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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Learning Genie Webinar

I am excited to be presenting a webinar about a super-helpful AI-powered EdTech tool called Learning Genie!

Over the last year I have had a chance to learn a lot about this tool from some of my good EdTech friends including Jon Corippo and Toby Fischer. 

I then had the opportunity to speak with Gene Shi, the founder of the company (the "Gene" behind the Learning Genie) and explore the tool for myself.

If you are not familiar with Learning Genie - https://www.learning-genie.com - 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)
• 📍 Localizes curriculum to engage students in meaningful and relevant learning experiences
• 💰 Robust free version

To help you learn more about this powerful tool, I will be co-hosting a deep-dive webinar with Gene Shi:

• 🧞 Learning Genie Webinar
• 🗓️ Wednesday, January 21, 2026
• ⏰ 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/jan21genie or in this Google Form

I hope you will join me for this exciting webinar!

Recorded Webinar - Dive into Snorkl for Student Learning

I recently recorded a webinar about one of my favorite AI tools for education - Snorkl. (Disclosure - Snorkl sponsored this webinar, but all opinions were my own.)

With Snorkl, students record their reasoning with a verbal and visual explanation, and then receive instant AI-powered feedback to drive deep and meaningful learning.

Here are the basics for how it works:

• ❓ You create a problem, question, or prompt for your students (any subject, any grade).
• 🎙️ Students record themselves solving the problem or answering the question while explaining their reasoning.
• ✒️ If needed the student can draw on the digital whiteboard while speaking.
• 💯 The AI then reviews the student's explanation based on the guidance you have provided.
• 💬 The AI then provides personalized feedback for the student (and you) on their work.

Having students record themselves to explain their understanding is an excellent way to truly assess what a student knows and can do, while helping to address academic integrity concerns. The challenge has always been how long it would take a teacher to watch the recordings for every one of their students. With Snorkl this is no longer a daunting task.

And all of this comes in a robust free version! To learn all about Snorkl, see below to watch my recorded 1-hour webinar and to access the resources from the session.

Gemini Goes Bananas: The Ultimate Guide to AI Infographics

Recently Gemini released a big update to their image generation feature (code named Nano Banana Pro). This new version is more powerful and capable than ever, allowing Gemini to make images that are more detailed, realistic, and accurate.

One of the most interesting use cases I have seen for the new image model is generating infographics. In the past this was not possible as infographics typically have a lot of technical details that have to be presented properly for the result to have any real value.

You can get away with having a few errors in a photo of a landscape, but not in a timeline where the details are essential.

With Nano Banana Pro we now have:

• Legible Text Rendering: Words are spelled correctly without the dreaded "AI gibberish" text.
• Search Grounding: Because Gemini uses Google Search, the content in the infographics is up-to-date and accurate.
• Spatial Reasoning: Because this model understands layout, the structure and flow of the infographic aligns with the content being communicated.

I have been playing around with this new feature for a while now and am excited to share some infographic examples it has created, as well as some helpful tips and tricks to get the best results. See below for all the details and be sure to share your creations and suggestions with me.

Snorkl Webinar

Snorkl is another one of my all-time 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.

With Snorkl, students record their reasoning with a verbal and visual explanation, and then receive instant AI-powered feedback to drive deep and meaningful learning.

Here are the basics for how it works:

• ❓ You create a problem, question, or prompt for your students (any subject, any grade).
• 🎙️ Students record themselves solving the problem or answering the question while explaining their reasoning.
• ✒️ If needed the student can draw on the digital whiteboard while speaking.
• 💯 The AI then reviews the student's explanation based on the guidance you have provided.
• 💬 The AI then provides personalized feedback for the student (and you) on their work.

Having students record themselves to explain their understanding is an excellent way to truly assess what a student knows and can do, while helping to address academic integrity concerns. The challenge has always been how long it would take a teacher to watch the recordings for every one of their students. With Snorkl this is no longer a daunting task.

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:

• "Dive into Snorkl for Student Learning"
• 🗓️ Tuesday, December 2nd, 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/dec2snorkl or in this Google Form

I hope you will join me for this exciting webinar!

EduGem Spotlight - DOK Analysis

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/

I am always excited to announce new Gems, and today I am highlighting the "DOK Analysis" Gem.

📊 DOK Analysis

This Gem helps you quickly analyze any assessment to determine the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) level for each question, using the DOK 1-4 framework. This is perfect for gaining a clear understanding of the cognitive demands of your materials, identifying primary verbs, and ensuring your assessments promote the appropriate level of student rigor.

To use this Gem, you will have a collaborative conversation with Gemini. You'll start by providing the grade level and subject area and the specific assessment (which you can paste or upload). Gemini will then analyze each question on the assessment and provide:

• A direct quote of the original question
• The primary verb/cognitive task from the question
• The assigned DOK level for that question
• And the justification for that DOK level

After all the questions are analyzed, the Gem also provides a summary for the entire assessment with a total and percentage for each DOK level.

See below for a short video demonstration of this EduGem, as well as the link to access, use, and copy the Gem.

EnlightenAI - Your New T.A. for Grading and Feedback

I recently recorded a webinar about one of my favorite AI tools for education - EnlightenAI. (Disclosure - EnlightenAI sponsored this webinar, but all opinions were my own.)

If you are not familiar with it, EnlightenAI is an AI-powered tool that works hand-in-hand with a teacher to assist in guided grading and personalized feedback for student writing.

Here are a few key aspects of how EnlightenAI works:

• You can pull in writing assignments from a wide range of sources (Google Classroom, Illuminate, Canvas, Form, Docs, and more)
• You can provide the AI with your rubric, the assignment prompt and materials, exemplars, guiding instructions, and more.
• The AI will use that information to provide grades and feedback for student writing.
• You can override any grade and customize any feedback which will train the AI even more to learn your style and grading requirements.
• The AI will provide insights into strengths and weaknesses for every student, as well as customized lessons and activities to help address those.
• The AI can also provide instant writing feedback directly to students while they are writing to support revision during the writing process.

And all of this comes in a robust free version! To learn all about EnlightenAI, see below to watch my recorded 1-hour webinar and to access the resources from the session.

Using, Creating & Sharing Gems in Google Gemini

As I have shared before, Gems are a great feature of Google Gemini where you can save a common prompt to use anytime you need.

In addition to using the Gems yourself, you can also share them with others so they can benefit from them too.

To help explain all the details of Gems and how they work, I recently recorded a short 12 minute tutorial video about Gems that covers the following topics:

• ❓ What are Gems?
• 🎁 Premade Gems from Google
• 🛠️ Creating a Gem
• 💎 Using a Gem
• 🔗 Sharing a Gem
• 💻 My EduGems Website

See below to watch the video, and be sure to visit my new EduGems.ai website where I share dozens of my favorite Gems for schools.

Introducing EduGems

Gems are a great feature of Google Gemini where you can save a common prompt to use anytime you need. Rather than having to copy and paste or retype the prompt each time you need it, you can simply click on the Gem to launch the saved version of the prompt.

Recently Google released an update for Gems that makes them better than ever. Now any Gems that you create can be shared with others. You can share a Gem with specific people, or your whole school, or the entire world.

This is significant because now schools can create and curate their own collections of educational Gems to share by department or grade level or with all staff. I am excited to see schools begin to do this.

Inspired by this new feature, I have put together my own collection of favorite Gems that I have created or collected. You can find them at my new "EduGems" site at:

edugems.ai

Note: If the main link does not work for you, you can just go to the Google Sites link for the site here - https://sites.google.com/view/edu-gems/home - It looks like Squarespace may have a DNS issue, so I am working with them to get that fixed.

See below for more details about this new site and how you can submit your own Gems.

Recorded Webinar - Brisk Teaching: The AI Multitool for Education

I recently recorded a webinar about one of my favorite AI tools for education - Brisk Teaching. (Disclosure - Brisk sponsored this webinar, but all opinions were my own.)

If you are not familiar with it, 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 learn all about Brisk, see below to watch my recorded 1-hour webinar and to access the resources from the session.

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!