Google Vids for Teachers: The AI Video Tool Every Instructional Coach Needs

Creating professional development videos shouldn't feel like a part-time job. As an instructional coach, you know the struggle: spending 2-3 hours recording, editing, and polishing a single training video, only to realize you need to create five more by Friday.

What if I told you there's a tool that cuts that time down to 30 minutes—and it's already in your Google Workspace?

Meet Google Vids, Google's newest AI-powered video creation tool that's transforming how instructional coaches create professional development content. Whether you need to show teachers how to use Google Classroom features, onboard new staff, or share best practices from a successful classroom visit, Google Vids makes it fast, simple, and surprisingly professional-looking.

In this post, I'm breaking down exactly what Google Vids is, how it works, and why it's about to become your go-to tool for PD video creation. No technical experience required.

For more information on Google Vids, CLICK HERE to view my Vids archive posts.

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The Problem Every Instructional Coach Faces

Let's be honest about what video creation used to look like. You'd block off three hours on your calendar. Download screen recording software. Record your tutorial. Realize you said “um” seventeen times and need to re-record. Finally get a decent take. Import it into editing software you barely know how to use. Spend an hour figuring out how to add transitions. Export the file. Wait. Re-export because the resolution was wrong. Upload it somewhere. Send the link to teachers.

By the time you finish, you've spent half your day on a 5-minute video—and you still have three coaching sessions, two classroom observations, and that data meeting you haven't prepped for.

Sound familiar? That's exactly why Google Vids matters.

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What is Google Vids?

Google Vids is Google's answer to the question: “How do we make video creation as simple as creating a Google Doc?” Released in 2024 for Google Workspace users, it's an AI-powered video creation tool built directly into Google Drive. No separate app to download. No complicated interface to learn. If you can use Google Slides, you can use Google Vids. I often tell my studens that Google Vids is actually Google Slides, just turned 90 degrees.

Here's what makes it different from traditional video editing software: Instead of starting with a blank timeline and manually placing every clip, transition, and voiceover, you start by telling Google Vids what you want to create. The AI generates a complete first draft—script, visuals, timing, and all. From there, you customize it to match your school's needs and your coaching voice.

Key Features That Make Google Vids a Game-Changer

• “Help me create” AI prompt: This is where the magic happens. You type a simple description like “Create a 3-minute video showing teachers how to use Google Classroom rubrics,” and Google Vids generates a complete video draft in under 60 seconds. Script included. Visuals suggested. Transitions added. It's like having a video production assistant who actually understands what you need.
• Pre-built templates: If you prefer starting with structure, Google Vids offers professional templates designed for common scenarios—tutorials, announcements, training videos, and more. Pick a template, customize it, and you're done.
• Stock footage library: Access thousands of royalty-free video clips and images without leaving the platform. Need classroom scenes? Technology imagery? Abstract backgrounds? It's all searchable and ready to drop into your video.
• Text-to-speech voiceover: Choose from natural-sounding AI voices, or record your own directly in the platform. You can even mix both—use AI voice for straightforward tutorials and your own voice for personal messages.
• Drag-and-drop editing: The interface feels like Google Slides. Resize images. Move elements around. Adjust layouts. No complex timeline editing. No rendering nightmares.
• Automatic transitions and timing: Google Vids handles the technical production details—scene transitions, pacing, timing adjustments. You focus on the content; the AI handles the polish.

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Who Should Be Using Google Vids?

If you're an instructional coach, this tool was practically designed for you. You need to create training materials that scale your impact without spending hours in editing software. Google Vids lets you produce professional PD videos in the time it used to take just to set up your recording equipment.

If you're a teacher leader sharing classroom strategies with colleagues, Google Vids gives you a way to capture and distribute your best practices without the technical barriers that used to make video feel overwhelming.

If you're an administrator communicating with staff, video announcements get higher engagement than email—but only if they're easy to create. Google Vids makes it possible to send a polished video message in the same time it takes to write a lengthy email.

Basically, if you're any educator who needs professional videos without the time investment, Google Vids is your new secret weapon.

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How to Access Google Vids

Getting started is simple:

1. Go to drive.google.com
2. Click New → More → Google Vids
3. Or navigate directly to vids.google.com (if available in your workspace)
4. Or simply type in vids.new to start a new project.

Important note: Google Vids is rolling out to Google Workspace for Education accounts. If you don't see it in your “New” menu yet, check with your IT administrator about availability in your district.

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Why Google Vids Matters for Professional Development

Here's the reality of professional development today: Teachers are overwhelmed. They need quick, accessible, practical training they can watch on their own time. Long sit-and-get PD sessions don't work. Lengthy email explanations get ignored. But a 3-minute video they can watch during lunch or planning period? That gets watched. That gets implemented.

The problem has always been that creating those videos took too long. Until now.

With Google Vids, you can:

• Record once, share forever: Create a tutorial on Google Classroom grading features once, and every new teacher who joins your school can watch it during onboarding.
• Scale your coaching: Instead of explaining the same EdTech tool to 40 teachers individually, create one video and reclaim those hours for deeper coaching work.
• Meet teachers where they are: Some teachers prefer reading. Some prefer video. Google Vids lets you offer both without doubling your workload.
• Build a library: Over time, you create a collection of PD resources that continue serving your school long after you've moved on to other priorities.

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What You Can Create with Google Vids

The possibilities are practically endless, but here are the most common use cases for instructional coaches:

Tool Tutorials: Show teachers how to use specific EdTech tools, Google Workspace features, or your district's LMS. These are the videos teachers will bookmark and return to repeatedly.

Professional Development Pre-Work: Send teachers a short video before your PD session explaining what to prepare, what accounts to log into, and what the session will cover. Your in-person time becomes infinitely more productive.

Coaching Session Recaps: After meeting with a teacher one-on-one, send a quick video recap highlighting the key strategies you discussed and linking to relevant resources. Teachers can revisit it whenever they need a refresher.

Welcome and Onboarding Videos: New teachers joining mid-year need to get up to speed fast. Create a series of short onboarding videos covering your school's EdTech tools, policies, and resources.

Best Practice Showcases: Record yourself demonstrating a teaching strategy or classroom management technique, then share it with teachers who asked for support in that area.

Want to see exactly how real instructional coaches are using Google Vids in these scenarios? Check out 5 Ways Instructional Coaches Use Google Vids to Transform Professional Development, where I break down five practical use cases with real coaching stories behind each one.

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Ready to See Google Vids in Action?

If you're thinking, “Okay, this sounds great, but how do I actually use it?”—I've got you covered.

I've created a complete step-by-step tutorial that walks you through creating your first professional development video with Google Vids. You'll see exactly how the “Help me create” feature works, how to customize the AI-generated draft for your school, and all the tips I've learned from using this tool with teachers at Riverside Academy.

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The Bottom Line

Google Vids isn't just another EdTech tool—it's a time-saver that gives you back hours every week while improving the quality and accessibility of your professional development. For instructional coaches juggling a dozen priorities, that's not a small thing. That's transformative.

If you've been putting off creating video training materials because it felt too time-consuming or too technical, Google Vids removes both of those barriers. You can create professional-quality PD videos in the time it used to take just to set up your recording equipment.

Your next step: Open Google Vids this week and create one test video. Pick something simple—a quick tutorial on a tool your teachers are already asking about, or a 2-minute welcome message for next semester's new hires. See how fast it is. See how good it looks. Then decide whether you want to make video creation a regular part of your coaching practice.

I'm betting you will.

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