Hello GEC Community!
Our February focus on Digital Well-Being and Safety is all about finding balance and reducing the "digital friction" that can lead to burnout. This week's updates from Google Workspace are designed to do exactly that—helping you and your students navigate meetings and documents with greater ease.
Here is your weekly recap of the latest Google Workspace updates:
📺 Standalone Windows for Shared Content in Google Meet
Multi-tasking during a meeting just became much smoother. Participants can now move screen-shared content into a separate, standalone window using the “Open in new window” option.
-
Impact: This allows educators to keep their students' video feeds on one screen while viewing shared materials on another, fostering better engagement and visual connection.
-
Learn how to move shared content in Meet
🎧 Listen to Audio Summaries in Google Docs
In a major win for accessibility and "on-the-go" prep, audio summaries are coming to Google Docs. Powered by Gemini, this feature provides a brief spoken overview of your document’s most important parts.
🎨 Introducing Figma in Google Chat
For our STEAM and Design educators, the new Figma for Google Workspace add-on brings your design files directly into Google Chat. You can now embed and collaborate on Figma files without switching contexts, keeping your project discussions and creative work in one place.
🛡️ Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for Google Calendar (Beta)
To further our safety goals, Google is introducing DLP policies for Google Calendar in beta. This helps administrators prevent sensitive data (like protected student info) from being shared via meeting attachments or descriptions.
📽️ New Hardware Controls for Google Meet
Admins now have a dedicated “Video calling” toggle for Google Meet hardware devices. This allows for more granular control over which devices can join calls, ensuring that hardware in public or high-traffic school areas is managed securely.
💡 Note: As with all new releases, availability may vary based on your specific school's Workspace edition. Please check with your IT Administrator to see when these features will be active for your faculty and students.
Original Source: Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap - February 13, 2026
