Google NotebookLM for teachers: 10 things to know for educators

 PDFs. Long documents. Websites and articles. 

A lot of teaching and learning is focused on reading them ... synthesizing them ... remembering them ... and creating something with them.

Sometimes, the sheer number of words in these dense resources keep us from even diving in -- or finding the quick answer that we need.

That's where Google's Notebook LM comes in. It becomes an instant expert on the documents you give it.

And it's FREE. 

It'll answer questions. It'll summarize. It'll create new simplified resources based on the original source.

And as of September 2024, it'll create podcast-style interviews you can listen to that summarize the texts. 🤯

NotebookLM can be a fantastic lesson planning assistant for teachers.

SWOT Analysis for Teachers: A Practical Framework for Reflection and Growth

SWOT (which stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) is an analytic framework that was originally popularized in the world of business and entrepreneurship. Companies have been using it for decades to assess their performance, plan strategies, and navigate challenges.

However, the value of SWOT goes far beyond business. In fact, I believe it can be incredibly useful for us in education as well.

For teachers, SWOT provides a practical and structured way to reflect on your own teaching practice. It helps you identify what’s working, what’s not, what new opportunities you could explore, and what possible challenges or limitations you might need to watch out for. Most importantly, it supports your professional growth by making that reflection intentional and actionable.

Best AI Directories for Teachers and Researchers

Generative AI is everywhere these days, and I believe most of you reading this post have already used some form of AI in your work or daily life. As someone who strongly believes in the power of technology in education, I always encourage teachers, educators, and researchers to tap into the potential that these tools offer, not just to save time or automate tasks, but to rethink how we work, learn, and create.

That said, I know how overwhelming things already are for most teachers. The workload is heavy enough without adding “learn about AI” to your to-do list. But let me say this: AI is no longer an option. Our students are already using it, and, in many cases, they probably know more about it than we do. Like it or not, AI is shaping the future of education and work, and we need to catch up.

This is where AI literacy comes in. I like to think of AI as a framework that can help you develop the skills to search for, evaluate, and integrate AI in meaningful and ethical ways in your teaching and research. The problem, of course, is that searching for good AI tools can quickly turn into a frustrating, time-consuming process especially when your time and energy are already stretched thin.

That’s why I created this post.