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Have you ever wished you could turn a dense historical text into a fun, engaging conversation? Google’s new NotebookLM tool makes it possible to do just that! NotebookLM analyzes text sources—whether they’re primary sources, articles, or textbooks—and turns them into conversational summaries. Imagine using it to create a short, chatty podcast that brings history to life! In this post, we’ll explore how NotebookLM works and offer creative ways for social studies teachers and students to use it in the classroom. PS: NotebookLM has lots of other useful tools for summating uploaded content.
What is NotebookLM?
NotebookLM is an AI tool designed by Google that takes long, sometimes complicated text and distills it into a more accessible, conversational format. Whether you’re working with a textbook chapter, historical document, or article, you can use NotebookLM to summarize key points in a casual, podcast-ready style. It’s ideal for generating podcast scripts that explain historical events or concepts in an engaging way—and it works with all kinds of text sources!
In this example I pasted the URL from this LOC page about Woman's Suffrage into a new "Notebook"
Link to Audio File:Womens Suffrage Test (20mb wav file)
Step-by-Step Guide:
1. Upload Text or Links: Start by uploading the text you want to work with. This could be a historical speech, newspaper article, or a primary source from the Library of Congress collection. It can also be mulitple sources
2. Generate Chatty Summaries: Once you have created Notebook with sources - click on the *Notebook Guide in the lower right of the screen
3. A Notebook Guide page will pop up - You will see Audio Overview area in upper right of popup. Click "Load the Conversation"
4. In a few seconds an Audio Overview will load. Click the 3 dots to download
5. Save the WAV file and share
Note: You have no controls over the script it creates or voices used. It cannot be edited.
Creative Classroom Applications for NotebookLM
Here are some ideas for how teachers and students can use NotebookLM to explore history in innovative ways:
1. Student-Created Podcasts
Students can turn historical documents into podcast. This encourages them to engage with primary sources in a new way.
Example: A student creates a podcast about the Gettysburg Address, exploring its significance while breaking it down into bite-sized, conversational insights.
2. A Summary Tool for Dense Texts
For those long textbook chapters or articles that can be overwhelming, NotebookLM acts as a summary tool. Teachers or students can input the text and receive a concise, digestible summary. It’s a fantastic way to break down complex historical events like the Civil Rights Movement or the Industrial Revolution into manageable pieces for study sessions.
Example: Use NotebookLM to summarize a chapter on the Progressive Era, creating a quick review that students can listen to before a test.
3. Class Reviews of Historical Eras
NotebookLM can help teachers and students quickly review entire historical periods, like Reconstruction or World War II, by summarizing key events into short podcast segments. These can be used as study aids or class-wide discussions that reinforce the material in an engaging, audio-friendly format.
Example: A teacher uses NotebookLM to create a five-minute podcast summarizing the major events of the Reconstruction era, which students listen to before diving deeper into the topic.
Final Thoughts
AI tools like Google’s NotebookLM are reshaping how students engage with historical content, turning texts into dynamic, audio-friendly formats that meet them where they are. Imagine the impact of a student-created podcast that not only explains a historical event but also connects it to the present day. These podcasts can become powerful tools for reflection and discussion, encouraging students to think critically about the past while presenting it in a way that’s accessible and fun.
Give NotebookLM a try in your classroom—and share your podcasts with us! Let’s bring history to life, one conversation at a time.
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Want to dive deeper? Check out my new post, “AI Magic: Create Podcast-Style Summaries with STORM and NotebookLM,” for more tips on turning your research into engaging audio summaries.
When I talk with anyone about potential uses of AI in classrooms, I tend to get two opposite responses. One is excitement about teaching in new ways that will engage students, and the other is roughly equivalent to "Icky." I'm not happy to learn that schools are spending money that could be used in better ways than controlling AI through expensive, one-size-fits-all, fear-based tools. Just as happened decades ago with search engines like Google, it's the QUESTIONS that matter! Inquiry strategies still have the capacity to transform education, with or without AI.
That said, the podcast style of the Women's Suffrage Test file is really fun and engaging, 
Peter Pappas
. Are you aware of anyone who has introduced incorrect information into something like STORM and NotebookLM? I'm thinking about how that could be used for Media Literacy lessons, as 
Cheryl Davis
suggested. Sort of like in the old days when librarians would project fake websites for students to analyze.
AI easily "hallucinates" incorrect info. When I did a test of this process, STORM embellished one key bit of information. NotebookLM took the same info one step further into being a falsehood. Like AI playing the "telephone game?"
Edited
Thanks for introducing the Network to these new resources Peter Pappas. I tried out NotebookLM with a primary source, specifically, the speech commonly referred to as, "What to the slave is the Fourth of July?" While you can publicly share the generated audio files, you can only share the Notebooks themselves with specific people so I copied and pasted notes into documents that I saved as PDFs and uploaded them to Google Drive.
The first time I used this excerpt from PBS: "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." The podcast was a little over 6 minutes long. Personally, I found the "podcasters" to be a bit flippant, somewhat repetitive, and very supportive of the brilliance and importance of the speech. Additionally, they changed the title and some of the vocabulary they used was at a pretty high level (it would be nice if you could specify a grade-level). I didn't review the supporting notes it created but on quick scan seemed to be fairly helpful, though they would need to be reviewed for accuracy.
The second time I used the complete speech, which I accessed from Mass Humanities: https://masshumanities.org/files/programs/douglass/speech_complete.pdf (Note: You can also find the whole speech at LOC.gov as part of an article published in Frederick Douglass' own newspaper titled, "A Celebration at Corinthian Hall.") The podcast was nearly 18 and a half minutes long and very repetitive; it really could have been ended shortly before the 12-minute mark (specifically at 11:43). The same podcaster voices were used though I thought they seemed a bit more serious this time around. Attempts at creating an FAQ (i.e., Summary) and Table of Contents were unsuccessful as both notes were blank. I did create two separate Timelines and it was interesting to see the subtle differences between the versions. Supporting notes
Overall, I wasn't a huge fan of the chatty style of the "podcasters," although that might just be me, but without being able to control the level of the vocabulary used, I'm not sure it would be helpful it is. I did feel that the text notes could be quite helpful in helping students to decipher the heavy text.
Would love to hear additional thoughts . . .
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First off, kudos to you for all the work you’ve put into exploring NotebookLM! I completely agree—it’s surprising that NotebookLM is trending on social media, especially given how raw it still feels. I think the audio overviews really hit a nerve because they tap into that lingering fear that AI could start producing “good enough” content, like podcasts, and make us redundant.
That said, NotebookLM is a fun experiment, but I wouldn’t lean on it for any serious work or research yet. It’s not quite at the level of ChatGPT where power users integrate it into their workflow multiple times a day. I had originally hoped it might evolve into something Google could spin into a solid EdTech platform, but it’s still very much in its “toy stage.”
I’ve also been frustrated with how it handles complex inputs. When I provided a mix of big picture and examples, it went off on long tangents and missed the broader context. When I only gave the big picture and left out the details, it handled that part well but then filled in a lot of made-up details!
By the way, if you’re on Reddit, there’s a community that shares experiences with it here: NotebookLM Reddit. Of course lots of clever foks are trying to mess with it and produce comical material.
Thanks for the additional information, thoughts, and link to the Reddit group
Peter Pappas
, I always learn so much from you!
Oct 17, 2024: A new feature was just added . You can configure the Audio Overview and provide an outline or key points for the AI host to focus on.
That's exciting! Have you tried it yet
Peter Pappas
?
Pretty amazing
Peter Pappas
- I’m not sure if I like it or not - but AI certainly is not going away. Appreciate your additional information from Copy / Paste.
AI is front and center of many school discussions, and lots of new board policies and classroom rules. I know that is the case in my district. Districts and schools are also purchasing AI packages from vendors for student and staff use that also protect educational privacy.
It is interesting to hear about (and test) this fairly new medium. I hope that its use also comes with a big dose of Media Literacy!
The enterprise level AI packages being sold to schools will be challenging. To be the most useful, they will need to house all the student data. That will allow them to personalize output that is most valuable for student learning. But those databases are too huge to hosted in the district - so all that info will be offsite. That should get some folks nervous - and for good reason.
I thought i'd shared another use for NotebookLm. Here's a photo of a white board with intro class "lecture" from a college political science class. NotebookLM could read the whiteboard and created this podcast. Link to audio file
Creating a podcast from a white board is pretty impressive. That's a great idea for a student created activity
Peter Pappas
It is an idea for an activity sparked from AI but not the actual use of AI in the final product. Also 
Julie Schaul
's investigation brings up a possible student created activity -podcast a lengthy passage from history. Both require analysis. It would be like when we show a film in class as a model and then tell the students to make a film on a history topic.
Agreed. While NotebookLM is still evolving and far from perfect, there are some creative ways to incorporate it into a high school history class. It can offer a starting point for analysis and spark critical thinking in students.
For example: Students can upload primary sources like speeches, letters, or historical newspaper articles to NotebookLM. The AI will generate summaries, which students can then compare with their own interpretations. This allows them to evaluate how well the AI captures the document’s intent and historical context, and identify any important details the AI misses, fostering deeper analysis of primary sources.
Great idea
Peter Pappas
!
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Thank you, Peter Pappas, for providing this excellent introduction to a powerful AI tool.
Peter Pappas, for providing this excellent introduction to a powerful AI tool.I was anxious to see how NotebookLM would handle what we've called here on the TPS Teachers Network Difficult Topics.
The podcast or wav file generated by NotebookLM was based on a report by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) titled "Top 5 Global Antisemitic Trends Since October 7: A One-Year Impact Report."
My initial reaction was that the podcast was objective and informative, delivered in a tone that was measured and respectful.
I would also be grateful for citation help. Using these MLA guidelines and MLA Style for Citing AI-Generated Content document, is the citation below correct?
“ADL Global Antisemitic Trends” podcast. NotebookLM, 5 Oct. 2024, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VUtVECCNMVaMDb5Jkc76QgVIa4kfe59y/view
Thanks again to all of you real (non-AI) people on the TPS Network!
Margaret Lincoln
- Pleased to see that you took NotebookLM for a spin. I think your example builds the case that as a summarizing tool, it could be useful to both teachers and students. I can envision combinations of student- and teacher-created audio summaries as lessons, reviews or student projects. As far as citations, I'll defer to others.
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