Thursday, April 17, 2025

Tech Tips and News April 2025

Created by Gemini/Imagen
Spring Break '25 is already behind us and we're already in the throes of Holy Week. We're going to blink and it will be June! Spring and Easter, with their reminders of renewal and growth, are also such a busy time of the school year. So while you're trying to keep your head above water and finish this school year strong, I want to make sure you don't miss some recent updates. Since Google Classroom will be our LMS next year, I really want to call your attention to a newer feature in Classroom that is also receiving a much-requested update this month. Read Along is embedded in Google Classroom, and is an AI-powered reading tutor designed to support students in building their reading skills. It provides real-time feedback, pronunciation support, and comprehension assistance as students read aloud. Teachers can use Read Along to assign reading assignments, track student progress, and gain insights into their reading accuracy, speed, and comprehension. This month's new update will also allow teachers to add their own content to Read Along so your students can read information related to the material they are currently learning about. Learn how to use Read Along here. Searching YouTube for "Read Along in Google Classroom" produced six different videos you can watch to get started as well.

I wish you a blessed Triduum and spectacular Easter. 

Safety & Security


News


Updates


Tips & Tutorials



Think You Can Spot a Phishing Scam? Think Again.

Think You Can Spot a Phishing Scam? Think Again. from Hive Systems by Alex Nette
AI is making phishing emails much harder to spot and easier to fall for, and most cyber attacks begin with phishing. Find out what to look for now.

How to Avoid Scams and Fraud on your Smartphone

How to Avoid Scams and Fraud on your Smartphone, from National Cybersecurity Alliance
Learn the most common ways you can get scammed on your phone, and how to avoid them. 

3 Simple Tricks for Remembering Strong Passwords

3 Simple Tricks for Remembering Strong Passwords, from PC Mag by Neil J. Rubenking 
If I were writing this article, my advice would be 1. Password Manager, 2. Password Manager and 3. Password Manager. I use Bitwarden (it's free for a personal account) and I cannot tell you how less stressful it has made my life! It will create very secure passwords for you, and even auto-fill your login credentials so you only have to remember one password - the one for Bitwarden. Fortunately I did not write this article and there are three additional suggestions that don't involve a password manager.

Clicked on a Phishing Link? Take These 7 Steps ASAP to Protect Yourself

First, breathe. It happens, and it's getting harder and harder to spot phishing messages. Second read through all the advice in this article. 


Schools Can Now Report the Instagram Accounts Kids Use to Bully Each Other

When bullying on social media spills over into the school day, schools now have some recourse, at least on Instagram. Meta says it will prioritize complaints from those who sign up for the School Partnership Program and respond within 48 hours. 


Exciting Updates to IXL's Diagnostics

IXL has added a new math diagnostic tool, and updated the names of their existing diagnostics. 

GoGuardian Enhanced Chat Logs


Teachers can now easily locate previous chat transcripts between teacher and student when you run a student report. This will provide evidence of off-task behavior and is easily available in one place. Just launch the student reports and filter for chat logs. Explore more about this update here.

GoGuardian Scene Conflict Resolution


Scene conflict happens when two or more teachers have class sessions going on at once. Each student can only have one filtering scene applied at any given time. When a student is in overlapping class sessions where at least one scene is applied, one teacher's scene will conflict with the other teacher's scene (or lack of a scene). With the update to Scene Conflicts, teachers will now receive a Scene Conflict notification that lists the name of the teacher who's scene is conflicting with theirs in addition to names of students who are impacted by the conflict. See more info here. 

Google is Giving Away Gemini's Best Paid Features for Free

Free AI tools are getting more rare these days. Google has expanded deep research with AI, there is also an AI assistant available, and AI connected Google apps.

Google Chat:  See Summaries of Google Docs, Slides or Sheets


When Google Docs, Slides or sheets are shared in Google Chat, you will see a Summarize This File link. Clicking or tapping that link will provide a summary of the document in the side panel. We should begin to see this feature in early April, so look for it when you return from Spring Break. Full details for this update can be found here.

Google Classroom:  Teachers Can Upload Content to Read Along

Teachers are now able to upload their own content to Google Classroom Read Along. This feature expands Read Along’s current library by empowering educators to add content that addresses learners' needs. You should already be seeing this update.
Learn how to use Read Along in Google Classroom here.
Learn how to add content to Read Along in Classroom here. 

Google Classroom:  Introducing Silent Reading Mode in Read Along

In addition to the ability to upload your own content, Google will now add Silent Reading to Read Along as well. Previously, students could only read aloud. Now they will be able to read a book in silent reading mode so they won't have to draw attention to themselves. Students will still be able to build independent reading skills and will be able to 
  • Receive assistance from the AI reading buddy when needed by clicking on any unknown words 
  • Be presented with questions to help with their reading comprehension 
  • Receive stars when they read with few errors or assistance and answer questions correctly 
When Silent Reading mode is in use, teachers will not be provided with a student's reading performance related to accuracy, words per minute or phonics, but will receive feedback related to comprehension. This update should be available now. Learn how to use Read Along in Google Classroom here. 

Google Gemini:  Canvas is a New Way to Collaborate with Gemini


You can now create, format, and refine your documents or code in Canvas, a new collaborative space in Gemini. After generating a first draft in Canvas, you can refine and ask Gemini for feedback to suggest edits, such as changing the tone, length, or formatting. You can edit just part of the text, or the whole draft. This feature is available now in your Gemini app, which is now in your app selector (the square with nine dots in Google). This feature is not available for our students. Learn how to get started using Canvas in Gemini here. Read the entire announcement about this new feature here. 

Gemini & NotebookLM:  Now Core Services for Education

Both the Gemini app and NotebookLM are not core services for Google Workspace for Education. This means they receive the same level of support as other core services, such as Gmail and Docs. It also means they are covered under the Google Workspace for Education terms of service, and your data will not be used to train the service. At ASA these services are turned on for adults only. 

Gemini is an AI assistant for education that allows educators to chat with the Gemini app to brainstorm ideas, answer questions quickly, summarize content and more. In addition, students can use the Gemini app to learn more confidently with in-the-moment assistance, practice materials, and real-time feedback. 

NotebookLM is an AI-powered thinking partner that helps you understand anything. It accelerates learning and knowledge sharing, with AI grounded on the documents that matters most to you. Educators and students 18+ can add their lesson plans, education standards, lecture notes and/or course readings to get real-time summaries, guided lesson plans, discussion questions, quizzes and more. They can also generate audio overviews to take learning on the go and make content more accessible, digestible and engaging.

To learn how to use these services, check out Using Gemini Apps With a School Account, and Learn More About NotebookLM. Please note, our Google license does not support NotebookLM Plus.

NotebookLM:  New Interactive Mind Map

NotebookLM has been added as an additional service for Google Workspace for Education for users 18+. One of the newest features is the ability to generate a mind map which will show the connections between key ideas in your content. So in addition to being able to create an audio overview, briefing doc, study guide, FAQs and timeline, an interactive mind map will be available as well. We should see this upgrade by early April. Learn more about NotebookLM here. 



11 Must-Know Tips for Cleaning Every Electronic Device the Right Way

It's spring cleaning season and your tech wants in on the action. Your mobile devices are filthier than your toilet seat. They definitely need to be cleaned more often than we clean them. It's important to know how to sanitize and clean them without damaging them however. 

Fun, Low-Stakes, Gamified Student Writing with WeWillWrite

Fun, Low-Stakes, Gamified Student Writing with WeWillWrite, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller
Do your students like to write? This may help. It can be used in all subject areas that involve writing. 

Google NotebookLM for Teachers:  10 Things to Know for Educators

NotebookLM is a huge help analyzing long documents, many documents, lots of data, etc. Be aware, this tool is for users who are 18+, our students will not be able to use it, but it's a great tool for adults!


Use Google AI Studio as a Tutor

Brian Buffington demonstrates how to use Google's AI Studio to learn  how to do something in Canva. AI Studio can now actually see your screen to help guide you through any process. In this video he left in the real-time pauses so you can see the latency. This technology will only continue to improve, but right now there's quite a bit of delay during the interaction.


Get Useful Data on Students' Writing Process with Process Feedback for Google Docs Extension

The Process Feedback for Google Docs extension was suggested by Eric Curts in a recent Control Alt Achieve newsletter. This extension is completely free and generates a very detailed report on the writing process for any Google Doc. This includes details on total typing time, total task duration, quantity and content of any pasting, typing speeds, typing sessions, and even a simulated playback video of the document being written. Although no tool is a solution for cheating, this extension can be a valuable resource to provide a much clearer picture of the work a student has (or hasn't) put into their writing.

Tariff-Free Shopping: 10 Things to Know Before Buying Refurbished Electronics 

If you are looking to save money on technology, then refurbished may be the way to go. Be sure to proceed with caution. 
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