Updates in Action
Updates in Action
Google Workspace Updates for Educators
Google releases frequent updates to tools like Docs, Classroom, Drive, Meet, and Gmail. To make these changes easier to follow, this page highlights recent updates that are most useful in K–12 classrooms and school workflows.
This list is curated by educators, for educators — focusing on practical changes that impact teaching, learning, and daily school work. Below you’ll find highlights from the past month, along with links to Google’s official update pages if you’d like to explore everything that’s new.
How do those updates actually work in a classroom?
What have you tried and verified, and what do you want to know more about?
Check out what Idaho educators are learning about the latest Google Workspace updates.
May 2026 Update Summary
May 2026 Update Summary
▪ Custom Instructions for Gemini in Google Docs – Users can now set persistent instructions for Gemini in Docs so responses follow preferred style, tone, formatting, or summary rules without repeating directions every time. Resource Link
▪ NotebookLM Added to Google Workspace Studio Flows – Workspace Studio can now use NotebookLM as an AI knowledge source for automations, allowing users to generate grounded responses from existing notebooks. Resource Link
▪ Google Takeout Transfer Adds Google Photos for Education Users – Education users can now transfer Google Photos from a school-issued account to a personal Google account. Helpful for graduating students or staff account transitions. Resource Link
April 2026 Update Summary
April 2026 Update Summary
▪ Google Certified Educator Exams Are Free Through June 1 – Google Certified Educator Level 1 and Level 2 exams are currently free through June 1, 2026. After that, Level 1 returns to $10 and Level 2 returns to $25. Great time for educators to certify or renew. Resource Link
▪ Gemini in Google Classroom Expanded – Gemini in Classroom is now available in all Classroom-supported languages and includes tools to help educators create lesson plans, quizzes, informational texts, translations, and more. Resource Link
▪ NotebookLM Expanded for Education Plus / Teaching & Learning Add-on – Google increased NotebookLM limits for Education Plus and Teaching & Learning add-on users, including more sources, more chat queries, more study tools, and more multimedia generation. Resource Link
▪ AI Overviews in Google Drive Now Generally Available – Gemini can now provide summaries and answers directly in Drive search results, helping users find information across files faster. Resource Link
▪ Gemini Can Generate Files from Chats – Gemini can now create downloadable files directly from a prompt, including Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, PDFs, Word files, Excel files, CSVs, Markdown, and more. Resource Link
Want to learn more about these updates?
Want to learn more about these updates?
Google Workspace Updates blog (all updates):
https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/
Google Workspace Release Calendar (what’s rolling out + when):
https://workspace.google.com/whatsnew/
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