AI Productivity for Everyone: Master Gemini & NotebookLM

Artificial Intelligence is no longer just for tech experts; it is a fundamental skill for modern digital literacy. This course demystifies Generative AI, focusing on the powerful tools available for free within the Google ecosystem. By mastering these tools, learners can reclaim hours of their week, improve the quality of their writing, and process information significantly faster.

Designed for a universal audience—students, freelancers, and lifelong learners—this course moves beyond basic chatting. Participants will master Deep Research to investigate complex topics, configure Gemini Memory and Extensions to personalize their experience, and build custom Gems for repetitive tasks. Crucially, the afternoon focuses on NotebookLM and AI Synthesis: teaching learners how to turn raw documents into polished artifacts, including Audio Overviews (podcasts), Mind Maps, Infographics, and presentation structures.

Introduction to Generative AI: Understanding LLMs, hallucinations, and safe usage.

• Mastering Gemini: The "Person-Task-Context-Format" prompting framework, preferences and memory, connect it with Google Workspace, Deep Research
• Multimodal AI: Working with images, voice, and uploaded files in Gemini.
• Customization: Creating and configuring personal Gems (Custom AI Experts) to assist them during repetitive tasks.
• NotebookLM Deep Dive: Creating notebooks, source grounding (uploading PDFs/Docs, Deep Research), and generating citations.
• AI Synthesis: Generating Audio & Video Overviews, Mind Maps, Infographics, Slide Decks and Reports from raw data.

On completion of this course, participants will be able to :

• Apply structured prompt engineering techniques (assigning persona, context, and constraints) to generate high-quality text, code, or creative ideas using Google Gemini.
• Query and process information from other Google Workspace apps like Gmail, Calendar, Drive and Docs inside Gemini
• Use Deep Research to gather information using autonomous web search driven by Gemini and compiled into an extensive report with sources
• Create and configure a custom "Gem" (AI expert) with specific system instructions to assist them when accomplishing repetitive personal tasks.
• Synthesize information from multiple complex sources (PDFs, Websites, Google Docs) into accurate summaries, study guides, podcasts and explainer videos using NotebookLM.
• Transform raw text and research data into visual structures, generating Mind Maps, Infographics, and Slide Decks.
• Evaluate AI-generated outputs for accuracy and hallucinations, applying critical thinking to AI assistance.

This 7-hour course uses a "Watch-Do-Review" pedagogical approach. The trainer demonstrates a specific AI capability (e.g., summarizing a complex PDF), and participants immediately replicate the task on their own devices using their own files or provided sample files. The goal is practical application. By the end of the day, participants will not just "know" about AI but will have active "Gems" and "Notebooks" set up in their personal accounts ready for daily use.