FTT - Flipgrid

Video Conversations App with Flipgrid

@LisaBerghoff/@MrKimDHS

Receiving insightful, genuine student feedback can be a struggle depending on your students, topic, or classroom makeup. There's a lot going on in a kid's mind, and it is our duty to get them to think and express thoughts and ideas in ways they couldn't on their own. Technology can help with that, and we should build upon technologies students are already comfortable with: Cell phone videos.

So here's what Flipgrid can do: you pose a question or prompt through Flipgrid, and your students can then record their responses via video chat. It's easy, fun, and a novel way for your students to express their thoughts and assertions. 

First, create a Grid

So a "grid" essentially represents a class or learning community, and you can give out your Flipgrid code to get your students to join. You can protect your grid with a password so that only those with access can join and contribute video responses to your grid. 

Creating a Topic

You can pose a question or prompt via text, or you can add a video, image, link, or recording to get students thinking. You can give students anywhere from 15 seconds to 5 minutes to respond.

Get specific with granular settings:

• Launch and Freeze dates
• Student-to-Student Replies - allows(or not) students to reply via video to another student
• Filters, stickers, drawings, and text support for videos and selfies
• Attach links to their videos (Google Docs, etc)
• Video/audio teacher feedback

Here's an example of a beginner topic

Mixtapes, Gridpals, and Disco Libraries

Through the Mixtape option you can create a playlist of student responses to showcase particular responses. You can pick any student videos from any of your topics, and even set the order you want the videos to play. This can be used to create highlight videos, student TED talks, or student portfolios.

The #Gridpals option gives you the opportunity to network and connect with fellow Flipgrid educators from all around the world. By connecting with fellow educators, you can share and discuss different Flipgrid topics and videos.

The Disco Library gives you access to popular topics and playlists that are made available to the public for shared use. Different teachers and organizations have created and maintained topics for public use. Check out Microsoft's Hacking STEM options below:

Simply put, Flipgrid can be a fun way for students to think deep about important topics, and express themselves outside of the traditional paper and pen format. Have you used Flipgrid before? Describe your experiences below!