The Future Just Landed: Google’s Free AI Tools for Every Teacher
AI just became your new planning partner and it’s about to supercharge your teaching life
If you're stepping into a Google for Education environment next year like I am, you're about to join at the perfect time. At ISTE 2025, Google announced something huge. Not just another upgrade. Not just a set of extra tools. This is a full transformation of how AI and education will work together and the best part? It’s available to every school, every teacher, everywhere, completely free.
This is the moment we’ve been waiting for. AI is no longer something you “try out” on the side. It’s now woven directly into the Google tools we already know and love and it’s here to make your job easier, your time go further, and your lessons shine.
What Just Happened?
Google’s most advanced AI model, Gemini, is now available in all versions of Google Workspace for Education, with powerful tools like Gemini in Classroom, the Gemini app, and NotebookLM now free for everyone. Some advanced integrations, such as Gemini directly inside Docs and Slides, are part of the upgraded Google AI Pro for Education license.
This is one of the most powerful AI models in the world, and now it's working for teachers. Whether you're planning a lesson, giving feedback, creating stretch tasks or drafting parent emails, Gemini is ready to help.
And this isn’t a watered-down classroom version. It’s the same level of power and sophistication used by professionals across industries, but now wrapped in features and safety layers designed specifically for education.
“We’re not just adding features,” said Shantanu Sinha, VP of Google for Education. “We’re reshaping the entire foundation of how we support teaching and learning in the AI age.”
What Does This Mean for You in the Classroom?
This means the planning grind is about to get a whole lot lighter and a whole lot more exciting.
You can now generate full lesson plans in seconds. Want a differentiated comprehension task? Done. Need stretch questions or a quick retrieval quiz? Ask Gemini. Want to simplify instructions for your EAL learners or scaffold an activity for a student who needs support? It’s ready when you are.
Even better, it’s all built into the Google ecosystem you’re already using. Gemini in Classroom, the Gemini app, and NotebookLM are available free to all schools. If your school has the Google AI Pro license, you can also access Gemini directly inside Docs, Slides and other Workspace tools, making your planning and adapting even faster.
And here’s the real magic: it doesn’t just save you time. It actually helps you teach better. Because now you have the power to personalise, adapt, and innovate faster than ever before.
What to Look Out For in Your Tools
A whole new AI-powered experience is arriving in Google Classroom. The new Gemini tab is your teacher command centre. It’s packed with tools built to help you get more done in less time and with more impact.
In Google Docs, Gemini can turn your ideas into polished, inclusive lessons. In Slides, it can suggest visuals, design recap decks, and even help you prepare presentations that engage students at every level.
NotebookLM, the brilliant study assistant previously in beta, is now available for students under 18 through school accounts and it’s safer, smarter and more supportive than ever. Your students can now upload class notes, readings or resources and instantly generate summaries, quizzes, audio explainers or even video content that helps them review and revise.
But the most exciting part might be the new Gems. These are AI-powered assistants that you can train yourself. Upload your own materials, build a mini tutor, and assign it to your students via Classroom. Think personalised, curriculum-aligned support that runs 24/7, even when your lesson is over.
Why This Launch Matters for Teaching and Learning
This is more than just tech support. It’s a powerful, research-aligned system that understands how students learn and how teachers teach.
At the core of all this is LearnLM, Google’s education-focused AI engine, designed in partnership with leading cognitive scientists and educators. That means every prompt, every quiz, and every scaffold Gemini suggests is rooted in how real learners retain and apply knowledge.
For you, that means better differentiation, clearer modelling, faster adaptation to student needs, and easier resource creation, without the endless late-night planning. For students, it means clearer guidance, more tailored support, and learning that sticks.
And yes, it’s safe. Google has gone all in on data protection. No educational data is used to train the models. Everything complies with COPPA, FERPA and HIPAA. Admins stay in control, and every tool has built-in privacy layers certified by Common Sense Media.
Five Ways to Get Started Today
You don’t need to be an AI expert to dive in. Start small, start smart — and get excited. These tools are built to work with you, not replace you. Here’s how to get going:
Click the Gemini tab in Google Classroom and ask it to create a Do Now, an exit ticket, or a quick quiz for this week’s lesson
Drop a lesson plan into the free Gemini app and ask it to rewrite it for EAL learners or extend it with challenge questions. If your school has the upgraded Google AI Pro license, you can also do this directly within Google Docs.
Use NotebookLM to turn your own resources into study guides, audio explanations or even a video walk-through
Create a Gem using this week’s class text, unit topic or project rubric. Set it to ask students practice questions after hours
Try Google Vids to storyboard a flipped lesson explainer or let students create their own video responses using AI prompts
These aren’t experiments or side projects. These are time-saving, workload-cutting strategies you can use right now, inside your current planning flow.
Beyond the Classroom – Build School-Wide AI Impact
Gemini isn’t just a teacher’s assistant. It’s a school-wide opportunity to align planning, pedagogy and support like never before.
Want consistent planning expectations across subjects? Build a shared Gem that guides new staff through your expectations. Need to refresh safeguarding or PD content? Create an AI tutor that delivers it clearly, consistently, and on demand.
And because these Gems are stored inside your Google ecosystem, every teacher, leader and student in your school can access the same high-quality support without duplication or confusion.
It’s simple. It’s scalable. And it’s a real step forward in making school systems smarter, not more complicated.
A Big Shift, But You’re Still in the Driver’s Seat
Yes, the tools are powerful. Yes, they can save hours. But your professional judgement is still the most important tool in the room.
AI can speed things up. It can help you adapt. But it’s you, the teacher, who decides how and when to use it. You still bring the knowledge, the relationships, the intuition and the spark that no machine ever could.
So use Gemini to handle the workload. Then lean in to what you love, connecting with your learners, designing brilliant lessons, and helping every student grow.
Reflective Question
If Gemini planned your next unit, built the study guides, personalised the quizzes, and drafted your lesson slides… how would you use the extra time it gave you back?
What could you do more of and what could you finally let go of?