Monday, December 22, 2025

Tech Tips and News for December 2025

Gemini Generated with Nano Banana
Did you know that most data breaches start with an employee falling for a phishing email? Have you fallen for a phishing attempt recently? Some of your recently received a phishing email that appeared to be from Fr. Christoper. Many of you were alert enough to realize it was not a legitimate message, but a few of you fell for it. I encourage you to review the safety and security articles below and participate in each of the Michigan Catholic Conference cyber trainings that come through your inbox. Accidentally interacting with a phishing message is exactly what they are intended to prevent. 

During our recent snow day, I had a chance to do some experimenting with Google Gemini. I used Canvas in Gemini (not to be confused with the LMS) to create two interactive lessons and an infographic all in an afternoon. Take a look at the last article below, or watch the short video linked in that article, to see how easy it was and how much time Gemini can save you. I learned so much in just one afternoon about how to better use Gemini just by playing around with it. I also linked the lessons and infographic Gemini and I produced so you can see exactly what it created. It's time to work smarter, not harder, and Gemini has made it so much easier to do. Since Gemini is part of Google Workspace for Education, it's secure to use, and I don't need to create a third party account. Since teachers are some of the most creative people I know, I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with this tool.  If you have a chance to experiment with Gemini, or have already been using it, please let me know what you've created and how your experience went.

Safety and Security

News

Updates

Tips and Tutorials




Before You Check Out, Read This: 10 Crucial Online Shopping Safety Tricks

Before You Check Out, Read This: 10 Crucial Online Shopping Safety Tricks, from PC Magazine by Eric Griffith and Kim Key

Is That Your Delivery Driver Calling or a Phone Scam? Don't Pick Up Until You Read This? 

Rule of thumb, If you don't recognize the number, let it go to voicemail. If it's important they'll leave a message and you can call them back. This article also explains what the caller labels on your phone really mean and shows you how to block those scammy callers. 

How to Report Phishing in Gmail (Video)



Spot Phishing Emails (Video)


Email Scams are Getting Better, What Should We Do? (Video)


I Compared the Privacy of ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity - Here's the One You Should Trust Most with Your Personal Info


This comparison is when using these chat bots with your personal account. When using your school account, Gemini is the most secure. That being said I still wouldn't share any personal information with any of them. 




14 Things AI Can Do Faster Than You, But Never Better

While AI seems like it can think - it really can't, it just predicts what it thinks we want to hear. Find out how else being a human has its advantages over AI.

Pathways to AI - Earn up to 81 SCECHs for Free

Are you ready to master AI tools? KISD is offering an Asynchronous/Self-Paced course, February 1-April 30, 2026. Explore four tailored pathways: AI Foundations, Content Creation, Classroom Instruction, or Student Engagement at your own pace with hands-on tools and vendor-backed certifications. Earn digital badges that prove your expertise, streamline your workflows, and empower students with critical AI skills. Complete one pathway or all four; you decide your journey. No cost, maximum flexibility, maximum impact. Register for Pathways to AI here.

Updated AI Privacy and Safety Checks

Kent Intermediate School District has created and maintains a comprehensive list of educational AI tools and rates their privacy and safety. This is a great place to start when you are thinking about using an AI-enabled tool for your own use or especially with students. You can find it at iamed.tech/aiprivacysafety. 

Brand-New Classroom Game from Common Sense Education

What's AI, and what isn't? In today's media landscape, kids need to know! Two Truths & AI is a 
digital literacy game for grades K–12 that teaches students to spot AI-generated content and develop important media literacy skills.

Through an engaging 60-second challenge, students try to distinguish between real and AI-generated movie posters. It's a fun way for students to test their AI detective skills, while also building their critical thinking muscles.

 Use this new game to help your students:
🔎 Learn to spot AI-generated content by noticing visual clues
✋ Explain their reasoning through thoughtful analysis and discussion
🧠 Think critically about the digital images they see

Best of all, this new game is 100% free for educators everywhere! Learn more and try it here. 



Google Classroom:  Educators Can Now Assign Public Notebooks


Teachers can attach public notebooks to assignments, in addition to the notebooks they create or own. NotebookLM is a great way for students to interact with AI, because it limits the source documents to only those included in the Notebook. Students could then ask questions about the content, create a study guide, flash cards, listen to the content, watch a video containing all the info and more. We do not currently have NotebookLM turned on for students until staff can learn about NotebookLM and plan for its use. Learn more about creating assignments with NotebookLM here. This feature will be rolling out during the month of December.

Google EDU November Update

John demonstrates how to use the latest updates in Google. 

December Google EDU Update







What to Do When Your Computer Won't Start

What to Do When Your Computer Won't Start, from PC Magazine by Whitson Gordon
It's such a sinking feeling when your computer won't start. Don't panic, try these steps instead.

Is That an AI Image? 6 Telltale Signs It's a Fake - And My Favorite Free Detectors

I've noticed some AI images and videos are so obvious, but others aren't. I appreciate the AI detector suggestions. 

Is That an AI Video? 6 Telltale Signs It's a Fake

Is That an AI Video? 6 Telltale Signs It's a Fake, from ZDNet by Elyse Betters Picaro
Learn what to look for to spot those fake videos. This article also makes some suggestions for AI detection tools. (Tip:  watch this one from home, as most of the video examples are from TikTok and blocked on school WiFi.)

Your Google Drive is a Disaster - Here's How to Fix it in Just One Afternoon

Thank goodness Drive is easily searchable, but it's even easier when you can find your files because you've organized them!

From 45 Minutes to 8: How to Streamline Assignments with This Hidden Google Classroom Feature

Were you aware of the Reuse Post feature? I wasn't. Having a Google Classroom full of assignment templates is brilliant!

8 Googley Wintertime Activities

8 Googley Wintertime Activities, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts
Help your students improve their tech skills with these free winter themed activities. All can be done in Google Slides, Drawing, Sheets or Docs. Templates are provided to get you started. 

I Spent a Snow Day Afternoon Experimenting with Gemini Canvas

My first Gemini Canvas project

Gemini can create just about anything you ask it to. I recently explored the Canvas tool (no, not Camvas the LMS) to create a couple of phishing lessons and an infographic (see the video here). First I used the Fast method- which took about 20 minutes to create from start to finish includeing all the adjustments I made to it. Then I tried the thinking method, which took closer to 45 minutes to create and refine due to its complexity. The Thinking option was definitely overkill for this exercise and made the assignment more of a course with modules than just a simple lesson. The thinking method would be better used when needed to incorporate images, such as when creating an infographic or if you are looking for something more complex. In hindsight, I could have shortened the time it took to refine the projects if I'd created a more detailed prompt in the first place. Your prompt can be as long and detailed as you need it to be. I've seen some that are pages long and include dot points. Neither of these lessons are ready for prime time, but are a good start considering they took less than an hour, were free, customizable, and I didn't have to know how to code to create them.  

Once the lessons were created, I then asked Gemini how I could share them. Sharing the infographic was easy, but the interactive lessons were a little more complicated, and this is where Gemini was less helpful. I had to spell out that I am not a programmer or coder, am new to Gemini Canvas, and needed specific instructions as to where to find the code file it was referring to. Turns out there's a tiny filing tray icon in the upper right corner that lists all of the files Gemini creates for a project. I also needed to switch between the preview and code views - another thing Gemini neglected to mention. (I point out the location for both of these in the video I linked above.)

You can see all three of these Gemini created projects here, including the prompts I used and what I learned. 

Here are my take-aways:
  • Start Simple - Start with a project you are familiar with, such as creating a worksheet in a Google Doc, a presentation, or an infographic and use the Fast method - unless you need Gemini to create graphics.
  • Detailed Prompt - be as detailed as possible when creating your initial prompt. Use natural language as if you were speaking to a human. Include your role, your intended audience, details about what content to include including any key terms it should use, and what kind of project you're creating (printable worksheet, interactive lesson, infographic, etc.). The more detailed your inital prompt is, the fewer adjustments you'll need to make and the faster the project will go.
  • Continue the Conversation - Usually the initial creation is just a start, and as you look through it you'll think of things you'd like Gemini to change. Consider the Gemini chat to be an ongoing collaboration. You tell Gemini what to change and it will do it. Ask Gemini for advice, and it will provide it. If you don't understand what it's telling you to do, ask questions. 
  • How to Share?  I spent the most time with the lesson projects trying to figure out how to share them. Because they were interactive lessons, it's more complicated than creating a doc or slide file to share as you normally would. Gemini was less detailed in it's instructions for where to find files it would refer me to. I eventually realized all the files Gemini creates based on your prompts are accessible via a very small filing tray icon in the upper right corner. I also didn't realize at first that there's a preview and code view, so if you need to copy and paste the code you need to switch to code view. 
  • Keep Trying! The more you work with Gemini, the faster you'll become at telling it what you want, and knowing what details to include in your prompt. 
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