Looking to find a way to give your students feedback in a remote learning environment? Look no further than FlipGrid. FlipGrid is a video based discussion platform that is 100% free for all educators and their students. FlipGrid works on any device and has a low friction interface that is easy for students to start using.

I know, I know, in one of my previous posts I talked about remote teaching like a minimalist. The idea was to use the technology tools that you and your students already had experience using in a face-to-face setting. However, I did also mention that you could add 1-2 new technology tools per semester and it would be ideal if these new tech tools served more than one purpose. FlipGrid can be used to increase student voice and it is an excellent tool for teacher/student feedback as well as student/student feedback. So, if you are looking to add that one new tech tool to your teaching toolbox, I suggest you look into FlipGrid and see if it would be a fit for your classroom.

WHY FLIPGRID?

FlipGrid allows teachers to pose a topic or question to their students and the students then respond by recording a short video. The teacher has the option to have the student videos private so only the teacher can see them, or public so that other students in the class can view the videos. The teacher also has the option to allow student/student replies to classmate videos if they wish.

The asynchronous nature of FlipGrid is perhaps it’s most powerful feature. In a live setting, students usually have limited time to answer questions on the spot, without much “think time” before responding. FlipGrid gives the students time to process their thoughts before recording their video response. Many students have a hard time expressing their thoughts in writing, and many students get frustrated with the amount of time it takes to type their thoughts on a keyboard. FlipGrid avoids these common barriers by having the students use a format they are familiar with to explain their thoughts … video.

Imagine trying to run a whole class live video session and asking students to respond to a question. The teacher would only have a few minutes to call on a few kids. Most students would not have an opportunity to speak. FlipGrid increases student voice by allowing ALL students to answer each question.

From the teacher perspective, FlipGrid automatically archives each conversation. Every student video is saved, and the teacher can review responses as needed. In a face-to-face setting, it would be nearly impossible to record and archive every pair-share or small group student conversation. These archived videos can show student growth over time.

The teacher can provide feedback in a variety of ways with FlipGrid. The teacher can create rubrics to score video responses, reply with text feedback, or reply with a video response. The video replies from the teacher can help recreate the conversations that are missing with remote learning. The student does not need to remember exactly what the teacher said days later. Each student can easily watch & re-watch customized, private teacher feedback at any time.


WITH PURPOSE OR WITHOUT?

Like any tool, FlipGrid will only be as good as the intent behind its use. Be very careful to have a purpose when assigning a FlipGrid topic to your students. It can be all too easy to fall into using a tech tool just because it is new & shiny. Hearing other educators say, “Kids love it!” is not enough. Kids also love sugar and unlimited screen time. It’s our job as educators to use FlipGrid with a purpose. Just making fun or cute videos is not good enough. The novelty of FlipGrid will wear off quickly and student engagement will drop if there isn’t a bigger “Why” behind your FlipGrid topics. Perhaps you want to challenge your students’ misconceptions, have the students clearly explain their thinking, or better yet have the students push each other’s thinking. The students will produce the level of thinking that you ask them to do. Research shows that only 20% of all questions teachers ask require students to think. 60% of questions simply ask students to recall facts while the other 20% of questions are procedural in nature (P. E. Blosser. 1975).

QUESTIONS TO MAKE YOUR KIDS THINK

What kind of questions can we ask to make our kids think? How can we create online conversations instead of factual recall responses in video form? Ask your students “open questions”. Open questions can promote discussion and student interaction. Different types of open questions can include: probing questions, divergent questions, and higher order questions. You can find some excellent examples of all of these types of questions HERE from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Yes, of course you can ask some factual or recall questions ( who, what, when, where, etc.) with FlipGrid, however, keep these questions to a minimum. They don’t lead to conversation and teachers and students will not find much value in watching 30 video clips of each student reciting the same one word answer.

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE FLIPGRID FOR FEEDBACK?

Teachers can now use these recorded videos as actual evidence to support student learning. These small conversations reflect where each student is at with their thinking. The teacher can then adjust their instruction to match the level of understanding. FlipGrid will allow you to have more conversations with your students than you could have in your traditional classroom.

Use the video reply to respond to your students. Ask clarifying questions. Continue the conversation. Don’t use these conversations as grades to enter in your gradebook. Instead, use these video replies to push each other’s thinking. One of the most powerful things that teachers can do is build relationships with their students. FlipGrid provides us with those opportunities. As Rita Pierson explains, "Kids don't learn from people they don't like.”


Better yet, teach your students how to provide peer feedback in FlipGrid. You would need to be very direct at the start and model for the students what peer feedback might look like. The more clear guidelines you provide the better. FlipGrid was built for student/student interactions. This is where the power lies. Connect our students and have them discuss the “open questions” mentioned above. Increase student voice. Increase conversations. Provide meaningful feedback. Give it a try with FlipGrid.