Thursday, July 23, 2026

Tech Tips and News for July 2026

Hey teachers, some notable Google Classroom updates were announced at the ISTE conference in June. This graphic highlights them, and I've linked an overview video by John Sowash below. Additionally, next week a new Classroom homepage will begin rolling out, so Classroom may look noticeably different when you return. Check it out in the Updates section below. Hopefully you'll have time to play around with these updates before school starts. For those of you who are eligible to get a new device (Teachers and Admins who haven't received one in the last three years) I've also included a guideline for safely getting rid of your old devices, including e-recycle options in Kent County. If you are interested in impressing your students by casting yourself in an adventurous video, use your imagination and insert yourself into a video clip you and AI create. I shared the clip I generated in the Updates article below. Do you think it's creepy or realistic? Every year summer seems to whiz by faster and faster. With less than a month to go before school starts, make the most of your remaining summer break - if the smoke allows you to be outside.  

Safety & Security


 News


Updates


Tips & Tutorials


6 Easy Ways to Stop Companies From Tracking You

The less data companies collect about you, the less they can share, sell, or lose in a breach. Start protecting your privacy with these simple steps. Step 1 is to stop clicking OK through the cookie warning on each website. Stop and disable anything not requred instead. 

;">It's Time to Stop Falling for These 24 Ridiculous Tech Myths

No, rice will not save your wet phone, and if you think you have nothing to hide, you're living on the edge of danger.

;">Complete Google Chrome Privacy Audit: Securing Passwords, Payments, and History

Have you ever wondered how much your internet browser knows about you? You really should. This guide will walk you through securing your sensitive information - and you don't have to be a techie to follow along. 

The Best Free Password Managers for 2026

The Best Free Password Managers for 2026, from PC Magazine by Kim Key
As you know, I'm a big advocate for using a password manager to manage all your passwords. Not only is it more secure, but it will take away all the stress you have related to keeping track of all your passwords. It also eliminates the need to use the same password for all your web accounts, which is a very risky practice. While I use a paid version of Bitwarden for my school account, my husband and I use free Bitwarden for our personal accounts. Here's a video walking you through using and setting up BitWarden. If you watch it in YouTube, you'll see a time stamped table of contents so you can skip to just the parts you need. If you choose to use a different password manager, the setup process will work in a similar way. If you are nervous about setting it up on your own, I'll be happy to walk you through the process. 

Is That QR Code a Trap? How to Spot Quishing Scams Before It's Too Late

Yes, you read that right. It's Quishing, which is basically a phishing scam using a QR code. Yup, we have to worry about those, too. So how can you tell if it's a safe or dangerous QR code when they all look the same? Take a minute to read this article to learn how to avoid falling for QR code quishing. 

The Right Way to Get Rid of Old Laptops, PCs and Printers (and It's Free)

As we recently learned, teachers and administrative staff will be receiving new laptops and chromebooks. If your old computer is a Windows 10 laptop and older, or a chromebook that is no longer receiving updates, you will want to safely recycle your old device. Before recycling, you will want to follow the steps in this article to make sure you aren't handing over your life and financial history. Once you've cleared your information from the device, Kent County Public Works has a handy list of all the places you can take your old electronics to be recycled. 

Google Classroom's "Glow-Up" & 9 other updates you need to know



Google Classroom:  Redesigned Classroom Homepage Tailored to the User's Role


Next week, Google will begin rolling out a redesigned homepage globally across all editions to help teachers, students, and administrators easily find relevant content, resources, and tools tailored to their specific roles. Users can still access classes in the side navigation panel and a dedicated classes module on the homepage. Users who have multiple roles (such as a teacher taking a professional development class) can easily change their view dashboard by clicking into another role (for example, Teaching, Enrolled, or Admin). When a user loads the homepage, it returns to the previous role view. To help users control their view and focus on what matters most to them, all new homepage modules are collapsible.  Check out the full announcement for all three views, because your students' homepage is changing, too. Learn how to navigate the new homepage in this help center article. 

Google Meet:  Your Meeting Transcripts, and Recordings are Organized in Google Drive

Currently when you record a meeting, your transcript and recording files are uploaded to a Meet Recordings folder in only the host's My Drive. With this update, those files will be uploaded to a new folder in the Meet organizer's My Drive, called Google Meet. Within that Google Meet folder, these files will be automatically organized into subfolders for each meeting. Files from different instances of a recurring meeting will share one folder. Additionally, any meeting attendees with access to the meeting files will see shortcuts to these source files in their Google Meet Drive folders too. Shortly after Google rolls out this change, they'll automatically move the existing Meet Recordings folder into the new Google Meet folder and rename it Legacy Meet Recordings. Users may see both Meet Recordings and Google Meet in their Google Drive for a brief period during this transition. We should see this update sometime during the first couple weeks of August. If you are not sure how to record a Google Meet, this help center article can help you. 

NotebookLM:  Now known as Gemini Notebook


Google does love to change the names of its products. The latest change is with NotebookLM, which is now known as Gemini Notebook. It works exactly the same, you can still find it in the app switcher or at notebooklm.google. This change started rolling out July 16, 2026, so I expect we'll see it soon. 

Google Vids:  Control Emotions and Pacing of AI Avatars and Voiceovers


In just the past few months, avatars and voiceovers in Vids have been truly transformed. They were a pretty good alternative to begin with, for those of us who dislike the sound of our own voices, but there were still a few tell-tale signs that the voice was AI generated. Then we were able to adjust pacing and add some laughs, which was a wonderful improvement. With this update, we'll now be able to add emotion as well. Those of us with the Teaching & Learning add-on (Teachers and Administration), should already be seeing this update. If you aren't sure how to use an Avatar or Voiceover in Vids, you can learn more in the Help Center about creating voiceovers with AI, and about using AI avatars. 

You can hear the progression in the videos I created last spring. One of the first videos I created in Vids using a voiceover was in this short video for students about Chromebook care. The narration is pretty good, but it's fairly flat. A month later, when creating this video on creating and using Gems in Gemini, I was able to add chuckles and pauses. With the latest update, I'll be able to refine the voice evern more and hopefully make it sound even more human. I'm looking forward to updating some of my existing videos to improve the voiceover. 


Google Vids:  Generate Higher Quality AI Video Clips and Edit Any Video with Gemini Omni

Gemini Omni is the power behind AI video creation in Google Vids. Omni’s world understanding unlocks simple video edits so you can ask Omni to tweak the video you have to get the video you need. While using Google Vids, you can prompt it to update a video you already have, or create a new one. Omni will work behind the scenes to improve text rendering, physics and realism, as well as fixing color grading, restyling the visuals, or remove background sounds. You can learn more about using Omni in Vids here. I am already seeing this update in Vids.  

Google Vids:  Cast Yourself in AI Video Clips Using Your Personal Avatar with Gemini Omni

Right within Vids, you can use Omni to create videos using your personal avatar to scale your presence without the studio time. Use a secure verification process to capture your likeness and then select it as a character in Omni generations within Vids. I truly appreciate the added layer of security to generate an AI video in your own likeness. Personal avatars are currently only available in English for users 18 and older. You should be seeing this update now. The process is pretty simple. I was able to follow the secure prompts to create the selfie avatar (you'll need your smartphone) and this short video in about five minutes. How accurate do you think it is - aside from the tidy office? You can learn more about using personal avatars in Vids here. 


Make Google Chrome Faster in 2026: The Ultimate Guide

Does your internet connection feel slow? It could be your browser. If you are using Chome read on for tips to speed it up. 

Gemini Isn't Just a Chatbot Anymore — Here are 13 Things it Can Do in 2026

There are some really great ideas, such as using your camera instead of trying to explain what you're seeing, or scheduling tasks. 

10 Clever Ways to Use Gemini in Google Chrome (2026)

I do love to learn new ways to use Gemini to save time. 

Test Your AI Detection Ability

How do you know the person you're communicating with online is a real person? How good are you at spotting a fake AI image? Check out whichfaceisreal.com to test your skills. You'll be presented with two images. Click the one you think is real and find out if you're correct. There's also a Learn section to see what tell-tale signs you should look for. How did you do? 
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