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Flip
Pros: Customizable video responses push students to plan their responses and speak thoughtfully.
Cons: The social media-style features that make Flip fun can also distract students from the purpose of the assignment.
Bottom Line: This accessible, approachable tool offers connection, multiple means of expression, and creativity to apply to almost any topic.
Because of Flip's asynchronous nature, it's a great tool for every learning situation, from remote learning, to Bring-Your-Own-Device classrooms, to classrooms with fewer devices than students. Try using Flip to further classroom conversations by assigning questions as homework assignments, and then continue the conversation in class the next day. Ask students to weigh in on a critical current event for a social studies or civics class, or use Flip in a math class to ask students to describe the process they used to solve a complex problem. You might also use Flip as an opportunity for students to post video reviews of books, movies, games, or TV shows. At the end of a unit, ask students to reflect on what they've learned.
If you want to create a video for students to view but don't want or need to collect video responses, check out the simple Shorts tool. Use the Flip software to quickly record a video or screen share, and then send it to your students with a link. The Flip Augmented Reality feature is another interactive element that allows students to scan a video's QR code and view the video projected within their camera's mobile screen, in their own environment. From the teacher dashboard, you can print QR codes that link to each response. You can post these QR codes in a student art gallery or at a parent open house to share student videos. Participants must use the Flip website or app to view the videos. You can also use the app to collect video responses from students and guests.
Teachers should be clear about their expectations so that students don't waste time trying to make a perfect presentation if an informal response is all that's desired. Use a rubric to be clear about what you want to see. Also, some kids may be anxious about being on camera; it's challenging enough to answer a question when called on in class, but for some, formulating a video answer may be more agonizing than it's worth. Students can also record "mic-only" videos or cover their image with digital stickers. As with any communication tool, focus on creating a culture of respect by setting clear expectations in advance.
Recent updates include Topic CoPilot, an AI feature for generating discussion topics when time is especially of the essence. For more ideas, check out the Flip blog and Twitter feed, which are full of great tips for using Flip in your classroom. Or search the Discovery library to discover topics in any subject shared by teachers and corporate partners. Since young students can access the search and access topics meant for older grades, be sure to use appropriate caution. Flip also offers free educator training and badges. It also integrates easily with Google Classroom and Canva.
Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is a website and app that allows teachers to facilitate video discussions. Begin by creating a group; choose one of the background templates or upload your own. Then, invite students to join the group's topic space via a QR code or link. The topic space serves as an interactive message board where teachers can pose questions and students can post video responses that appear in a tiled grid display. Guests can also be invited to participate with a link and a password. Customizable security settings help protect student privacy. A variety of filters and tools allow for video mode, text, stickers, screen recording, and other possibilities. Via the immersive reading feature, students can see closed captioning and translations, too. Note that the captions and translations take time to process.
Users can participate on Flip via the app or the website with any camera-enabled device or by uploading a previously recorded video. Responses can be 15 seconds to 10 minutes, and teachers can determine a maximum recording time. Teachers can also allow students to record replies to classmates' responses. There are a variety of moderation features you can turn on or off per topic. The CoPilot feature allows more than one teacher to be a group moderator. Teachers have access to a help center and two active teacher communities: the Discovery library for sharing topic templates, and GridPals for connecting with educators and classrooms around the world. Be sure to use the subject filters since there is a ton of content that can be distracting to parse through.
Flip offers a streamlined, flexible platform for teachers and students to communicate. Students can learn to articulate ideas with well-planned responses and consider alternative viewpoints as they listen to their peers' responses. It's a great way to gather students' responses at their pace without kids feeling "on the spot" in the classroom. Students can take advantage of the "sticky note" on the recording screen to type a short outline or key points before they start recording. Pause, trim, and re-record buttons can help students record their best effort. The customizable built-in rubrics are a great way for teachers to set expectations and provide feedback on student videos.
Because of its flexibility, Flip gives students options around how they want to demonstrate learning, which can lead to more effective assessment and student engagement. If teachers aren't sure where to begin or how to use Flip effectively, there are a ton of ready-made topics in the Discovery area. Plus, it can give a window into a student's thinking that an exit ticket or quiz might not. When applied purposefully, Flip is simple to use, extremely useful -- and fun.
Learning Rating
Community Rating
Anti-social Flipgrid
There should be negative stars, since even one would be an exaggeration. A terrible waste of time, and invitation to habitual frustration. For years, Flipgrid has had problems, losing video responses, announcing that a recording failed to upload... But now, as of 2023, it will not record at all: neither on a state of the art college computer, nor on an older but healthy computer at home, where every other program or app works just fine. Though I can watch the students' videos, in attempting to respond, the camera displays my image, but any attempt to record yields the same obstacle: "Something went wrong. Please refresh the page." And all that does is return me to the student's video, which begins running again.
Moreover, Flipgrid has always had terrible captions, completely useless for another language, and often ridiculously wrong in English.
Our department was one of the last to continue using Flipgrid - most others have switched to the internal Canvas function or Harmonize. We will be doing so as well, and warning others to steer clear of this miserable program.
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