Getting Started with Flipgrid
This section is designed as an online training module to help you explore the awesome features in Flipgrid. A PDF How-To Guide from Flipgrid is available at this link.
Let's Do This!
Together we are going to create a Flipgrid, upload a sample video, and pose prompts for students to answer.
Step One: Create a Flipgrid Account
Go to Flipgrid.com and select sign up at the top right. Sign in with your Microsoft Account and use your HISD E-mail and password. Answer the questions & continue . Click here for a video step-by-step.
Steps 2-5 Creating your FlipGrid click here for a step-by-step video
Step Two:
On your Flipgrid page click "new grid." On the grid launchpad select "school email & domain" as the type of grid. This will keep the grid private and students will have to sign in with their HISD email (s12345@online.houstonisd.org) & their HISD password - usually their birthdate (mm/dd/yyyy).
Type a name for your grid, title this something that is related to your class, you can just put your class name or your name. Make your flip code your last name too for ease of accessibility.
Choose a texture or picture & click next. For the domains add: "online.houstonisd.org" for your students to access with their school email and also add: "houstonisd.org" so you or other teachers can join.
On customized settings "uncheck notify me" you will get an email every-time a student posts a video or reply and that can be a lot of emails.
Step Three:
On the dashboard click new topic and fill in the title for the activity ex: "Founding Documents," select a maximum time, and add instructions. It is best to make the students include a question other students can answer in the responses so other students have to watch the video and write a reply to the questions.
You can choose to turn moderation on which means you have to watch and approve every video before other students can see. You can also add resources (YouTube, images, links) so students can refer to other documents or resources they can use to create the video.
The video features section allows you to turn on student responses and change other features. Under feedback you can create your own rubric for example "student answers prompt, student responds to two videos, etc."
Step Four:
On the dashboard click on flip code above the assignment to see it as a student. The student view has many options such as an immersive reader. Student can click to see your video and resources then add their response at the bottom.
As students reply students can add links for other students to refer to. You set in your settings that students can reply to one another's videos. Students can then click on other's responses and answer questions in their own video responses.
Step Five:
On the dashboard click the student video responses and you can assign feedback. This feedback is then emailed to the student. Make sure to put your feedback score in your separate grade book. You can always click back on the student video to see the feedback you gave. Click here for video clip for step five instructions
12 New Ways to use Flipgrid to Enhance Instruction
Adapted from Sean Fahey's Tech - 13 Ways to Enhance Math Lessons with Flipgrid
1. Weekly Current Event / Weekly Literary Analysis/ Weekly Problem Set
Using Flipgrid students can post their analysis of a weekly current event, response to class reading, or answer to the problem set. This is a great way for students to share their solutions and ideas with others.
2.Student Posed Prompts & Problem Sets
Have students create prompts or problem sets for others in class to respond to or answer. Students can view other responses and try to come up with the best solutions or ideas.
3. My Favorite No
Using the My Favorite No strategy from Ms. Acala & the Teaching Channel to present a very wrong answer that has many misconceptions or mistakes lots of students are making. In learning from mistakes have students look at this incorrect example and reply in their own video about what mistakes are made and have the students present the correct process step by step in their response.
4. Would You Rather
Checkout www.wouldyourathermath.com by John Stevens. This is a math scenario based website but for any class students can be given real world scenarios with multiple paths or options to research in solving a problem or answering a prompt. Humanities and science classes can have teacher created cases students can solve. In a video response students can explain the actions they took in the scenario to find a solution or address the real world issue.
5. Tutorials
Have students explain a pre-determined problem to tutor other students or have a student defined tutorial where students submit videos of problems they need help with and other students respond and explain with assistance.
6. Unit Notes
Use Flipgrid and have students or post your own videos after each lesson so students can refer back to over time.
7.Stump the Teacher
Students pose a question or prompt they know the answer to and the teacher has to respond and answer explaining the steps to solve the problem.
8.Family Involvement
This is great for survey type activities or Project Based Learning activities where students have to interview others and get their viewpoints. Students can respond to your Flipgrid video with the individuals they are interviewing or they can create their own Flipgrid with question other interviewees respond to.
9. Opinions and personal experiences
Have students respond to your Flipgrid video with their judgements or personal experiences related to a math problem/concept, prompt you have given them.
10. Create their own story
Have students create their own story, poem, problem set or explanation and students pose questions for students to respond to.
11. KWL & Think, Notice, Wonder
Pose a prompt, problem, or situation and have students respond with what they know, want to know, and what they've learned (if you include links or videos explaining the problem. From Mr. Fahey, "Think, Notice, Wonder. I discovered think, notice, and wonder after reading this blog post. It is another great way to get students to share their mathematical thinking and connections. You provide students with an image prompt and they share what they think, notice, and wonder. The responses don't always have to be math related because the goal is to get students to practice explaining their reasoning and understanding. This strategy is also a great way to help students write about their math. After writing down their response, they can share that via Flipgrid."
From Mr. Fahey below:
"12.Which One Doesn't Belong
I discovered WODB, through the mathupmath.com website. In a blog post here is how they describe how WODB works. "Instead of working on practice problems during a lesson's warm-up, students will observe and reflect upon a graphic displaying four images. They will then apply their mathematical and reasoning skills to decide which of the four items does not belong and also justify why their choice is valid." To me the incredible thing about using WODB prompts there isn't one correct answer. As long as a students make a valid and justifiable answer they are correct. So when answers are shared it generates a fantastic mathematical discussion that can use up an entire class period. Add one of these prompts to a Flipgrid topic and watch the conversation flourish. There is also the wodb.cawebsite that has ready to use prompts as well.
13. Convince me that
These are a series of teacher created prompts that I first saw started and shared on Twitter by math teacher Daniel Kaufmann. It's a simple yet genius idea to help students focus on different aspects of a math problem than just solving them because the answer is included. Now students must explain the how, why, process, etc.. behind the solution. Adding a prompt like this to Flipgrid will give all students to share their understanding, learn from others, and dive deeper into mathematical reasoning. You can find a slide deck with "Convine me that" prompts here."
Flipgrid Exemplars
Flipgrid Disco Library is a shared space on the Flipgrid website where teachers share their Flipgrids. Flipgrids can be filtered by category and some teachers have provided video instructions on how to use the Flipgrid
Diane Ellis
Our very own Diane Ellis has some great examples she has shared with us:
Based on what you have learned and the scenario in the video prompt, describe in two minutes how you would contain a small viral outbreak to prevent it from becoming a pandemic in your school without knowing the source.
If you were a character in a novel, would you be an Antagonist or Protagonist and why?
Need some prompt ideas?
The Buck Institute's Project Based Learning website has some project cards that have great essential questions & prompts.