OK, Google. Organize My Life

By Jake Boll, CESA 5 Curriculum Specialist

It was a pleasure connecting with educators recently at the SLATE conference in Wisconsin Dells. My session, "OK, Google. Organize my life!", is popular because it focuses on managing the already full plates of educators rather than adding more. As a Curriculum Specialist at CESA 5, I first began supporting educators with their digital workflows in 2020 as we shifted to online instruction. Today, the secret to productivity lies in mastering both browser organization and AI integration.

Efficiency starts in Google Chrome. If you haven't explored these recently, they are game-changers:

Tab Groups: Right-click a tab and add it to a group of your making (e.g., "Referrals" or "Follow-Up"). This gives you the ability to condense tabs when not in use. Groups also follow you to multiple devices via your bookmarks bar. 

Split View: A new 2025 update allows you to view two tabs side-by-side in one window. This is perfect for cross-referencing data. This feature can replace Chrome Extensions like Dualless or Tab Resize. 

Additionally, there are a lot of hidden features within Gmail, Docs, Calendar, and Drive. I find that a little dedicated time spent organizing Drive folders, moving files, and adding shortcuts can be very helpful for novices and veterans alike. 

Using Generative AI to improve productivity

While most of our AI journeys started with ChatGPT, I recommend that educators transition to Google Gemini. It is Google’s generative AI model and it offers enterprise-grade data protection, ensuring your sensitive school data isn't used to train their models. Two standout Gemini tools are:

1. Gems: These are customizable chatbots where you can enter your job description to align outputs with your specific needs. Create different gems for all of the hats that you wear.

2. NotebookLM: An AI research assistant that uses your trusted sources (like state standards) to generate study guides, FAQs, or even video or audio overviews. Try adding this newsletter link to NotebookLM and have it generate a professional sounding podcast based on your source. 

4 Rules for the AI "Jagged Frontier"

In his book Co-Intelligence, Ethan Mollick offers four essential rules I share in my trainings:

1. Always invite AI to the table: You won’t know what it’s good at until you try.

2. Be the human in the loop: We are ultimately responsible for the output. Verify and corroborate.

3. Treat AI like a person: Tell your gem what "hat" to wear. Be a specific coach, not a generic bot.

4. Assume this is the worst AI you will ever use: Technology is only accelerating from here.

Tips for Administrators

Your staff members are at different stages: some are swimming in the deep end with AI, while others are still on the beach. Start by winning them over with "hacks." Introduce the tricks above as well as accessibility tools like Google Lens or Live Caption first. Once they feel the benefit of a more organized and accessible digital life, they’ll be more curious about deeper AI integration.

One final trick: Go to your Gmail inbox, click "More" on the left sidebar, and select "Manage Subscriptions". You can unsubscribe from unwanted email lists en masse. Just don't accidentally unsubscribe from my Tech Tip Tuesday Newsletter!