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Vibe Coding Saved a School District $250k 🤯 (April EDU Updates)
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✨ I'm going on tour this summer! Join me for the Gemini Academy! ✨ Hi Reader! It's time for the April EDU update! I'm following all of Google's AI updates very closely because I'm getting ready for my Gemini summer tour! Trying to finalize this workshop in the midst of constantly shifting features and updates is a challenge! I'll be learning right alongside you! I'm also trying to prepare our campground for the 2026 camping season which starts in mid-May. So, it's been a full month on all fronts. The last 4-6 weeks of the school year can be challenging. I remember how slowly those last few weeks used to go by. Hang in there! The end is just around the corner! Here are the April updates, links, and new features that are worth your attention 🎦 Don't feel like reading? Watch on YouTube or Listen to the Podcast! 🎧 1. Generate custom avatars with Vids – Google Vids continues to add impressive new features which now includes custom branded Avatars with logos, and unique outfits to match your school culture and spirit! 2. Language support for Gemini in Classroom– Good news for all non-English speaking educators! Gemini for Classroom is available in 75 languages! 3. Personal Class Notebooks for college students – Google is rolling out the ability for higher education students to generate personal class notebooks through Google Classroom. K-12 teachers can currently do this on behalf of their students. I would anticipate this feature to roll down to K-12 schools in the near future. 4. Create content in seconds with Gemini in Docs – If you have EDU Plus you will see a new Gemini button at the bottom of Docs. You can use this to prompt gemini to improve existing content or create something brand new. It will also match document formatting, making it a great tool for managing tedious tasks! 5. Editable Slides with Gemini – Slide decks created with Gemini are now fully editable! This is a big improvement! At launch, this update is only available for users with an AI Pro license, but look for this feature to move down to lower tiers in the near future. 6. Impressive videos from NotebookLM – The video feature in NotebookLM has been a little limited, until now. The new “cinematic video” option creates impressive video summaries from your resources (check out my demo!). This feature is currently only available for users and an AI pro license, but I expect it will trickle down to lower tiers in the near future. 7. Vibe-coding $250k worth of edTech subscriptions – a school district in Washington State is developing custom apps with AI that are replacing expensive subscription-based services. 8. Google Takeout and Transfer for graduates – there’s a new app on managed chromebooks called “content transfer” that seniors can use to move their email and drive data to a personal Gmail account. Copy my student instructions here! 9. Canva Learn Grid – Canva is consolidating all of its classroom resources into one central location it’s calling “Learn Grid.” You can even vibe code your own interactive learning games. Check out my demo classification matching game! This feature will soon be powered by Canva AI 2.0. 10. Cloud Next Recap (260 updates) – Cloud Next is a developer conference that announces major updates that will eventually be developed into consumer and education products. The event is pretty technical, but there were some important updates including “workspace intelligence” and lots of talk of the “agentic era.” That's all the updates for April. Thanks for giving me a spot in your inbox! I would love to meet you IRL this summer at one of my Gemini Workshops! Click here to find a location near you! 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, For over two decades, our job as IT admins has focused on managing human users—provisioning their accounts, assigning their licenses, and locking down what they can and cannot do. We are now crossing into an entirely new era of domain administration: managing AI agents that act autonomously across Google Workspace. Google recently rolled out a new Agent Control section in the Admin Console. Here is a plain-English breakdown of what these policies do and how to use them. 🍁...
✨ Earn your Gemini Certification...Join me for Wednesday webinars! ✨ Hi Reader! After a busy back-to-school travel season, I'm taking a vacation with my family to explore Disney World in Orlando! I was able to type up this month's EDU Update right before we left. As you return to your schools and start the new school year, you might have noticed a few changes in Google Classroom. I decided to share a summary of some of the big updates and features that you can use this year. Everything listed...
✨ Join me for Wednesday Webinars with John! ✨ Hi Reader! As July wraps up, the start of the school year is right around the corner. This week I am in Honolulu, Hawaii to provide some back-to-school training for a school (rough assignment, I know 🌸). This trip kicks off my 2026 back-to-school tour! I’ll be heading to schools all across the US helping teachers just like you get ready for the 2026-27 school year! This month’s EDU update is full of FREE resources to help you prepare for the new...