NotebookLM: New Features, New Possibilities
Google's NotebookLM, one of the most popular AI tools of 2024, has several new enhancements to improve interactivity and productivity. With these new features, Google has taken significant steps to make NotebookLM easier for users to ask questions, stay organized, and collaborate.
[New to NotebookLM? See my earlier post: NotebookLM in Action: Takeaways from Testing Google's AI Research Assistant]
Interactive Audio Overviews
The most intriguing addition is Interactive Audio Overviews, which allows users to “join” their AI hosts directly during audio summaries. Users can now ask questions and receive personalized responses from NotebookLM.
To this end, Google has introduced a new “Interactive mode (BETA) button” that you hit to play an Audi Overview. While listening, you simply tap "Join" and one of the podcast hosts will call on you to participate.
In its introductory announcement, Google adds a disclaimer that Interactive Audio Overviews is an “experimental feature” and only works with new Audio Overviews. (So, it won’t work with your existing ones.) You’ll also notice that the host will pause awkwardly before responding to your inquiry and, like any AI, the response may contain mistakes.
Distinct Panels
Google has also introduced a new NotebookLM interface for better managing and generating new content based on your sources. It features three distinct panels:
Sources Panel: Manages and references all central information for a project.
Chat Panel: Facilitates discussions with the AI interface, complete with citations to source-grounded materials.
Studio Panel: A creative hub where users can generate Study Guides, Briefing Documents, or Audio Overviews either separately or collaboratively.
Teachers and students will likely be drawn to the Studio panel. It creates a space to create curriculum study guides and to work collaboratively on exploring curriculum topics.
NotebookLM Plus
Google has also launched NotebookLM Plus, a premium version designed for businesses, educational institutions, and teams seeking enhanced features. This subscription offers:
More than five times the capacity for Audio Overviews, notebooks, and sources per notebook.
Customization options to personalize the style and length of notebook responses.
Shared team notebooks with usage analytics to enhance collaboration.
Additional privacy and security measures.
My sense is that NotebookLM Plus costs more than schools will be willing to spend. To find out for yourself inquire here.
New Possibilities
NotebookLM’s new features introduce a higher level of personalization and increased potential to address individual learning needs. They facilitate enhanced educational experiences for both educators and students. Here are some practical ways to leverage NotebookLM in schools:
1. Personalized Learning: NotebookLM can serve as an AI-powered tutor, providing students with tailored explanations and summaries of topics. Students can upload course materials and receive answers to specific questions (delivered verbally if desired) ideally deepening their understanding of subject matter.
For example, a student struggling with algebraic equations might upload their math notes or textbook chapters to NotebookLM. The AI can provide the student with concise explanations of key concepts and also answers specific questions, like how to factor a binomial.
2. Collaborative Studying: Educators can create shared notebooks where students collaborate on projects or study groups. Leveraging the Study Panel, teachers can promote teamwork collective problem-solving.
For instance, in a chemistry class, students might be assigned to groups to study chemical reactions. Students could create a shared NotebookLM file where they upload research materials, summarize findings, and ask the AI questions about reaction rates or balancing equations. Students could use the AI's feedback to refine their conclusions.
3. Efficient Research Oraganization: Students can use NotebookLM to gather and synthesize information from various sources, such as articles, videos, and presentations. The AI can summarize key points, making it easier to aggregate notes for assignments or projects.
Let’s say a history class is preparing a project on the history of the United Nations. Each student uploads relevant documents (e.g., articles, excerpts from textbooks, or video transcripts) into NotebookLM. The AI compiles summaries of each source, highlighting key events, figures, and challenges the UN has faced. It also organizes information so that students can easily reference it during the project, connect various sources and minimizing information overload.
4. Instant Feedback: NotebookLM can provide immediate feedback on student work, highlighting areas of strength and suggesting improvements.
I tried this recently with an article I wrote in Spanish on AI in marketing. I had already created a Notebook complete with a B2 level (upper intermediate) Spanish textbook, as well as various grammar and vocabulary guides. I asked Notebook LM to analyze the appropriateness of my grammar, vocabulary, and syntax and it provided me with plenty of helpful suggestions, along with clear explanations.
Sources, Sources
What distinguishes NotebookLM from a general AI chatbot is that it draws expressly from the sources provided by the users. As such, it’s a well-controlled environment that can minimize errors. But, beware, garbage in, garbage out.
The key is to populate NotebookLM notebooks with appropriate and helpful (multimodal) sources, and then ask it good questions. Students will likely need guidance with this process.
Short of simply dictating what student should put in their Notebooks, teachers should help students assess the credibility and appropriateness of their sources. Here are some fundamental questions to address:
Is the creator of the source reputable?
Does the source provide verifiable facts? Is it biased?
Does the source directly relate to the topic you’re studying?
Does the source include citations or evidence to support its claims?
Of course, this is just a starting point. But it’s part of an important process for optimizing NotebookLM and, more broadly, for guiding students with digital information. Strive to implement strategies that guide students in creating high-quality, effective Notebooks with sources that help ensure NotebookLM responses are accurate, relevant, and informative.
AI in Edu: News, Tools & News
AI in Edu: News, Tools & Views is sent to all subscribers on Fridays.\
Find more AI tools, views, and how-to’s at tomdaccord.com