Hi ELA Buffet Readers! I’m Lyndsey from Lit with Lyns, and I was thrilled when Darlene invited me to do a guest blog post! As a middle school teacher and blogger, I’m already an avid follower of ELA Buffet!
One of my obsessions is finding ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. So when I discovered Flipgrid, I was SUPER excited to implement this into my classroom. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Flipgrid, it is a FREE video response platform where educators can have online video discussions with their students or other educators. Teachers can provide feedback to their students once they have posted their video response. Students can also give feedback to one another.
There are endless opportunities to take advantage of Flipgrid in the classroom for any subject and grade level. Below are a list of 10 activities that allow you to easily integrate Flipgrid.
Article of the Week Discussion
My Articles of the Week are often on a debatable topic. For example, one of the articles we read was discussing the pros and cons to self-driving cars. After reading the article, students used Flipgrid to state their “claim” (arguing for or against self-driving cars) and provide support for this.
Goal Setting/Reflection
At the beginning of the year or new semester, I have students complete an infographic where they set short and long term SMART goals. Then they use Flipgrid to discuss the goals they came up with and explain how they plan to accomplish them.
Digital/Oral Reading Responses
I have students respond to a question about the book or story we’re currently reading. I always require them to write a script prior to recording their response. This is a big time saver!
Teacher/Student Introduction
At the beginning of the year, I create a welcome video using Flipgrid. I introduce myself and share important information about my class. Since you can add cute little filters and stickers in Flipgrid, it’s also a great way to break the ice when you’re just getting to know your students. This is also how I introduce the class procedures and expectations. I post a link to this on my website so that parents and students can refer back to this throughout the year. Students also have the option to respond. I always encourage them to post any questions they may have regarding information shared in the video.
Exit Ticket
When you create your “topic” (this is where you post your directions, questions, etc.) you can also determine the video response time you plan to allow students to have when recording their video via Flipgrid. Each response can be from 15 seconds to 5 minutes long. For exit tickets, I will set the video response time anywhere from 30-60 seconds and tell students to quickly share the most important thing they learned in class, as well as any questions they may have about the lesson. Since the response is limited to a minute, I can go through each one rather quickly and answer any questions that were asked.
Collaboration
CollaborationFlipgrids’ #Gridpals allows users to collaborate with other classes around the world. You can filter your Gridpals search by grade and subject level.
AppSmash
Take it up a notch and combine Flipgrid with another Edtech app. I personally LOVE doing this with Edpuzzle- another video platform that allows you to turn any video into a lesson by simply finding the video you want to use (or creating your own) and adding questions, comments, etc. After students have completed the Edpuzzle video lesson, I have them reflect on this and/or ask questions by recording a response on Flipgrid. If you want to see how to use Edpuzzle as well as Flipgrid, check out this Integrating Edpuzzle & Flipgrid Video I made explaining just that!
Video for Future Students
At the end of the year, I have students create a video for the students I will have the next year. They share important pointers and any information they feel is necessary to help new students be successful, not only in my classroom, but the school, as well.
Peer Reviews and/or Feedback on Science Projects (or any subject/project)
I teach ELA on a STEM team, so I’ve seen first hand how Flipgrid can be used for all subjects. The science teacher on our STEM team had her students give peer reviews of other students’ science projects. They had to give at least one positive comment and then provide ways that the project could be improved. The teacher had to set clear guidelines before allowing students to do this in order to ensure that everyone was respectful and gave effective feedback; however, all students agreed on the end result, which was to all be as successful as possible. Using Flipgrid for peer reviews turned out to be extremely beneficial for all involved because students were able to gain a variety of perspectives on their projects.
Math Problems & Flipgrid
The math teacher on my team uses Flipgrid to spark conversations and promote critical thinking. One way he does this is to create a Flipgrid video of himself with a math problem. Then the students respond by recording themselves explaining and solving the problem. This could be done with any subject or skill you’re working on in class, whether it be parts of speech, responding to a topic on WWI, etc.
Flipgrid is extremely versatile and is a great way to give every student a voice, especially those that struggle to share in front of others. For those of you who have already used Flipgrid, I’d love to hear how in the comments below.
