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Every January, the global education community heads to London for Bett, the "World’s Fair" of EdTech. It is the stage where Google for Education sets the tone for the year ahead. Google led the charge with some massive 2026 updates, focusing on Gemini and other Workspace tools. The following presentation highlights these major rollouts and what they mean for our classrooms.

Here's the TL;DR:

  1. Create infographics using NotebookLM:
  2. Gemini will soon be available in ALL Workspace tools, including Gmail:
  3. Gemini within Google Translate: Live speech-to-speech translations with headphones, and adding new languages to the app for practice and skill building.
  4. Class Tools Upgrade: Teachers can now mirror their own or a student’s screen to the classroom display.

Google News- January 2026
Generate Slide Presentations in the Gemini App

Google recently introduced the ability to create slide presentations in Gemini through the Canvas tool. Provide an idea with a text prompt or upload a source, and Gemini will generate a set of slides — complete with a theme and relevant images. Then, export the presentation from the Gemini app directly to Google Slides to continue to refine or collaborate with others.Open the Gemini app, select “Canvas” in the toolbar, and ask Gemini to “create a presentation.” You can specify a topic or upload your own source with the prompt.Bonus- you can use Gemini to translate the same slides into different languages! For more information, read more on the Google Workspace  Updates Blog. Google Workspace Updates: Generate presentations in the Gemini app

We're excited to announce the school board has funded new Google Workspace for Education Plus features, designed to transform your teaching! This upgrade brings enhanced Google Meet and screencasting options, more AI assistance, personalized learning tools, and much more. This investment addresses security concerns and will greatly benefit both employees and students. Look out for resources and upcoming training soon!

Google Education Plus Updates by kelli.cannon