EDUtech 2026 Recap!

We are still buzzing after an incredible week at EDUtech Australia in Sydney. We once again partnered with Google to run the Google Teaching Theatre. Our EDUtech sessions were jam-packed with forward-thinking and creative sessions around best practice with Google, Gemini and NotebookLM! Leading voices in education from Australia, New Zealand and Google pumped up the audience by showcasing some truly innovative practices.

Let’s unpack some highlights with our EDUtech 2026 Recap!

Donna Golightly presenting her session called “Vibe Code your way to fun!”

Vibe Coding

The theme of EDUtech 2026 was Vibe Coding! Vibe Coding is..

Have you tried Gemini Canvas? Presenters hooked the audience in with all different ways to use Gemini Canvas in education from a jeopardy-style math quiz to a public speaking coach. You can design any interactive material you can imagine in Gemini Canvas!

Have a go at:

• A website landing page
• Hard to find teaching topics e.g. Binary or a Science gravity simulator
• Early Career teacher support resources
• Professional Development
• Planning 
• Leadership templates e.g. walk through observations, wellbeing check
  

Recent update! Gemini Canvas creations can now be shared through Google Drive 🎉

Teacher at the heart

Another common theme shared by presenters was the idea of using AI but keeping the teacher at the center of pedagogy. Ryan Elwell shared a presentation adeptly titled ‘Automate the grind, keep the craft’ where he explored how to use AI to support administrative grind, best use of AI automation and keeping the teacher craft. Clare Willemse demonstrated this brilliantly by showing how schools can transform their old “Wisdom Banks” of report comments into an interactive Report Comment Generator using Gemini Canvas. Don Perna continued challenging the audience’s ideas on where AI sits by sharing his powerful presentation on how to use technology with purpose. Don suggests successful AI integration starts with protecting offline, human-centered learning first. 

Image by Clare Willemse

Building safe, walled-garden AI tools for education

With AI integrating into our education systems, conversations regarding privacy and security continue to be a vital priority for schools. Phil Carew and Luke Starczak shed light on the robust protections within Google Workspace for Education, emphasizing that educational data is strictly shielded from human review and public model training. By leveraging NotebookLM and tailored Gemini Gems, educators can create a secure environment by uploading their own verified rubrics, PDFs, and curriculum resources. This turns Gemini into a powerful, interactive collaborator that stays within the lines, producing engaging podcast-style Audio Overviews and customized study aids grounded entirely in your trusted materials!

Google for Education image

Designing for Thinking and Inclusion

Gemini is proving to be a powerful engine for deeper thinking  and inclusive design. Sarah Darcy shared how educators can anchor AI in evidence-based research to create highly personalized, multi-modal “Social Stories” for neurodivergent students, combining AI text generation with Google Vids to create predictable, safe learning anchors. I showed how Gemini Storybooks could be used to support students with needs in the classroom through targeted visual stories. 

Alper Ciftci showed how students can use Gemini Gems as a thought partner to help improve and refine their real-world inventions by getting continuous feedback.

Watch Sarah’s video on an inclusive Storybook here

EDUtech Google Community Mixer

Teaching Theatre Presenters, Google Certified Trainers, Innovators and Reference Schools came together at Google Sydney to network and celebrate. Attendees were able to preview some exciting upcoming features in Google for Education and hear some success stories of certified teachers, trainers, innovators and coaches across Australia and New Zealand. 

Clare Willemse, Mary McEvilly Butler, Donna Golightly and Rachel Duckworth at the Community Mixer

Interested in joining the fun and finding out more about the community? Try out one of the courses below to start your own Google journey or learn more about certification here. 

Stay Curious!

Deploy Learning is partnering with Google Australia to elevate your teaching skills and future proof your career. Click here to explore and register for our free-of-charge events and workshops in 2026. 

📖 Learn on your own time – Head over to our online courses store to check out the different courses we have on offer from our Level 1 and 2 Google Certified Educator Courses to Intro to Gen AI or Google Classroom Masterclass to the Essentials with Docs, Sheets, Gmail and Slides.

🤝 Professional Development – Reach out to us to discuss how we can partner with your school to support your professional development journey.

📣 Events – Watch this space! The 2026 Summits will be announced soon. Follow us on LinkedIn or Instagram for more information.