During the long days of remote teaching and learning, many students and faculty relied on technology to introduce themselves and get to know one another. One of the most effective tools for meeting this goal was Flipgrid, a video-based discussion thread. Instructors successfully utilized Flipgrid as a means to facilitate deeper discussion and provide elevated social presence in remote spaces. Even as we return to in-person learning, Flipgrid can be a valuable way to keep discussion flowing after everyone has exited the classroom.
The most recent Flipgrid updates focus on improved user experience, accessibility, and screen recording. These updates can provide you and your students with an even more powerful tool for asynchronous discussion that enriches in-class activities. Updates include:
- Closed Captioning – Video creators can now edit auto-generated captions for accuracy, making videos more accessible for all viewers.
- Enhanced Mobile App – Flipgrid can be used through a browser or via an app, and the new app has a lot of great bells and whistles. Most notably, the app now provides users with a user profile that collects all their videos across Flipgrid groups. As students utilize the app in more classes, they’ll compile a nice collection of stored videos that they can post in any of their groups.
- Search Feature – This brand new search feature makes it very easy to search for particular student responses, making it even easier for you to provide feedback or respond to specific questions.
- Screen Recording – The recording options on Flipgrid have expanded such that video creators (including instructors!) can choose to record their screens instead of their faces. The screen recording feature also includes video annotation. This is particularly useful for instructors to record an intro video that demonstrates something on the screen, or for students who are perhaps talking through an article or a website and wish to annotate as they talk. Additionally, you can upload existing screen recordings you’ve made with Screencastify or another tool by using Flipgrid’s new video upload feature.
Flipgrid captures the spirit of many of the social media apps that your students are using outside of the classroom and lets you harness them for academic purposes. If you’re interested in giving it a try, you can sign up for a free account at Flipgrid’s website. If you need assistance setting up your first Flipgrid group, email teachtech@conncoll.edu for assistance.
