Most teachers have at some point recorded a quick video to explain something, a set of instructions for a supply teacher, a tutorial for pupils to watch back, a short explanation of homework. And most teachers know how quickly it turns into a bigger job than expected. By the time you’ve found the right software, sorted the audio, and done the third take, the evening has gone.
Google Vids is Google’s attempt to make that process considerably less painful. It’s been rolling out to Google Workspace for Education accounts over the past year or so, and while it hasn’t had the same attention as some other AI tools, it’s well worth a look. This post explains what it is, how it works, and where it might actually be useful in a school context.
What Is Google Vids?
Google Vids is a video creation tool built directly into Google Drive. You’ll find it in the same place as Docs, Slides, and Sheets: click New in Drive, select More, and it should appear there. You can also go straight to vids.google.com.
The easiest way to think about it is as Google Slides, but with video built in. If you can put a presentation together in Slides, you’ll find Vids fairly familiar. The layout is similar; the logic is similar. The difference is that each slide becomes a scene in a video, and you can add voiceover, on-screen text, transitions, and stock footage without needing any specialist software.
One important note before going further: Google Vids is currently available on paid Google Workspace for Education plans. If you can’t see it in your Drive yet, it’s worth checking with your IT coordinator rather than assuming it isn’t available.
https://youtu.be/CqpHTTD4uJg?si=EYrvSh5S8YWlzuoi
How Does It Work?
There are two main ways to get started.
The first is to use the AI prompt feature. You type a short description of what you want, something like “a three-minute introduction to our new reading scheme for parents” or “a tutorial showing pupils how to log into their account”, and Google Vids generates a complete first draft. It produces a script, suggests visuals, adds transitions, and structures the whole thing into scenes. It takes under a minute. From there, you edit the draft to suit what you actually need.
The second approach is to start from a template. There are pre-built options for tutorials, announcements, and training videos. These are useful if you’d rather work with an existing structure than start from a prompt.
Once you’re in the editor, you can:
- Add your own voiceover, recorded directly in the browser
- Use an AI-generated voice if you’d rather not record yourself
- Drop in stock footage and images from the built-in library
- Adjust the timing and layout of each scene
- Edit the script text on screen
The editing interface is drag-and-drop, and it avoids the kind of timeline editing that makes traditional video software intimidating. You are, essentially, editing slides that happen to play as a video.
Where Might This Actually Be Useful?
This is the more important question. The tool is straightforward enough, but it’s only worth your time if there are real use cases in your school.
Tutorials and how-to guides. If you regularly find yourself explaining the same digital process to colleagues or pupils, a short video is often more efficient than a written guide. Vids makes it practical to put one together quickly: how to submit work on your school’s platform, how to access a reading resource, how to use a particular tool in the classroom.
Supply teacher instructions. Recording a short walkthrough of the day’s lessons and routines is something teachers occasionally do anyway. Having a straightforward tool to do it properly makes it more likely to actually happen.
Parental communication. A two-minute video explaining a new initiative, a curriculum change, or an upcoming event can communicate more warmly than a letter. Google Vids gives you a way to produce something reasonably polished without spending a long time on it.
CPD and staff training. If you’re a subject lead or SENCO who regularly explains the same processes to new or returning colleagues, a short video library of your key guidance saves you repeating yourself. It also means the information is there when people need it, not just when you happen to be available.
Pupil-facing content. Pre-recorded explanations of tricky concepts, model answers, or step-by-step instructions can be genuinely useful for pupils who need to revisit something, or for those who were absent. The AI voiceover option means you can produce these without having to record yourself every time.
A Few Things Worth Knowing
Google Vids is still relatively new, and it doesn’t do everything. It isn’t a replacement for proper video editing software if you need something more complex. The AI-generated first drafts can be a bit generic and will almost always need adjusting to fit your context. The stock footage is fine but limited, and the AI voiceover, while decent, doesn’t sound quite like a real person.
What it is, though, is a low-barrier starting point. The fact that it lives inside Google Drive, alongside everything else you already use, removes a lot of the friction that usually puts teachers off making video content.
Classroom Application: Three Steps to Get Started
1. Try one small thing first. Rather than planning a big video project, pick something you already explain repeatedly, a set of instructions, a homework walkthrough, a reading routine, and build a short version in Vids using the AI prompt. It will take under 30 minutes.
2. Check availability with your IT coordinator. Google Vids is rolling out gradually. If you can’t see it in Drive yet, it may be available on your plan but not yet activated. It’s a five-minute conversation that could save you a lot of searching.
3. Build a short library over time. The real value comes from making videos once and using them repeatedly. Think about the processes you explain at the start of each year, the guidance you give to new pupils, the instructions that always seem to need repeating. A small collection of short videos for these scenarios is worth considerably more than one polished production.
In Summary
Google Vids won’t suit every teacher or every school, and it isn’t going to replace the things you already do well. But if you’ve ever wanted a straightforward way to produce short, practical videos without spending a significant amount of time on software you barely know, it’s a sensible option to explore. It sits inside the tools you already use, it doesn’t require any specialist knowledge, and the AI first-draft feature means you’re not starting from scratch.
You can access a full walkthrough of Google Vids on my YouTube channel here.
Google Vids: A Straightforward Introduction for Teachers
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