Teachers burdened with increasing class sizes and growing volumes of admin can now hand over time-consuming tasks such as planning lessons, personalising feedback and mailing parents to their own AI assistants.

Google Gemini, the generative AI already revolutionising search experiences and Google Workspace, is now available for Google Workspace for Education to support teachers and enhance teaching and learning.

Candice Erasmus, education and change management lead at Digicloud Africa, Google’s enablement partner in Africa, says Gemini addresses some of the top challenges teachers across Africa face today.

“Classes are getting bigger, workloads are increasing and there aren’t enough teachers to give learners the personalised attention they need,” she says. “Gemini gives teachers a smart personal assistant that frees up their time so they can focus on teaching.”

Erasmus says teachers across Africa have expressed interest in how generative AI will impact teaching and learning. “There were some early concerns about AI misuse in the classroom, but now we are seeing a different train of thought. Once teachers see the use cases and how to incorporate Gemini into their work, they are embracing it, not resisting it.”

Quality time

Lance Escobar, Google Workspace for Education channel manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, says: “Teacher burnout is a challenge globally. The Gemini tools and features in Google Workspace for Education help them get to the core of what they wish to do with their jobs, which is to dedicate quality time to their students. Google is well positioned to support that and enable broader, better quality of teaching using generative AI. With many more features coming, we’re really just getting started.”

Escobar says Gemini can help teachers create personalised and interactive learning experiences, automate administrative tasks and give learners real-time feedback on their work to help them understand the subject matter.

“Gemini can help teachers tailor instruction to the individual needs of each learner, with personalised feedback, recommendations and learning pathways. To support administrative work, Gemini can help mark papers, schedule appointments and manage learner data – all within the secure environment of Google Workspace for Education,” he says.

Gemini’s first tools and features for education enhance Gmail, Docs, Slides, Sheets and Meet. With enterprise-grade privacy and security, Gemini for Google Workspace for Education helps users create content such as lesson plans and e-mails and enhance presentations with original images and designs. Teachers can save time with AI-generated schedules, agendas, trackers and more using Gemini in Sheets; or summarise long e-mail threads and draft replies in Gmail.

Coming soon will be Advanced meetings in which Gemini can attend meetings and take notes for teachers and administrators.

Gemini chat is available in Education Fundamentals, with additional features available in Gemini Education and Gemini Education Premium. With a low barrier to entry, Gemini is available for a monthly or annual commitment.

Read Gemini in education use cases here.

About Digicloud Africa
Digicloud Africa is Google’s chosen enablement partner in Africa. Through Digicloud, Google is creating an ecosystem of Google Cloud partners across the continent. Digicloud supports its partner network by providing the necessary training, tools and resources needed to implement cloud solutions and support to their customers successfully. As customer demands for technology intensify, Digicloud is increasing its investment in supporting its partners to achieve sustainable growth. Digicloud’s partner enablement helps organisations build skills around open, advanced technologies to go to market with outcomes-based solutions. Find Digicloud Africa on LinkedIn.