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Google is replacing Gems with Skills—here’s what you need to know
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✨ FREE LIVE Session: Earn a Gemini Badge with me TONIGHT at 7pm EST! ✨ Hi Reader! I've been speaking at several fall conferences the past few weeks. Its great to get out of the office and meet people "IRL"! I enjoyed attending MASS CUE in New England and the Great Lakes Unity conference in Grand Rapids, MI. During these events I had an opportunity to introduce teachers and administrators to the Google Educator Series, a really neat program from Google that allows you to earn official Gemini badges for learning about Gemini and Gemini Notebook. It's fun! There's lots to explore and consider when it comes to AI in education. Tonight, I'm hosting a free webinar that will highlight some of the latest features to Google's AI tools including the transition from Gems > Skills (more on that later). I hope we can connect at an in-person event or live webinar. But for now, let's dive into 10 interesting, important, and helpful updates for October 2026. Don't feel like reading? Watch on YouTube or Listen to the Podcast! 1. Publish Vibe coded apps to Google Sites - You can now directly export your vibe coded application from Gemini to Google Sites without copying and pasting code! This is GREAT for teachers and makes it much easier to share your creations with students. 2. Skills will replace Gems (eventually) - Google will be phasing out Gems and replacing them with skills. This transition will happen slowly and won’t be finalized until mid 2027. Teachers can continue to use Gems for the remainder of this school year.
3. Getting to know Skills - A skill is a saved prompt that you can use over and over to speed up and improve your use of Gemini. Skills are similar to Gems, but can be “‘stacked” on top of one another which means you can use multiple skills at the same time. 4. Featured Skill: Match your writing Style - this is a skill that everyone should enable! Gemini will evaluate Gmail and Drive to understand your existing writing style. Based on this sample material, anything you ask Gemini to help you with will be written in your voice. To activate, open Gemini, select “customize” from the menu and look for “match your writing style.” 5. Notebook Insights for Teachers - Google Classroom will begin showing data on how your students interact with Gemini Notebooks that teachers have assigned. The insights include a summary of chat conversations and usage data. 6. Read Along for Google Classroom - A LOT of teachers who saw this Facebook post and wanted to know more about Read Along for Google Classroom. This blog post will show you the different options that you can use Read Along in your classroom! 7. Batch Grading with Brisk - I just learned about a great new feature available for Brisk teaching that allows ELA teachers to provide “batch feedback” to many students based on your custom grading criteria. This feature is free for all teachers! 8. Atomency Chemistry App - A 16 year old chemistry student built the chemistry app that his teacher needed, and it’s awesome! Listen to the story on the Cool Cat Teacher podcast by Vicky Davis. 9. Spooky ELA activity for students - Explore the use of figurative language with the use of AI images. This activity challenges students to write using vivid language so that an AI image generator like Gemini or Canva can visually create their fictional world. 10. Digital Pumpkin Carving - this is a fun seasonal activity for younger students that gives them practice with fine mouse movements and Google Slides. Congratulations, you made it all the way to the end! That puts you in the special 10% of all of my readers! 🥳 You're the best! Come hang out with me tonight starting at 7pm eastern. I'd love to help you earn your first Google Gemini badge! RSVP here! John R. Sowash 📨 Did someone forward this email to you? Click here to add your name to my monthly email list!
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The Google EDU Update
Tired of missing out on the coolest Google updates and new features? Join thousands of other teachers who rely on my monthly newsletter to stay ahead of the curve. Get the top 10 updates, teaching inspiration, and time-saving links delivered straight to your inbox.
Hello Reader, I feel bad that I’ve spent a lot of time talking about negative and scary uses for AI, but not much time discussing the cool, positive ways that teachers can use tools like Gemini and Gemini Notebook in the classroom. I want to take a short break from heavy, technical topics to introduce you to a cool (and free) professional learning resource for teachers called the Google AI Educator Series. Introducing the Google AI Educator Series The Google AI Educator Series (GES) is a...
Hello Reader, Today I want to share five practical settings you can update to improve the classroom experience. These aren’t complicated, but they make a HUGE difference for teachers and students. These are just some of the things that I'll be covering during the Chromebook Academy for IT admins next month. If you're interested in manage Chromebooks more effectively, you're invited to join us! Oh, and if you happen to be at the MASS CUE conference this week, say hello! I'm doing a session on...
Hello Reader, The fall Google Admin Bootcamp starts TODAY (Oct. 6) at 1pm EST. There are still a few spots left. You can register here. Over the years—and through dozens of district audits—I’ve found that domain health usually boils down to five core pillars. When these five areas are configured properly, your life will be a LOT easier! 1. Organizational Units (OUs) Avoid "Special" OUs: Don't create separate OUs for temporary exceptions (like "YouTube Allowed" or "No 2FA"). Use Security...