communications or quickly generating lesson outlines free up valuable teacher time. This allows educators to spend more energy on what truly matters: direct interaction with students, personalized support, and creative instructional design.
Furthermore, providing teachers with powerful tools like Gemini enables them to consistently deliver high-quality content and experiences in their classrooms. Whether it’s using Deep Research to quickly gather comprehensive background information for a complex topic, leveraging Canvas for collaborative content creation, utilizing Gems for consistent resource formatting, or using Audio Overview to provide students with engaging summaries, Gemini equips teachers to enhance their practice.
Ultimately, Gemini supports the core mission of a school by:
- Boosting Teacher Effectiveness: By automating or accelerating routine tasks, teachers can focus on high-impact activities like differentiated instruction and student engagement.
- Enhancing Student Learning: Providing tools for personalized learning support, improved comprehension, and creative expression directly impacts student outcomes.
- Fostering Innovation: Gemini encourages exploration and new approaches to content creation and delivery.
Gemini helps with both consistency and momentum by reducing teacher workload so they can focus on the most important aspect of their work: the students.
How much does it cost?
Nothing. As a core service, Gemini, Notebook LM, and all the features described today come to you at no cost with any Google Workspace for Education subscription. Advanced features and increased integration are available for a monthly fee, but not required to take advantage of Gemini’s capabilities.
i-Tech for Schools is here to help:
Ready to unlock the potential of AI in your school? i-Tech for Schools is a trusted Google Workspace for Education Partner with Google Certified Trainers ready to help. We specialize in developing AI strategic plans, providing tailored AI coaching for teachers, and implementing practical solutions like Gemini and NotebookLM to enhance learning outcomes. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and see how we can help you integrate these powerful tools effectively!
