East Lyme students pilot AI literacy; district plans phased Gemini rollout after teacher-led Notebook LM trials

Board members heard a detailed student-led update on the district’s AI pilot and a demonstration of Notebook LM, a Google-linked instructional tool that uses Gemini. Presenters said the pilot showed promise for individualized study supports but highlighted unresolved issues about teacher monitoring, acceptable use and rollout logistics.

Annalise, the staff member who introduced the presentation, told the board the district had chosen different platforms by level: “Magic School AI at the middle school… Gemini at the high school,” and that the district would not use a student-facing AI platform at the elementary level. She said staff would finalize student, staff and family guidelines over the summer and launch the program at the start of the next school year.

Kimberly Isizo, social studies teacher, described Notebook LM as “a Google tool … that lets you sort of curate some resources and build some other experiences” so teachers can control the sources students see. She demonstrated teacher-created flashcards, mind maps and AI-generated podcasts tied to classroom materials. “It allows them to have a more individualized way to interact in the material that we’re providing,” Isizo said.

Students on the pilot panel reported concrete classroom benefits. Jillian Baker, a junior, said Notebook LM “helps students prepare for assessment for civics… create flashcards, saving … students time by allowing students to have more time to study rather than trying to prepare materials.” Student presenters said they used the tool for midterm review, Jeopardy-style class games and differentiated study paths; one teacher said she saw improved scores on the tests tied to the piloted Notebook content.

Panelists also raised limitations and risks. Students and staff cautioned that the course videos and activities need to be engaging and that prompting skills are essential for good outcomes. Staff and students stressed concerns about monitoring: as one presenter noted, “Gemini does not have [a teacher monitoring] right now,” meaning teachers cannot currently view student queries in the same way the district can when using an overlay product. The pilot cost was described as roughly $10 per student for the initial trial cohort.

District leaders said next steps include finalizing an AI literacy requirement before opening Gemini to students, expanding teacher professional development (a train-the-trainer cohort was described), holding a family information session in the fall, and continuing student panels. Board members asked for demo access and materials so they could better evaluate the student experience before full implementation.

The board did not take a formal vote on the program; the presentation closed with a plan to return with final policy and rollout details in the summer and fall.