One of the most popular tech tools in education is FlipGrid. If you're not yet familiar- check it out! It's a FREE platform that allows your students to record videos (up to 5 minutes) that are then saved to your grid. You can choose to allow students to see, comment, and upvote one another's videos.
Today, I wanted to share five creative ways you can use this awesome tool in your classroom!
FlipGrid allows you to create a QR code for each individual video. After students read a book from the school or classroom library, have them record a book review*on your Flipgrid. You can then print out those QR codes and put them in the book (taped inside the cover or as a bookmark). That way, students who are interested in the book can scan the QR code and hear the reviews of classmates to help them make their choice.
*Tip- For ELL students provide sentence frames, word banks, or guiding questions to help them with voicing their ideas
#2- Draw Me In
Many students (especially those in middle and high school) don't like to have their faces on camera. If that's the case, have them draw a self-portrait to hold up while doing their recording. Another option is to have them draw a picture or diagram related to the topic to hold up during recording.
#3- Knowledge Spark
Allow students to create a video (no more than 3 minutes) showcasing a skill or talent, sharing facts about something they find interesting, or teaching how to do something. For example, a student may do a video showing how to draw a person, make a grilled cheese, sharing facts about the mantis peacock shrimp, or whatever catches their fancy*. This is a great opportunity to offer "extra credit" while building community in the classroom. Make sure you participate too- you and your students will have a blast learning about one another.
*Tip- Set up the topic to moderate responses so you can be sure that student videos are appropriate before they are posted
#4- Living Word Wall
Assign each student a keyword from the unit/topic vocabulary. Have them work alone or in small groups to create a small video teaching their classmates the meaning of the word. Encourage them to act out their word or share a sample sentence using the word. Attach the living word wall to assignments for students to refer back to
#5- Virtual Help Desk
Not all students are comfortable asking questions in class. Set up a moderated topic, but don't actually post the videos for others to see. You can answer student questions in private by adding comments or recording a response video. You can also give parents the link so they can ask questions too!
BONUS-Learn Name Pronunciations
One of the most important facets of a person's personality is their name. As teachers, it's important for us to learn to say (and spell!) our students' names correctly. Flipgrid is a great tool for this! Set up a topic called "Say your name" (or something more snappy if you prefer). Have students record a short video pronouncing their first and last name and sharing any nicknames they prefer. Make the videos visible to all students, so they can learn to say each other's names correctly.
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