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At the ISTE 2024 education conference, Google announced it’s bringing Gemini to students and educators via Workspace for Education.
New AI-powered Workspace for Education features for students and teachers include:
- Read Along in Classroom
- Lesson and content planning
- Gemini features in Google Classroom
- AI-powered add-on for Google Vids
A new media literacy curriculum is designed to help teens navigate AI safely.?
Read Along in Classroom
To help students with reading, Read Along in Classroom provides insights on reading accuracy, speed, and comprehension. With over 800 books, educators can enable support in the student’s native language for certain books and generate personalized stories for each student. Google promises teachers can assign reading activities for each student “based on Lexile measure, grade level, or phonetics skills.” The pilot program is open for signup.
Google Classroom Lesson Planning
Lesson and content planning for teachers will be easier with Gemini in Google Classroom. Teachers can create student groups and assign content based on the group’s needs.
Google Vids
Google recently announced Google Vids in Workspace, a tool for creating videos for teaching and learning. Later this year, students and teachers will have access to an exclusive version without generative AI via Google Workspace for Education, followed by a generative AI-powered version featuring a Gemini for Google Workspace add-on.
Media Literacy Handbook
To help students navigate a world with AI, Google’s Be Internet Awesome is also pioneering a new Media Literacy Handbook for teachers, developed with the National Association of Media Literacy Education (NAMLE).
AI Safety and Data Protection
The new rollout has strict controls. Students must use a school-issued Workspace for Education account for enhanced data protection, while AI features will be off by default and can only be turned on by admins. Educators will also be able to install the Gemini web app on Chromebooks for ease of access.
Students must also meet the minimum age requirements for the Gemini web app – currently 18 in the European Economic Area (EEA), UK, Switzerland, and Canada. Teens in other countries must meet the minimum age of 13 (or the applicable age in their country), and those under 18 can only use the app in English.
This announcement follows the raft of AI features Google brought to Chromebook Plus systems last month, including Google Gemini, Magic Editor, and more.
