Using AI to Generate Multiple Means of Representation From One Resource

You have an article that you want your class to read, and you want to find a video on the same topic so that students can access the same information in a different format. And maybe an infographic and a podcast, too, if you have time.

You search the internet and watch multiple videos before finding one that is close but not quite perfect. Your planning period has quickly disappeared, meaning you either drop the idea of finding additional modes of information or you try to find them later on your own time.

A core pillar of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework is providing multiple means of representation—offering students content across text, audio, and visual formats so every learner can access the material. But when searching for those varied formats consumes your entire planning period, designing accessible lessons feels out of reach. This time commitment is a major barrier to building robust, accessible lessons.

However, creating multiple formats to represent the same lesson materials is now possible. We can use AI-powered tools to quickly create a variety of modes of information from a single original source, like an article or presentation. Here’s how I do this using Google Vids, Gemini, and Gemini Notebook.

Turning and Slides and Documents into Videos

Google Vids, Google’s video-generation program, allows me to make an AI video from any presentation or document I already have. This means that I can quickly make videos from preexisting lessons, assignments, and handouts, and I no longer have to spend time searching for videos.

To convert a presentation into a video:

1. Open Google Vids and select “Slides to video.”
2. Select the lesson slide deck.
3. Revise the AI-generated script if necessary to ensure the accuracy of content and directions.
4. Edit the video if needed by clicking on the slides, as you would in Google Slides.
5. Export or download the video.

With my Google Workspace plan, I can also convert documents to videos by selecting “Docs to video” under the File menu.

Note that it is important to review the final video to ensure that the AI generation did not introduce any errors.

Quickly Creating A Presentation

If you have an original article, document, or other resource, but you don’t have a presentation, you can have Gemini convert your resource into a presentation and then export the presentation into your Drive.

Here’s how:

1. Open Gemini and click the +. Then select More Tools > Canvas.
2. Attach your original document or article.
3. Type your prompt. Be sure to specify that you want a slide deck. The more details you provide, the more likely you are to get what you want. You can specify the number of slides, sections, colors, etc. It also helps to suggest a targeted reading level.
4. Export the document or slide deck to Google Drive.

Again, be sure to vet any resources you create with Gemini to ensure that the information matches the information from your original source and that no errors were introduced. (After you create the presentation, you can use Google Vids to convert your presentation into a video using the steps described above.)

Pro tip: Take a picture or scan paper resources to upload them to Gemini.

Creating Additional Resources

You can use Gemini Notebook to create podcasts, infographics, videos, and more formats from an original source:

1. Upload the original article or resource into Gemini Notebook.
2. Go to Studio and select the type of sources you want to create.
3. Wait for the sources to generate, and download them to your computer or save them to Drive.

The Vetting Rule

While AI tools can eliminate the time spent searching the internet for additional media, they do not replace oversight. Even when converting a document you have already vetted, generative tools can introduce errors. The time savings come from instant creation, not from skipping the review process. Always vet generated scripts, slide decks, and other files before sharing them with your class.

Putting It Together In The Classroom

Once you have quickly created your resources from your original source, there are three primary ways you can share them with your students.

• Give all the resources to students by sharing them in a digital menu or lesson and letting them self-select which resources to engage with. You can check for understanding after to ensure that students learned the important information. (This format most closely aligns with the UDL framework.)
• Play the video to the whole class to ensure that all students receive the basic instructions before releasing the other resources to the students one at a time. This method enables you to sequence the resources and ensure that everyone interacts with them.
• Set up stations around the room, and have students move to those stations based on choice or a rotation model.

Offering multiple modes for students to access directions and lesson content is one of the best ways to structure lessons and to remove barriers for English language learner students and for disenfranchised and struggling learners. This increases the likelihood that each individual student finds a starting point with the resource format that best suits them.

Using AI resources to create different formats frees us up to spend more time and energy focusing on the learners who need us the most.