Application to Present is Open! Due May 1
Application to Present is Open!
GaETC is full of professionals who are committed to education, improvement, and the betterment of all students’ futures. Share your message with thousands of educators, leaders, and influencers in the education space APPLY NOW…Deadline is May 1st!
FETC 2026 Request for Proposals is OPEN! Due Jun 1
Apply to present your ideas at the Future of Education Technology Conference to be held on January 11-14, 2026, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL to gain exposure for your work, your school and your district.
The call for presentations for FETC is open NOW until June 1,2025 !
Become a Kami Hero Trainer---Applications Open: Apply by April 7
Level up your expertise and become a Certified Kami Hero Trainer! Next cohort April 8th! Apply: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScsZ89-Kv2IK6fyhcX8hFzYIkYgl2kVHbvLgKGIHsABZHJiSw/viewform
Become Part of the European Black Women GEG (Google Educator Group)
We are proud to lead our community of educators in this region. Find out more about the leads here.
By joining this group (Form at the bottom of website), you will become part of our community and learn more about the innovative ways educators are using technology to support teaching and learning by using Google for Education tools and more. We share in-person and virtual events which you can join and will invite you to take part in community events run by both us and our partners.
Application for Pilot Teachers Due May 11 - Podcasting Democracy: Understanding the Constitution to Inspire Civic Change
An exciting paid pilot opportunity for high school civics and middle school U.S. history classroom teachers nationwide. With support from the DOE's American History and Civics National Activities Grants program, KQED will be piloting a new curriculum, Podcasting Democracy: Understanding the Constitution to Inspire Civic Change. Pilot training will be this summer, and teachers will be asked to implement during the first semester of the 2025-26 school year.
Link to application and more information (including important dates) here:
Kikori Playshops: FREE Hands-on SEL for Educators
Kikori Playshops are interactive, hands-on sessions designed to equip educators with engaging, research-backed social-emotional learning activities that can be immediately implemented in classrooms. Each playshop is an exclusive Kikori Calendar preview.
2025 Online Librarian Conference: A New Chapter in Your Education Journey
Get ready for three half-days of learning, connection, and professional development in a conference built for librarians by librarians! This June 24-26, librarians, media specialists, and others in similar roles will gather online to attend sessions by and network with peers and colleagues, alike.
It's time to register! The Librarian Conference continues to be one of the most beloved events that TCEA offers, with 100% of survey respondents from both the 2023 and 2024 conferences said they were very likely to return for another year. Register for just $149 and get ready for an epic learning experience!
The World’s Greatest Show for All Things AI in EDU--FREE ON APRIL 5-7
The AI Show @ ASU+GSV is the world’s greatest show for all things AI in EDU. This is where 12,000+ educators, administrators, innovators, students, and more come to build the future of education, together. This dynamic, three-day event features hundreds of sessions and workshops, including hands-on learning opportunities led by industry experts and innovative peers; groundbreaking demos and 150+ exhibits showcasing cutting-edge, AI-powered education innovations; networking and community-building; and even live performances, meetups, podcasts, and more!
Registration is free but required — register today: https://www.asugsvsummit.com/show
Math Ready Free for 2025
We’re thrilled to introduce Math Ready—the interactive platform designed to make it easy for teachers to get students to practice their mental math skills.
We recently won the "Best Adaptive Teaching Tool" at the BETT UK conference! Teachers and students worldwide are loving how Math Ready keeps learning engaging while building math confidence.
- Easy setup—jump in and start playing today!
- Differentiated learning for all of your students
- Identifies student weaknesses and provides follow-up tasks
The best part? It’s completely FREE for all of 2025! After that, it's just around $1 per student per year—a small price for a big impact.
Ready to get started? To make things even easier, we’ve created a quick video to guide you through setting up Math Ready in your classroom. Watch it here:
Teacher Sign Up: Get Started with Math Ready
Get Started Today!
- Visit mathready.com
- Click Class Games to explore the platform—no sign-in required!
- Watch your students thrive as they ask to practice math!
Free Webinar: Media Use by Kids Zero to Eight: The Common Sense Census Report
REGISTER HERE to join Dr. Michael Robb, Head of Research, and Dr. Supreet Mann, Director of Research, both from Common Sense Media, as they showcase the newest research, The 2025 Common Sense Census: Media Use by Kids Zero to Eight. Michael and Supreet will highlight the report’s findings and explore developmentally appropriate approaches to media use for our youngest learners.
This interactive edWebinar will provide educators with evidence-based strategies, ready-to-use lesson plans, and curated resources to promote healthy media habits, critical-thinking skills, and digital citizenship from the earliest years. This edWebinar will be of interest to PreK-5 teachers, librarians, and school leaders.
The Seesaw Math Quest Has Begun!!
Why Join?
- Zero-prep, high-impact math challenges in under 10 minutes.
- Boost student engagement through collaboration and problem-solving.
- Earn badges and track progress on an interactive map.
- Win prizes! 30 classrooms in the U.S. will win a LEGO Creative Brick Box*.
It’s easy to participate:
- Sign in to Seesaw via a computer (March 25 - April 30, 2025).
- Solve the weekly riddle with your class & click “We solved it!”
Don't see it? Click here to view the riddle. - Assign the interactive map so students can track their progress.
That’s it- You’ll be entered to win!
Get ready with the Seesaw Math Quest Guide. It includes:
- Door display & classroom badges
- Student map & badges
- Interactive map Seesaw activity
- Let’s solve, share, and celebrate together!
PS. Follow along and share on social media with #SeesawSolveIt to see how classrooms worldwide solve the same riddle.
Seesaw April 2025 Resources, Webinars and Events
As we move into the spring season, we’re offering helpful webinars, new tools and solutions including a no-cost Summer School scope and sequence planning guide, 75+ new ready-to-assign activities n the Community Library, and getting ready for our upcoming Symposium where we’ll dive deeper into ways for school leaders to support students. We hope you'll join us!
Join us for Seesaw Symposium, a thought leadership virtual symposium for school administrators, that will bring together experts from ISTE, CAST, NAFSCE, leading school districts, and literacy expert Wiley Blevins, to share research-backed strategies to drive student success in your schools. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with top experts and gain real-world strategies to impact your schools. Register today!
- 4/8 Seesaw Showdown Live: Maximize Student Engagement with Time-Saving Tricks: Join us as two educators go head-to-head in our Seesaw Showdown. You'll learn how to quickly transform your teaching experiences with Seesaw's flexible and accessible tools. April 8th, 2025 at 5:30pm EST. Register today! You won't want to miss this!
6 Week Summer School Scope & Sequence
Did you know that Summer School planning is made easy with Seesaw? Check out this suggested six week scope and sequence for summer learning for rising Kinder-rising 6th graders. Ready-to-assign lessons across multiple subjects including ELA, math, enrichment and character building are available. Teachers and administrators can easily customize to incorporate STEAM, Computer Science, and additional activities with just a few clicks.
Create a free account to try out Seesaw and explore Math Quest, a new 6-week global challenge where students solve engaging math riddles in under 10 minutes. It encourages creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking while earning badges and tracking progress!
75+ New Activities in The Community Library
Our Seesaw Community Activity Library is updated monthly to equip your teachers with read-to-assign activities. Create a free account to utilize these ready-made materials today!
- April Resources (PK-12): Explore lifecycles in Spring, and celebrate Earth Day (April 22), Superhero Day (April 28), and International Dance Day (April 29).
- National Poetry Month (PK-12): Celebrate the beauty, creativity, and joy of poetry.
- Math Awareness (PK-12): Expand skills, inspire, and cultivate a love of math.
Enter the Google Vids Education Film Festival by May 15
Lights, camera, action! Get ready for the first-ever Google Vids Education Film Festival! Google Vids is a collaborative video creation app that makes it easy to create engaging videos for teaching and learning. It's included with your [Education Plus and/or Gemini Education] subscription, and now's your chance to shine!
4 FREE UPDATES TO GEMINI FOR ALL USERS
Our Google team is excited to share that Audio Overviews and Canvas are now available in the Gemini app for all Workspace for Education editions free of charge.
What are Audio Overviews?
Audio Overviews transforms your documents, slides and even Deep Research reports into engaging, podcast-style audio discussions.
Gemini can create a podcast style discussion between two AI hosts who, with just a click, launch into a lively deep-dive conversation based on your uploaded files. It will summarize the material, draw connections between topics, engage in a dynamic back-and-forth and provide unique perspectives. Imagine uploading class notes, research papers, and Deep Research reports and receiving an Audio Overview to help summarize your files while you’re on the go.
Audio Overviews are rolling out over the next few weeks globally in English to users 18+.
What is Canvas?
Canvas is a new interactive space within Gemini designed to make creating, refining and sharing your work easy. Customers can simply select ‘Canvas’ in their prompt bar and can write and edit documents or code, with changes appearing in real-time. Features include:
Generate & iterate first drafts: after generating a first draft in Canvas, users can then rapidly refine and ask Gemini for feedback to suggest edits. Update specific sections or the whole draft, and use the quick editor tools to change the tone, length, or formatting. From essays to lesson plans, revise and uplevel your documents in Canvas. If users want to collaborate with others on the content they just made, they can export it to Google Docs with a click.
Generate & iterate on code: Users can easily convert ideas to working prototypes for web apps, Python scripts, and more. Ask Gemini to generate & preview React or HTML code directly in Canvas in a familiar code editor, and review Gemini's changes on each turn.
Canvas is available globally today to users 13+ (or the minimum applicable age in your country).
---------------------------
We're thrilled to announce Gems and the ability to try Deep Research are now rolling out to all Workspace for Education users 18+ free of charge in the Gemini app! These features were previously only available to users with a Gemini Education license.
What are Gems?
Gems are customized versions of Gemini that anyone can personalize to be experts on any topic. You - and your customers - can get started with a Gem that is premade by Google, like Learning coach or Brainstormer, or create your own custom Gem with the option to ground it in your own sources to provide even more helpful responses — no coding required. Learn more about how education institutions are using Gems here.
What is Deep Research?
Deep Research in the Gemini app can save hours of time as your personal AI research assistant, searching and analyzing information from across and synthesizing it into comprehensive reports with citations in just minutes. Education institutions are using Deep Research to quickly get up to speed on various topics, get help with grant writing and lesson planning, and so much more. You can learn more about Deep Research in this video.
Gemini users 18+ can try Deep Research free of charge with five reports per 30 day period, and users with a Gemini Education license get full usage to save even more time on their most complex projects.
Notable Dates to Teach in April ✅
NEW Classroom Resources: Celebrate Earth Month With The Future of Nature
Use the NEW The Future of Nature collection to show your students key economic, environmental, and judicial carbon reduction success stories — just in time for Earth Month. Explore the roles different helpers play — from whales to urban landscaping and beyond — when it comes to caring for our planet. Then, dive deeper into the skills, practices, and cross-cutting technologies that make these solutions possible!
Meet Friends From Carl the Collector Ahead of Autism Acceptance Month
Get ready to inspire your students with Carl the Collector! Through the everyday adventures of Carl, a warm-hearted autistic raccoon who loves collecting things, students have the opportunity to build their social and emotional skills, including increasing self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship skills. Most importantly, your students will learn that while we all have something in common, we are each unique and have something special to offer. Let’s get collecting!
Get Creative for National Poetry Month with Poetry Everywhere
A poem a day keeps the mind at play! Use this collection of poetry performances from the poets themselves to help your students gain a deeper understanding of poetic forms, devices, and techniques. These skills encourage self-expression, improve reading comprehension, and introduce your students to the power of language. Then, empower students to explore their creativity, build confidence in their writing, and foster a lifelong appreciation for poetry. What will your students create today?
Get Ready to Teach Earth Month: Inspire Hope and Student Engagement
Join PBS LearningMedia and KQED on Tuesday, April 1 from 7-8pm ET for a one-hour webinar where you'll explore how positive stories about the environment can engage the next generation of changemakers! You'll leave with resources that ignite hope and inspire action. This live event is perfect for grades 6-12 educators of all subjects!
Classroom Calendar Dates to Teach in April
- April 1: April Fools’ Day (K-5)
- April 4: Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (9-12)
- April 12: The Start of the Civil War (6-12)
- April 13: Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday (6-12)
- April 19: The Start of the American Revolution (6-12)
- April 22: Earth Day (6-12)
- April 23: William Shakespeare’s Birthday (6-12)
- April 30: Anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase (9-12)
Monticello Teacher Institute (MTI) Applications Due April 1
The Thomas Jefferson Foundation is proud to offer the Monticello Teacher Institute (MTI), an immersive professional development program that provides social studies teachers the opportunity to research and study at Monticello and the Jefferson Library in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Awakening Student Agency Through a Pedagogy of Choice Webinar
Cult of Pedagogy’s Jennifer Gonzalez joins Street Data author Shane Safir, and educational leaders Marlo Bagsik, Dr. Sawsan Jaber, and Crystal M. Watson on May 21 at 4pm PT/7pm EST as they unveil their forthcoming book, Pedagogies of Voice: Street Data and the Path to Student Agency (Corwin, July 2025). Through rich dialogue and public reflection, the authors will:
- Unpack the Student Agency framework, expressed through the domains of Identity, Belonging, Inquiry and Efficacy
- Explore 8 concrete pedagogical approaches that awaken student voice
- Share the story behind this book and what gives it a “special sauce”
- Inspire you to design dynamic, agentic learning experiences for the learners you serve
Educator Alexander Consulting Provides FREE Google Training for Your District Through Google's EPSO
You may be wondering what districts are eligible and how to redeem this offer?
To learn more about the offer, check out this one-pager or this site. Still undecided? Review the quantifiable benefits and cost savings enabled by Education Plus here.
Eligibility Requirements:
Customers purchasing Education Plus for the first time
Customers upgrading to Education Plus who did not own Education Plus licenses as of Jan 1, 2024
Transition renewals moving from legacy G Suite Enterprise for Education on a price lock (purchased in 2020) to Education Plus
How it works
Purchase Education Plus licenses for your full domain
500 license minimum
Choose your services by filling out this form
Select PD and/or IT services. Learn more about each here: goo.gle/education-plus-offer
Within 30 days of receiving email approval from Google, connect with Educator Alexander Consulting to schedule your services.
Services do not have to be redeemed within 30 days, just scheduled / on the calendar
EDUCATOR ALEXANDER CONSULTING is an approved provider for these services! Choose us and we can provide your FREE training!
TCEA TECH BLOG GOODIES
Unlock STEM Learning with the “Escape from Laboratory ZYXW” Robotics Challenge
BookTok for Secondary Learners: How Social Media is Shaping Literacy and Reading
Five Ways to Build Self-Esteem in K-12 Students
Educational Leadership Matters
Whisk Your Way to Engaging Lessons with Google’s AI Tool
Five Fresh and Fun Spring Activities for the Classroom: Engage Your Students This Season
Smart Cell Phone Policies That Work for Schools and Students
Google Smarter, Not Harder: 10 Google Doc Hacks and 40 New Google Doc Templates
Educators Can Get Office 365 for FREE
A Couple More Google Updates
To Stay Updated, Watch ALL Here or Innovations in Education: Google at Bett 2025
Join Google for Education at ASU-GSV in April
Get ready to dive into a world of innovation, demos and hands-on learning with the Google for Education team at ASU-GSV. Join us in San Diego, April 5-9 for engaging K12 and Higher Education sessions, interactive workshops and demos at the Google booth to help you transform the way you teach, learn, and work.
In case you missed it, we are hosting monthly, online sessions on advancements in Google for Education, including the latest with Gemini AI, NotebookLM, Chromebooks, Google Workspace for Education, and Classroom to help make learning more personal and differentiation more achievable.
Try ChromeOS Flex to replace devices reaching EOL in 2025
Make the most of your IT budget with ChromeOS Flex, a simple way to improve the speed, reliability, and security of your school’s older devices – and unlock full management capabilities for your entire fleet with Chrome Education Upgrade. Try ChromeOS Flex at no charge.
Announcing the Google Vids Education Film Festival
Lights, camera, educate! The inaugural Google Vids Education Film Festival is now accepting submissions. Educators with access to Google Vids can submit a short film for a chance to inspire the next wave of storytellers and be featured in a Google blog post. Vids is available to users with an Education Plus or Gemini Education license. Submit your vid by May 15, 2025!
The Gemini side panel is now available in 17 more languages
Through the side panel, Gemini can assist you with summarizing, analyzing, and generating content by using insights gathered from your emails, documents, and more - all without switching tabs. Now available in 17 more languages.
Deep Research is now available in Gemini Advanced
Have Gemini analyze hundreds of sources in real-time to generate comprehensive research reports for you in minutes with Deep Research, giving you the spark you need to get your projects off the ground without hours of searching. Gemini Advanced is available to users with the Gemini Education add-ons.
Experience AI: New AI Safety Unit for students
Experience AI, an AI literacy program by Raspberry Pi Foundation and Google DeepMind, launched a new AI Safety Unit to help students critically understand AI.
Dr. Desiree Alexander, Educator Alexander Consulting
Dr. Desiree Alexander is an award-winning, multi-degreed educator, speaker, and author who has been in the educational field since 2002. She is the Founder CEO of Educator Alexander Consulting, LLC and the Deputy Director for the Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana. She consults with members of several schools/businesses and presents at conferences globally.
Dr. Alexander is lifetime certified in Louisiana in Secondary English Education, as a Reading Specialist, as a School Librarian, as an Educational Technology Facilitator, as an Educational Technology Leader and in Educational Leadership 1. She is certified in Texas as a Principal, in English Language Arts and Reading for grades 4-8 and grades 8-12, as a Reading Specialist for grades EC-12, and as a School Librarian. She holds multiple technology certifications, including, but not limited to, IC3 certification, Google Certified Trainer, Innovator and Partner, Apple Teacher, and Microsoft Office Specialists.
She holds a Bachelor, a Master + 30, and an Education Specialist Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Louisiana State University, a Master of Library Science from Texas Woman’s University and a Master of Educational Leadership with a concentration in Educational Technology Leadership from Nicholls State University. She also holds a Doctorate in Education with a concentration in Educational Leadership from Lamar University.
She is the author of Ready to Be an Educational Leader: Your Guide for Passing the SLLA 6990, the 2024 Common Sense Education Ambassador of the Year, a 2024 Common Sense Ambassador of the Year, a 2024 Illinois Digital Educators Alliance Conference (IDEAcon) Thought Leader, 2023 Louisiana Association of Computer Using Educators (LACUE) Conference Featured Speaker, 2022 & 2021 Texas Computer Education Association Conference (TCEA) Featured Thought Leader, 2020 International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Featured Voice, 2020 Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) Featured Presenter, 2019 Customer Commitment Award Honoree from Better Business Bureau's (BBB) Torch Awards for Ethics, a 2019 Shreveport National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) Mover and Shaker, a 2017 Young Professional Initiative 40 Under 40 Awards Honoree, 2017 Center for Digital Education Top 30 Technologists, Transformers & Trailblazers, 2017 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Learning Media Digital Innovator for Louisiana, 2016 Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana Member of the Year, 2015 Librarian of the Year for Louisiana Librarian Association, 2015 Campus Teacher of the Year in the Zachary Community School District and 2014 Leader of the Year for Region 2 Louisiana Association of Computer Using Educators.
Email: educatoralexander@gmail.com or desiree@educatoralexander.com
Website: https://www.educatoralexander.com
Phone: 318-759-7591
Subscribe to All: https://www.educatoralexander.com/subscribe
Newsletter: https://www.educatoralexander.com/newsletter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/educatoralex
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EducatorAlexander
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/educatoralexander
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/EducatorAlexander
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/educatoralexander
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/educatoralexander
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@educatoralexander
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/educatoralexander.bsky.social