Control Alt Achieve: EdTech Links

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

This week I have 4 resources from around the Internet and 3 resources from my blog.

🍌 Gemini Goes Bananas: The Ultimate Guide to AI Infographics

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I have been having a blast creating educational infographics with the latest image upgrade for Gemini. I put together a blog post with:

ℹ️ 28 Sample Educational Infographics
📄 Infographic Prompts
🎨 Visual Style Ideas
🔄 Layout Ideas
💡 Tips & Tricks

You can access everything at the link above. I would love to see what infographics you create!

📢 New EduGems

Each week I try to add new Gems to my EduGems website. Since last newsletter, the following Gems have been added to the site:

🚀 Accelerated Learning - design challenging, high-quality extension activities for advanced learners who have already mastered current content
🧑‍🏫 AI Tutor - a Socratic and encouraging study partner to help students develop deep understanding and skills
🤖 AI + SAMR Activity - design learning experiences where AI is used safely, ethically, and effectively to empower students
🧭 Guided Notes - transform any source text (video transcript, article, short story, or textbook chapter) into Comprehensive Guided Notes that function as a valuable study artifact
❓ Jeopardy Game - generate the complete content for a Jeopardy-style review game to gamify academic content and maximize student engagement
🤔 Student Brainstorming - helps students get started and make progress on their specific academic assignments by acting as a Creative Spark Coach and purposeful academic thinking partner

Click on any of the links above to access, use, and copy the Gems.

❄️ Googley Winter Interactives

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It's that time of year again... If you are looking for seasonal projects that are fun, tie into wintertime themes, and still provide your students with a chance to be creative, write, or improve some content area skills, be sure to check out my collection of eight wintertime-themed activities that use free Google tools, including Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Drawings including:

⛄ Build a Snowman with Google Slides
🎄 Decorate a Holiday Tree with Google Slides
🧲 Wintertime Magnetic Poetry with Google Drawings
📬 Holiday Greeting Cards with Google Drawings
🎁 "12 Days of Christmas" Guided Google Sheets Math Activity
🌟 Pixel Art Ornaments with Google Sheets
❄️ Wintertime Emoji Rebus Stories with Google Docs
💡 Holiday Lights Writing with Google Docs

🤔 The Thinking Game

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As exciting as AI is, the story behind how it has developed is even more fascinating. 5 years ago I was blown away by the story of Google's AlphaGo which was covered in detail in the 90-minute documentary that you can watch for free on YouTube.

Well now the same team that made that movie has made a new documentary called "The Thinking Game". The movie tells the story of Demis Hassabis, one of the founders of Google DeepMind, and his lifelong pursuit of artificial general intelligence. For me one of the highlights was the work DeepMind has done on AlphaFold to solve a 50-year-old "protein folding problem" and benefit all of science.

Once again you can watch the entire 90-minute documentary on YouTube for free.

📈 Alphadots

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I am always on the lookout for games that have educational value. Recently I came across one that looks like it could be helpful for both math and language arts at the same time! The game is Alphadots from Bloomburg. Here's how it works:

A hidden phrase is visualized on a chart that runs from A to Z, with each letter being a point that is plotted on the chart.
The other letters between A and Z are not listed, so you have to use your estimation skills to read the plotted points and decide which letters are most likely being plotted.
The puzzle also provides you with a clue for the phrase, so you need to combine that clue with the plotted points to try to work out the phrase.
If you get stuck, you can pick a letter and have the puzzle reveal anywhere that letter appears in the phrase.
When you think you have the answer, you can type it in.
The goal is to discover the phrase with the fewest hints possible.

For more detailed directions on how to play, check out "How to Play Alphadots". This game could be a fun way to combine graph-reading with language skills.

📜 Gemini Certifications for Students and Educators

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Google recently announced three new certifications focusing on the use of AI. All three of these are completely free and come with training resources to get you and your students prepared.

Gemini Certified Educator - Proof of Al mastery for lesson plans tailored for all ages and learning levels. Resources include the Exam Guide, and the "Get Started with Google Al in K12 Education" course.
Gemini Certified Student (University) - For those 18+, show recruiters you're ready for anything including the future. Resources include a collection of AI training and tools for students.
Gemini Certified Student (K-12) - Level up your transcripts with a Google certificate designed for those under 18. Resources include the "Enhance Your Learning with Gemini" course.

🔔 Deck the Domains

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Join Trafera for Deck the Domains: A Techy As Heck Holiday on Wednesday, December 10th from Noon to 3pm ET (11am-2pm CT / 10am-1pm MT / 9am-Noon PT)

This is a free, half-day training event designed to help educators and Google administrators / engineers unwrap the newest, smartest, and most time-saving tools in Google Workspace for Education.

Sessions for Teachers - "AI for Educators" and "New Classroom Tools for Educators"
Sessions for Google Admins - "AI for Google Admins" and "Defending Your Domain for a Happy 2026"
100% free to attend
Lunch is on us! DoorDash gift cards provided
Hands-on learning with real-world takeaways
A chance to connect with fellow educators and tech leaders before winter break

Wrap up the year with fresh ideas, sharper skills, and a little extra holiday cheer. Register here!