FlipGrid LIVE! @Home 2020

We have been talking a lot about platforms and tools. One tool that I didn't discover until I started classes online at FSU was Flipgrid. I have to admit that at first I hated it. Just like any one, I hated the idea of selfie videos and was self aware of what I was putting out for others to see of me. After the first few videos though I started to care less. Eventually I began to explore and play around with some of the features. 
Once we went on remote learning, I decided to try out Flipgrid from the teacher side. I used it with my students to foster class discussion in my English Literature classes when we weren't together. I found they had some of the same concerns I did when I started. Some groups/classes fell in love with the platform and it became their favorite part of remote learning while other groups/classes avoided doing the Flipgrids as best as they could. 
I've spent some time this summer with the platform and looking at where I went wrong with my classes and the platform. I wondered how I could engage them better and how I could use the platform better. I knew it had potential to do what I needed it to and it had potential to give the students what they needed, but I must not be using it to it's full potential (and the students must not have been either). 
On Monday, I took the time to attend Flipgrid LIVE! It was an amazing experience where Flipgrid revealed some of their updates that are coming this August and some amazing things that can be done with their platform. I was writing things down and emailing my tech lead. I was especially excited to email my students about a fix to something they had been very upset about (mirroring of their videos and pictures). 
I think over the time of emergency remote learning, so many of us jumped on everything we could to stay afloat. But now is the time to master the few tools that we believe will benefit our students and their learning the most. It's not the amount of technology we use but how and what we do with the technology we do use. 
I plan on doing a lot more PD with Flipgrid. I see it's potential in my classroom- especially my English classes. 

Comments

  1. DesmondJuly 8, 2020 at 12:15 PM

    That is exciting. I like Flipgrid and have used it a few times. I want to use it more in now though. I am looking forward to try the new features.

    ReplyDelete

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