TL;DR:

• 100 Northern Ireland teachers piloted Gemini and Google Workspace tools over six months
• Teachers saved average 10 hours per week, reinvested in student engagement
• 600 unique use cases identified, from administrative tasks to personalised learning

A six-month pilot programme in Northern Ireland has demonstrated significant time savings for educators using Google’s Gemini AI tools, with participating teachers reclaiming an average of 10 hours weekly.

Programme Results

The initiative, conducted in partnership between the Northern Ireland Education Authority’s C2k programme and Google for Education, equipped 100 teachers with Gemini and Google Workspace tools. Participants identified over 600 unique use cases, ranging from streamlining administrative work to creating more engaging lesson content.

Chris Lowe, Head of ICT at Ashfield Boys’ High School, described the impact: “The time I saved using Gemini fundamentally allows me to do the job I want to do—and that is to teach.” Lowe uses the tool to draft parent communications and create risk assessments for class outings, whilst leveraging NotebookLM to transform curriculum material into revision podcasts.

Personalisation and Inclusion

Beyond efficiency gains, teachers utilised Gemini to create lessons in Irish and develop more inclusive learning environments. Alistair Hamill, Head of Geography at Lurgan College, employed NotebookLM’s MindMap feature to create visual representations that helped neurodiverse students see broader concepts rather than getting lost in details.

An ICT coordinator at Rowandale Primary School used Gemini to generate images for creative writing classes and tailor lessons to individual student needs, describing the capability as “game-changing” for inclusivity.

Looking Forward

Following the pilot’s success, C2k plans to extend Gemini training to additional teachers across Northern Ireland. Damian Harvey, Interim Head of C2k, emphasised that the programme’s effectiveness stemmed from collaborative teacher groups sharing learnings, alongside investment in training and AI readiness resources.

Google maintains that AI functions as a collaborative tool rather than a replacement for educators. The company continues exploring similar partnerships to align products with pedagogical principles whilst improving student learning outcomes.

Source: Google Blog