Control Alt Achieve

Thursday, September 24, 2026

Upcoming Webinar - Your Brain on AI: Moving from Crutch to Catalyst

I am excited to be presenting a free webinar titled "Your Brain on AI: Moving from Crutch to Catalyst".

When students use AI, are they learning or just offloading?

As beneficial as AI can be, overreliance on it can hurt thinking skills, creativity, and understanding. How do we avoid this?

In this session we explore the 'Wrestle, Rap, Reflect' framework, a powerful, practical solution that keeps the human in the loop by requiring learners to engage their own brains before and after the AI interaction.

Students first wrestle with the content independently of AI, and then rap with the AI to enhance and extend their learning, and finally reflect on their use of AI to thoughtfully incorporate it.

See how to apply this framework to your existing lessons and content to integrate AI in a way that is responsible, meaningful, and transformative to student learning.

Details for this training:

🍳 Your Brain on AI: Moving from Crutch to Catalyst
🗓️ Thursday, October 8th, 2026
⏰ 3pm ET / 2pm CT / 1pm MT / Noon PT
▶️ The webinar will be live-streamed and also recorded for those who can't attend live
✅ Register at https://bit.ly/oct8aibrain or in this Google Form

Feel free to share with others and I hope you will join me for this exciting webinar!

Google Docs Calendar Templates for the 2027-2028 School Year

Several years ago I created some Google Docs templates for a colleague who was looking for a simple one-page document to show important calendar dates for an entire school year. The templates were a big hit and many people found them to be helpful.

Although it still feels like the school year has just gotten started, I have already received emails from folks asking if I have made a version for next year ... the 2027-2028 school year.

So for all of you super organized people who are already planning for the next school year, I am happy to say, yes, I have versions for 2027-2028. See below for the links to get your own copies of these templates, as well as some basic directions on how to edit them for your own use.

EdTech Links - Week of 9-14-2026

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup
🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

Google AI Badgeathon

Looking for a great free day of virtual PD to kick off the new school year? Well get your snacks ready because Google is hosting their "AI Educator Series Badgeathon: Day of AI Learning".

I am super excited to be presenting one of the sessions that day on Gemini Notebook and how to build just-in-time coaching resources at 1:30pm Eastern.

Here are the details for the full day of sessions:

Date: September 19, 2026
Time: 9:00am-7:00pm ET

A fast-paced, drop-in learning festival designed for your busy schedule. Pop in for a 30-minute power session or stack a few together to level up your AI skills on your own terms. Every 30-minute block packs a punch.

Lightning Talk: A fellow K-12 classroom teacher shares a quick, real-world AI hack or use case (like automating lesson plans or student-inquiry scaffolds).
Module Overview: Get a fast, clear walkthrough of the official curriculum to master the tool's features.
Live Badging & Prizes: We open our screens, complete the 5-question quiz together to earn your verified badge, and wrap up with custom swag giveaways!

Why Join Us on September 19th?

ISTE-Aligned Micro-Credentials: Walk away with verified digital badges that prove your practical AI fluency.
Win Free Swag: Complete a bundle of badges to earn raffle entries for amazing prizes, including limited-edition Google water bottles and other official Google gear!
Live Troubleshooting Support: Stuck on a quiz question or login? A team of Google team members will be active in the live stream to answer your technical questions in real time.

Planning to join? Get more details on the website and register for free.

I hope to learn with you!

Upcoming Webinar - Promptcraft: Building a Better AI Prompt

I am excited to be presenting a free webinar about creating better AI prompts. And what better time than September to have a "Promptember" event!

AI can have a powerful impact on teaching and learning, but the value of what you get out can often depend on the quality of what you put in. How can you craft better prompts to get the best results?

In this session we will explore hundreds of examples of excellent prompts, learn the top 10 tips for better prompts, and explore free tools to help you make the best prompts for your needs.

Details for this training:

💬 Promptcraft: Building a Better AI Prompt
🗓️ Thursday, September 24th, 2026
⏰ 3pm ET / 2pm CT / 1pm MT / Noon PT
▶️ The webinar will be live-streamed and also recorded for those who can't attend live
✅ Register at bit.ly/sep24prompt or in this Google Form

Feel free to share with others and I hope you will join me for this exciting webinar!

What's New in Google - August 2026

Catch up on everything new in Google Workspace for Education from August 2026, and see great ideas and resources!

Below is the recorded video from our August 2026 Google User Meeting, along with the meeting agenda with all the awesome resources and Google updates from the last few months. This includes lots of new Google updates and Google resources for your class.

The monthly meetings are hosted by the Google Educator Group of Ohio, but are open to anyone from any location. The purpose of these meetings is to:

Connect Google-using educators
Share the latest Google Workspace news and features
Provide tutorials, demonstrations, and how-to’s
Share best practices of how Google Workspace is being used within schools
Ask questions and get answers

The video from the meeting is recorded and available for later viewing for those who cannot attend or connect live. See below to view the recorded video, agenda, and all the resources from the August 2026 meeting: