Flipgrid
So, #flipgrid is this new social media tool that I am really excited to use in the classroom!
Our fourth graders took a field trip to see a performance of Mr. Popper's Penguins a few Thursdays ago. I introduced them to Flipgrid before we went as a way to hype the trip and see what their background knowledge is. Here's one student's response:
It works like this: give your students a topic and they go to the app to record a timed video responding to whatever the question is. They can add some graphics to the video to spice it up a bit if they want! Isn't that even more engaging? Then once it is posted, you get to preview it on your teacher site and then you may, edit, download, spark, move, duplicate or delete it. Students will also see the video after it is posted by the student, and can "like" it with a few different emojis. They are also able to make a video reply to their friend's response. Sparking it is a neat option because a student's post can "spark" a whole new discussion board! You can change the length of the video that they record, and can limit the time or lengthen depending on the task. This helps students understand that purposeful and guided use is important. But what fun my students had when introduced to this tool! We have also now used it to review for a Social Studies test on European Explorers. Students were tasked to pick an explorer and tell about his background, and other important information that we had learned about him. Here's a great example from one of my student:
It is important to have the app installed on your devices prior to using Flipgrid because I have found that if you attempt to respond to it via Safari or another browser on a school district device, it blocks the attempt. However, students can access the link to the postings from their devices at home. I would highly recommend installing the app on the devices you use in the classroom, as it will allow you to use Flipgrid in your classroom.
Another handy tip is to have a specific location for students to record their videos, especially if you are asking for individual student responses. As you can imagine, and can probably hear in the above video, once everyone starts recording, the background noise is almost too much for the student to talk over! Setting up a recording station also allows for you to monitor the responses a little more carefully. Trust me, you will want to make sure you are monitoring their responses!
How can you use this app to enhance student learning and engagement? You may choose to use it as a discussion board, as we did in our classroom before and after a recent visit to a live theater show. Students can respond orally to an exit ticket, explaining their thinking. Another great use of this app is giving students a chance to do a book talk for their peers. Kids really respond to their peers and their opinions on great books to read, so this would be a great tool for that. You may opt to involve families and use the app as a communication tool, and so much more. There is a "Topic Discovery Library" on the website for educators to explore for ideas for how to sue Flipgrid in your classroom. In fact, I found this awesome grid for Read Across America Day that was created by another teacher, and includes a link to a video that contains fun facts about Dr. Seuss. Check it out: Read Across America.
What a fun and easy way to get students to collaborate, interact and share their thinking. Plus, it helps to cover that Speaking and Listening Common Core Content Standard. Here's the link to the fourth grade standards addressed through the used of a Web 2.0 tool such as Flipgrid:
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas-
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4
Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.5
Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
Win-win!!
It works like this: give your students a topic and they go to the app to record a timed video responding to whatever the question is. They can add some graphics to the video to spice it up a bit if they want! Isn't that even more engaging? Then once it is posted, you get to preview it on your teacher site and then you may, edit, download, spark, move, duplicate or delete it. Students will also see the video after it is posted by the student, and can "like" it with a few different emojis. They are also able to make a video reply to their friend's response. Sparking it is a neat option because a student's post can "spark" a whole new discussion board! You can change the length of the video that they record, and can limit the time or lengthen depending on the task. This helps students understand that purposeful and guided use is important. But what fun my students had when introduced to this tool! We have also now used it to review for a Social Studies test on European Explorers. Students were tasked to pick an explorer and tell about his background, and other important information that we had learned about him. Here's a great example from one of my student:
It is important to have the app installed on your devices prior to using Flipgrid because I have found that if you attempt to respond to it via Safari or another browser on a school district device, it blocks the attempt. However, students can access the link to the postings from their devices at home. I would highly recommend installing the app on the devices you use in the classroom, as it will allow you to use Flipgrid in your classroom.
Another handy tip is to have a specific location for students to record their videos, especially if you are asking for individual student responses. As you can imagine, and can probably hear in the above video, once everyone starts recording, the background noise is almost too much for the student to talk over! Setting up a recording station also allows for you to monitor the responses a little more carefully. Trust me, you will want to make sure you are monitoring their responses!
How can you use this app to enhance student learning and engagement? You may choose to use it as a discussion board, as we did in our classroom before and after a recent visit to a live theater show. Students can respond orally to an exit ticket, explaining their thinking. Another great use of this app is giving students a chance to do a book talk for their peers. Kids really respond to their peers and their opinions on great books to read, so this would be a great tool for that. You may opt to involve families and use the app as a communication tool, and so much more. There is a "Topic Discovery Library" on the website for educators to explore for ideas for how to sue Flipgrid in your classroom. In fact, I found this awesome grid for Read Across America Day that was created by another teacher, and includes a link to a video that contains fun facts about Dr. Seuss. Check it out: Read Across America.
What a fun and easy way to get students to collaborate, interact and share their thinking. Plus, it helps to cover that Speaking and Listening Common Core Content Standard. Here's the link to the fourth grade standards addressed through the used of a Web 2.0 tool such as Flipgrid:
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas-
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4
Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.5
Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
Win-win!!
Comments
Post a Comment