The Chromebook Classroom Podcast

John R. Sowash
  • 4.8 (5)
  • HOW TO
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

A podcast focused on sharing how Chromebooks are impacting education around the world. Hosted by author and trainer John Sowash who interviews a variety of guests who share their Chromebook Classroom experience.

  1. APR 30

    How "Vibe Coding" Just Saved a School District $250k 🤯 (April EdTech Updates)

    Welcome to the April 2026 Google EDU update! In this video, we explore the latest edtech tools transforming the classroom, including some cool updates to Google Classroom and mind-blowing cinematic videos generated by NotebookLM. We also dive into how one school district utilized "vibe coding" to save $250k, alongside major updates to Canva's Learn Grid and Google Vids. 👉 Show notes and links: https://www.chrmbook.com/s9e15/ *** Episode Sponsor: Gemini Academy for Teachers Summer Tour! Join me virtually or in-person at one of six different stops on my summer tour! We'll explore Gemini and NotebookLM together and prepare to become Gemini certified educators! Visit http://chrm.tech/gemini26 for dates and locations *** 2:10 Gemini Summer Tour Announcement 4:00 Google Vids: Custom AI Video Avatars 7:57 Gemini in Classroom Expands to 75 Languages 9:16 Personal Class Notebooks for Students 12:04 Gemini in Google Docs & Formatting Tools 14:35 Fully Editable AI Decks in Google Slides 17:06 NotebookLM's New Cinematic Videos 22:53 How "Vibe Coding" Saved a District $250k 26:42 Google Takeout: Transferring Data for Graduates 31:42 Canva Learn Grid & Interactive Games 35:53 Google Cloud Next Recap: The "Agentic" Era 44:53 Outro & Final Thoughts ----------------------------- Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show!

    47 min

  2. APR 15

    Managing your Chromebook Fleet with Vizor!

    For years, IT admins have relied on a patchwork of complicated spreadsheets and manual data entry to keep track of their fleets. When you are managing thousands of devices, "Ctrl+F" on a spreadsheet just doesn't cut it. Recently, I sat down with Jeff LaLonde from VIZOR to learn about  the latest updates to VIZOR's already impressive asset management software. Whether you manage 500 devices or 50,000, VIZOR will improve your ability to manage your device fleet.  Learn more and schedule a free demo: vizor.cloud/cbc Thanks to VIZOR for sponsoring the Chromebook Classroom podcast! ----------------------------- Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show!

    52 min

  3. MAR 30

    The one Gemini feature you can't use in school (March EDU update)

    As part of my daily routine, I scan dozens of blogs, visit a handful of Facebook groups, and skim through Twitter. The goal: find the most helpful resources, tools, and articles that I can share with my teacher friends (that's you!).Here are my favorite links for March 2026! *** Episode Sponsor: VIZOR for Chromebooks! Manage and organize your Chromebook fleet with VIZOR! Automate device assignments, track repairs, find missing Chromebooks and more. Learn more and schedule a demo: http://vizor.cloud/cbc *** 👉 Links and notes for this episode: https://www.chrmbook.com/s9e13/ 📨 Get my monthly updates delivered to your inbox: http://chrm.tech/update Episode Timeline: 1:57 Intro and sponsor 3:27 NotebookLM studio updates 7:12 Gemini conversation sharing 8:52 Gemini in Chrome 11:31 Personal intelligence for Gemini 15:41 Teacher Hive by Tony Vincent 19:24 Google AI Studio 22:22 10 ways that elementary teachers can use AI 24:47 Managing Google Lens 17:37 End of year project ideas 31:27 TikTok videos in the classroom 34:52 Additional resources ----------------------------- Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show!

    37 min

  4. FEB 25

    Google Classroom has a BIG new feature (Feb. EDU Updates)

    As part of my daily routine, I scan dozens of blogs, visit a handful of Facebook groups, and skim through Twitter. The goal: find the most helpful resources, tools, and articles that I can share with my teacher friends (that's you!). Here are my favorite links for February 2026! 👉 Links and notes for this episode: https://www.chrmbook.com/s9e12/  📨 Get my monthly updates delivered to your inbox: http://chrm.tech/update Table of Contents: 2:07 Record videos in Google Classroom 6:14 AI suggested feedback 8:39 Premium Vids features for everyone! 11:38 Listen to your Document 16:03 Get musical with Gemini 19:59 Which version of Google do I have? 22:33 Split view tabs for Chrome 25:23 Host the Gemini Academy for Teachers 28:37 Overleaf for math teachers 33:53 Google Innovator Academy for 2026 36:34 Something is happening in AI (Matt Schumer) 41:10 Additional resources ----------------------------- Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show!

    42 min

  5. 2025-12-09

    Google EDU Update: Wrapping up 2025

    As part of my daily routine, I scan dozens of blogs, visit a handful of Facebook groups, and skim through Twitter. The goal: find the most helpful resources, tools, and articles that I can share with my teacher friends (that's you!). **Episode Sponsor: The Google Certification Academy** Registration for my winter cohort is now open! Earn your L1 AND Gemini Certification this winter: GoogleCertificationAcademy.com Here are my favorite links for December 2025:  Improved PDF view for Google Drive NEW: Google Workspace Studio Five advanced NotebookLM Features Using AI to evaluate privacy policies Year in search 2025 The Game Show Advent TextFX Top FB post from December: Gemini exam study guide Gemini vibe coding showcase Lock up the Christmas gifts! View the show notes for this episode: https://www.chrmbook.com/s9e11/ WATCH this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ii1nmf_yF_s  ----------------------------- Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show!

    29 min

  6. 2025-11-19

    Are Chromebooks ruining Education? (November Google EDU Update)

    The November Google EDU Update reveals how Gemini can save teachers 10 hours A WEEK! Plus, get the scoop on new features for rubrics, presentations, and math, and the NotebookLM study aids everyone is talking about. Don't miss the heated debate: Are Chromebooks ruining education? 🔖 SALE: Save 50% on access to my Wednesday Webinar Program: https://sowashventures.kit.com/products/wednesday-webinar-subscription?promo=THANKFUL Detailed show notes for this episode: https://www.chrmbook.com/s9e10/ Here are my favorite links for and updates for November 2025: Improved rubrics for Google Classsroom  Improvements for complex math formatting in Gemini  Create Slide presentation with Google Gemini  Unhook Chrome extension for YouTube  Save 50% on Wednesday Webinars 12:45 Personalized deep research reports  Vibe coding with AI Studio and Google Antigravity  Gemini can save teachers 10 hours/ week  Improve study aids for NotebookLM  Using AI improves student learning by 5.5%  Screens are ruining education

    37 min

  7. 2025-09-24

    NEW Google Gemini Certification + 10 Gemini Tips

    ** Episode Sponsor: Google Trainer Academy: GoogleTrainerAcademy.com ** Over the past month I've been able to visit a half-dozen different schools across the US sharing tips and ideas for using AI in the classroom. While there are a LOT of AI tools available, there's one that I think is at the top of the list: Google Gemini. Gemini has become my go-to AI tool. It's fast, flexible, safe, and free! Using Gemini with your school account means you get advanced features AND data privacy that's not included with a lot of other applications (looking at you ChatGPT!). If you haven't used Gemini recently, take another look...there have been a LOT of update and several new features specifically designed for the classroom. Here are some of my favorite features and ideas... Show notes and links: https://www.chrmbook.com/s9e9/ ----------------------------- Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show!

    28 min

  8. 2025-08-25

    5 Cool things to try in your classroom this year

    As you set up your classroom and get ready for a new crew of students, you might be thinking, "What's something new I can try this year?" Each year I select five strategies, tools, or ideas you can use to engage your students and shake things up a bit. These five tools and strategies are all about making your life easier and your students' learning more engaging. Let's dive in! 👉 EPISODE SPONSOR: Google Trainer Academy ----------------------------- Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show!

    27 min
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4.8
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About

A podcast focused on sharing how Chromebooks are impacting education around the world. Hosted by author and trainer John Sowash who interviews a variety of guests who share their Chromebook Classroom experience.

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