What's New in Google - September 2025

Catch up on everything new in Google Workspace for Education from September 2025, and see great ideas and resources!

Below is the recorded video from our September 2025 Google User Meeting, along with the meeting agenda with all the awesome resources and Google updates from the last few months. This includes lots of new Google updates and Google resources for your class.

The monthly meetings are hosted by the Google Educator Group of Ohio, but are open to anyone from any location. The purpose of these meetings is to:

• Connect Google-using educators
• Share the latest Google Workspace news and features
• Provide tutorials, demonstrations, and how-to’s
• Share best practices of how Google Workspace is being used within schools
• Ask questions and get answers

The video from the meeting is recorded and available for later viewing for those who cannot attend or connect live. See below to view the recorded video, agenda, and all the resources from the September 2025 meeting:

Google Docs Calendar Templates for the 2026-2027 School Year

Several years ago I created some Google Docs templates for a colleague who was looking for a simple one-page document to show important calendar dates for an entire school year. The templates were a big hit and many people found them to be helpful.

Although it still feels like the school year has just gotten started, I have already received emails from folks asking if I have made a version for next year ... the 2026-2027 school year.

So for all of you super organized people who are already planning for the next school year, I am happy to say, yes, I have versions for 2026-2027. See below for the links to get your own copies of these templates, as well as some basic directions on how to edit them for your own use.

EdTech Links - Week of 9-15-2025

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

Brisk Teaching Webinar

Brisk Teaching is one of my favorite AI tools for education. I have been sharing about this great tool since 2023 when I included it in my list of "EdTech Cool Tools" for that year.

Brisk is a free Chrome extension that provides AI-powered tools for teachers and students. It does so many things, I often call it the "Swiss Army Knife of AI Tools".

With Brisk Teaching you can:

• Generate resources such as quizzes, slideshows, rubrics, lesson plans, DOK questions, guided notes, podcasts and more. 
• Relevel content for different grades. 
• Provide personalized feedback on student writing. 
• Monitor the student writing process. 
• Create school-safe "Boost" activities for students with customized AI chatbots for tutoring, chatting with a character, debating, brainstorming, exit tickets and more. 
• Plan and bundle instructional materials with Brisk Next. 

And all of this comes in a robust free version! To help you get the most out of this versatile tool, I will be presenting a deep-dive webinar:

• "Brisk Teaching: The AI Multitool for Education"
• 🗓️ Tuesday, October 7th, 2025
• ⏰ 7pm ET / 6pm CT / 5pm MT / 4pm PT
• ▶️ The webinar will be live-streamed and also recorded for those who can't attend live
• ✅ Register at bit.ly/brisk-oct7 or in this Google Form

I hope you will join me for this exciting webinar!

Promptember - 700 AI Prompts for Education

Over the past couple of years I have created and curated a wide range of example prompts for use with AI chatbots. As of my last count, I have over 700 prompts!

I share many of these in the various PD sessions I do on AI for schools and conferences around the world. However, I didn't really have one central, convenient place with all the prompts collected together.

To help with this, I have created this blog post and an associated Google Doc where all of these prompts can be found, copied, edited, and used however you need.

And what better time than September to have a "Promptember" event!

Over time I will continue to add to this list and will update both this blog post and the Google Doc. And please share with me your favorite prompts or collections. I would love to learn from you!

My 2025 GaETC Sessions

I am excited and honored to be presenting at the Georgia Educational Technology Conference (GaETC 2023) in Atlanta, Georgia on November 5th and 6th, 2025.

I always look forward to an opportunity to see old friends, make new friends, share some ideas, and learn so many new things from others.

You can access more GaETC information and register for the conference at

https://conference.gaetc.org/

Below is a list of sessions I will be presenting at GaETC 2025, along with any associated resources. Please feel free to join me for any of these sessions. I look forward to sharing, learning, and chatting with you!

EdTech Links - Week of 9-8-2025

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

EnlightenAI Webinar

EnlightenAI is one of my favorite AI tools for student writing feedback. In short, EnlightenAI is able to build a model based on how you grade, your style of communicating, your rubrics, and what is important to you, and then provide personalized, detailed feedback on student writing.

I have been sharing about this great tool since 2023 when I included it in my list of "EdTech Cool Tools" for that year.

Well since that time, EnlightenAI has continued to develop with many new features for both educators and students. To help catch everyone up on all that is new, I will be hosting a free webinar all about EnlightenAI. Here are the details:

"Engage, Enhance, Encourage: EnlightenAI for Student Writing Feedback"

• 🗓️ Thursday, October 23rd, 2025
• ⏰ 7pm ET / 6pm CT / 5pm MT / 4pm PT
• ▶️ The webinar will be live-streamed and also recorded for those who can't attend live
• ✅ Register at bit.ly/enlightenai or in this Google Form

Topics to be covered:

• Learn how teachers leverage EnlightenAI to save huge amounts of time providing high quality writing feedback to students and freeing teachers to focus on students
• See how AI feedback tools can unlock powerful data analytics and clearer insights for ELA progress
• Hear how other districts are using EnlightenAI to give students more, faster, and better writing guidance to grow scores
• Get valuable tools and resources you can use on your next summative or state test prep assignment

I hope you will join me for this exciting webinar!

27 Free Gemini AI Tools for Educators

As many of you probably already know, Gemini is Google's powerful AI chatbot that can serve as a helpful assistant for educators. You simply type in your request and Gemini generates your content, including lesson plans, rubrics, DOK leveled questions, and more.

But what if you are not sure what to type in? Creating a prompt that is complete and effective can be a challenge.

Well recently Google released a new collection of resources to help with just that. There is now a new "Gemini" tab in Google Classroom and on that page you will find 27 pre-made AI prompt tools for using Gemini in education.

And you don't even have to be a user of Google Classroom. As long as you have access to Google Classroom page, you can use all of these AI tools.

See below for a tutorial video and written directions on how to access and use these powerful free tools.

My 2026 FETC Sessions

I am excited and honored to be presenting at the Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC 2026) in Orlando, Florida on January 11th through 14th, 2026.

I always look forward to an opportunity to see old friends, make new friends, share some ideas, and learn so many new things from others.

You can register for FETC at https://www.fetc.org/

If you are thinking of attending, you can save 10% off All-Access, Session, and Session+ registrations with my special promo code FETC26SPEAKER.

Below is a list of sessions I will be presenting at FETC 2026, along with any associated resources. Please feel free to join me for any of these sessions. I look forward to sharing, learning, and chatting with you!

EdTech Links - Week of 9-1-2025

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

What's New in Google - August 2025

Catch up on everything new in Google Workspace for Education from August 2025, and see great ideas and resources!

Below is the recorded video from our August 2025 Google User Meeting, along with the meeting agenda with all the awesome resources and Google updates from the last few months. This includes lots of new Google updates and Google resources for your class.

The monthly meetings are hosted by the Google Educator Group of Ohio, but are open to anyone from any location. The purpose of these meetings is to:

• Connect Google-using educators
• Share the latest Google Workspace news and features
• Provide tutorials, demonstrations, and how-to’s
• Share best practices of how Google Workspace is being used within schools
• Ask questions and get answers

The video from the meeting is recorded and available for later viewing for those who cannot attend or connect live. See below to view the recorded video, agenda, and all the resources from the August 2025 meeting:

"When I Grow Up" - Gemini Image Prompt

As educators one of our goals is to try to prepare our students for their future. To help them be whatever they want to be.

Sometimes though, especially for students who are struggling academically, it can be difficult for students to visualize that positive future.

What if we could give them a vivid, personal glimpse into their own potential? Perhaps with a picture that shows them working as a marine biologist, tagging a sea turtle by a coral reef. Or maybe a photo of them as an architect, personally sketching designs in a studio. Or a teacher or athlete or chef or singer or doctor or such.

Well with AI we can do that! With Gemini's latest image model, you can take a picture of a student and show what they would look like working in their dream career. And you can do it easily, accurately and safely. Let's take a look at how to do this!