Catch the Flipgrid Fever

Catch the Flipgrid Fever

Have you been gripped by Flipgrid Fever? You have? So have I!

Flipgrid is one of my favourite technology tools to use in the classroom right now. It’s a brilliant, fun, video discussion and social learning tool that can be used as an App or via the Internet. It is a FREE Microsoft tool. Learners love it and you can do so much with it in the classroom. Flipgrid! That’s the name to remember, if it is something new to you.

What is Flipgrid? Flipgrid is a collection of short videos, made by learners and then collated on a grid created by the teacher. To start the process, the teacher creates a relevant topic at www.flipgrid.com. The learners then record their responses in short videos, and add selfies with decorations as their video thumbnail. The teacher then approves the videos before they can be shared, and there you have it – a Flipgrid!

One of the main reasons that this tool is such a hit is that the children in our classrooms (Generation Z), are so used to a world of smartphones, videos and selfies, that learning using a tool like Flipgrid really appeals to them. This is a tool that gives them a voice! I found that even the shyest of learners enjoy it as they can add their own viewpoints.

Flipgrid has particular terminology - grid, topic, theme, respond, response, reply. Take a look at the example of the Flipgrid grid taken from the Flipgrid website www.flipgrid.com on the next page. You have to admit it does look quite exciting!

How does Flipgrid work? Basically, as a teacher, you need to set up a Flipgrid account. Once you have done that, you set up a Grid for your learning community or class. A Grid is the name of the canvas you will use to post discussion topics. Your learners will then post short video responses to questions. The Grid - a sample of which you saw in the

image to the right, collects the learners’ replies. You can set up the audience of the Grid – you can set this up so that only the class can see the grid, OR a wider audience OR the world. You can also set it up so that the learners can’t see each other’s videos. I find that the best part is that you can set a time limit for the response - I like to use anything from 30 secs to 1.5 mins depending on the task. Others can respond to their replies if you wish them to. The videos are downloadable as well.

How do your learners join a Flipgrid grid? You can set up Flipgrid so that the class signs in with an email address or even just a code. A good thing to remember about Flipgrid is that there are two profile views - the teacher view and the learner view. This gives the teacher additional abilities and the required privacy.

What can one do with Flipgrid in the classroom?

Here are 5 ways in which I have used Flipgrid in my classroom:

1. To practise retelling stories. The class gave a summary of their Grade 7 novel using Flipgrid. They could set an interesting pose as their thumbnail selfie. Some of my other classes read online stories and retold them in Flipgrid.

2. For global projects Although Skype is a wonderful tool for global projects it is not always possible to converse in real time because of time zone differences. This is when Flipgrid does the trick. In our project we had four schools from four different continents giving opinions on different aspects of school life! We set up the grid with an overarching theme ‘Schools around the world’, so that it incorporated 6 different topics to discuss and respond to. My learners loved this project.

3. Our transatlantic slavery project. The Grade 7 learners were studying

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Transatlantic Slavery last term in History, and they created a series of diary entries on Flipgrid, relating to what an anti-slavery activist might have “written” at certain times.

4. Learners reflections My Grade 7s have reflected on their school year. They mentioned the things they liked about the year and also made suggestions on what they think can be improved.

5. To assess prior knowledge When we started the section on the Transatlantic slave trade in History last term, I wanted to see how much the learners knew about the topic. I asked them to comment on a few set questions which enabled me to assess their prior knowledge.

An idea I would like to try on the next birthday in the class is a ‘Birthday affirmation’ where the learners in twos and threes tell the birthday girl or boy something very encouraging to build up their self-concept, via Flipgrid.

There are just so many possibilities with Flipgrid

- the list is endless. It is a great confidence builder and I find that the shy learners have no option but to participate. Everyone has a voice.

How to get going with Flipgrid Why don’t you give Flipgrid a try, if it is something that is new to you! Go to www. flipgrid.com and add all your learners’ email addresses. Then create a Grid and try at this activity with your class. Have a class review the top 5 things they learnt in class the previous week.

If you still feel you don’t know enough to get started, then try this free 1 hour course by Holly Clark, an ex-teacher and now Education Strategist from California. She offers a free, one-hour online course for teachers. This could really get you started and informed. It is called ‘Mastering Flipgrid in 5 Easy Steps’ http://bit. ly/2LzLfTK.

Very soon, you’ll find out, like I did, that you have caught the Flipgrid Fever!

Fiona Beal

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