AI Images in Google Slides

A while back, Google announced a new set of AI tools coming for Google Workspace which they are calling Duet AI. These features help you create with AI right inside of Docs, Slides, Sheets, Meet, Gmail, and more.

I recently got access to the new Duet AI integration for Google Slides called "Help me visualize". This is a text to image tool that lets you type in a description of the picture you want, and then the AI creates several images to match your request.

Text to image generation is a popular and powerful AI tool as seen in DALL-E, Midjourney, Canva, Bing Image Creator, Adobe Firefly, Scribble Diffusion, and other services. It is exciting to see this feature now available right inside of Google Slides.

See below for my demonstration video and detailed directions and examples on using Duet AI in Google Slides to generate images from text.

16 Super Google Updates from ISTE23

Google is constantly releasing new features, updates, and tools, which I try to share out each month in our GEG-Ohio virtual meetings at bit.ly/gegohio

However, sometimes Google drops a large amount of updates all at one time, often in conjunction with a large EdTech conference such as BETT or ISTE. They have just done that for the 2023 ISTE Conference.

I was fortunate to be able to attend and present at ISTE again this year. You can access all of my ISTE session resources at bit.ly/curts-iste23

I was also privileged to get to sit down with Taryn Sullivan from Google while at the conference to do a quick interview concerning several of their new updates.

See below for my recorded interview with Taryn, as well as details on many of the new updates that caught my attention. Which new features are you most excited for? I would love to hear your thoughts!

My ISTE 2023 Sessions

I am excited and honored to once again present at the 2023 ISTE Conference in Philadelphia this June 24th through 28th.

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

You can attend ISTE in person this year, or take part as a virtual attendee. Registration opens January 10th. To get more details and register for the conference go to:

• conference.iste.org/2023/attend

Below is a list of sessions I will be presenting at the ISTE Conference, along with any associated resources. I will continue to update this list with any changes and additions to my schedule.

Please feel free to join me for any of these sessions. I look forward to sharing, learning, and chatting with you!

Join the Control Alt Achieve Facebook Group

I am excited to announce the launch of the "Control Alt Achieve" Facebook group!

There are many ways that I communicate and share EdTech resources including this blog, Twitter, YouTube, my newsletter, and more.

Although those are effective ways to share out information, those methods are not always the best for discussions and connections and community.

To help with this I recently created a Google Group for email discussion which has grown to become a wonderful community of connected educators. I would encourage you to join that group if you haven't yet!

To build on this, and to provide people with another option, I have now created a Facebook Group to serve as an additional "Control Alt Achieve" discussion group. Anyone with an interest in educational technology is welcome to join.

See below for all the details and I am so excited to connect with and learn from you!

150+ Excellent Extensions for Chrome

Google Chrome is a powerful web browser filled with loads of useful features and tools. I covered many of these in my earlier series of posts and videos called "Google Chrome Can Do That?!"

However, as awesome as Chrome is, it may not do everything you need.

Thankfully Google allows you to make Chrome even better by installing Chrome web extensions. Extensions are tools from the Chrome Web Store that give extra features and abilities to Chrome. When you have them installed, you will find them as little icons in the top right corner of your browser.

In this blog post and webinar video we are going to take a deep dive into extensions including how to get extensions, how to manage your extensions, my resource with over 150 recommended extensions for you and your students, a selection of highlighted extensions, and more.

See below for the recorded webinar and all the resources for this session.

10 Questions for Student AI Guidelines

Over the past few months AI has emerged as a powerful tool to enrich our teaching, as well as our students' learning and creativity. But as the saying goes, "With great power comes great responsibility" (and yes, I did just watch the latest Spider-Man movie).

As AI use continues to grow, it is important for educators to establish clear guidelines for AI usage in the classroom, in an effort to safeguard our students while empowering their learning journey.

Like any powerful tool, AI has potential benefits and pitfalls. Its use in the classroom can enhance personalized learning, facilitate instant feedback, and foster a culture of innovation. However, improper use can lead to misinformation, privacy issues, and a lack of critical thinking.

In this blog post we will explore how you can develop AI guidelines by answering 10 questions about your philosophy of AI in education. We will then see how we can use AI to help us craft our ideas into a set of well-defined, thoughtful guidelines for our students.

What's New in Google? May 2023

Catch up on everything new in Google Workspace for Education from May 2023, and see great ideas and resources!

Below is the recorded video from our May 2023 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 May 2023 meeting: