Google workspace Support
for Educators

When and why would I use Gmail?
Your school Gmail account is your official school email address and a key tool for learning and communication.

• You will get a lot of emails!

  • Many will come from Beaver: your students, colleagues, announcements about upcoming events, submission forms and more!

  • If you use your Beaver email to sign up for a school-appropriate online tool, website, app, newsletter, etc. you’ll likely get email messages from them too.

    • If this is filling up your inbox, you can typically unsubscribe from a company’s communications using a link at the bottom of the message without losing access to the platform.

    • If that doesn't work, you can block the sender, create filters, or use other email management tools.

Gmail Tutorials:

• Start Sending Emails

• Organize and Find Emails

• Choose your Inbox Style (how your email dashboard is organized)

When and why would I use Google Calendar?
Google Calendar is an online calendar that helps you keep track of your schedule—so you never miss an event or meeting.

With Google Calendar you can:

• See What’s Coming Up: View important dates, deadlines, and school events all in one place.

• Add Your Own Events: Create reminders for anything you need to remember.

• Get Notifications: Set alerts so you get a reminder before something starts.

• Join Google Meet Links: If a calendar event includes a virtual meeting, you can join directly from the calendar.

Want to see if a student or colleague is available to meet using Google Calendar?

• Type their name into the “Meet with…” search  bar

• You should be able to see their calendar events (many may be private so you won’t know why they are busy) and find a time when they are free.

• While they are in the search bar, if you click on the available time an event will be created that automatically includes the person (or people) you searched for. 

Tips for scheduling an event: 

• Double-check the date and time is accurate

• Include a location (so you know where you’re meeting!)

• Turn on notifications so everyone remembers!

• Add a description (you can include an agenda or file you want to discuss)

• Make sure everyone you want invited is included as a guest

• Send everyone a notification so they know you’ve scheduled a meeting!

  • If you edit the event, you can resend the updated details.

Appointment Schedule:

• An appointment schedule in Google Calendar lets you set blocks of available time that others can book (like office hours), creating individual appointment slots.

• You choose the days/times you’re available, share a booking link, and people select an open slot that automatically appears on both calendars.

• This can save time coordinating meetings, prevents double-booking, and ensures all appointments are organized in one place.

• Create an appointment schedule in Google Calendar

Google Calendar Tutorials:

• Set up your calendar for Google Workspace

• Schedule an event with co-workers

• Respond to event invitations

When and why would I use Google Drive?
Google Drive is your personal cloud storage space where you can keep all your school files safe and organized. Everything is saved automatically!

With Google Drive you can:

• Store Files: Save everything all in one place.

• Access Anywhere: Open your files from any computer, phone, or tablet with internet. Just log in with your school Gmail account.

• Create and Share Work: Make Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Forms directly in Drive, and easily share.

• Stay Organized: Use folders to keep your work sorted.

Tips for keeping your Google Drive organized:

• Name your folder clearly with a name that tells you exactly what it is. (Ex: Term 1 - 9 English) 

• Create a new folder for each school year

  • Within the school year folder, create sub-folders for each term (US)

  • Within each term folder, create a folder for each class

  • Within each class folder, create a folder for each unit 

  • Ex: 2025-26 School Year > Term 1 > 9 English > Module 1

• A quick way to “clean up” your drive and start fresh this year is to make a folder for the PREVIOUS school year(s) and move everything into that!

  • Ex: 2024-25 School Year Archive

• Star important folders so they are easier to find.

Google Drive Tutorials:

• Add Files and Folders to Drive

• Share Files and Folders in Drive

• Install Drive for desktop 

When and why would I use Google Docs?
Google Docs is an online word processor that lets you write, edit, and share documents—like essays, reports, or notes—right in your web browser. Everything is saved automatically!

With Google Docs you can:

• Collaborate in Real Time: Work on the same document with others at the same time. You’ll see their changes instantly!

• Share Easily: You can choose who can view, comment on, or edit your document with just a few clicks.

• Use Helpful Tools: Check spelling, add comments, insert images, and even use voice typing.

Tips for using Google Docs:

• Name your Doc clearly with a name that tells you exactly what it is. (Ex: Science Lab Report – Photosynthesis)

• Adding dates to titles can also help you keep track of versions and when things were done. (Ex: History Notes - 2025.09.2)

• Star important Docs so they are easier to find

• Use the Search Bar to look up a Doc by its title or content

Google Docs Tutorials:

• Create your first Google Doc

• Document sharing basics

• Make Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Forms public

When and why would I use Google Keep?
Google Keep is a note-taking app that helps you quickly save ideas, to-do lists, reminders, pictures, or even voice notes. Everything you write down stays synced across your phone, computer, or Chromebook so you can always find it later.

With Google Keep you can:

• Stay organized: Keep track of homework, projects, and personal goals.

• Easy to use: Type notes, make checklists, record voice memos, or snap a photo.

• Reminders: Set alerts so you don’t forget important deadlines or events.

• Collaborate: Share a note with friends or classmates to work on group projects.

Tips for using Google Keep:

• Use colors & labels – Color-code your school, sports, and personal notes.

• Pin important notes – Keep your top tasks at the top so you see them first.

• Make checklists – Cross things off as you finish them.

• Add images or drawings – Snap a pic of the whiteboard or doodle ideas.

• Set reminders – Get a pop-up at a certain time (like 7 pm for homework) or place (like “remind me when I get to school”).

• Sync with Docs – Drag your notes into Google Docs when you’re ready to write a paper.

• Share notes – Work with a partner on the same list or brainstorm together.

Google Keep Tutorials:

• How to use Google Keep

• Change list, reminder & sharing settings

When and why would I use Google Sheets?
Google Sheets is an online spreadsheet tool that helps you organize information using rows, columns, and formulas. It’s great for math, data collection, tracking progress, and more. Everything is saved automatically!

With Google Sheets you can:

• Make Lists and Track Info: Keep track of work, grades, schedules, club activities, or survey results.

• Do Math Automatically: Use formulas to add, average, or calculate data.

• Work Together in Real Time: Share your Sheet with others and collaborate instantly.

• Create Charts: Turn your data into bar graphs, pie charts, and more to make it easier to understand.

Tips for using Google Sheets:

• Name your Sheet clearly with a name that tells you exactly what it is. (Ex: Math Budget Project – Fall 2025)

• Organize with Tabs: Inside a single Sheet file, you can create multiple tabs at the bottom (like pages). Rename each tab for what it contains.

• Use Headings: Label the top row with clear column headings (like Name, Date, Score, Total, Notes) so your data is easy to read and sort.

• Freeze the Top Row (or column): Use “Freeze” in the View menu to keep your row/column titles visible while you scroll through lots of data.

• Color-Code Rows or Columns: Use colors to highlight different types of info (like completed tasks, important deadlines, or group names). Just don’t go too wild—it should still be easy to read!

• Star important Sheets so they are easier to find

• Use the Search Bar to look up a Sheet by its title or content

Google Sheets Tutorials:

• Create your first spreadsheet

• Share and collaborate on a spreadsheet

• Make Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Forms public

When and why would I use Google Slides?
Google Slides is an online presentation tool that lets you create and share slide decks—perfect for class projects, group work, or showing what you’ve learned. Everything is saved automatically!

With Google Slides you can:

• Create Presentations: Make slideshows for presentations.

• Add Images, Videos, and Links: Make your slides creative and interactive.

• Work Together: Collaborate with others on the same slide deck in real time.

• Present Anywhere: Access your slides from any device with your school Gmail account.

Tips for using Google Slides:

• Name your Slide Deck clearly with a name that tells you exactly what it is. (Ex: English – Romeo and Juliet Presentation)

• Keep slides organized within the deck: Use a title slide, section headers, and consistent formatting so your presentation flows clearly.

  • Use templates (either within Slides or from a site like Slides.go)

  • You can also create visuals in Canva, download them as a JPEG and insert them into Google Slides (if you need to make an edit, you’ll need to go back to Canva to fix it and repeat the process)

• Use the Slide Sorter View: Click “Grid view” (bottom right corner) to see all your slides at once and rearrange them easily.

• Star important Slide Decks so they are easier to find

• Use the Search Bar to look up a Slide Deck by its title or content

Google Slides Tutorials:

• Create your first Slide presentation

• Share a presentation

• Make Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Forms public (publish your materials so students cannot see "skipped slides")

What is NotebookLM? 

• NotebookLM is an AI-powered research assistant developed by Google Labs built with the latest Gemini models.

  • It’s designed to interact with your own documents (PDFs, Google Docs, Slides, websites, etc.) by summarizing, explaining, and answering questions based solely on the content you upload—this makes it grounded in your materials and more accurate than general AI chatbots. 

  • It also offers a unique “Audio Overview” feature that turns your documents into podcast-style audio summaries.

Where do I access NotebookLM?

• Access NotebookLM through the waffle when logged into your school email.

• NOTE: Beaver students DO have access to NotebookLM.

Why use NotebookLM?

• Grounded Accuracy: Unlike ChatGPT or Gemini, NotebookLM uses only your uploaded sources, reducing the risk of “hallucinations” or irrelevant AI-generated content.

• Time-Saving and Clarity: Quickly distills complex information into summaries, study guides, FAQs, timelines, and outlines.

• Audio for Accessibility: The AI-generated podcast-style audio summaries can boost engagement and support learners who prefer auditory learning—or those who need accessibility options

• Supports Teaching and Research: Educators can use it to create reading guides, discussions, differentiated materials, or even share audio files for students to download—no student access required.

When would I use NotebookLM?

• To Prepare Lessons Quickly: Upload a bunch of source materials and instantly generate summaries, important quotes, or discussion prompts.

• For Differentiated Learning: Create content at different reading levels or generate glossaries and vocabulary lists for varied learners.

• When Reviewing Dense Materials: Convert lengthy articles or lecture notes into digestible, conversational audio the whole class can use.

• As a Research Companion: Feed in PDFs, articles, and class texts and ask for connections, themes, or study guides—with inline citations to the original materials.

Tips for using NotebookLM:

• Upload Multiple Sources First: Gather all relevant documents—PDFs, Google Docs, links, slides—so NotebookLM has enough context to draw accurate insights. (It supports up to ~50 sources.)

• Use the Audio Overview Feature: In the Studio tab, generate an audio summary (AI-hosted). It’s great for review, listening on-the-go, or sharing with students via Drive. Downloadable too!

• Leverage Different Output Formats: Ask for study guides, timelines, FAQs, or glossaries. These formats help organize and reinforce learning.

• Use the Chat for Interactive Exploration: The Chat box allows you to ask focused questions, request simple explanations, or test comprehension by asking things like: “Explain this to a 10-year-old,” or “What’s missing in these notes?”

• Review and Vet the Output: Always check AI-generated content against your own material for accuracy and completeness. Consider it a starting point, not a final draft.

• Use as a Teaching Ally, Not a Crutch: Model its use to promote AI literacy. Let students see how to question and verify AI-generated suggestions—this supports critical thinking

NotebookLM Tutorials:

• NotebookLM Homepage

• Get Started with NotebookLM

• Applied Digital Skills Lessons

• Google for Education Generative AI resources

• Google Online Courses for Educators

  • Basic use of Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals (2hr online course)

  • Get Started with Google AI in K12 Education (2hr online course)

  • Generative AI for Educators (2hrs online course but can also see individual lessons)

    • Investigate the potential of AI in your practice

• Google Workspace Learning Center:
  The Google Workspace Learning Center is Google’s official, user-friendly resource hub offering step-by-step guides, role-based training, and Workspace tools—including AI tips—to help users master apps like Gmail, Drive, Docs, Meet, and more.

• Google Workspace YouTube