Gemini Notebook

Overview

NotebookLM is now called Gemini Notebook. The features and content remain the same. Gemini Notebook acts as an on-demand research assistant and is powered by Google’s Gemini AI models. To comply with data protection and compliance policies, Google Gemini Notebook is only available to practitioners through their Hwb account.

How to access Gemini Notebook in Hwb

To access Gemini Notebook from the Hwb website, log in and click the Google app on the Hwb dashboard. Open the Google waffle (the grid of squares in the top-right corner), scroll down and select Gemini Notebook.

To access Gemini Notebook outside of the Hwb website, open notebooklm.google.com and sign in using a Hwb account. Check the top right corner of the screen to ensure that Gemini Notebook is signed into a Hwb account and not a personal Google account.

How Gemini Notebook can support schools

• Summarise research articles and professional learning materials.
• Transform uploaded documents into audio overviews.
• Create video overviews to grasp core ideas.
• Ask questions about school documents, for example Estyn reports, school improvement plans.
• Organise notes and ideas for curriculum development or whole school strategic planning.
• Connect ideas by creating mind maps.
• Create flash cards for revision.

Sharing and assigning Gemini Notebook files in Google Classroom

Notebooks can be shared between practitioners to aid collaboration, with each user in that share being able to add up to 50 sources.

When in an individual notebook, click the share button in the top right corner to control who has access to the notebook and set sharing permissions.

Notebooks can be assigned and shared via Google Classroom. However, learners are currently unable to access Gemini Notebook using their Hwb accounts. While the icon to attach a Gemini Notebook file is visible to practitioners when creating assignments, learners will not be able to open or view Gemini Notebook files. 

Find out more about sharing notebooks. 

Key considerations 

• The use of Gemini Notebook should align to wider school policies such as digital literacy, online safety, acceptable use, safeguarding and data protection. Its use should also reflect any existing AI strategies set by the local authority.
• Gemini Notebook is designed to support not replace professional judgement. It may produce inaccurate or biased responses and is susceptible to copyright infringement. It can sometimes appear to express personal opinions or emotions, which are not genuine. Additionally, it may misjudge prompts, failing to respond appropriately or offer unsuitable replies.
• Careful consideration should be given to sources uploaded to Gemini Notebook, as it may influence the nature of the output. If content generated by Gemini Notebook is considered inappropriate, it must be reported to the school IT team, education technology support partner or local authority. 
• For additional resources on generative AI, including guidance, training and learning activities visit the Keeping safe online Generative AI page on Hwb.

Usage limits

Gemini Notebook in Hwb operates with 2 types of limits:

1. Creation limits

Google Gemini Notebook has ongoing creation limits. These limits reflect the maximum content a practitioner can build over time:

• up to 100 notebooks per practitioner
• up to 50 sources uploaded to each notebook
• each source can contain up to 500,000 words or 200MB (for local uploads)
• shared notebooks retain individual source limits, each practitioner can upload up to 50 sources, but the total number of notebooks is tied to their own account

These limits do not reset and represent the long-term capacity of a practitioner’s Gemini Notebook workspace.

2. Daily usage limits

These reset every 24 hours and apply to how much a practitioner can interact with Gemini Notebook:

• 50 chat queries
• 3 audio generations
• 3 video generations
• 10 reports
• 10 quizzes
• 10 flashcards

Data retention

Data assurances

• Schools should consider if a new Data protection impact assessment (DPIA) is needed, or if their current DPIA should be updated. For further information, refer to Supporting Your Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) for Google Workspace with Gemini.
• Practitioners using Gemini Notebook in Hwb benefit from enhanced protections and controls called enterprise data protection. Always ensure a Hwb account is used, not a personal Google account, check the icon in the top right corner.
• Data in Gemini Notebook is stored within the Hwb domain. It’s private and cannot be accessed by anyone outside of Hwb, unless a practitioner chooses to share it.
• Prompts and responses will not be reviewed by human reviewers and are not used to train the underlying large language models (LLMs). Gemini Notebook only has access to files the practitioner allows access to. However, schools remain the data controller for any information entered and are responsible for how the data output is used.
• Where a school is considering using AI tools in a way that may involve personal or special category data, it should:
  • carry out a local Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA)
  • seek advice from the school’s data protection officer

This helps to make sure any risks are properly understood and managed in the local context. Examples of personal and sensitive category data include:

• • personal data, such as names, email addresses, learner identifiers, dates of birth or any information that could identify an individual
  • special category data such as health information, safeguarding details, additional learning needs or equality and diversity data
• Gemini Notebook respects the permissions and access controls set within Hwb Google Workspace.
• Gemini Notebook adheres to privacy and security commitments, including UK GDPR. Further information available at Generative AI in Google Workspace Privacy Hub. 

Differences between a Google account in Hwb and a personal Google account

More information on Gemini Notebook can be found at Frequently asked questions, Gemini Notebook Help.