High School English teacher Richard Perry shares why he loves the interaction platform Flipgrid.
Over the past three years, the tool that has most dramatically changed my classroom has been FlipGrid. The web and app-based product allows teachers to assign students questions in video or written format. Students can then respond with a video ranging from 30 seconds to three minutes in length. The instructor has the option of allowing students to reply to each other via video. That way, classes can interact regardless of period or even location. The teacher can give the students feedback and a grade immediately upon viewing the student submission. FlipGrid also provides user data so instructors can see how many interactions their students have had using the service.
The premium service, which costs $65/year, allows access to “Global Grid Connections.” This section of the premium service allows users to reach out to other classrooms across grade level and curriculum and share ideas via video responses. For example, if you were teaching a class that required students to develop language skills, your students could practice those skills with students who are fluent in or native speakers of that language. The Classroom Connections section of FlipGrid allows the theoretical skills learned in the classroom to be practically applied in real world situations.
I initially incorporated FlipGrid into my ELA class as a time-saving measure. In my experience, it is quicker to watch a short video to check conceptual understanding than it is to read and grade several dozen short written responses. As the service has developed, I have used FlipGrid as an assessment for my flipped lessons. I would embed a FlipGrid question in the flipped lesson I had created. This would allow me to assess my students prior to them entering my next physical class. I would know how well my students had understood the lesson, and be able to tailor the next physical lesson to the needs of my students based on their FlipGrid responses.
Most recently I have used FlipGrid to give my students a chance to express themselves prior to writing, and then to reflect on their writing assignments once the assignments were completed. Students also comment on the works of their peers and offer advice for improvement. The most exciting purpose that I have found for FlipGrid has been to connect my students with other classrooms across the country. This year, my students cooperatively worked with ELA classes in Arkansas, as well as Science classes in Ohio. FlipGrid allowed my students to explore the units of study with the help of other student experts, and get a feeling for what other students in different parts of the country were learning. I found this connection to other classrooms to be crucial to building my students understanding of the larger world that exists outside of my classroom.
For my class, FlipGrid is close to the perfect tool. One improvement that I would like to see in the future would be the incorporation of a private share link.
Privacy flag: FlipGrid gives the instructor complete control of the videos, allowing the teacher to preview every video prior to classroom publication, thus creating a safe environment for student expression.
