Thursday, June 25, 2026

Tech Tips & News June 2026

Image by Karen Szczytko, created using
Gemini AI and original source photos.
It's a light month for tech news and tips. It's just as well, since everyone just wants to get on with summer. Now if the temps would just warm up! We can all expect more updates to be announced in July following the ISTE conference. Since I'm in full-on chromebook maintenance mode right now, I don't have any AI experiments to share with you this month. That being said, it's the perfect time to explore Google's AI Educator Series. It's an easy way to get some AI training in small bite size pieces while you're enjoying your morning coffee. These AI micro lessons are designed for educators, so you should learn some practical applications. The way Google has the site set up is a little wonky, so I've included instructions below to help you navigate the site, get your training, and earn certificates. Once school starts up in August, I'll be offering additional AI micro lessons to help ASA teachers become more familiar with AI, and how to use it as a teaching assistant. For now, enjoy the start of your summer and some much needed down time!

Safety & Security


Updates


Tips & Tutorials


Mobile Phishing is a Bigger Threat Than Email Now - How to Stay Protected

If your school account is on your personal phone, or your personal phone is connected to school WiFi, you need to be aware of this trend. The same phishing awareness rules that you follow for emails also apply to text messages and phone calls. 

What is a Password Manager? Time to Log In Safer

What is a Password Manager? Time to Log In Safer, from National Cybersecurity Alliance
Just in case you missed my lecture and video in last month's Tech Tips & News, this article explains why you should be using a password manager. Seriously, get rid of all that password stress and hassle!

Phone Battery Draining Fast? Malware is One of 8 Possible Factors - How to Tell for Sure

Find out how you can extend your phone battery's life. 

The Best Way to Check Where Your Home Address Shows Up Online

There's an easy tool for this. Use it to protect your personal information and identity. 

Best Vacation and Travel Cyersecurity Tips

Best Vacation and Travel Cyersecurity Tips, from National Cybersecurity Alliance
Do you stay connected online while on vacation? Criminals know you do. Check out the smart habits to keep your information safe before, during and after your trip.

Summer Travel Warning: Your Vacation Could Be a Scam Waiting to Happen

As we've come to expect, with every new season, there's a scam for that. Vacation season is no exception. 


The Agents are Coming (Google EDU Updates May 2026)


Gemini:  Share Chats, Canvases & Generated Media via Google Drive


Have you ever been researching something in Gemini, and wanted to share your whole Gemini conversation with others? Have you vibe coded an app, but then weren't sure how to share that app with others? Now you can share your Gemini chats, canvases and generated media right in Gemini through Drive. Sharing your Gemini conversation, or chat, will work the same way it does when you share any file in Drive. You should be seeing this update now. 

Gemini:  Branch a New Conversation From a Chat

Imagine you are in the middle of a Gemini chat. In Gemini's response, if there is a topic you don't really understand and would like to learn more about, you can ask some side questions without derailing your original chat. In the past you would have needed to start a separate chat to go down that new rabbit hole. Now, you can create a new chat that branches off from a specific point in your main chat, bringing the chat history with it, but without affecting the original conversation. To do this, below a response click the three-dot More menu, then Branch in a New Chat. Deleting a branched chat will not delete the original chat. Learn more about managing your Gemini chats here. 

Google Classroom:  Track Student Progress with Learning Standards and Skills

Google Classroom now allows educators to tag coursework and rubrics with learning goals, including specific learning standards and skills, providing a more structured way to monitor student growth. When creating assignments, quiz assignments, questions, or materials, educators can search for available, established standards and skills or click on suggested goals, which use AI to analyze assignment and course content. By tagging coursework with these goals, teachers can view analytics that visualize student performance and identify instructional gaps across individual students, entire classes, or specific learning areas.

Learning standards from around the world are made available in Classroom through partnerships with 1EdTech and Common Good Learning Tools. These standard frameworks are pulled from Satchel Rosetta Exchange, a public space hosted by Common Good Learning Tools where anyone can browse various learning standard sets that leverage the 1EdTech® Competencies and Academic Standards Exchange® (CASE®) standard specification. Visit the Help Center to learn more about getting new standard sets added to Classroom.

NotebookLM:  Automatic Syncing with Drive Files

It's now easier to keep your sources and insights current in NotebookLM by enabling automatic syncing with Google Drive. Previously, if you uploaded a file in Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides, you’d have to manually update it in NotebookLM to see the changes. With this update, as the content in your Drive files evolves, the information within the notebook updates automatically to match. This update ensures that you're always working with the most accurate and up-to-date information without the manual effort of re-syncing files. NotebookLM will also strictly respect file deletions and permissions. If a user’s access to a Drive file is revoked, they will no longer be able to use that file as a source in their notebook. The source will appear in the sources list with a link to the source for the user to request access. Additionally, if a file is deleted from Drive, it will be removed from the notebook as well, ensuring your research environment stays organized and secure. We should be seeing this update by mid-June

Google Workspace App Icon Updates


I'm not entirely sure why Google feels the need to change their app icons every few years, but they've done so again. While the new icons look good on the black background above, I'm finding it difficult to distinguish between some of them in my tab headers. Yes, I'm already seeing this update, and you probably are too. These changes are purely cosmetic. There is no change in functionality. 

10 Easy Ways to Clean Up Your Google Classroom

10 Easy Ways to Clean Up Your Google Classroom, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller
Wondering how to tidy up Google Classroom at the end of the year, and prepare for next year? Here you go.

Navigating the Google AI Educator Series


The new Google AI Educator Series, which was introduced last month, is intended to provide teachers with very short, bite-sized, mini lessons that teachers can squeeze into their schedules. This is a great way to learn about Google's AI tools, as well learning pedagogical applications for using them, however the site is very clunky to use. First, make sure you login to the site. When you want to take one of the trainings, don't click on the big blue Earn Your Badge button, that's actually your last step. Instead you want to click on the Learn More link, then the Review Course Content link, and finally the Get Started button. When you've completed the training module, then you'll click the Earn Your Badge button to take the quiz and earn the badge. After September 2, 2026, new content will be released on the first Wednesday of every month, so you can continue to learn and grow in your AI knowledge all year. 


I Used NotebookLM to Make a 'Family Wiki' - Everything I Need to Run the Household is a Click Away

I'm totally stealing this idea, and will start with manuals for everything in my house. Let the scanning begin!

3 Things To Do at the End of the School Year (That Future You Will Thank You For)

Cap off this school year and be ready for the next with these tips now. You'll also get a recipe for a tasty treat. 
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