Today, Google unveiled a new tool called Aloud.

If you create a video in one language, you just upload the text narration and Aloud will “dub” your video in one of several languages (and they plan on adding more).

So, according to Google, it would be simple for a teacher who creates their own videos in English to make others dubbed in the home language of ELL students.

Just as many content teachers, including me, use tools at The Best Multilingual & Bilingual Sites For Math, Social Studies, & Science to use a version of the Preview/View/Review bilingual education model (Introduce the lesson in the home language, do the lesson in English, review it in the home language), it would be possible for content teachers to ask ELLs to watch the dubbed version, then the English version, and then do other follow-up activities in English.

For example, that’s what I do with Brainpop now – students watch the Spanish-language version, then the English one, and then do the assessments and interactive exercises in English.

Providing students with that kind of prior knowledge enhances their ability to understand the content, and to learn and understand English.

I’m not sure if Aloud will only work with videos you start from “scratch,” or if it will work with videos you create with popular video-creating tools (see MAYBE – OR MAYBE NOT – THE BEST TOOLS FOR CREATING YOUR OWN TEACHING VIDEOS).

Here’s a video about Aloud: