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Hi Reader!

As you set up your classroom and get ready for a new crew of students, you might be thinking, "What's something new I can try this year?" Each year I select five strategies, tools, or ideas you can use to engage your students and shake things up a bit.

These five tools and strategies are all about making your life easier and your students' learning more engaging. Here's what I am recommending this year...

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1. Gemini Gems: Your Custom AI Sidekick

Google Gemini can be a great brainstorm partner, but did you know you can create your own custom versions of it? They're called Gems, and they're like a personalized AI expert built on your specific criteria.

You can create custom Gems to make your life as a teacher easier OR to engage your students with some creative learning opportunities:

• Gems for Teachers: Upload your rubric and project requirements to a Gem. Now that Gemini knows your expectations, you can upload student work and ask it to provide feedback based on your specific criteria. This isn’t a replacement for your personal feedback, but it will help get things started.
• Gems for Students: Imagine you're a history teacher. You could create a "Gem" that knows all about the American Revolution. You give it specific instructions—like "act as a colonial-era newspaper editor" or "explain the Boston Tea Party from a British perspective." Once you save your Gem, it's ready to go.

Coming Soon: you will be able to assign Gems directly through Google Classroom. This is a powerful way to let students explore AI in a structured, safe, and super-focused way.
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Want to dive deep into the use of AI in the classroom? Join me each Wednesday starting Oct. 8 for a webinar on a variety of topics including: ✨ Simplify lesson planning with AI (Oct. 29) ❇️ The best AI tools for teachers in 2025 (Nov. 12) 💎 Coaching student writing in the age of AI (Dec. 3) ⚡ Grading with Gemini: instant feedback, less time (Jan. 7) These are just a few of the 30 sessions I have planned for this year! There's something for everyone: elementary, high school, math, ELA, special education, and more! Details: Date: Wednesdays starting October 8, 2025 Time: on-demand (watch when it is convenient) Earn up to 30 continuing education credits! Cost: $99 for the entire year! ​View a sample session​ Sign up today! Want to signup your entire district? Bulk discounts are available!

2. "Vibe Coding" with Gemini

If the word "coding" makes you break out in a sweat, this one's for you. Vibe coding is using AI to generate a custom application, without writing a single line of code.

You can ask Gemini to write code for a Jeopardy review game based on your vocabulary list, a simple flashcard matching game, or even a random student name selector. You just describe what you want, and Gemini writes the code for you.

Check out this great site by Liz Voci with tips and examples to start coding your first project!

3. Return to "show your work"

AI is here to stay. And while we can't ignore the challenges it presents for writing-based classes, reverting to a paper-and-pencil-only classroom isn't the answer. The best approach? Design assignments that require students to "show their work,” just like they do in math class.

For your next writing assignment, ask your students to submit their initial brainstorm document, their outline, first, draft, second draft, etc. Students should also be reminded that all of their work should be done in Google Docs so that they can show their work through the revision history feature.

With this structure in place, you will be able to use Chrome extensions like Brisk Teaching or Process Feedback to evaluate the students' writing process. These tools give you the insights you need to understand how students are writing, not just what they wrote.

4. The Power of Short-Form Video

If you have a student with a smartphone, chances are they're fluent in the language of short-form video. Reels, Shorts, and TikTok are a primary way that many people consume and share information. Instead of fighting it, let's harness that power for learning!

Challenge your students to share their understanding using this popular format. They could create a 60-second video explaining a historical event, demonstrating a scientific concept, or summarizing a book. A free tool like Canva is perfect for this. It has a ton of templates, stock video clips, and easy-to-use editing features that make it a breeze for students to create professional-looking videos. This simple shift can make learning feel relevant and exciting while still accomplishing your learning objectives.

Related Post: three short-form video lessons for the classroom

Check out this blog post and video for three lessons powered by short-form video.

5. Snorkl: AI powered learning

There's a constant stream of new classroom AI tools, and it's tough to know which ones are worth your time. One that has really caught my attention is Snorkl.

Snorkl is similar to the much-loved (and now retired) FlipGrid, but with a major twist: an AI coach that gives students immediate, personalized feedback. The AI analyzes their response, identifies misconceptions, and provides you, the teacher, with insights into student performance. It's a fantastic way to get a quick pulse on student understanding without grading a stack of papers.

You can try Snorkl for FREE. This is a great tool for science, math, geography and more!

I hope these ideas inspire you to try something new this year. The best part? You don't have to overhaul your entire curriculum. Just pick one of these to try and see what happens.

John R. Sowash

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