It happened. An epiphany. A flipiphany if you will. This idea came to me as I was preparing teachers for their Google Certified Educator (Level 1) exam. I wanted them to share a problem they faced as a teacher for which they hoped to find a Google-y solution in our class, and 27 heads are better than one, so I thought Flipgrid would be the best platform for sharing. However, just before we were going to get started, I looked at the clock and the dragon of an age-old teacher fear reared its ugly head: We were running out of time. I wasn’t about to forgo the activity, as it was a chance to be sneaky and introduce them to a potentially new tech tool.
In a moment of teacher agility, I realized I could save time by having participants record their own responses and then simply view others’ posts without responding. We could save time without scrapping the whole activity. Huzzah! While nothing revolutionary, this got me thinking: What are some other less conventional ways to use Flipgrid? Flipgrid for self reflection and metacognition, of course!
Side note: If you haven’t heard of Flipgrid, check out my post here before you even have a chance to blink. The main concept behind Flipgrid is to hold a sort of discussion where students respond to a prompt and reply to each other using short videos.
Let’s take a moment to discuss what this would look like. Students could post an original video demonstrating a skill or explaining their thinking behind something they did. In a foreign language class, they could answer a question to the best of their ability in the language they’re learning. In English Language Arts, they could show off an example of annotation or analyze a short piece of text. In math, they could use a whiteboard and explain the steps to solve a simple problem. That’s it! No response videos and no viewing of others’ videos required.
Now, fast forward to, say, the end of that same unit. Have students return to their previous video and now “comment” on their own video. They could demonstrate growth by either answering the same prompt they did originally; showing a new example of annotation or analysis; or explaining how they solved a more complex math problem. This could happen at regular intervals throughout a unit or the school year as evidence of learning.
Students could use their series of videos for a self-reflection assignment, student-led conferences with parents, etc. With the push of a button, they could watch themselves grow over time both physically and as students!
Consider providing scaffolds for student success with sentence stems, or use a bell ringer activity that has students brainstorm what they’d like to say. Model what you’d like their videos to look like by conducting your own demonstration or think aloud. You could even create such a Flipgrid activity to serve a second purpose: Use this as a sort of pre-assessment and post-assessment.
Don’t have much time to teach a new tech tool to students? Try providing students with Claudio Zavala Jr.’s how-to posters for Flipgrid, available in English and Spanish. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudioZavalaJr.
For what sort of activity could you use Flipgrid to help you and your students see growth over time? Comment below!
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