Have you tried the Flipgrid tool out with your students? It has quickly become one of my go to resources because my students love it!
What is Flipgrid?
Flipgrid is a free online tool that allows teachers and students to communicate through a grid of videos they record. This resource has endless possibilities for you to engage with your students and involve them in asynchronous classroom conversation.
How to Use Flipgrid to Spark Converation
Step #1
Sign up to your educator account at Flipgrid.com. This process is free and easy.
Step #2
Choose a topic you would like to have a discussion over. This can be anything and can be content or classroom community related. I will share some ideas below.
Step #3
Create your class. If your students have school email addresses this is easy as pie as you can just add the domain. Otherwise you will need to create usernames for your students.
The good news is your students will only need to be added once, so while this step might take some prep, you are good to go afterwards.
Step #4
Share your topic!
There are multiple ways built into Flipgrid to share through Google Classroom, Teams, and Remind, but you can also share the direct link.
Step #5
Let the conversation flow!
You may choose to record the first video, or you may have students respond to your prompt on their own.
Now comes my favorite part:
Students record and post their videos which appear in a grid on the class page under the topic. Then, students can watch one another’s video and record a response. This is where the magic happens.
For several conversations I have participated in everyone posts their own video, plus they are responsible for replying to at least one other video. Of course, each student should also reply to anyone who responds to their video. This process makes it more of a conversation and less about talking into the either. It is also asynchronous and allows students to respond in their own time.
Tips for Success with Flipgrid
- As teachers, I know you know to begin by modeling the process.
- Encourage students to write a script before recording their video. This will help them to focus their thoughts and stay on topic.
- Allow time for students to respond to one another.
- Jump into conversations with your own responses and encourage them to keep going.
Ideas for Using Flipgrid
Some ideas for using Flipgrid to spark conversations include:
- A get to know you question of the week to build community.
- An error analysis for a word problem.
- A poll to collect data to later graph and present to the class.
- Give a book review or report.
- Response to a current or historical event.
- So many more!
FREE Fligrid Guide
Ready to get started with Flipgrid? Download this free guide with more ideas for using the tool to spark conversation and build community among students!
