AI Explorer: Discovering Google AI Tools for Educators
About This Course
Generative AI is entering every educator's workflow, but most professionals meet it as a confusing sprawl of tools with no clear sense of which to use when. This course replaces that confusion with confident, practical familiarity, leveraging the Google AI ecosystem of tools. In one hands-on day, participants work directly with Gemini, NotebookLM, Gemini in Google Workspace, Deep Research, Gems, Canvas, and Google Vids, each grounded in real teaching and professional tasks rather than abstract demonstrations.
What sets this course apart is how responsible AI practice is built into every activity as a habit of use rather than a bolted-on lecture, developing the Ethics & Licensing (D3.5) and Ethical Engagement (D4.4) proficiencies named in ADAPT. Participants leave able to navigate the Google AI landscape, apply basic prompting strategies across tools, and evaluate AI outputs critically, ready to enhance their everyday practice immediately.
What You'll Learn
The course introduces the Google AI tools most relevant to educators: Gemini, Gemini Deep Research, Gemini Gems, Gemini Canvas, NotebookLM, Gemini in Google Workspace (Docs, Slides, Gmail, Sheets), and Google Vids. Each tool is connected to authentic educator tasks such as session planning, professional communication, research, content summarisation, and content creation.
Responsible and ethical AI use is embedded throughout the course rather than taught as a standalone topic, developing learners' Ethics & Licensing and Ethical Engagement proficiencies (ADAPT D3.5, D4.4). The course draws on the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI (2021) as its guiding reference. Its value lies not in exposing participants to more tools, but in helping them develop disciplined habits of selecting, prompting, and evaluating AI tools for real educator needs.
This course forms part of the IAL-Google (ADAPT) Certification Programme, Movement 1: “I can do this.” Participants earn the AI-Aware Educator capability, becoming familiar with the Google AI ecosystem and ready to progress from exploration to creation.
The course develops Basic-level proficiency across three ADAPT domains: Digital Literacy & Resources (D3), Teaching, Learning & Empowering Learners (D1), and Professional Engagement (D4). It builds on the digital foundations established in Workspace Navigator (W1) and prepares participants for more design-focused courses in the pathway.
Entry Requirements
This course is designed for professionals who want to understand what Google AI tools can do for them and begin using them with confidence and purpose:
- Adult educators, trainers, and facilitators who are new to Google AI tools or who have experimented with AI informally and want structured, practical exposure
- Instructional designers and curriculum developers seeking to understand the Google AI landscape before integrating AI into learning design practice
- Learning and Development (L&D) professionals looking to identify AI tools that can enhance workplace learning facilitation, research, and communication
- Team leaders and managers who want to explore how Google AI tools can support team knowledge work, planning, and professional communication
- Participants who are ready to extend their digital practice into AI-enhanced workflows