Google Vids

In today’s episode, we'll explore Google Vids and ways to integrate video production into your classroom. Visit AVID Open Access to learn more.

Transcript

Paul Beckermann 0:01 Welcome to Tech Talk for Teachers. I'm your host, Paul Beckermann.

Transition Music with Rena's Children 0:05 Check it out. Check it out. Check it out. Check it out. What's in the toolkit? Check it out.

Paul Beckermann 0:11 The topic of today's episode is Google Vids. Students love video. Not only are they drawn to watching videos on their favorite social media platforms, but they've also become content creators themselves. While we can debate the merits of social media and related media consumption, there are some big benefits to student development when they become content creators.

In fact, creating a video, if it's done with someone else, fosters all four Cs: critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration. These are four durable skills that will benefit our students in whatever career they pursue after high school. When we facilitate collaborative video creation in our classrooms that are targeted at our academic standards, we not only help students meet those objectives, but we do it in a way that's empowering and motivating. As you can probably tell, I'm a big proponent of student creativity and, in this case, video creation and production.

So in today's episode, I want to introduce you to a new video creation tool that I've come across. It's been added to the Google suite of tools, and it's called Google Vids. Now I need to say right away that Google Vids is not currently available to everybody. To create with it, you must have a Google Business Enterprise or a Google Workspace for Education Plus account. Most schools are part of Google Workspace for Education, but not all of those schools will have access to a Plus account. You'll need to check with your tech department to see what you have. Even if you don't have access to Google Vids, I think the content of this episode will still be helpful for you, because you can use another video production tool of your choice for the same outcome.

Transition Music with Rena's Children 2:04 Here's the, here's the, here's the tool for today. Here's the tool for today.

Paul Beckermann 2:11 To begin with, what is Google Vids? Well, in short, it's a simple yet powerful video creation tool that looks a lot like Google Slides. In fact, at first glance, you'd almost think you were creating a slide show. Across the bottom of the workspace is a series of tiles which are called scenes instead of slides. At the top is the same basic tools menu that you'd find in almost every Google tool, with drop-down menus for File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, Arrange, and Tools. The only new one that I see is Scene, which makes sense because you're creating scenes in your video.

So we know Google Vids allows us to create videos, but what makes it unique? Well, here are some of my favorite features.

Transition Music with Rena's Children 2:58 Here is your list of tips. Here is your list. Here is your list of tips.

Paul Beckermann 3:04 Number one is templates. You can keep things really simple by selecting one of the available templates. These come pre-loaded with animated text, shapes, graphics, video placeholders, music, and transitions. Once you've selected your template, you can edit any of these elements to make it align with your unique content. You can change the text, replace the video, add images, revise the design elements, swap out the music, add your own voice narration—almost anything you can think of to do, you can do. The beauty of the template is that it gives you a strong starting point.

Number two, in-app recording. While you can import video and audio that you've recorded already or pulled in from another source, Google Vids makes it really easy to record new media right within the app. For instance, if you've begun with a template that has a placeholder video, you can either replace it by uploading your own or choosing from the available stock footage that's in the app. Or if you'd rather record your own video, you can click the little record icon that appears on the image to bring up an in-app recorder.

From there, you can record yourself speaking by using your webcam, or you can choose to record the camera and screen, or just your voice and the screen, if that's what you prefer. Essentially, Google Vids has a built-in screen recorder with web camera capabilities. You can even blur out your background. To begin, simply click the record button and then click the stop button when you've finished. The other cool thing about this feature: you can type up your script and it appears on the screen while recording, like a built-in teleprompter. So cool. In addition to video recording, you can also write scripts and record your own audio to play while the scenes progress.

Number three, production assets. There are lots of production assets that are readily available to add to your video. As I mentioned, you can choose from professionally designed layouts and templates to use as they are, or at least get you started. You can bring in lots of different design shapes to give your scenes a nice visual appeal. Those shapes can even be used to contain your video clips, so the frame of your video is in the shape of the object that you've added. It makes the scene look really professional. There are also lots of stock music and video clips available for you to use in the production. That's really helpful if you're planning to share your creation on the World Wide Web, where copyright is an important consideration.

Number four, easy editing. One of the beauties of Google Vids is its ease of use, and that extends from the creation to the editing process. Editing feels intuitive. If you want a clip to be longer, you grab the edge of the frame and drag it longer. If you want the on-screen assets to transition into or out of a frame at different times, that's easy, too. All the assets appear on the timeline below the scene. Grab the edge of any asset, like a video that will play, text that will enter, or an image that will appear, and drag it to the location and duration that you desire. Everything feels intuitive with a drag-and-drop feel to it.

And number five, sharing and production. Once you've done your work, you have a couple options. You can share the project with another Google account, much like you'd share any Google project. Even if they don't have the Plus version, they should still have access to edit and contribute to your project since you created it with the Plus account. When all the edits have been finished, you can download the finished video as an MP4 file or export it to your Google Drive.

So how might you use Google Vids, or another video production tool of your choice?

Transition Music with Rena's Children 6:51 Inspiration, integration ideas.

Paul Beckermann 6:54 Here are a few idea starters for you from different grade levels of students. Of course, you know your students best, so feel free to use any of these ideas with your students, if they seem appropriate to your unique teaching situation and your student population.

Elementary school, K through five: You might consider book trailers. After reading a story, students can create short videos summarizing the plot, introducing main characters, and sharing their favorite parts, encouraging comprehension and creativity. Or you might have them create science experiment demonstrations. Students can record simple experiments, explaining each step and observing outcomes, fostering the scientific thinking and communication skills involved.

If you teach middle school: You might consider historical reenactments. Learners can reenact significant historical events or speeches, deepening their understanding of history through research and performance. You could also consider how-to tutorials. Students can produce instructional videos on topics of interest, such as cooking a recipe or demonstrating a craft, enhancing organizational and presentation abilities.

For high school students: You might decide to make the experience more complex. Maybe it's a documentary project where students investigate and document social issues or community stories, developing research skills and social awareness. Or perhaps you have them create video essays. Your students could create analytical videos on literary works or historical events, incorporating multimedia elements to support their arguments, promoting critical thinking and media literacy.

By utilizing Google Vids or any video production tool of your choice, students can develop digital literacy, creativity, and subject-specific knowledge, preparing them for future academic and professional endeavors. I encourage you to consider this type of learning experience for your students.

To learn more about today's topic and explore other free resources, visit avidopenaccess.org. Specifically, I encourage you to check out the collection of content titled, Empower Students Through Creativity and Choice. And, of course, be sure to join Rena Winston and me every Wednesday for our full-length podcast, Unpacking Education, where we're joined by exceptional guests and explore education topics that are important to you. Thanks for listening. Take care, and thanks for all you do. You make a difference.