Googley Poetry Projects and Tools

April is the time of year

For kids to write a poem.
There's loads of fun activities
Here for you to show 'em.

Google tools can be used
To make the perfect rhyme,
With templates, tools, and writing prompts
To save your students time.

Draggable Drawings, random Sheets,
And Google Docs highlighting
Will give your students inspiration
For their creative writing.

So look below to find out more,
Then get your students on it,
Writing their ode, haiku, free verse,
Their ballad or their sonnet.

EdTech Links - Week of 3-16-26

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!

Recorded Webinar - NotebookLM for Schools

I recently recorded a webinar about NotebookLM for schools.

If you are not familiar with NotebookLM, it is Google's free AI-powered tool where you can load your own trusted sources and then generate engaging resources that are grounded in your vetted content.

In this deep-dive hands-on session we covered the following topics:

• 🗃️ Add sources to Notebooks including your own Google Docs, Slides, PDFs, websites, videos and more
• 💬 Explore how to "chat" with your sources to find specific answers and summarize key concepts
• 🔊 Use the powerful Studio tools to instantly generate Audio and Video Overviews, slide decks, infographics, mind maps, data tables, flashcards, quizzes, and reports
• 💡 Discover practical and creative ways to use NotebookLM for teaching and learning

To learn all about using NotebookLM in schools, see below to watch my recorded 1.5-hour webinar and to access the resources from the session.

Upcoming Webinar: Making Graphic Novels with NotebookLM

I am excited to be presenting a free webinar about creating educational graphic novels with NotebookLM.

A while back I came up with a workflow to use Gemini and NotebookLM to generate graphic novels, which I shared on my blog. 

People have been loving this project and creating so many amazing things to help with teaching and learning in all subjects and grade levels.

To help more people try this out we will be doing a deep-dive hands-on session where we will cover the following:

• 🗯️ Graphic Novel Overview
• 📚 Loads of Pre-Made Examples
• 🛠️ How to Create a Graphic Novel
• 💡 Choose a Topic
• 🎨 Choose an Art Style
• 📄 Create the Script
• ✍️ Review and Edit the Script
• 📓 Create a Notebook
• 📖 Generate the Graphic Novel
• ✂️ Edit the Graphic Novel
• 💾 Download and Share the Graphic Novel

See below for details to participate in this training:

• 🗯️ Making Graphic Novels with NotebookLM
• 🗓️ Thursday, April 2nd, 2026
• ⏰ 3pm ET / 2pm CT / 1pm MT / Noon PT
• ▶️ The webinar will be live-streamed and also recorded for those who can't attend live
• ✅ Register at bit.ly/apr2graph or in this Google Form

I hope you will join me for this exciting webinar!

Recorded Webinar - Did a Robot Write this Report? Managing AI Cheating

Generative AI is a powerful tool that can be used to support teachers and students. Unfortunately, just as AI can be used to generate lesson plans, provide helpful feedback, and serve as a personalized tutor, it can also be used to write a paper, provide answers, and do students' work.

But how can we manage this? Over the last several years I have been having this academic integrity discussion with thousands of educators around the world in the trainings I have done. Through those conversations I have had the chance to get feedback on my thoughts, as well as pick up many new amazing ideas from participants.

Recently I pulled all of these resources together and recorded my 2026 version of "Did a Robot Write this Report?" This is a 1-hour video where I do a deep dive into addressing AI cheating including:

• 🍳 The impact of AI on student brains
• 📔 Defining what it means to cheat with AI
• 🔒 Adjusting assignments to reduce the potential of cheating while increasing the positive use of AI
• 📑 Encouraging transparency and proper citation of AI use
• 🔎 Tools and techniques for monitoring AI usage
• 🧭 Resources for developing AI guidelines
• 🎓 Resources to educate students about AI
• And more!

See below to watch the recorded video and access all of the support materials. I welcome your suggestions, thoughts, questions, comments, and opinions!

EdTech Links - Week of 3-2-26

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!

Recorded Webinar - Creating and Sharing Gemini Gems

I recently recorded a webinar about creating and sharing Gemini Gems.

If you are not familiar with Gems, they are reusable, custom prompts that save your best AI workflows for instant access, and they are a game-changer for educators!

In this deep-dive hands-on session we covered the following topics:

• 🔎 Explore Google's pre-made Gems and the 100+ Gems on my EduGems site
• 🛠️ Create new Gems from scratch
• 💬 Learn tips for effective prompting, reference files, and tool selection
• 🔗 Share the Gems we create
• 🗃️ Discover how to build a high-quality Gem repository for your staff and students

To learn all about creating and sharing Gems, see below to watch my recorded 1-hour webinar and to access the resources from the session.

18 New EduGems from February 2026

EduGems is my website where I share my favorite Gemini Gems for schools.

You can access, use, and copy any of the Gems at https://www.edugems.ai/

Each month I add new Gems to the site. See below for links to the 18 new Gems I added during the month of February 2026, along with a short description for each.

Feel free to share with others and please consider submitting your own Gems to the site.

Upcoming Webinar - NotebookLM for Schools

I am excited to be presenting a free webinar about NotebookLM for schools.

If you are not familiar with NotebookLM, it is Google's free AI-powered tool where you can load your own trusted sources and then generate engaging resources that are grounded in your vetted content.

In this deep-dive hands-on session we will:

• 🗃️ Add sources to Notebooks including your own Google Docs, Slides, PDFs, websites, videos and more
• 💬 Explore how to "chat" with your sources to find specific answers and summarize key concepts
• 🔊 Use the powerful Studio tools to instantly generate Audio and Video Overviews, slide decks, infographics, mind maps, data tables, flashcards, quizzes, and reports
• 💡 Discover practical and creative ways to use NotebookLM for teaching and learning

See below for details to participate in this training:

• 📓 NotebookLM: Your Grounded AI Super Tool
• 🗓️ Tuesday, March 17th, 2026
• ⏰ 3pm ET / 2pm CT / 1pm MT / Noon PT
• ▶️ The webinar will be live-streamed and also recorded for those who can't attend live
• ✅ Register at bit.ly/mar17nblm or in this Google Form

I hope you will join me for this exciting webinar!

What's New in Google - February 2026

Catch up on everything new in Google Workspace for Education from February 2026, and see great ideas and resources!

Below is the recorded video from our February 2026 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 February 2026 meeting:

EdTech Links - Week of 2-23-26

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!

Upcoming Webinar - Creating and Sharing Gemini Gems

I am excited to be presenting a free webinar about creating and sharing Gemini Gems.

If you are not familiar with Gems, they are reusable, custom prompts that save your best AI workflows for instant access, and they are a game-changer for educators!

In this deep-dive hands-on session we will:

• 🔎 Explore Google's pre-made Gems and the 100+ Gems on my EduGems site
• 🛠️ Create new Gems from scratch
• 💬 Learn tips for effective prompting, reference files, and tool selection
• 🔗 Share the Gems we create
• 🗃️ Discover how to build a high-quality Gem repository for your staff and students

See below for details to participate in this training:

• 💎 Your AI Treasure Chest: Creating & Sharing Gemini Gems
• 🗓️ Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026
• ⏰ 3pm ET / 2pm CT / 1pm MT / Noon PT
• ▶️ The webinar will be live-streamed and also recorded for those who can't attend live
• ✅ Register at bit.ly/mar3gems or in this Google Form

I hope you will join me for this exciting webinar!

EdTech Links - Week of 2-16-2026

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!

My 2026 MACE Sessions

I am excited and honored to be presenting at the 2026 MACE Conference in Manhattan, Kansas on March 5th and 6th.

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 MACE information and register for the conference at:

• https://mace-ks.org/

Below is a list of sessions I will be presenting at MACE, 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!

My 2026 MACUL Sessions

I am excited and honored to be presenting at the 2026 MACUL Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan on March 18th through 20th.

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 MACUL information and register for the conference at:

• https://maculconference.org/

Below is a list of sessions I will be presenting at MACUL, 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!

100 of the Best Gemini Gems for Schools

Four months ago I launched my EduGems website as an easy way to share some of my favorite Gemini Gems for schools. In case you are not familiar with Gems, they are basically just custom prompts that can be saved and shared and used anytime you need.

When the site launched, the collection of Gems was pretty small, but I hoped it would grow over time. 

Well since then I have pretty much become obsessed with creating new Gems for educators and students. I have also been so fortunate to have amazing educators share some of their own custom Gems for me to use.

And now … drum roll please … EduGems now has 100 Gems!

These Gems cover a wide range of topics from Exit Tickets to KWL Activities to Daily Bell Ringers to Lesson Hooks to AI Debates to Learner Scaffolds to Student Reflections and so much more!

If you haven't checked out the site yet, or if it has been a while since you were there, be sure to pop back over to EduGems at https://www.edugems.ai/ and explore all the amazing Gems ready to support you and your students.

My 2026 OETC Sessions

I am excited and honored to be presenting at the 2026 Ohio Educational Technology Conference (OETC25) in Columbus, Ohio on February 10th through 12th.

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 OETC26 information and register for the conference at:

• https://oetc.ohio.gov/

Below is a list of sessions I will be presenting at OETC26, 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 2-2-2026

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!

Google AI for the New Year - Recorded Webinar

Recently I had the privilege to offer a free online session for the Teacher Innovation Network "EdTech Playground" series titled "AI for the New Year" where the theme was AI updates for schools.

For my session I presented on new AI features for Gemini, NotebookLM, and Google Classroom from the last few months, and how they can be used for teaching and learning. This included:

• 3️⃣ New Gemini 3 model
• 🍌 Nano Banana 3 Pro for advanced images and infographics
• 🖼️ Slideshow creation in Gemini
• 💯 SAT Practice Tests in Gemini
• 💎 Gem sharing and the EduGems website
• 🔊 Audio lessons in Classroom
• 📊 NotebookLM infographics, slidedecks, and data tables
• 🗯️ NotebookLM for graphic novels

The Teacher Innovation Network was kind enough to make the recorded video available for people to view if they were not able to attend the live session. See below to watch the recording, as well as access the resources I shared in the session.

Feel free to share with others who may benefit, and let me know what AI updates you are most excited about.

EdTech Links - Week of 1-26-2026

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!

New EduGems from January 2026

EduGems is my website where I share my favorite Gemini Gems for schools.

You can access, use, and copy any of the Gems at https://www.edugems.ai/

Each month I add new Gems to the site. See below for links to the 13 new Gems I added during the month of January 2026, along with a short description for each.

Feel free to share with others and please consider submitting your own Gems to the site.

What's New in Google - January 2026

Catch up on everything new in Google Workspace for Education from January 2026, and see great ideas and resources!

Below is the recorded video from our January 2026 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 January 2026 meeting:

Exporting Math from Gemini to Docs

I recently received an email asking for help with exporting math content from Google Gemini to Google Docs. So here's the problem…

Google Gemini does a great job creating math content including polynomial fractions, radicals, integrals, matrices, and more.

Note: You will want to use the "Pro" model of Gemini, rather than the "Fast" or "Thinking" models, since the Pro model is designed to handle complex math. Thankfully if you are using a school Google account, you get 100 free "Pro" uses a day, so you can make a lot of math for free.

For example here is some math I generated with Gemini:

The problem happens when we try to export that content to a Google Doc for use in a worksheet or quiz or test or such. Whether you copy and paste the content, or use the "Export to Docs" feature, instead of getting nice math symbols and expressions, you get odd looking code like this:

$$\sqrt[3]{27a^6 b^9 \sqrt{64a^4 b^2}}$$

Thankfully there is a simple and free solution to this problem. See below for my short 10-minute video where I show you how to easily export math content from Gemini to Google Docs, as well as links to the free resources you will need.

15 Updates to Make Google BETTer

This last week Google was in London at BETT, the world’s biggest educational technology exhibition. At the event, companies from all around the world showed off their latest and greatest innovations for educational technology.

Google used this opportunity to showcase new updates for Google Workspace for Education. These updates include new features for Gemini, Google Classroom, Chromebooks, Google Drive tools and more!

Although I have never been to BETT yet (definitely a goal for the future!) I wanted to share these new updates with you. See below for my rundown of my 15 favorite new updates that Google announced.

EdTech Links - Week of 1-19-2026

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!

Recorded Webinar - Learning Genie

I recently recorded a webinar about a super-helpful AI-powered EdTech tool called Learning Genie. (Disclosure - Learning Genie sponsored this webinar, but all opinions were my own.)

If you are not familiar with Learning Genie it is a tool which helps educators quickly develop a comprehensive and well-structured teaching unit. Here are some key features:

• 🧰 Create complete unit plans with all the needed resources (plans, slideshows, worksheets, assessments, more)
• 🏫 Works with any subject and any grade (PreK-12)
• 🎯 Aligns with state standards and uses Al to support interdisciplinary learning and connect instruction with assessment
• 📍 Localizes curriculum to engage students in meaningful and relevant learning experiences
• 💰 Robust free version

To learn all about Learning Genie, see below to watch my recorded 1-hour webinar and to access the resources from the session.

Public NotebookLM with AI Policies, Guidelines and Frameworks

Over the last few years most schools around the world have been working on developing policies and guidelines that clarify how AI can and should be used by their students and educators, as well as which uses are prohibited or limited in a school setting.

If your school does not have AI guidelines yet, you are certainly not alone. Many districts are still digging into this task with committees and pilot groups and more.

Thankfully there are many organizations, states, and schools that have been blazing a trail in this area by developing and sharing their own AI policies, guidelines, and frameworks.

I recently collected over 40 of the best examples I have come across from states, schools, and organizations, and uploaded them all into a public notebook in NotebookLM.

See below for the link to access this shared Notebook and some directions on how you can interact with it to support you work on AI guidance for your school.

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/

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 1-5-2026

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!

Making Graphic Novels with Gemini and NotebookLM

Graphic novels have long been an excellent medium to engage students in reading. Some of the benefits of graphic novels include:

• Dual-Coding - Having both a visual representation and a text description provides students with two ways to consume, process, and recall the information being presented.
• Inference Skills - Students have to mentally bridge the gap between Panel A (a character reaching for a doorknob) and Panel B (the character standing in an open room), which encourages high-level cognitive participation in the reading process.
• Accessibility - The visuals help reduce cognitive load, allowing students to focus their mental energy on the text itself. Also the "chunked" nature of the text is often less overwhelming than a wall of words, helping them maintain stamina.
• Introductions - Graphic novels can also be the gateway for students to larger texts. Reading a graphic novel version of "Tuck Everlasting" may prompt a student to take the full novel for a spin.

As easy as graphic novels are to consume, creating them is a much more challenging task. Certainly the best graphic novels are going to be created by skilled and hard-working authors and illustrators, and I strongly encourage everyone to support them in this work.

However with new AI tools, educators and students now have free options to enter into this world and create basic, but good, graphic novels of their own. This is something I have been working on recently with Gemini and NotebookLM, and I am excited to share with you both the results that I have made and the tools and directions for you to do the same.

See below for all of the details. And as always feel free to share with others, and please share with me your creations, comments, questions, and suggestions.

New EduGems from December 2025

EduGems is my website where I share my favorite Gemini Gems for schools.

You can access, use, and copy any of the Gems at https://www.edugems.ai/

Each month I add new Gems to the site. See below for links to the 18 new Gems I added during the month of December 2025, along with a short description for each.

Feel free to share with others and please consider submitting your own Gems to the site.