As an English teacher, and co-founder of The AI Teacher Course, one of my main objectives has always been to help students connect with literature in meaningful ways. Recently, I decided to try using Google’s Notebook LM with two of my favourite classics, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and A Streetcar Named Desire (ASND) by Tennessee Williams. I was curious to see how this AI-powered tool could support my students in understanding the text on a deeper level.

The results were promising. I fed Notebook LM Chapter 5, the famous creation scene where Dr Frankenstein brings his creature to life, plus a document about the text’s Gothic features. Then asked it to generate a podcast. Notebook LM processed the information and gave me a rather excitable (American) 12 minute conversation between two AI bots; it sounded natural, engaging and included not only a synthesis of the information I had given, but also great phraseology which my students were able to pull out and use. One student’s response: ‘They’re proper buzzin’ about Frankenstein’.

The student I used the ASND podcast with had a little more to say. For this one, I uploaded the whole text with a document about the different types of conflict in the play. It managed the information well, but I feel it worked better giving it a smaller section of text, like I did with Frankenstein. My student was impressed and thought the bots’ enthusiasm was funny; she created a mindmap from the conversation and used some of the lovely phrases within it in her own essays.

NoteBookLM - It’s not perfect yet…

As with any new tool, there were some challenges. One particular issue I faced was losing valuable information - one of my favourite versions of the podcast. It was a reminder that while AI can be incredibly helpful, it’s not without its limitations. It’s important to know these limitations and find ways to counteract them. By copying the link once the podcast is complete and sending it to yourself in an email, rather than assuming that you can click the podcast name to return to it, you can avoid losing the work.

AI Teacher Course: helping teachers teach use AI

Even with these setbacks, the positives far outweighed the frustrations. Notebook LM has proved a great tool; listening to a conversation based on the types of things they need to write about I feel has helped them to articulate their ideas both verbally and on paper. It won’t work every time or with every student of course, but it’s definitely worth giving it a whirl!

In a time when education is rapidly evolving, tools like Notebook LM are offering new ways for teachers to make literature more dynamic and engaging for students. While technology won’t replace the hands-on guidance that teachers provide, it can certainly help lighten the load and open up fresh opportunities in the classroom. Which is why we launched www.aiteachercourse.com to help teachers do exactly that with AI.

Further Reading 

Here are five helpful resources on using NotebookLM and AI in education:

1. Ditch That Textbook explains how NotebookLM can be a powerful tool for educators. It offers features like creating audio summaries, making study guides, and helping students review materials by summarising uploaded content. Teachers can upload various resources and NotebookLM can generate quizzes and glossaries, which can be shared through learning management systems like Google Classroom​
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2. UCR's XCITE Center for Teaching and Learning provides a detailed breakdown of how NotebookLM can support both students and teachers. It highlights how students can use the tool to better understand complex material through personalised summaries and how teachers can use it to facilitate dynamic classroom discussions by generating thought-provoking questions​
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3. AI for Education dives into the features of NotebookLM, including its ability to handle various file types like PDFs and audio. It showcases how educators can use the tool to generate FAQs, create podcasts, and compare different documents for more interactive learning experiences​
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4. Control Alt Achieve focuses on NotebookLM's ability to help teachers create AI-powered collaborative lesson plans, synthesise student input, and personalise learning paths based on student performance. This resource shows how NotebookLM can transform teaching by integrating AI tools into traditional lesson structures​
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5. The AI Educator discusses how NotebookLM can be used as an educational assistant that encourages students to engage more deeply with materials by asking questions and interacting with AI-generated content. It also emphasises the importance of verifying AI-generated information to ensure accuracy and avoid over-reliance​. AI for Education

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