The Experiment: Jon uploaded class videos and textbook content to NotebookLM to create an audio podcast . The goal was for students to use the "interactive" feature to interrupt the AI host and ask questions during their homework .
The Outcome: While Jon found the experience satisfying personally, the classroom implementation was a "fail" .
Sharing Issues: There is no easy way to "assign" a notebook; sharing it individually was difficult, and student data remains private to the user, meaning the teacher could not track progress .
Technical Glitches: Students reported that the audio would randomly restart, the system did not remember where they left off, and the prompt designed to summarize their activity failed to work reliably .
Feature Request for Google: Jon suggests NotebookLM needs a system similar to Google Classroom where teachers can assign content and track student interaction .
The Pivot: Despite this setback, Jon plans to use NotebookLM for final exam review guides and will test a new tool, Skylo.ai, which may better solve the interactive video problem .
AI in Education: Jon emphasizes that educators must teach students to use AI as a "copilot" to ensure they thrive in the "fourth industrial revolution" without losing critical thinking skills .
