The traditional idea of learning in a classroom has changed drastically over the last few years for all levels of education, from Pre-K through Ph.D. With many students participating in remote learning, new challenges have arisen for teachers and students. Educators know how difficult it is to foster a community of learners while social distancing. With the popularity of social media, it was only a matter of time before education moved toward social learning.
Utilizing social-media-style features, Flipgrid can make a significant impact on building that learning community online while keeping everyone engaged and focused.
What is Flipgrid?
Flipgrid is a new way for teachers and students to collaborate and learn. Teachers can create “grids” which are basically just groups of students. Teachers can customize their grids easily for a variety of purposes. The teacher can then post a topic to prompt discussions.
Each student can then respond to the topic by posting a short video using a laptop, tablet or phone. Students can also comment on ideas posted by others in the grid. This interactive tool allows both parties to engage in meaningful conversations about what they are learning.
How to use Flipgrid for teachers
This learning tool can easily be integrated in a physical class or remote learning. lt is very simple to integrate with Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams. For the teacher, Flipgrid is an easy way to get students talking and sharing their thoughts about a topic. It is easy to build engagement within a remote classroom by posting conversation starters.
It can be used as either a pre-lesson activity to assess what students know or as a post-lesson activity to check for understanding. The teacher can also use flipgrid to build a community of learners and create awareness among the students.
Teachers can create topics to pose questions that allow them to assess the knowledge of their students. It is easy to explain the topic in detail using video messages. There are so many innovative ideas for ways to create deeper learning opportunities. Students can complete oral reports.
This can be an invaluable tool for teachers to support students who have writing difficulties and need an opportunity to show what they know in a different way. Students answer these questions by uploading their video response, audio recordings, or images onto the platform where they will be reviewed by their teacher.
You can have grids where the entire class is interacting on a specific topic which helps propel conversations among the group as well as specific grids to target smaller groups of students and differentiate instruction. Teachers can also have grids for book clubs to meet and answer student questions.
Teachers can post recordings of stories to help students with reading difficulties. Students can join in collaborative conversations to discuss relevant details about the book they are reading. By utilizing oral reports, students are more likely to add descriptive details than they are while writing. The options for how to use flipgrid with your students are endless!
How does Flipgrid work for students?
Flipgrid can be used to foster meaningful conversations about topics that are being learned in class. It also gives teachers an opportunity to see how well their students understand new material through both written and oral responses.
Flipgrid also allows students to be creative and expressive, which can boost their confidence in learning. Additionally, it helps them learn how to listen and respond to others in a respectful manner.
The student replies option allows students to receive peer feedback to enhance their learning. In a world where social media is such a big part of our lives, Flipgrid provides a safe and constructive space for students to explore their learning.
Flipgrid useful features for teachers
- Mic only mode- Students who don’t feel comfortable being on camera can use this feature to record and post their answers as audio-only
- Time-stamped feedback in-text comments- Teachers can direct students to a specific point in their video that they would like them to focus on
- Enhance response selfie by picking a frame- You can choose a more flattering selfie that shows with your video clip so you’re not left with the awkward picture from the end of your video
- Name tag for selfies- Choose to have your name displayed instead of a selfie
- Upload a custom photo for your response selfie- Choose any photo of yourself that you love to display with your response in the grid
- Immersive Reader is on by default on the response video This will help children with reading difficulties or those who speak English as a second language access the text easily in the transcript of the video
- Add a title to your Shorts video Helps organize your Shorts videos so you know what they’re about without having to watch it
- Search your Shorts videos- Helps users quickly find the correct Shorts video, especially when you have many videos
- Share your Shorts- Easily copy the link for your Shorts video and attach it in an email or anywhere else you would like to share with those not on your grid
- Immersive Reader on Shorts videos- This is a powerful option that allows all students to easily access the transcripts from Shorts videos to reach a variety of learning styles
- Student List Batch Actions- Allows you to select specific students and batch their response videos for a specific purpose, such as creating a mixtape
Final Thoughts
Flipgrid is a powerful online tool that can be used in many different ways to help teachers and students learn and communicate with each other creating a fun class experience. With the recent additional features that were upgraded, it has become even easier for all users to access enjoy this platform.
Whether you are looking to assess student knowledge, foster collaborative conversations utilizing descriptive details within a book club meeting, or just want to communicate with your students in a fun and engaging way, Flipgrid is the perfect tool for you! Try it out today and see how it can benefit your classroom!
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a student respond to a video in Flipgrid?
Students will simply click on the topic. Once in the topic, they will click on the large green plus button. Make sure that Flipgrid is able to access the camera on the device the student is using. Then simply click on the red record button, wait for the countdown and begin recording your video. Students are able to review their videos and rerecord if necessary before posting.
Is Flipgrid easy to use?
Flipgrid is very user-friendly and easy to use. Even young students are able to quickly learn how to use Flipgrid independently. It is just as simple for teachers to utilize either in their physical classroom or as a remote learning tool. Teachers can easily integrate their Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams roster into Flipgrid as well as create a QR code for students to scan.
There are very clear instructions for educators that they can look over at a convenient time. It is simple to find answers to educators’ biggest questions. There is also an Educator Dashboard that has many ready-to-use Flipgrid activities as well as ready-to-use Flipgrid virtual field trips.
What are the drawbacks to using Flipgrid?
The biggest drawback of using Flipgrid is that there may be students who do not have access to the appropriate technology. Also, some students may feel uncomfortable posting videos of themselves. Flipgrid has worked to make all students comfortable by adding the Mic-only mode feature.
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