The EdTechTeacher Podcast

Teachers returned this fall to a set of powerful new AI tools built right into the Google Workspace they already use every day. Tom Driscoll and Brandon Hall open Season 3 with a practical tour of what's worth your time: Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM), custom Gems, Canvas mode for building classroom games with no coding experience, the new Gemini tools inside Google Classroom, and Workspace Studio for automating the busywork. Along the way, hear how an eighth grader built a car maintenance bot in ten minutes, and why one teacher set up a "red pen" Gem to tear apart her lesson ideas before her students do. Plus: a preview of this season's new formats, two free Google AI Educator Series webinars (October 8 and October 20) where you can earn badges live, and our first community shoutouts, to Wolcott College Prep in Chicago and Neil Sonnenberg of Medfield Public Schools.

Brandon sits down with Narragansett (RI) Public Schools technology integration coach Vanessa Miller, and they chat about tech coaching, vibe coding, and using AI with students. The ability to vibe code with AI has helped both Brandon and Vanessa, and they talk about a variety of projects that they've worked on. You can find Vanessa Miller on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/vlynnmiller

Brandon sits down with Narragansett High School English and Special Education teacher Sarah Dully, and they discuss all things innovation and pedagogy. Their "yapping" (her words) included using Gemini to modify and personalize lessons, talking about the big picture of teaching, engaging all learners, and using AI to make Masters picks. "When we use AI effectively, it doesn't replace the teacher; it clears secondary tasks away so we can focus on what actually matters, the one-to-one interactions, the deep personalization of instruction, and the unshakable bonds we build with our students" You can find Sarah online on Instagram @OceanStateSTOY and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-d-315208354

Welcome back! Dartmouth (MA) Public Schools Instructional Technology Specialist Liz Voci sits down with Brandon to talk about Gemini, Gems, Canvas, and vibe coding with kids and adults. Liz and her students built apps using Canvas and Google Sites that mimicked some popular math practice sites and teachers have gotten crafty creating their own classroom tools, too. Follow Liz on LinkedIN at https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-voci-innovator

Brandon sits down with Moses Brown Middle School educator Jon Gold to talk about a variety of topics related to the unique challenges of teaching middle school. The discussion ranges from the learning, guardrails teachers can put in place, and mistakes common with middle level learners; what are we grading and why are we grading it; using NotebookLM and Gems for student feedback; and a future that might include making bots that can assist teachers. Find his work in the New York Times here, and Edutopia here.