Embedded Files
ElevenLabs is an AI tool that allows users to create, among other things, natural-sounding speech using deep learning for free. The tool offers the creation of text-to-speech, speech-to-text, dubbed videos, music, and even sound effects.
What are the benefits of this AI tool?
Text-to-speech tools can offer several advantages in the field of education. One of them is customization and flexibility (Khimiak, 2024) as this technology allows students to customize their e-learning according to their preferences: students can adjust the speed, voice, accent among other features. A second benefit that tools like Eleven Labs can offer is to model pronunciation. In other words, "With lifelike voice outputs, teachers can ensure students grasp the correct pronunciation of words. Moreover, auditory learning has been shown to bolster information retention, benefiting students in the long run" (ElevenLabs, 2025). Moreover, this tool may be beneficial due to the multimodality it offers, as it allow students to engage with content through reading and listening. This is helpful considering students' different learning styles and preferences (White, 2024). A further characteristic of Eleven Labs is its easy-to-use interface; "ElevenLabs offers a simple, intuitive interface that makes AI voice generation accessible to everyone" (SelfMadeNewbie, 2025, para 22) which can be specially helpful in classes with students of different ages and technological skills.
How to use it?
Click on the button to access the tutorial
Here's an EFL lesson plan I created using Eleven Labs:
The planning framework used is WWW (Warmer Web What's next) proposed by Dudeney & Hockly (2007)
Setting: School of English, 8 young adult learners.
Level: A2 pre-intermediate
Topic: Food and cooking
In this unit, students will be working with vocabulary to talk about food: Revision of ingredients (which they have learnt in the previous level) cooking verbs (mix, stir, preheat, cut, etc), utensils (spoon, fork, knife, whisk, cutting board, rolling pin, etc) and giving suggestions through the use of the modal verb should(n’t). The lesson below intends to put into practice all the grammar and vocabulary dealt with in the previous classes.
Lesson Nº 4
Time allotted: 1 hour (60 minutes)
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to…
-Recall vocabulary related to ingredients, cooking verbs and utensils and group them in categories.
-Identify ingredients, cooking verbs and utensils in the video provided.
-Create a recipe making use of the vocabulary and following the structure as the video illustrates.
-Formulate advice and recommendations making use of the modal auxiliary verb should in the affirmative and negative form.
-Make use of the app ElevenLabs to create an audio based on the text they produced.
-Analyze different recipes according to their ingredients and complexity of production.
Warmer: Let’s play a game to recall some ingredients, utensils and cooking verbs we have been learning throughout the unit! You will play in two groups of four people each: https://wordwall.net/resource/100427159
Now, look at the following recipe and write, in pairs, all the ingredients and utensils that you see and hear!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSxS2eQzT04
Which pair got most of the ingredients and utensils? Congratulations!
Now that you’ve just watched a recipe, it’s your turn to create one!
Web: You will use the app “Elevenlabs” to create a podcast with the recipe of your favorite dish. You will also work in pairs.
Step 1: You will select your favourite dish (you should know how to prepare it! If you don’t, pick another one) On a google docs, notes from your phone, or any other application for creating and editing text, write the recipe. As you have seen in the example before, you should include:
-A welcoming greeting (E.g. Hello! today we’re cooking… Hi! Let’s prepare…)
-The list of ingredients and quantities
-The process to prepare that dish. Here you should include cooking verbs in the imperative form, and the vocabulary covered along the unit. Remember this will not be a video: it will be a podcast, so you have to give as many details as possible! You must also include two pieces of advice using should and shouldn’t to achieve a perfect result.
-Phrases or expressions to close your cooking episode (That’s it! Your dish is ready…)
Step 2: Doublecheck the script for grammatical mistakes and correct vocabulary use. Then, show it to your teacher. If it’s ok, you can move on to step 3.
Step 3: Register on Elevenlabs to create your audio. A tutorial can be found clicking here. Then, paste your script on the app and change the pace, voice, and other features. Once it’s ready, download it and upload it into classroom.
What’s next:
You will receive a photocopy like the one on the left
As you listen to your classmates’ recipes, complete the chart.
Then, think and share: Which dish would you like to cook and why?
If you always complain because you don’t know what to cook, here you have some options! See you next class.
The rubric on the right can be used to assess students' performance:
Link to theoretical background
The SAMR model is a framework developed by Ruben Puentedura (2010) that focuses on how educators integrate technology in the teaching process. This model consists of four tiers of technology integration: Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. In the first level, substitution, technology works as a direct substitute, without functional change. In augmetation, technology is a direct substitute, with funtional improvement. These two belong to the category of enhancement. But technology can also transform activities, therefore in a modification level, technology will a significant task redesign. Lastly, in the level of transformation, technology will allow the creation of new tasks, previously inconceivable.
In the above-shown lesson plan, I tried to progressively include the four levels of integration of technology. At the Substitution stage, students use digital tools such as Google Docs or note-taking apps to write their recipes instead of using paper, maintaining the same task but in a digital format, and there is no functional change (Jackson, 2023). With Augmentation, interactive platforms like Wordwall enhance traditional vocabulary review by adding engagement, instant feedback, and a competitive element. At the Modification level, the use of a YouTube recipe video redesigns the task, allowing learners to analyze authentic language and cooking procedures through visual and auditory input that fosters contextual understanding. Finally, at the Redefinition stage, technology transforms the learning experience with the use of ElevenLabs, where students convert their written recipes into AI-generated podcasts. As Juliani (2024) explains, this task would not be possible without technology; technology allows the creation of this new task. Even though something similar could be achieved if students read their texts aloud, the same activity and experimentation with voice, tone, and pacing, would not be possible without this type of technology.
Retrieved from SAMR and AI Chatbots (Jackson, 2023)
Bloom's Digital Taxonomy is a modern adaptation of the classic Bloom’s Taxonomy: "A practical update to Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy that aligns cognitive levels with digital verbs and AI-aware classroom applications" (Heick, 2013, para 1). Therefore, the difference between conventional Bloom's Taxonomy and this relatively new framework is the use of technology to enhance learning. In other words, "it emphasizes verbs and tasks native to digital environments and clarifies how AI tools can support, extend, or hinder thinking at each level" (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001; Churches, 2009 as cited in Heick, 2025). Considering this framework, it could be noticed that at the beginning of the lesson, students remember and understand previously learned vocabulary about food, utensils, and cooking verbs through an interactive Wordwall game and by identifying them in a YouTube recipe video. These activities foster recall and comprehension. Then, as learners move forward, they apply their knowledge by writing their own recipe using the correct structure, vocabulary, and grammar. In the following stages, students progress to analyzing, evaluating, and creating, the highest levels of Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy (Heick, 2025).They analyze the structure and complexity of the sample recipe video, identifying what makes it clear and effective. Then, by checking their own scripts for vocabulary and grammar accuracy, they evaluate their work critically before final submission. Finally, through ElevenLabs, students create their own digital audio recipes, transforming their written texts into personalized podcasts..
Retrieved from A Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy For Evaluating Digital Tasks (Heick, 2025)
(Grammar and sense in this post have been revised and corrected with ChatGPT)
References
OpenAI (2025, November 7) Correct grammar and sense in the following paragraphs
Retrieved from https://chatgpt.com/
Dudeney, G. & Hockly, N. (2007) How to Teach English with Technology
ElevenLabs (2025) Making Lessons Interactive: Text to Speech for Teachers
https://elevenlabs.io/blog/making-lessons-interactive-text-to-speech-for-teachers
Heick, T. (2025) Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy (2025): Levels, Digital Verbs, and AI-Aware Classroom Examples
https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking-posts/blooms-digital-taxonomy/#digital-verbs
Jackson, N. (2023) SAMR and AI Chatbots
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/samr-ai-chatbots-dr-nick-jackson/
Juliani, A (2024) The SAMR-AI (get it) Model: What is redefined in a world of AI?
https://www.ajjuliani.com/blog/the-samr-ai-get-it-model-what-is-redefined-in-a-world-of-ai
Khimiak, O. (2024) How Text-to-Speech is Transforming the Educational Landscape
https://www.respeecher.com/blog/how-text-to-speech-is-transforming-educational-landscape
Self Made Newbie (2025) ElevenLabs Review – The Best AI Voice Generator? (2025)
https://selfmadenewbie.com/elevenlabs-review-the-best-ai-voice-generator/
White, A. (2024) ElevenLabs Review: Why Is It So Popular?
https://www.brafton.com/blog/ai/elevenlabs-review/
Page updated
Report abuse