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Google Slides’ New Sidebar is a Game-Changer for Classrooms
Since 2014, I’ve had the privilege of watching our teachers use Google Slides in creative, effective, and downright brilliant ways. From student portfolios to flipped lessons, our district has leaned on Slides as a flexible tool for teaching and learning. Now, Google is taking things up a notch with its new right-hand sidebar—and I’m here to break it down so you can start using it this week.
This isn’t just a layout update—it’s an instructional opportunity. Let’s explore what’s new, what’s improved, and how you can use it to power up student engagement and efficiency in your classroom.
What’s in the New Google Slides Sidebar?
🧱 1. Building Blocks
These are pre-designed content components that you can drop into any slide. Think of them as plug-and-play layouts you can tweak to meet your needs. Some examples include:
- Agenda blocks for lesson overviews or class schedules
- Quote blocks for bellringers, exit tickets, or inspirational openers
- Stat or data blocks for visualizing information during instruction or student research projects
✅ Classroom Ideas:
- Teachers can use Agenda Blocks at the beginning of each slide deck to set expectations and give students a visual structure for the lesson.
- Students can use Quote Blocks during book reports or biography projects to highlight famous lines.
- Stats blocks can be used in science fair presentations or social studies projects to emphasize key data points.
🖼️ 2. Stock Images, Stickers, Web Images, and GIFs
Google now gives you direct access to millions of royalty-free visuals, including:
- Photos (great for setting scenes or supporting visual learning)
- GIFs (hello, student engagement!)
- Stickers (perfect for elementary slides, student check-ins, or lighthearted classroom vibes)
- Web Images (filtered for safe use)
✅ Classroom Ideas:
- Create a “mood board” slide where students select stickers or images to represent how they’re feeling that day.
- Support ELL learners or visual thinkers by pairing stock images with vocabulary words.
- Let students create biographical slideshows where they can search and insert relevant images from within the sidebar—no new tab needed.
This is a HUGE time-saver and removes the friction of students wandering the web looking for images.
🪄 3. AI-Powered Image Generation (Not Available in BISD)
With a simple text prompt, Google will create visuals on your behalf. No design skills needed.
✅ Classroom Ideas:
- Prompt it to generate visuals for abstract concepts like “growth mindset” or “the water cycle”
- Students working on creative writing can prompt it to create visuals of the settings or characters they’re imagining
- Teachers can create unique slide visuals for anchor charts, posters, or thematic lessons
💬 Example prompt: "A futuristic city with green rooftops and flying cars"
Perfect for STEAM classes, creative writing, or environmental science!
🎤 4. Speaker Spotlight
This tool lets you embed your own video feed directly on a slide. It’s especially helpful in hybrid or asynchronous learning environments.
✅ Classroom Ideas:
- Record mini-lessons for students who need to revisit content or are absent
- Use during PD sessions to keep a human presence even in digital decks
- Have students record themselves giving presentations, creating a digital portfolio of speaking skills
Teachers can also use this tool to provide visual cues during SEL lessons or make flipped classroom content more personalized.
🎥 5. Slides Recordings
Record your screen and voice while presenting, then share the video link via Classroom, email, or ParentSquare. This helps:
- Students revisit lessons for review
- Parents understand classroom content
- Teachers create evergreen content for subs, make-up work, or station rotation
✅ Classroom Ideas:
- Record yourself giving instructions for a project so you don’t have to repeat them 5 times 😅
- Create brief lesson recaps for families to support learning at home
- Let students record book reviews or science presentations and link them in a class slide deck gallery
This feature supports universal design for learning (UDL) by giving students multiple means of engagement and access.
📑 6. Templates
Still included and easier than ever to find, templates help you start strong without reinventing the wheel.
✅ Classroom Ideas:
- Choose a template for student-led conferences or digital portfolios
- Start a new unit with a themed deck using modern design (less time designing, more time teaching)
- Assign template-based presentations for students—each with a unique layout
Use templates as a launchpad, then layer on the sidebar’s new building blocks and visuals for even more polish.
💡 How to Start Using It Today
- ✅ Open Google Slides
- ✅ Look to the right side of your screen—you’ll see a panel with icons for Templates, Building Blocks, Visuals, and more
- ✅ Click around and try inserting one new feature per slide deck this week
- ✅ Show students how to use the sidebar for their own projects
🧠 Closing Thoughts
This update reflects where education is headed: student voice, visual storytelling, accessibility, and efficient design. The new Google Slides sidebar is packed with tools that support 21st-century learning, reduce teacher workload, and help our classrooms shine.
Want help building a slide deck using these new tools? Or want me to co-teach a session with your students? I’m just an email away. Are you a Brenham ISD teacher reading this post? Fill out this In-District Google Form to say you've read through this post. (First 5 to complete the form will receive a Sonic Drink)
📩 Let’s Build Together If you use one of these tools this week, snap a screenshot and send it my way! I’d love to highlight your work and share ideas in next week’s post.
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