Flipgrid

Flipgrid is a site that hosts videos and allows people to share them in a grid that is accessible to the people you select. Educators can select a topic for a grid. Topics can include parameters for the videos, resources, and instructions. Students can record short videos that appear in the grid, and can then comment and reply to one another's videos. The teacher has moderation control over the videos and replies to keep everything on track.

When either the educator or student record, they have the option to use sticky notes to keep track of what they want to say in the video. This helps keep the user on track and prevents having to stop and restart multiple times. One other neat feature is the Gridpals options. A teacher can search for another educator looking to connect their classroom. You could potentially connect with someone in another country and give the kids exposure to other traditions, languages, and new friends. They also recently launched FlipgridAR, which allows you to add Flipgrid videos anywhere around you with a Flipgrid code.

I can see using Flipgrid in many different ways. What a fun way to record introductions! Then if a new students came in part of the way through the year, they could be added to the grid and would be able to get to know their fellow classmates. It would also be interesting as either a station or a weekly check in where the educator could post thought provoking questions or questions that require problem solving and higher order thinking. Flipgrid offers a library of topics to choose from of you can create your own. I also plan to utilize Flipgrid in our Professional Development assignment as a way for teachers to share book talks with one another, and also to check back in with one another to follow up after the PD.

Flipgrid is free for educators. Educators create grids and then invite students to the grid with a code. That code allows them access only to the grid the code is good for, so it is an easy way to keep different classes or sections separate. You get 50 videos free per month, which seems like plenty for regular use. Flipgrid became part of Microsoft about a year ago, and did away with their paid accounts, so now all educators have access for free. It is available on multiple platforms, including Chromebooks, iPhones and iPads, PCs, and Android devices.

Flipgrid. Ignite Classroom Discussion. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2019, from https://flipgrid.com/